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ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  02395  1939 


Gc 

977.101 

G83h 

V.2 

1324582 


REYNOLDS  HISTORICAL 
GENEALOGY  COLLECTIQN 


wr'' 


P 


HISTORY 

OF 


GREENE  COUNTY 

OHIO 

ITS  PEOPLE,  INDUSTRIES  AND  INSTITUTIONS 


HON.  M.  A.  BROADSTONE 

Editor-in-Chief 


VOLUME  II 


ILLUSTRATED 


1918 

B.  F.  BOWEN  &  COMPANY,  Inc. 

(rt^ 

Indianapolis,  Indiana 

9  7  7.  I0\ 

Qri3h 

v.^ 

1321582 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


Abbey,  Patrick  H. 933 

Adair,  Robert   D 107 

Adams,    Hurl    R.    359 

Adams,  John   H.   256 

Adams,   Joseph    W 383 

Adams,  Nimrod 339 

Adams.  Samuel  N 210 

Adsit,   Leonard   C 931 

Alexander,    Charles    F 293 

Alexander.   Hugh.   A.   842 

Alexander,    John    589 

Allen,  John  B..._ 805 

Anderson,  Clyde  W 938 

Anderson,    Floyd    46 

Anderson,    George.    M.    D 816 

Anderson,    John    W 191 

Anderson,  Joseph  F. 114 

.Anderson,   Hon.    Samuel    C.   304 

Anderson,    William    P 250 

Andrews,    Wallace    F 791 

Ankeney,    Albert    880 

Ankeney,     Charles     E 566 

Ankeney,    Hon.    Horace 68 

Ankeney,    Lewis    W.    635 

Applegate,    Howard 235 

Archer,    David    " j 696 

Arnold,    Cyrus    C 476 

Arnold,    Edgar    J 476 

Armstrong,    Orville    B.    ' 464 

Arthurs,    Thomas    A.    473 

Arthur,    William    H.    813 

Ashbaugh,    Levi    M ITi 

B 

Babb.     Charles     L 24 

Bailey,    Daniel    M 883 

Baker,    Dan    .  412 

Baker,    George    288 

Baker,  Henry   F.,   M.   D 430 

Baker,    Justus    L ^ 722 

Baker,    Samuel   T.    788 

Baker.    William    R 782 

Baldwin,    Ira    W.,    M.    D 105 

Bales,  Albert  E. 918 


Bales,    John    S.    122 

Ball.   Lester   D 63 

Ballard.    William    452 

Bankerd,     Mary     H 176 

Barber.    William    H 669 

Bargdill,    George    R 515 

Barkman.  Cleveland  L 279 

Barlow,   Judge    Moses    29 

Barnes,    Lester    S 290 

Barnett,    Walter   W 778 

Barnhart,     Davis    761 

Barr,    Fred    C 581 

Batdorf,    Reuben    G.    563 

Beal,    Jasper    S 595 

Beam,    Clyde    C 588 

Beam.    Daniel    H 348 

Beatty,     Charles    E ..  419 

Beatty,  John  A 774 

Belt,     David    F 384 

Benham,    William    F 485 

Berryhill.    Thomas    C 544 

Beveridge,    Rev.    Thomas,    D.    D 529 

Bickett,  Clark  K. 784 

Bigler.    Abraham    L 741 

Bingamon,    Charles    S 355 

Birch,   George  A. 666 

Black.   Rev.   George   D.,   D.   D. 449 

Blair,     Bert    55 

Blair,    William    H 67 

Blotner,   J.    C.    583 

Bradfute,    Oscar    E 901 

Brandt,   George 632 

Bretney,     William     H 182 

Brewer,   William   H 765 

Brickel,    George    F.   735 

Brickie,    John     H 292 

Broadstone,    Michael    A 848 

Brown,     Cyrus    487 

Brown,    Hallie    Q 984 

Brown.    Howard    C 212 

Brown,     Ezra    365 

Brown,    Marshall   353 

Brown,    Michael    367 

Brown,    Samuel    A 342 

Bryson,    Agnew    E 28 


BIOGRAPHICAL   INDEX. 


Bryson.    Hon.    William    B 70 

Buck,    Charles    943 

Buckwalter,  Joseph 337 

Buick,    John    G 372 

Bull,    Amos    S.    923 

Bull,    Edward    O.    879 

Bull,     Karlh    770 

Bull,  William  H 732 

Burnett,    William     406 

Burr,    Charles    M.    812 

Burr,     William     C 498 

Burr,    William    H 523 

Burrell,     Albert     436 

Burrell,    Eli    725 

Burrell,    Francis    M 852 

Burrowes,    William    E.    267 

Butt,    Christopher  J 719 

C. 

Camden,  John   W.   471 

Canaday,  James  H.  65 

Carey,     Simeon,     M.     D 516 

Carlisle,     George     A 935 

Carlisle,    Towne    446 

Carlisle,  William  I 543 

Carlos,     Barney     W 47 

Carr,  William  W. 236 

Carroll,    Solon    907 

Carson,  Rev.  James  G.,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.477 

Carter,    George    L 340 

Chalmers,     William     S 187 

Chandler,     Walter     710 

Charters,    John    T.    184 

Cherry,    Huston    H.   570 

Cherry,   William   J.   714 

Chitty,    Luther    D 915 

Chew,    J.    A.    172 

Chew,  James  P 168 

Clark,   William   B.   671 

Clayton,  Benjamin  F 386 

Clemans,     William     L 858 

Coe,     Herman     N 435 

Collins,    Andrew    G 506 

Collins,     Arthur     E 392 

Compton,     Wilson     797 

Confarr,    Charles    E 698 

Confer,  Arthur  U 780 

Conklin,  James  G. 779 

Conley,    William    454 

Conroy,    Rev.    William    A 596 

Coolcy,  Charles  E 877 


Cosier,    Harry   A.,    M.   D.   645 

Costenborder,    William    F 811 

Cox,    Charlie    K.   647 

Cox,    Samuel   W.    826 

Coy,    Aaron    467 

Coy,     Benjamin     F 672 

Coy,    Burley   J.    846 

Coy,     J.     Xewton     927 

Coy,  John   468 

Coy,    John    F 895 

Coy,   Valentine    P 573 

Coy.    William    E.    924 

Coy,     William     H.     608 

Cramer,    Charles   I.   771 

Creswell,    Andrew     H. 64 

Creswell,    George    H.    460 

Creswell,   James    H.   408 

Creswell.  William   H. 444 

Creswell,    William   W.   664 

Crow,     David     E.     247 

Crowl,    James    925 

Cunningham,  James  C 792 

D 

Darlington,     Charles     51 

Darst,     Henry    740 

Davis,    George,    M.    D 347 

Dean,    Charles    S.    736 

Dean,    Charles    W.    546 

Dean,    Samuel   S.    96 

Dean,     William    A _.  843 

Dean,  William  C. 52 

Dean,  W.   Edwin   578 

Devoe,  Prof.  Chester  A. 841 

Devoe,    Joseph    318 

Diehl,    Philip   259 

Diffendal,    John     M 548 

Dillingham,   Gilbert  L 562 

Dodds,    George    and    Sons 554 

Dodds,  William 422 

Dobbins,    Charles    D.    786 

Donges,  William  H.  23 

Donley,    Thomas    A 936 

Downey,    Joseph    855 

Drake,   Carl   V.   607 

Drake,    George    H.    825 

Drake,    Pierre    W.    921 

Driskill,    Joseph    874 

E 
Early.    Daniel    B.    886 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


Eavey.     Henry     H.    692 

Eavey,    Joseph    E.    360 

Eckerle,  George  H. 939 

Ellis,   Christopher   K.   549 

Elton,    Joseph    P.    233 

Espey,   Paul  D..   M.   D.  912 

Esterline,  James   F. 717 

Evans,    Isaac    201' 

Ewing,     Samuel    57 

Eyman,   Felix   P.   942 

F 

Faulkner,    Samuel    P 904 

Fawcett,    Hiram    H.    357 

Fawcett,  Joseph  M.,  C.  E 208 

Fawley,    Lee    R 823 

Ferguson,    David    VV.    169 

Ferguson,     George     F 60S 

Ferguson,  Ralph  B. 659 

Ferguson,    William    W.    SOS 

Fetz,   Henry 766 

Finley,  William  H.,  M.  D 126 

Finnell,    Michael    I 263 

Fisher,     Charles     E 847 

Fisher,  Frank 35 

Fitzpatrick,    William     W 326 

Flack,    Millard    D 697 

Fletcher,     William     E 139 

Flynn,    P.    H 117 

Fogg,   Guy  H 41S 

Forbes,  William  H 268 

Ford,    Granville    C.    390 

Fortney,   Prof.  James   H.,   M.   A 793 

Foust,    Ed.    S.    728 

Fowler,    Richard    J 504 

Fralick,     Samuel     827 

Frazer,    Capt.    Andrew    S 76 

Frazer,    Clarence    S.    111 

Fudge,    James    R 537 

G 

Galloway,  William  A.,  M.  D 228 

Garfield,     Lyman     M 192 

Gerhardt,     Sebastian     320 

Gerlaugh,  Edward  O. 628 

Geyer,    Rev.    George    H 867. 

Gheen,    Thomas    731 

Gill,   Andrew   F 662 

Glotfelter,   Warren   H 768 

Graham,  Prof.  George  J 164 


Green,     Pro)'.     Bruce     H 975 

Grciner,    George    679 

Grieve,     Archibald     C 260 

Grieve,    Rankin    R.    124 

Grottendick,    Henry    145 

H 

Hackett,    Charles    H.    128 

Hackett,     Edward    371 

Hackett,    Harry    L.    451 

Hackett,  Joseph  A. 726 

Hagler.   Matthew  A 334 

Haines,    .Asaph    400 

Kaines,    Clayton    22"/ 

Hale,    Silas    O 88 

Hamilton,  Charles  D.  C 853 

Hamma,  Elmer  A 394 

Hanes,    Jacob    427 

Hanes,    Capt.    John    N 752 

Harbein,    John    356 

Harbison,    John    A 222 

Hardman,     William     M 461 

Hardy,    Walter    B.    872 

Hargrave,    Oscar    S 831 

Harner,    Charles    A 70S 

Harner,  Jacob 298 

Harner,    Samuel    568 

Harner,   Samuel    B.   196 

Harper,     Frank    H 616 

Harper,  Thomas  S. 739 

Harshman,    John    F 401 

Hartley,    Mansel   J.    26 

Hartman,  Daniel   H 536 

Hartman,  Samuel  W. 720 

Hartsock,    John    W.    651 

Hartsook,   James    F 321 

Hatch.    Orange   S.— _., 332 

Haverstick,   Franklin   M 612 

Hawker,    John    T 428 

Hawkins.    B'.    Frank 512 

Hawkins,  Horace  R.,  M.  D 426 

Hayslett,    Edward   W.   540 

Hayward,    Roy    C 234 

Heifner,     Harry     N 416 

Heilman,     Frederick,    D.     C 179 

Henrie,  Charles  C 134 

Hering,   .Albert   F. 676 

Hickman.    John     A 324 

Higgins,    John    799 

Hilt,    David    514 

Hilt.    William    H.    376 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


Hirst,    Thomas    C 457 

Hoffman,     Clarence     W 287 

Holmes,   Robert   E 945 

Hoover,    Charles    604 

Hopkins,    John    F 630 

Hopping,  William  S 706 

Hostetter,    Isaac    336 

Houser,  William  E. 657 

Howland,     Armstrong-     R 634 

Humston,    Harvey   723 

Hunt,  Edwin   H 59 

Hunter,     Joseph     C 528 

Hupman,   Charles   S 871 

Hupman,   Frank   767 

Huston,    James     W 702 

Huston,  Rush  R 644 

Huston,    William     F 721 

Hutchison,    Joseph    T 541 

I 
Iliff,  Thomas  V 856 

J 

Jack,  William  T - 130 

Jackson,     Hon.     Andrew 312 

Jackson,  Frank  A 104 

Jackson,    Rev.    Hugh    P 216 

Jackson,   Prof.   Thomas    H.,   D.   D._-  965 

Jacobs,  Jacob  T.  414 

Jacobs,  Julius  C 391 

Jacoby,    John     M 686 

Jacoby,    Robert    S 160 

James,    Benjamin    F 660 

Jenks,  Sherman 652 

Jobe,    Charles    L 763 

Jobe,    George    E 500 

Jobe,   George   F.   100 

Jobe,   Thomas    B 32 

Johnson,   Prof.   Charles   H 987 

Johnson,  Charles    M.    626 

Johnson,  Frank    L.    941 

Johnson,  Harry 624 

Johnson,  Jesse    F.    246 

Johnson,  John    E.     433 

Johnson,  Samuel    S.    819 

Johnston,     Kingsley     M 111 

Joiner,   William  A.   976 

Jones,  Daniel    O.   592 

Jones,  Gilbert   H.,   M.   A.,   Ph.   D....  953 

Jones,  Levi  M.,  M.  D 300 

Jones,  Lewis    R.    944 


K 

Kable,     Isaac    N 564 

Kany,   Jacob    144 

Kauflfman.   Oscar   B 271 

Keiter,    Eugene   S 762 

Keiter,  George    A.    296 

Keiter,   Joseph   B.   646 

Kemp,    George    F.    695 

Kemp,  Horace     S.    553 

Kendig,    Harry    R.    255 

Kerr,    Robert    F.    280 

Kester,   Alford   B.,   D.   D.   S 447 

King,    Joseph    W 33 

Kinney,     Mathias     , 932 

Kinsey,    Charles   241 

Kneisly,    Edwin    539 

Koogler,   Thomas  J.  937 

Krepps,    George    36 

L 

Lackey,   Burt   L.,   D.  D.  S. 654 

Lackey,   James    H..   776 

Lackey,  William    T.    456 

Lampert,  Edwin   J.   934 

Lampert,  Jacob    J.    238 

Lantz,     Jacob   L.   656 

Lantz,  John    D.    478 

Layman,  Josiah 470 

Laurens,    Walter    M. 188 

Leonard,   Samuel   704 

Lewis,  Addison  S. 715 

Lewis,  Hon.   James    E.    388 

Lindsay,  Clarence  A.,  M.  D 994 

Little,   C.    Howard 61 

Littleton,   Wilmot   E.   438 

Logsdon,     Clement    J 287 

Lowry,   Ellsworth   G.   77^ 

Loy,  Alfred 1 817 

Lucas,  John   B. 148 

Lutz,  John 40 

Lynn,   Prof.   Dewalt  S. 557 

Lytic,    Capt.    Robt.    17 

Mc 

McCampbell,  James  S.,  D.  D.  S 129 

McClellan,    David   V.   621 

McClellan;  Robert    H.    474 

McClelland,    William    -t 120 

McConnell.     David    755 

McConnell,    John     518 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


McCuUoch,    Samuel    307 

MeCuUough,    George,  W.    828 

McDonald,    Frank    H 112 

McDonald,   James   A.    198 

McFarland,    David    H.    590 

McKiUip,  John  L. 681 

McMichael,   Rev.  James   S.   E 257 

McPherson,    Charles    862 

McPherson,   Clarence   G.,   M.   D 30 

M 

Madden,   Reed,   M.   D.   204 

Magruder,  Thomas   L.   '+'+ 

Mann,    George    928 

Manor,     Mont 310 

Massey,  Frank  C. "O^ 

Marshall,   Hon.   J.   Carl   101 

Marshall,  James     H.    496 

Marshall,    Leroy   T.    186 

Maxwell,   Campbell   L.  950 

Mellinger,     Charles    J.    375 

Mercer,    James    A.    917 

Messenger,  Asa  C,  M.  D 73 

Miars,  Allen   H 802 

Middleton,    B.   J.   820 

Middleton,  James  W. 480 

Middleton,    Lewis    248 

Miller,    Albert    McH.    759 

Miller,  George  G. 813 

Miller,  Hon.   John    M 364 

Mitchell,    Rev.    Samuel    T.,    A.    M., 

LL.    D.    960 

Mitman,  Oran  P. 623 

Mt.  St.  John  Normal  School 618 

Munger,  Hon.   Edmund    H.   329 

Hunger,  John   E.   520 

Murdock,  Hugh  M. 206 

Murdock,  Silas    M.    893 

N 

Nash,  John    R.    180 

Nash,  Robert     H.     252 

Neeld,   Ralph   M.   136 

Nisbet,    John    H.    381 

Nosker,    Prof.    Charles    A.,    A.    M.._  203 


Oglesbee,  '  Calvin    L. 
Oster,   Martin   A.   -— 


420 

.  815 


P 

Palmer,    Prof.    Lutrelle    F 995 

Partington,    Edward    D 711 

Patterson,  Austin   McD.,   Ph.   D 153 

Patterson,  John    R.    159 

Paullin,  David    E.     913 

Paullin,  James  E. 108 

Paullin,    Theodore    527 

Pavey,  Nobel  T.,  D.  D.  S 443 

Paxson,    William    A.    368 

Perkins,    Rev.    Thomas    992 

Perrill,    George    N.    352 

Peters,    Henley    €.    990 

Peterson,    Granville    O.    '^^- 

Peterson,  John    M.    323 

Peterson,  Lewis   C.  503 

Pidgeon,   Rev.  John  M. 552 

Pratt,   Walter   E.   143 

Preston.    Isaac    B.    677 

Printz.   William   G.   866 

Puterbaugh,  John    F.   597 

Q 
Quinn,  Rev.  James   E 116 

R 

Rader,    Edwin    C.    162 

Rader,    Levi    103 

Rahn,    L.    Madison    824 

Ream,   Charles  E.,  M.   D.   526 

Rice,  Harry   E.   173 

Rice,  Morris  D. 655 

Richman,     Edward     N.    689 

Ritcnour,  Winfield  S.,  M.  D 908 

Robb,    Jordan     963 

Robinson,   James   F.   345 

Ross,  John    W.     459 

Ross,  Robert    A.    899 

Routzong,    Frank    H.    242 

Rowand,   Thomas   L.   713 

Russell,    Prof.    Joseph    D.    M 989 

S 

Sanders,    Jesse    285 

Scarborough,  William  S.,  M.  A.,  LL. 

D.,   Ph.   D.    954 

Schauer,  Edwin   H.  558 

Schauer,  George    K.    690 

Schlesinger,     Bernhard    146 

Scott,    Charles    H.    959 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


Scott,    Jacob    A.    658 

Sexton,    John    404 

Shank,    George    M.    344 

Sheeley,    David    O.    680 

Sheets,    George    W.    132 

Shellabarger,     Frederick    424 

Shepard,  H.  Glen,  D.  V.  S 892 

Shigley,    Elmer    N.    584 

Shoemaker,  Joseph   F.  638 

Shoup,    Arthur    A.    611 

Shuey.  Abraham  L. 440 

Simison,   Frank   W.   290 

Simpson.   Prof.   George   T 957 

Sipe,    Jacob     1 810 

Sipe,    Walter    X.    448 

Smith.  Addison    D.    916 

Smith,  Alfred    Z.    240 

Smith,  Alva  H. 377 

Smith.     Charles     N.     898 

Smith,    Commander    Charles    E..    U. 

S.    X.     95 

Smith.   Elmer   H.   587 

Smith,   Eugene    D.    195 

Smith,   Florance   R.   7.-i8 

Smith,   Harry   D.   299 

Smith,  Judge    Horace    L.    19 

Smith.    Isaac    328 

Smith.    John     625 

Smith,  John   W.   705 

Smith,   Milton   A.   673 

Smith,  Oscar    L.    747 

Smith,   Raymond   W.,   M.   D 895 

Smith,  William    M.    946 

Snively.    Aaron    D.    749 

Spahr,  Daniel  O. 889 

Spahr,    David    E.,    M.    D.    742 

Spahr,  John     C.    586 

Spahr.   Leander 814 

Spahr,  Oliver    M.    397 

Spahr,  Samuel    M.     OOO 

Sparrow.  Richard 691 

Spencer,  Charles    L.    92 

Spencer,  Elmer     E.     620 

St.  John.  Charles    W.    642 

St.  John,  John    W.    490 

St.  John.  Ulysses  S.   G.   350 

Stake,    John     511 

Steel,    Warren     B.    560 

Steinkamp,   Rev.   George   J.   140 

Sterrett,    William    R.    700 

Stevenson.    Charles    T.    830 

Stevenson,    Thomas    S.    465 


Steward,  Rev.    Theophilus    G 968 

Steward,  S.    Maria,    M.    D 968 

Stewart,  Daniel    McM.     80 

Stewart,   Perry    M.    224 

Stiles.   GcorgQ     H.     663 

Stiles,   George     M.     141 

Sutton,     William     C.     829 

Sweeney.    Z.    T.     860 


Talbert,  Rev.   Horace,  M.  A.,   D.   D._  980 

Ta.box.  William  J 214 

Taylor,  Charles    F.    171 

Taylor.    Leigh    A.    239 

Taylor,   Oakey  C. 753 

Taylor,   William    G.   683 

Thomas,   Benjamin  F. 86 

Thomas,  Francis    M.    373 

Thompson.     Charles     794 

Thuma.  John   A. 614 

Tibbs.    John     A.    838 

Tidd,  James  M. 888 

Tindall,  Thomas  H. 926 

Tobias.     Andrew    J.     643 

Tobias.   Orville   D.   821 

Tobias,   William   A. 640 

Torrence,     Findley     D.     20 

Townslcy.   Frank   910 

Townsley,   Harry   S.   712 

Townslcy,  Jesse   C. 481 

Tranchant,     Frank     .A.     270 

Treharne.   Thomas   W..    M.   D 751 

Trollinger,     James     L.     G 56 

Truman.  Elam  L. 282 

TurnbuU,   Frank     B.     694 

TurnbuU,  John  E. 861 

Turnbull,  John,  M.  D 574 

TurnbuU,  William   .\. 873 

Turner.  David   E. 362 

Turner,  John     J.     973 

Turner.   John    S.   727 


Vandeman,    Adelbert    N.,    M.    D 922 

Volkenand,  George    H.    396 

Volkcnand,   Herman  H. 865 

W 

Wade,    Seymour    885 

Walker,  Frank   W.   194 


BIOGRAPHICAL    INDEX. 


Walker,  Leonidas   C,   M.   D 835 

Walton,    Capt.    Moses    302 

Warner,  George    W.    60 

Warner,  John    G.    800 

Watt,    Robert    C.    493 

Wead,    Ralph    O.   441 

Weaver,    Charles    A.    850 

Weeks,  Horace  S. 864 

Weiss,    Paul    W.    _•_ 417 

Welch,     Lorenzo    D.     510 

Weller,    Allen     E.     580 

Wenrick,  Rev.  Alva  D S07 

Whaley,   John   J.    603 

White,   Andrew   H.   244 

Whiteker.    William   W.   576 

Whitmer,    Charles    W.    42 

Whitmer,   George  W. 199 

Wildman,    Arthur    E.    648 

Williams,  Guy  M. 744 

Williams,  Rev.  John  P 920 

Wiffi&mson,  D.  Walker 745 

Williamson,  David    S.    484 

Williamson,  John    C.    272 

Williamson,  Robert     D.     48 

Williamson,  Samuel    K.    308 


Wilson,  Col.   Joseph    E.    431 

Wilson,  Lawrence  D. 718 

Wing,  Edwin     W.     839 

Winter,  Andrew,  M.  D. 226 

Witham,    John    N.    137 

Wolf,   Benjamin 599 

Wolf,  Charles   K.   — 615 

Wolf,  Daniel   W.   774 

Wolf,  Jacob     L    796 

Wolford,  J.    N.' 439 

Wolford,   Otis   T.   832 

Woodard,   Prof.    Dudley   W.,   Sc.   M.  967 

Woolsey,   Ida   C,   M.  D 84 

Wright,    Stephen    C.   166 


Young,  Col.   Charles,  U.  S.  A 948 

Z 

Zeiner,     Frank    602 

Zeller,   Christian   M.,   D.   D.  S 424 

Zimmerman,  Cornelius    688 

Zimmerman,  John   F.   264 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


CAPT.  ROBERT  LYTLE. 

The  late  Capt.  Robert  Lytle,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1907  and  who  for  years  was  prominently  identified  with  the  business 
life  of  his  home  city,  particularly  well  known  in  local  banking  circles,  left 
many  friends  in  Greene  county  who  will  appreciate  the  preservation  of  some- 
thing of  a  biographical  character  respecting  their  old  friend  in  this  definite 
record  and  history  of  the  county  in  which  he  had  spent  the  most  of  his  life 
and  in  which  he  was  so  well  and  so  favorably  known. 

Robert  Lytle  was  a  native  of  the  old  Iveystone  state,  born  in  Huntington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  August  14,  1834,  a  son  of  James  and  Frances  (Smart) 
Lytle,  also  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came  with  their  family  to  Ohio  in 
the  early  '40s  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  James  Lytle  was  seventy-three  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  wife  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial 
sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  John, 
deceased,  who  was  engaged  in  the  shoe-manufacturing  business  at  Dayton; 
David,  also  now  deceased,  who  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  the  shoe  busi- 
ness with  his  brother  John  at  Dayton  and  later  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
became  engaged  in  the  same  business  in  association  with  his  younger  brother 
Patterson,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1915,  and  Frances  (Mrs.  McKee),  who 
is  living  at  Beaver,  Pennsylvania. 

Having  been  but  eight  or  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
from  Pennsylvania  to  this  county,  Robert  Lytle  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
in  Cedarville  township  and  early  turned  his  attention  to  commercial  pursuits, 
when  eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age  becoming  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the 
dry-goods  store  of  J.  C.  McMillan  &  Company  at  Xenia  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  was  elected  captain  of  Company  D, 
Twelfth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served 
until  mustered  out  at  Columbus  in  September,  1863,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Xenia  and  resumed  his  place  in  the  commercial  life  of  that  city.  In  1864 
Captain  Lytle  became  employed  as  teller  in  the  old  Allen  bank,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  Detroit  and  Main  streets,  and  aftersvard  was  promoted  to  the 

(I) 


lO  •  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

position  of  cashier  of  that  institution.  Later  he  transferred  his  services  to 
the  Second  National  Bank  of  Xenia  and  was  cashier  of  that  institution  when 
it  closed  its  doors  in  1888,  after  which  he  hecame  engaged  in  the  local  real- 
estate,  loan  and  insurance  business  and  so  continued  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  although  during  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  had  been  living  in  prac- 
tical retirement  from  business  cares.  Captain  Lytle  was  noted  for  his  good- 
ness of  heart  and  his  generosity  toward  those  who  were  in  need  of  help 
and  many  a  young  man  who  was  getting  a  start  in  life  in  this  county  during 
the  period  of  the  Captain's  business  activities  had  cause  for  gratitude  for  his 
kindly  assistance  and  helpful  advice.  Besides  his  interest  in  banking  afifairs, 
Captain  Lytle  had  other  business  connections;  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  cordage  manufacturing  concern  which  afterward  was 
taken  over  by  the  Kelly  concern,  and  was  also  for  years  the  secretary  of  the 
Peoples  Building  and  Savings  Company  at  Xenia.  He  was  a  Republican 
and  was  an  active  member  of  Lewis  Post  No.  347,  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, in  the  affairs  of  which  patriotic  organization  he  ever  took  a  warm 
interest.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  of 
Xenia,  as  is  his  widow.  Captain  Lytle  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  on  June  9, 
1907,  and  there  was  sincere  mourning  in  the  large  circle  of  his  friends 
throughout  this  county. 

On  January  12,  1881,  Capt.  Robert  Lytle  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  Monroe,  who  survives  him  and  who  is  still  living  in  the  house  in 
which  she  was  born,  at  218  East  Main  street,  Xenia,  the  old  home  of  her 
father.  Mrs.  Lytle  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Greene 
county,  the  Monroes,  who  came  from  Scotland,  having  settled  here  in  the 
year  18 18.  She  is  a  daughter  of  George  and  Martha  (Cunningham)  Mon- 
roe, the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cooper  Angus,  in  Scot- 
land, and  who  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents,  David  and  Barbara  Monroe,  the  family  settling  in  Greene 
county,  which  by  that  time  had  become  one  of  the  most  influential  centers  of 
the  old  Scotch  Seceder,  or  Associate,  church  in  America,  of  which  church 
the  Monroes  were  ardent  adherents.  After  the  union  of  the  Associate  and 
Associate  Reform  church,  which  union  effected  the  organization  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  the  Monroes  continued  adherents  of  this  latter 
church  and  so  remain.  David  Monroe,  the  pioneer,  was  a  wheelwright  and 
was  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  residence  in  Xenia  regarded  as  one  of 
the  influential  residents  of  that  city.  He  had  a  fine  house  on  East  Market 
street  and  he  and  his  family  were  among  the  leaders  in  the  early  social  life 
of  the  city.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  besides 
Mrs.  Lytle's  father  having  been  Margaret,  William,  James,  who  became  a 
furniture  dealer  in  Xenia,  and  Mary  Ann,  who  married  John  Moore,  a 
merchant  tailor  of  that  citv. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO.  IQ 

George  Monroe  grew  to  manhood  in  Xenia  and  presently  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  brother  James  in  the  furniture  business  in  that  city,  the  firm 
operating  a  furniture  factory  on  South  Collier  street  and  conducting  a  retail 
furniture  store  on  East  Main  street,  and  he  continued  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness until  his  retirement.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  the  rigid  tenets  of 
that  faith.  There  were  four  of  these  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Lytle  was  the 
third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Anna,  deceased,  who 
was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  James  Witherspoon,  a  minister  at  Allegheny  City, 
Pennsylvania ;  Mary  Belle,  who  married  James  B.  Watt,  of  Chicago,  and  who 
died  leaving  two  children ;  and  David,  who  died  during  the  days  of  his  young 
manhood.  As  noted  above,  Mrs.  Lytle  continues  to  make  her  home  in  the 
old  brick  house  on  East  Main  street  in  which  she  was  born.  During  the  year 
1913  she  and  three  other  ladies  from  Xenia  spent  the  year  in  Paris  and  Scot- 
land. 


JUDGE  HORACE  LEE  SMITH. 

The  Hon.  Horace  Lee  Smith,  former  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  of  the  third  subdivision  of  the  second  judicial  district  of  Ohio  and  a 
member  of  the  Greene  county  bar,  with  offices  at  Xenia  since  the  spring  of 
1875,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  bom  at  Loganville,  in  Logan  county,  August 
28,  1853,  son  of  Dr.  Clinton  and  Mary  (Davidson)  Smith,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Dublin,  in  Franklin  county,  this  state,  and  the  latter  at 
Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  1855  Dr.  Clinton  Smith  moved  with  his  family 
from  Loganville  to  Bloomingburg,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette, 
where  he  continued  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  November  9,  1879.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  twenty-seven  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1906.  They  were  the 
parents  of  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  review  having  a  brother.  Dr. 
Homer  Smith,  of  \\'^esterville,  and  Dr.  Eva  Smith,  of  Middletown. 

Having  been  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from  Logan- 
ville to  Bloomingburg,  Horace  L.  Smith  was  reared  in  the  latter  village  and 
there  received  his  early  schooling,  later  entering  Bloomingburg  Academy, 
where  he  prepared  for  entrance  at  Wooster  University,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  June,  1872,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  then  en- 
tered the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  March,  1875,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  April  of  that  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  practice 
by  the  supreme  court  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  straightway  afterward  opened 
an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia,  where  he  ever  since  has 


20  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

made  his  residence.  In  the  fall  of  1888,  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican 
party,  Judge  Smith  was  elected  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  the 
third  subdivision  of  the  second  judicial  district  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  in 
the  following  February  ascended  the  bench,  occupying  the  same,  bv  re-elec- 
tion, until  February  9,  1899,  a  period  of  ten  years.  Upon  the  completion  of 
this  term  of  service  Judge  Smith  resumed  practice  at  Xenia  and  has  so  con- 
tinued, though  of  late  years  he  has  sought  to  confine  his  personal  practice 
chiefly  to  taking  care  of  the  needs  of  his  old  clients,  the  general  practice  of 
the  office  being  looked  after  largely  by  his  son,  Harry  Smith,  who  for  some 
time  has  been  associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Xenia,  under  the  firm  name  of  Smith  &  Smith,  and  who  now  occupies  the 
official  position  of  prosecuting  attorney  for  Greene  county. 

Judge  Smith  has  been  twice  married.  In  April,  1875,  the  month  in 
which  he  was  admitted  to  practice,  he  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Blooming- 
burg,  to  Mary  A.  Jones,  of  that  place,  who  died  in  1885,  leaving  two  sons, 
Harry,  mentioned  above,  who  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  for  Greene 
county  in  1916,  and  Charles  Earl,  now  a  commander  in  the  United 
States  navy  and  further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere. 
Besides  these  two  sons  there  were  born  to  that  union  a  son  and  a  daughter 
who  died  in  infancy.  In  January,  1887,  Judge  Smith  married  Mrs.  May 
Loughr}',  a  daughter  of  John  Orr,  who  for  eighteen  years  was  clerk  of  the 
court  of  common  pleas.  During  the  period  of  raising  the  second  Liberty 
Loan  in  the  fall  of  1917  Judge  Smith  had  charge  of  Greene  county's  par- 
ticipation in  that  patriotic  "drive." 


FINDLEY  DAVID  TORRENCE. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  a  past  generation  in  Xenia 
was  the  late  Findley  D.  Torrence,  a  resident  of  Xenia  from  the  time  of  his 
birth,  August  i,  1842,  until  his  death,  June  24,  19 16.  His  whole  career  of 
seventy-four  years  was  spent  in  the  city,  and  for  half  a  century  he  was 
connected  with  its  business,  social,  religious  and  political  life  in  such  a  way 
as  to  stamp  him  as  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  It  is  to  such  sub- 
stantial men  that  Xenia  owes  its  present  growth  in  all  lines  of  civic  activity, 
in  all  avenues  of  business  endeavor,  in  the  various  phases  of  community  life 
which  go  to  make  up  the  life  of  a  city.  Hence  it  seems  fitting  to  present 
in  this  history  of  the  county,  the  place  where  his  whole  life  was  spent,  the 
main  facts  concerning  his  career.  A  brief  summary  of  his  ancestry  is  first 
given.  He  was  born  of  parents  who  had  been  residents  of  the  county  for 
nearlv  fortv  vears ;  his   father,   David  Torrence,  was  born  in   Kentuckv  in 


y'Mtyc//eu(  tyj.  ,y/:rr^^icey 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO.  21 

1804  and  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents  the  foUowing  year.  His 
mother  was  born  in  1816  in  Clark  county,  Ohio. 

David  Torrence  was  a  son  of  John  Torrence,  who  was  born  in  County 
Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  1758.  John  Torrence,  a  son  of  Aaron  Torrence, 
came  to  America  as  a  British  soldier  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  (1778)  John  Torrence  enhsted  in  a  Pennsylvania  regi- 
ment and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  cause  of  the  revolution  he 
had  been  brought  over  to  help  cjuell.  He  had  an  uncle,  a  brother  of  his 
father — Joseph  Torrence  by  name — who  rose  to  the  rank  of  a  colonel  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  and  who  later  settled  in  Cincinnati  and  there  lived 
the  remainder  of  his  days.  One  of  Joseph  Torrence's  sons,  George  Paul 
Torrence,  subsecjuently  became  mayor  of  Cincinnati.  This  son  married 
one  of  the  daughters  of  President  William  Henry  Harrison.  The  Torrence 
family  were  Irish  Covenanters,  and  because  they  desired  greater  religious 
freedom  than  was  accorded  them  in  Ireland  they  came  to  this  country.  Aaron, 
the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to  America,  was  accompanied  by  three  of  his 
brothers.  After  the  Revolutionary  War  the  four  brothers  left  Pennsyl- 
vania and  located  near  Lexington,  in  Kentucky.  Here  the  family  resided 
for  a  number  of  years,  John  Torrence,  the  grandfather  of  Findley  David, 
being  the  first  member  of  the  family  to  locate  in  Greene  county,  Ohio. 

John  Torrence  was  married  in  Kentucky,  his  wife  being  Jane  Jolly,  the 
widow  of  Captain  Jolly,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War.  She  was  noted 
for  her  courage  and  upon  one  occasion  exhibited  her  bravery  in  a  most 
striking  manner.  During  the  siege  of  a  fort  in  Kentucky  by  the  Indians, 
some  time  before  1800,  she  and  her  family  and  a  number  of  others,  were 
gathered  in  the  fort  for  protection.  The  besieged  became  exhausted  for 
lack  of  water  and  it  was  imperative  that  water  be  obtained  in  some  manner. 
It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Jane  Jolly  volunteered  to  get  some  water  out- 
side of  the  stockade.  She  crawled  from  the  stockade  to  a  spring  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  one  night,  with  the  Indians  surrounding  the  place  and  on 
the  alert  all  the  time,  and  returned  with  a  pail  of  water.  John  and  Jane 
Torrence  were  the  parents  of  ten  children :  Susan,  William,  Jane,  Betsey, 
Mary,  Aaron,  Ann,  John,  David  (father  of  Findley  D.),  and  Clarissa.  Of 
these  children  it  is  recorded  that  William,  Aaron,  Ann  and  David  were 
long  residents  of  Greene  county.  When  John  and  Jane  Torrence  came  to 
Greene  county  from  Kentucky  in  1805  they  bought  a  farm  three  miles 
west  of  Xenia  in  what  was  known  as  the  McClellan  neighborhood.  This 
farm,  now  owned  by  W.  G.  Taylor,  lies  in  the  northern  part  of  Sugarcreek 
township.  After  coming  to  the  county  he  was  granted  a  pension  for  his 
services  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  continued  to  draw  a  pension  until 
his  death  in  1840.     He  was  buried  in  the  Associate  church  cemetery,  but  his 


22  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO. 

descendants  had  his  remains  removed  to  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia  in 
later  years. 

David,  one  of  the  ten  children  of  John  and  Jane  Torrence,  was  only 
about  a  year  old  when  his  parents  came  to  the  county  from  Kentucky.  He 
grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm  west  of  Xenia,  and  so  applied  him- 
self in  school  that  before  reaching  his  majority  he  was  teaching  in  his  home 
neighborhood.  Later  in  life  he  located  in  Xenia,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  for  several  years  before  his  death  in  1851.  David  Tor- 
rence was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Finney,  and  to  this 
first  marriage  one  son  was  born.  Walker  Torrence,  who  lived  most  of  his 
life  in  Marysville,  and  whose  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Emma  Torrence  Gor- 
don, is  living  in  Columbus  at  the  date  of  this  writing.  His  second  wife 
was  Ann  Ingram  Stewart.  She  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  in  1816, 
and  died  in  1906  at  the  age  of  ninety.  To  the  second  marriage  were  born 
six  children :  Elder,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty ;  Findley  David ;  Samuel 
Wilson,  who  was  killed  during  the  Civil  War  at  Beverly,  West  Virginia; 
Jane  Eliza,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  sixty-five;  Sarah  Ella,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Anna  Mary,  who  died  in  her  early  girlhood.  There  was 
also  in  this  family  a  half-brother,  James  Cowan,  a  son  of  Ann  Ingram 
Stewart  by  a  former  marriage. 

Findley  David  Torrence,  as  before  stated,  was  born  in  Xenia  on  August 
I,  1842.  He  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Xenia,  and  at 
Wittenberg  College  at  Springfield.  On  August  20,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Sixteenth  Ohio  Battery,  and  served  three  years ;  then  re-enlisted  as  a  veteran 
volunteer  for  the  remainder  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  in  August, 
1865.  In  this  four  years  and  three  months  he  participated  in  twenty-seven 
battles,  among  which  was  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  during  the  summer  of  1863. 
He  was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  a  sergeant.  After  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Xenia  and  clerked  in  the  Millen  dry-goods 
store  for  six  years.  In  1873  he  became  a  partner  of  Austin  McDowell, 
under  the  firm  name  of  McDowell  &  Torrence,  in  the  lumber  business.  Their 
yards  and  ofiice  were  located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Detroit  and  Third 
streets,  and  here  Mr.  Torrence  was  in  business  until  his  death — a  period  of 
forty-three  years.  The  firm  prospered  and  became  one  of  the  most  widely- 
known  retail  lumber  firms  in  this  section  of  the  state.  Mr.  Torrence  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Ohio  Association  of  Retail  Lumber  Dealers  and 
of  the  Lumbermen's  Mutual  Insurance  Company.  He  was  interested  in 
other  enterprises,  but  it  was  to  the  lumber  business  that  he  gave  practically  all 
of  his  attention.  He  was  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Xenia  National 
Bank,  and  also  in  the  Home  Building  and  Loan  Company  of  Xenia,  being 
president  of  the  latter  institution  for  about  twenty  years  until  the  time  of 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO.  2^ 

his  death.  In  politics  he  was  a  Republican  and  was  always  keenly  inter- 
ested in  local  political  matters.  He  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  and 
served  as  its  president  for  several  terms. 

Mr.  Torrence  was  married  on  January  29,  1874,  to  Mary  Ridgely,  who 
was  born  at  Clearspring,  Washington  county,  Maryland,  the  daughter  of 
Richard  and  Louise  (Snyder)  Ridgely.  She  became  an  orphan  when  a 
small  girl,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age,  came  to  Xenia  to  make  her  home 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew  Baughman,  Mrs.  Baughman  being  a  relative. 
She  remained  with  the  Baughman  family  until  her  marriage  and  now  resides 
in  the  old  Baughman  homestead  at  220  North  King  street,  the  house  having 
been  erected  in  the  '40s.  Findley  D.  Torrence  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  three  children :  Frederick  Ridgely,  Mary  PauHne,  and  Findley  McDowell. 
The  daughter  makes  her  home  with  her  mother  in  Xenia.  Frederick  Ridgely 
Torrence  married  Olivia  Howard  Dunbar,  of  Boston.  Findley  M.  Tor- 
rence married  Patricia  Broadstone,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Broad- 
stone,  and  have  one  daughter,  Jean  Broadstone  Torrence. 

Findley  D.  Torrence  was  active  in  business  until  a  short  time  before 
his  death  on  June  24,  19 16.  He  was  an  active  worker  in  the  First  United 
Presbyterian  church  of  Xenia,  served  as  a  deacon  and  also  as  a  trustee  of 
the  church  for  many  years,  and  in  every  way  furthered  the  interests  of  the 
congregation.  He  was  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Xenia  Theological 
Seminary  and  served  as  a  member  of  its  board  of  trustees  for  several  years. 
In  his  everyday  life  he  exemplified  the  teachings  of  the  church  to  which 
he  was  so  devotedly  attached,  and  thus  lived  in  such  a  way  as  to  merit  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  was  universally  held  by  his  fellow  citizens. 

Such  in  brief  was  the  life  of  Findley  David  Torrence,  a  citizen  of  Xenia 
for  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  century,  a  man  whom  to  know  was  to  honor. 
With  his  passing  the  city  lost  one  of  the  men  who  helped  in  every  way  to 
make  the  city  in  which  he  lived  a  better  city  for  his  having  lived  in  it. 


WILLIAM  H.  DONGES. 


William  H.  Donges,  for  some  years  past  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  the  proprietor  of  a  drug  store  at  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  Detroit  and  Second  streets,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in 
this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  he  was  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Hamilton,  county  seat  of  Butler  county, 
November  27,  1875,  a  son  of  Henry  and  Marie  (Schmaedecke)  Donges,  the 
former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  city,  of  German  parentage,  in  1842, 
and  the  latter,  in  the  city  of  Berlin,  Germany,  in  1850,  who  were  married 
in  Hamilton  and  there  established  their  home,   Henry  Donges  being  there 


24  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

for  years  employed  in  a  packing  house.  Henry  Donges  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Minnie,  wife  of  J.  Rentschlar, 
now  living  at  Middletown,  this  state;  Susan,  who  is  married  and  is  now  living 
in  Michigan;  Louis,  who  married  a  Miss  Neidermann  and  who  was  drowned 
at  Hamilton  during  the  great  flood  of  1913;  Phoebe,  wife  of  Edward  Knox, 
of  Hamilton,  and  David,  unmarried,  who  is  also  living  at  Hamilton. 

Reared  at  Hamilton,  William  H.  Donges  left  school  at  eleven  years  of 
age  to  take  a  place  in  a  foundry  and  machine  shop.  He  was  engaged  at 
that  form  of  labor  for  some  time,  but  presently  his  health  began  to  break 
under  the  strain  and  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  chemistry  and 
the  drug  business  in  a  drug  store  in  Cincinnati,  in  which  citv  he  remained 
until  1900,  in  which  year,  he  then  being  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  came 
up  to  Xenia  and  bought  out  the  store  of  the  Cunningham  Drug  Company  at 
the  corner  of  Detroit  and  Second  streets  and  has  ever  since  been  operating 
the  same.  Seven  years  ago  Mr.  Donges  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city 
school  board,  for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  three  years  ago  was  le-elected 
to  that  position,  his  term  of  service  having  yet  a  year  or  two  to  run. 

At  Hamilton,  Ohio,  William  H.  Donges  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Magdaline  Mistier,  who  was  born  in  the  town  of  Kroppen,  in  Prussian 
Saxony,  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  rhe  came  to  this  country  with  her 
parents,  the  family  locating  at  Hamilton.  To  that  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Marie,  Eleanor  and  Ralph.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donges  snd 
their  children  are  identified  with  the  United  Presbvterian  church  at  Xenia. 


CHARLES  L.  BABB. 


Charles  L.  Babb,  cashier  of  the  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  Company 
of  Xenia,  proprietor  of  a  hardware  store  in  that  city  and  formerly  and  for 
years  treasurer  of  Xenia  township,  was  born  in  this  county  and  has  lived  here 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Xenia.  in  Xenia 
township,  a  son  of  James  S.  and  Phoebe  (Lucas)  Babb,  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  this  county. 

James  Babb  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  born  in  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of 
his  childhood,  he  having  been  but  a  small  boy  when  he  came  here  with  his 
parents,  the  family  settling  on  a  farm  on  the  Burlington  pike.  On  that  pio- 
neer farm  James  Babb  grew  to  manhood  and  later  got  a  farm  of  his  own, 
but  later  returned  to  the  old  home  farm.  His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  In- 
diana, died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and  he  lived  to  be  eighty-three, 
both  dying  in  Xenia.    They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 


'<^.. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO.  25 

and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  seven  of  these 
children,  two  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  four  are  still  living,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Horace  Babb,  an  attorney,  now  living  in 
Chicago,  and  two  sisters,  Stella,  wife  of  Harry  McDaniel,  a  farmer,  of  this 
county,  and  Flora,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  Dayton. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  C.  L.  Babb  received  his 
early  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  district  school  and  supplemented  the  same 
by  a  course  in  the  old  Xenia  College,  which  then  was  flourishing  on  East 
Church  street.  He  remained  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the 
home  farm  until  January  i,  1885,  when  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
John  C.  Conwell  and  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  farm-implement  business 
at  Xenia,  under  the  firm  name  of  Conwell  &  Babb,  in  the  building  now  occu- 
pied by  the  Greene  County  Hardware  Company  on  Main  street ;  and  he  was 
thus  engaged  there  for  thirteen  years,  or  until  1897,  when  the  firm  started  a 
second  hardware  store  at  No.  16  South  Detroit  street.  In  the  following  year, 
1898,  the  firm  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Babb  retained  possession  of  the  South 
Detroit  street  store,  which  is  now  operated  by  his  sons,  but  which  he  still 
owns.  When  the  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  Company  was  organized  in 
1906  Mr.  Babb  was  elected  cashier  of  the.  same  and  has  since  been  serving 
in  that  capacity,  recognized  generally  throughout  the  county  as  one  of  the 
most  competent,  courteous  and  obliging  bank  officials  the  county  has  ever 
had,  it  being  no  secret  that  much  of  the  success  attained  by  this  bank  is  due 
to  the  personal  popularity  of  the  cashier.  The  Commercial  and  Savings 
Bank,  which  was  organized  under  the  laws  of  the  state  on  July  7,  1906,  with 
a  capital  stock  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  is  situated  at  the  southwest  corner 
of  Main  and  Detroit  streets,  the  very  heart  of  Xenia's  business  section,  where 
it  has  admirably  equipped  quarters,  and  has  been  a  success  from  the  day  it 
opened  its  doors.  Mr.  Babb  is  a  Republican  and  for  twenty  years  has  seryed 
as  treasurer  of  Xenia  township.  He  also  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  gen- 
eral business  affairs  of  the  city  and  the  county  at  large  and  has  long  been 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  and  effectual  "boosters"  hereabout. 

In  1887,  Charles  L.  Babb  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  L.  Richter, 
who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Elbert  L.,  who  was  graduated  from  Denison  University  at  Granville 
and  who,  in  association  with  his  brother  Karl  R.,  is  in  charge  of  the  South 
Detroit  street  hardware  store;  Alma  L.,  who  was  graduated  from  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  Xenia  high  school:  Karl  R.,  a 
graduate  of  Denison  University,  associated  with  his  brother  Elbert  in  the 
management  of  their  father's  hardware  store,  and  who  married  Dorothy 
Schwartz  and  has  one  child,  a  daugliter,  Virginia:  and  Lois  R.,  who  also 
was  graduated  from  Denison.     The  Babbs  reside  at  the  corner  of  Market  and 


26  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

Galloway  streets.  Mr.  Babb  is  a  Royal  Arch  and  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and 
a  member  of  the  local  council  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  affiliated  with 
the  blue  lodge,  the  chapter  and  the  council  at  Xenia  and  the  consistory,  Valley 
of  Dayton,  at  Dayton,  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  Masonic  affairs. 


MANSEL  J.  HARTLEY. 

When  in  the  spring  of  191 7  the  people  of  Xenia  began  to  take  kindly  to 
the  notion  of  a  commission  form  of  government  for  that  city  and  a  com- 
mittee of  fifteen  was  elected  to  draft  a  tentative  charter  for  submission  to  the 
people  as  a  basis  for  the  administration  of  the  city's  affairs  under  such  a  form 
of  government,  the  name  of  Mansel  J.  Hartley  appeared  as  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  that  committee.  Mr.  Hartley  gave  his  earnest  attention  to  the  duties 
thus  entailed  and  did  much  of  the  actual  work  performed  by  the  committee  in 
the  preparation  of  the  charter  which  was  later  adopted  by  the  city  and  upon 
which  Xenias  present  commission  form  of  government  is  based.  Prior  to 
taking  up  his  residence  in  Xenia  in  1878,  in  which  year  he  arrived  there  to 
enter  upon  the  duties  of  superintendent  of  instruction  in  the  Ohio  State 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home,  Air.  Hartley  had  been  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  and  during  that  period  gave  much  of  his  leisure  to  the  study  of  law 
with  the  view  e\entually  to  adopting  the  legal  profession  as  his  life  work. 
In  1 88 1  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  has  ever  since  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia. 

During  the  period  1903-06  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  public 
service;  1907-08,  director  of  public  safety,  and  one  year  as  a  member  of  the 
city's  sinking-fund  commission.  In  1881  he  was  elected  school  examiner 
for  the  city  of  Xenia  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  sers^ed  in  that  capacity. 
For  two  years,  1889-91,  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home,  under  appointment  by 
Governor  Campbell:  in  1892  was  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  party  for 
Presidential  elector  from  this  district  and  was  for  some  years  United 
States  commissioner  of  the  circuit  court  for  the  southern  district  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  Hartley  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Bar  Association  and  has  served 
that  body  on  various  CKcasions  in  an  official  capacity,  and  is  likewise  a  mem- 
ber of  the  American  Bar  Association,  for  the  past  three  or  four  years  an 
Ohio  officer  of  the  latter  organization.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Law  Library  Association  of  Xenia.  Not  only  does  he  prac- 
tice as  a  trial  lawyer,  but  in  a  fiduciary  capacity  he  has  handled  numerous 
large  estates,  trusteeships,  guardianships  and  the  like.  Mr.  Hartlev  is  the 
vice-president  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Peoples  Build- 
ing and  Savings  Company  of  Xenia;  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO.  2/ 

of  the  Shawnee  Refrigerating;  Company,  a  director  of  the  Willon  Engineer- 
ing and  Contracting  Company  of  Xenia;  a  former  director  of  the  Xenia, 
Cedarville,  Jamestown  &  Wilmington  Traction  Company  and  attorney  for 
the  same,  and  hkewise  attorney  for  the  Dayton,  Springfield  &  Xenia  South- 
ern railroad  company.  Mr.  Hartley  is  a  Democrat.  Fraternally,  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  a  member  of  the 
grand  lodge  of  that  order  since  1888  and  a  former  trustee  of  the  same  and 
ex-officio  trustee  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Home  at  Springfield.  He  also  is  a 
Scottish  Rite  Mason,  past  worshipful  master  of  Xenia  Lodge  X"o.  49,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  and  affiliated  with  the  consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite  of  the  valley  of  Dayton.  He  still  retains  his  old  college  affili- 
tion  with  the  Greek-letter  fraternity  with  which  he  was  connected  in  college 
days. 

Mansel  J.  Hartley  was  born  on  a  farm  at  the  edge  of  Quaker  City,  in 
Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  August  9,  1853,  a  son  of  William  P.  and  Eleanor 
E.  (Johnson)  Hartley,  the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of  N^ew  Jersey  and 
the  latter,  of  Ohio,  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Quaker  City.  The  Hart- 
leys are  of  old  Colonial  stock  and  Quakers  ever,  the  first  of  the  name  to 
settle  in  this  country  having  been  a  member  of  William  Penn's  colony, 
and  the  Hartleys  are  still  numerously  represented  in  Pennsylvania  and  in 
New  Jersey,  as  well  as  in  Ohio.  William  P.  Hartley  was  but  a  boy  when 
his  parents  settled  in  the  Quaker  City  neighborhood  in  Ohio  in  1837  and 
there  he  grew  to  manhood,  married  and  established  his  home,  becoming  a 
substantial  farmer.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
two  of  whom  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  having 
a  sister,  Anice  H.,  wife  of  S.  F.  McBurney,  of  Quaker  City. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Mansel  J.  Hartley  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  Quaker  City  and  when  little  more  than  a  boy  began  teach- 
ing school,  spending  his  winters  thus  for  four  years.  He  then  entered 
Bethany  College  (West  Virginia)  and  upon  completing  the  course  there 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1877  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  a  classmate  of  the  late  Justice  Joseph  R.  Lamar  of  the  United 
States  supreme  court.  Upon  his  return  home  from  college,  Mr.  Hartley 
was  elected  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Quaker  City  and  in  the  next 
year,  1878,  was  appointed  superintendent  of  instruction  for  the  Ohio  State 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Xenia.  In  1879  Mr.  Hartley  received  from  the  state  board  of 
examiners  a  life  certificate  to  teach  school  in  Ohio.  During  his  period  of 
teaching  Mr.  Hartley  had  been  giving  such  attention  as  he  could  to  the 
study  of  law  and  not  long  after  his  arrival  in  Xenia  he  placed  himself  under 
the  preceptorship  of   Charles   Darlington  and   upon   the   completion   of  his 


28  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO. 

term  of  service  as  superintendent  of  instruction  at  the  Home  in  1880  gave 
himself  unreservedly  to  his  law  studies  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  April, 
1881.  l7pon  his  admission  to  the  bar  JMr.  Hartley  engaged  in  practice  in 
Xenia  and  some  time  later  formed  a  partnership  with  Benoni  Nesbit,  a 
mutually  agreeable  arrangement  which  continued  from  1886  to  the  time  of 
Air.  Nesbit's  retirement  from  the  practice-  in  1892.  With  the  exception  of 
that  period  of  six  years  Mr.  Hartley  has  always  been  alone  in  practice. 
On  September  11,  1884,  Mansel  J.  Hartley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Laura  H.  Coffman^  of  Dayton.  Mrs.  Hartley  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  Air.  Hartley  is  a  supporter  of  the  same. 


AGNEW  ELLSWORTH  BRYSON. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume,  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  the  Hon. 
William  B.  Br\'son,  elder  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  there  is  set 
out  at  considerable  length  something  of  the  history  of  the  Bryson  family  in 
this  county  and  of  the  part  that  family  has  taken  in  the  labors  of  developing 
the  county.  It  therefore  will  not  be  necessary  here  to  repeat  the  genealogical 
details  relating  to  the  Brysons,  the  reader  being  respectfully  invited  to  note 
the  sketch  above  referred  to  for  such  details  in  connection  with  the  present 
sketch  of  Agnew  Ellsworth  Bryson,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home  place 
on  the  Springfield  pike  north  of  Xenia,  where  his  father,  the  late  James 
Bryson,  died  in  1912  at  the  great  age  of  ninety-six  years  and  six  months, 
after  having  lived  there  and  in  that  immediate  vicinity  ever  since  he  came 
over  into  Ohio  with  his  parents  from  Pennsylvania  in  1834,  he  then  having 
been  nineteen  years  of  age.  James  Bryson  married  in  this  county,  here  estab- 
lished his  home,  became  one  of  the  county's  leading  landowners  and  repre- 
sentative citizens  and  here  reared  his  family,  all  of  which  is  set  out  at  length 
in  the  sketch  above  referred  to,  and  the  fourth  and  fifth  generations  of  the 
familv  of  his  parents,  Robert  Bryson  and  wife,  the  pioneers,  are  now  doing 
well  their  respective  parts  in  the  life  of  this  community. 

Agnew  Ellsworth  BrA'son  was  born  on  the  old  home  farm  north  of  Xenia 
on  October  28,  1863,  last-born  of  the  four  children  born  to  his  parents, 
James  and  X'ancy  A.  (Bradfute)  Bryson,  three  of  which  children  are  still 
living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  two  brothers,  the  Hon.  William  B. 
Bryson,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
and  Robert  E.  Bryson,  a  retired  farmer  now  living  at  Xenia.  Reared  on  the 
home  farm,  Agnew  E.  Bryson  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood 
schools  and  always  remained  with  his  father,  when  the  latter  erected  the 
big  brick  house  on  the  farm  a  mile  north  of  Xenia  in  1880  moving  there 
with  him  and  ever  since  continuing  to  make  that  place  his  home.      Upon 


(:y.  •yJ ryyjru 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO.  2g 

his  father's  death  in  1912  he  inherited  one  hundred  and  tweh-e  acres  sur- 
rounding the  home  and  a  hundred-acre  tract  along  the  Little  Miami  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Trebein  and  has  since  been  successfully  operating  the 
two  farms.  Mr.  Bryson  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 


JUDGE  MOSES  BARLOW. 

In  the  chapter  relating  to  the  Bench  and  Bar  of  Greene  County  mention 
is  made  of  the  official  services  of  Judge  Moses  Barlow,  many  years  ago  judge 
of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  the  spring 
of  1888.  Wholly  self-educated.  Judge  Barlow  came  to  be  a  man  of  profound 
learning  and  of  a  ripeness  of  judgment  that  placed  him  easily  among  the 
leaders  of  his  profession  in  Ohio.  The  extent  of  his  erudition  may  be  in- 
ferred by  recalling  the  fact  that  he  was  jocularly  known  among  his  friends 
and  associates  at  the  bar  as  "the  walking  library ;"  and  when  it  is  further 
recalled  that  he  gained  the  elements  of  learning  by  his  own  incessant  appli- 
cation to  the  contents  of  such  books  as  he  could  command  during  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  and  that  the  basic  points  of  his  legal  learning  were  acquired  by 
poring  over  law  books  while  working  at  the  cobbler's  bench,  the  observant 
reader  must  give  credit  to  the  ambition  that  fired  the  heart  of  this  humble 
student  and  to  the  indefatigable  industry  with  which  the  instinctive  scholar 
pursued  his  studies  in  the  face  of  difficulties  that  would  have  daunted  any 
but  the  most  persistent  lover  of  learning  for  learning's  sake.  Judge  Barlow 
was  gifted  with  a  wonderful  memory  and  thus  was  able  to  store  away  in  his 
mind  the  essential  points  of  the  books  he  read,  with  the  further  ability  to 
revert  to  these  points  when  needed ;  his  associates  at  the  bar  often  relying 
upon  him  to  save  them  an  hour  of  research  when  seeking  a  citation  that  would 
fit  a  case  in  hand.  Not  all  of  his  time  did  the  Judge  give  to  his  books,  how- 
ever; for,  even  as  much  as  he  loved  his  books,  his  affection  for  them  was 
divided  with  his  devotion  to  his  beloved  violin.  The  Judge  was  a  violinist  of 
rare  skill,  another  accomplishment  he  acquired  untaught  of  professionals,  and 
his  close  friends  often  were  entertained  by  his  playing  at  his  own  fireside. 
When  Judge  Barlow,  after  having  studied  his  precious  law  books  in  such 
leisure  as  he  could  command,  by  the  candle  light  of  an  evening  or  from  the 
open  page  of  the  book  propped  up  alongside  his  knee  at  the  cobbler's  bench — 
for  he  was  a  shoemaker  before  he  became  a  lawyer — went  to  Columbus  to 
enter  the  examination  for  admission  to  the  bar,  he  carried  with  him  such  a 
fund  of  elements  of  the  law  awd  of  the  basic  principles  of  practice  that  he 
was  given  the  highest  grade  that  had  ever  been  given  to  any  applicant  for 
admission  in  this  state. 

Judge  Barlow  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  N^ew  York,  born  at  Duanes- 


30  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

biirg,  in  Schenectady  county,  that  state,  ^larch  22,  i8ig,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Polly  (Clark)  Barlow,  also  natives  of  that  state  and  both  of  English  stock, 
who  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  about  the  vear  1832  and  located  at  Xenia, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Thomas  Barlow  had  for  a 
time  taught  school  and  though  in  no  position  to  extend  to  his  children  the 
benefits  of  an  education  in  colleges  or  higher  institutions  of  learning  was 
able  to  inculcate  in  their  minds  a  love  of  learning  and  to  impart  to  them  the 
rudiments  of  a  practical  education,  and  it  was  thus  that  Judge  Barlow,  who 
was  but  one  of  the  thirteen  children  of  his  parents  and  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  when  the  family  settled  in  Xenia,  early  became  a  close  and  observant  stu- 
dent. By  application  to  his  books  he  qualified  himself  for  teaching  and  for 
a  while  was  thus  engaged,  teaching  in  the  schools  at  Yellow  Springs  and  at 
Oldtown,  in  this  county.  He  also  had  early  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  and 
during  the  periods  when  not  engaged  in  teaching  continued  working  at  the 
cobbler's  bench  until  he  felt  himself  qualified  for  admission  to  the  bar,  when 
he  passed  the  examination  above  referred  to  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  1868  he  was 
elected  judge  of  the  common  pleas  court  and  occupied  that  position  until  fail- 
ing health  compelled  his  retirement,  and  the  last  nine  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  under  an  invalidism  which  incapacitated  him  for  practice.  The  Judge 
died  in  March,  1888  and  is  buried  in  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  twelve  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
November,  1900. 

In  January,  1844,  Judge  Moses  Barlow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Phil- 
ipina  Schroeder,  who  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  near  the  city  of 
that  name,  April  19,  1822,  and  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  her  parents 
in  the  days  of  her  girlhood.  Mrs.  Barlow  was  a  gentlewoman  of  many  graces 
of  mind  and  heart  and  was  ever  a  devoted  and  valued  helpmeet  to  the  Judge. 
To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Henry,  who  is  now  living 
retired  in  the  city  of  Columbus,  this  state ;  Philipina,  widow  of  Horace  Sabin, 
who  is  still  making  her  home  in  Xenia ;  Mrs.  Henrietta  Walton,  also  of  Xenia, 
and  Mrs.  Amy  Laughead,  of  Xenia.  The  Judge  and  Mrs.  Barlow  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  Judge  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodges 
of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


CLARENCE  G.  McPHERSON,  M.   D. 

Dr.  Clarence  G.  McPherson,  Xenia  physician,  with  ofifices  at  the  corner 
of  South  Detroit  and  Third  streets,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county,  born  on 
a  farm  in  Xenia  township  on  October  28,  1880,  son  of  John  H.  and  Eliza- 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO.  3 1 

beth  G.  (Githens)  ]\lcPherson,  the  former  of  whom,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War  and  former  auditor  of  Greene  count)',  also  was  born  in  this  county  and 
is  still  living  here. 

John  H.  McPherson  was  born  on  July  ii,  1840,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Ann  (Rader)  McPherson,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Xenia  on  February  16,  1816,  son  of  John  H.  and  Margaret  (Hivling) 
McPherson.  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Maryland  and  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Hivling,  sheriff  of  Greene  county  during  the  years  1813  and  1814. 
The  elder  John  H.  McPherson  also  served  the  community  in  a  public  capac- 
ity, having  been  for  some  time  postmaster  of  Xenia  and  for  ten  years.  1830- 
40,  recorder  of  Greene  county.  Of  the  considerable  number  of  children  born 
to  him  and  his  wife,  John  Moses,  Sophia  and  William  grew  to  maturity  and 
reared  families.  The  latter,  grandfather  of  Doctor  McPherson,  learned 
the  trade  of  saddle-maker  at  Dayton  and  later  returned  to  Xenia  and  en- 
gaged in  that  business  there,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  1840,  when,  after 
his  marriage,  he  began  farming  on  his  grandfather  Hivling's  old  place  on 
the  Dayton  hill,  in  the  upper  part  of  town,  and  was  there  thus  occupied 
until  his  removal  to  a  farm  he  had  bought  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike,  four 
miles  southwest  of  Xenia,  in  1850.  His  wife,  Mary  Ann  Rader,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Adam  and  Christina  (Smith)  Rader.  William  McPherson  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom  reached  the  age  of  matur- 
ity, those  besides  John  H.,  the  first-born,  having  been  Joshua,  who  went  to 
the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  Com- 
pany C,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  at 
Nashville  while  thus  engaged  in  service;  Ann,  who  married  E.  S.  Barnett, 
of  Xenia  township ;  Sophia,  who  married  William  Priest,  of  that  same  town- 
ship; Charles,  who  continued  the  management  of  the  home  farm;  Adam  R., 
who  moved  to  Iowa  and  there  became  a  farmer,  and  William,  who  was  grad- 
uated from  Ohio  State  University  and  later  became  a  professor  of  chemistry 
there. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  John  H.  McPherson  was  residing  there  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  presently  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front,  serving  for  three  years  and  two  months, 
or  until  honorably  discharged  at  Savannah,  Georgia,  in  1865.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  military  service  Mr.  McPherson  returned  to  the  home  farm 
and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  there,  contintiing  there  engaged 
in  farming  until  1884,  when  he  became  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
at  Xenia,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Williams  &  McPherson,  and  was  thus 
engaged  when  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  auditor.  He  is  still  living 
at  Xenia  and  is  now  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace. 

Clarence  G.  McPherson  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  father,  John 
H.  McPherson,  moved  to  Xenia  and  he  received  his  early  schooling  in  that 


32  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

city,  in  due  time  being  graduated  from  the  high  school.  He  then  entered 
Ohio  State  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1904,  and  then  entered  Starling  Medical  College  at 
Columbus,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1908.  For  a  year  after  receiving 
his  diploma  Doctor  McPherson  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Protestant  Hos- 
pital at  Columbus  and  then  as  an  interne  for  two  months  in  the  State 
Hospital  in  that  city,  after  which  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  opened  an  office 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his  home  town  and  has  there  been  thus 
engaged  since  then.  Doctor  McPherson  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American 
Medical  Association.  While  attending  the  university  he  was  a  member  of 
Delta  Upsilon  and  Alpha  Ivappa  Kappa  fraternities. 

On  October  14,  1909,  Dr.  Clarence  G.  McPherson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Margaret  Bates,  who  was  born  in  Nelsonville,  this  state,  daughter  of  Louis 
A.  and  Electa  C.  Bates,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living.  Mrs.  McPherson 
was  formerly  a  professional  nurse  and  was  thus  engaged  at  Columbus  at  the 
time  she  met  Doctor  McPherson.  The  Doctor  and  Mrs.  ^IcPherson  are 
members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia  and  the  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  the  Masons,  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Modern  \\'oodmen  of  America. 


THOMAS  B.  JOBE. 


In  the  memorial  annals  of  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood  there  are 
few  names  held  in  better  remembrance  than  that  of  the  late  Thomas  B. 
Jobe,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Yellow  Springs 
early  in  191 6  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there.  Mr.  Jobe  has  served 
as  mayor  of  Yellow  Springs,  as  postmaster  of  the  village,  as  member  of  the 
village  council,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a  member  of  the  local 
school  board.  He  also  took  an  earnest  part  in  local  church  and  lodge  work 
and  in  all  that  he  did  labored  with  an  eye  single  to  the  common  good,  so 
that  at  his  passing  there  was  sincere  regret  expressed  throughout  the  com- 
munity of  which  he  had  been  a  member  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 

Thomas  B.  Jobe  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  this  state,  June  13,  1845, 
and  was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Allen  and  Rebecca  (Aseneth) 
Jobe,  natives  of  that  same  county,  moved  from  there  to  Yellow  Springs.  Allen 
Jobe's  parents  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Belmont  county,  having  moved 
there  from  Maryland.  Reared  in  Belmont  county,  Allen  Jobe  there  learned 
the  trade  of  carriage-maker  and  for  some  years  after  his  marriage  there  con- 
tinued thus  engaged  in  his  home  county.  He  then,  about  1854,  moved  with 
his  family  to  this  county  and  located  at  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  resumed 
his  work  as  a  wagon-maker  and  thus  continued  until  his  death.     He  and  his 


ty/ffx  }tKYMi  ■  /J. 


'M'-e-' 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  33 

wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  Rebecca,  Thomas,  Emmet,  Addison, 
Rachel  and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy. 

As  noted  above,  Thomas  B.  Jobe  was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  to  Yellow  Springs.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  common 
schools  he  entered  Antioch  College  and  was  a  student  there  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  In  1862,  when  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  with  a  company 
that  was  raised  at  Springfield,  his  command  being  attached  to  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  During 
the  latter  part  of  this  period  of  service  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and 
was  for  three  months  held  in  Libby  Prison,  being  a  prisoner  of  war  there 
when  the  doors  were  thrown  open  following  the  fall  of  Richmond.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Jobe  returned  to  Yellow  Springs 
and  there  became  engaged  at  the  trade  which  he  had  learned  in  his  father's 
shop,  general  blacksmithing  and  carriage-making,  and  about  the  time  of  his 
marriage  in  1871  became  engaged  in  business  there  for  himself,  doing  a 
general  business  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  buggies,  and  was  thus  cjuite 
successfully  engaged  there  the  rest  of  his  active  life.  Mr.  Jobe  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  under  the  Harrison  administration  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Yellow 
Springs.  He  also  had  served  as  a  member  of  the  council  and  as  mayor 
of  the  town  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  February  4, 
1916,  was  a  member  of  the  city  school  board.  Mr.  Jobe  was  a  member  of 
the  Friends  church,  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 

On  September  21,  1871,  Thomas  B.  Jobe  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  E.  Coulter,  who  was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Lydia  (Ellis) 
Coulter,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland,  who  were  married  in  Xenia  and 
who  were  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Jobe  having  a  sister,  Martha. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jobe  one  child  was  born,  a  son,  Walter  A.  Jobe,  born  in 
1874,  who  was  a  college  student  at  the  time  of  his  death  on  December  3, 
1893,  he  then  being  nineteen  years  of  age.  Since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band Mrs.  Jobe  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Yellow  Springs',  where 
she  is  very  comfortably  situated.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Friends  church 
and  has  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the 
general  good  works  of  her  home  town. 


JOSEPH  WARREN  KING. 

The  late  Joseph  Warren  King,  who  in  his  day  and  for  many  years  was 
one  of  the  dominant  figures  in  the  business  life  of  this  section  of  Ohio  and 
proprietor  of  the  great  powder  mills  which  have  so  long  been  a  distinctive 

(2) 


34  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

feature  of  industrialism  hereabout,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  born  at 
Suffield.  that  state,  August  31,  1814,  son  of  John  Bowker  and  Hannah  (New- 
ton) King,  both  of  old  Colonial  stock,  the  Kings  having  had  representation 
on  this  side  as  early  as  1672,  the  first  of  the  name  in  New  England  having 
settled  at  Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  in  that  year.  James  King,  son  of  this  emi- 
grant, settled  in  Suffield,  Connecticut,  in  1678.  He  had  a  son,  Joseph, 
whose  son,  also  Joseph  King,  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  patriot  army  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  John  Bowker  King  was  a  son  of  this  Revolutionary 
soldier.  His  wife,  Hannah  Newton,  who  was  of  "Mayflower"  descent,  was 
a  daughter  of  John  Newton,  who  also  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier.  John 
Bowker  King,  who  died  on  May  30,  1853,  is  mentioned  in  contemporary  notes 
as  "a  man  of  good  business  ability,  a  substantial  farmer  and  an  upright  man." 
Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Connecticut,  Joseph  W.  King  received  a 
measure  of  schooling  that  was  regarded  as  liberal  in  those  days  and  as  a 
young  man  made  a  satisfactory  arrangement  with  his  father  whereby  he  was 
permitted  to  seek  his  fame  and  his  fortune  in  fields  farther  to  the  west  and 
with  such  an  end  in  view  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Westfield  (now  Leroy), 
in  Medina  county,  his  first  business  venture  on  his  own  account  being  as  a 
book  agent.  In  1838  Mr.  King  returned  to  Connecticut  to  claim  the  hand 
of  the  young  woman  who  there  awaited  him  and  straightway  after  their  mar- 
riage he  and  his  bride  started  for  their  Western  home,  going  by  canal  and 
lake  to  Cleveland  and  thence  down  to  Westfield,  where  they  began  their 
domestic  life  in  a  small  house  in  which  they  set  up  what  was  said  to  have  been 
the  first  cook-stove  seen  in  that  part  of  the  country.  In  Westfield  Mr.  King 
opened  a  general  store  and  presently  moved  to  Lima,  where  he  opened  a 
store  and  where  he  also  engaged  in  the  pork-packing  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  King  &  Day.  While  at  Lima  Mr.  King  became  interested  in  the  sub- 
ject of  the  manufacture  of  powder,  presently,  about  the  year  1850,  moving  to 
Xenia,  where,  in  partnership  with  Alvin  Austin,  he  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  powder,  establishing  mills  for  that  purpose  about  five  miles  north  of 
the  city,  the  business  being  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Austin,  King 
&  Company.  Mr.  King  after  a  while  purchased  Mr.  Austin's  interest  in  the 
concern  and  incorporated  the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Miami  Powder 
Company,  of  which  for  more  than  twenty  years  he  was  president.  In  1878 
Mr.  King  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Miami  Powder  Company  and  estab- 
lished another  powder-mill  in  Warren  county,  locating  the  same  at  Kings 
Station,  now  known  as  Kings  Mills,  on  the  Little  Miami ;  incorporating  the 
business  under  the  name  of  King's  Great  Western  Powder  Company,  of 
which  concern  he  was  elected  president  and  continued  an  active  fax:tor  in  the 
same  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  July  8,  1885,  since  which  time  his 
interests  in  the  concern  have  been  represented  by  his  daughters.     In  addition 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  35 

to  his  powder-mill  interests  Mr.  King  had  other  interests.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  the  Citizen's  National  Bank  of  Xenia  and  from  the  time  of 
its  organization  until  his  death  was  president  of  the  same,  as  well  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Merchants  and  Manufacturers  Bank  of  Columbus;  had  connec- 
tions with  the  pork-packing  industry  at  Lima,  with  iron  and  paper  manufac- 
tories and  with  various  other  concerns. 

In  1838  Joseph  W.  King  was  married  at  his  old  home  at  Suffield,  Con- 
necticut. His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  eleven  years,  continuing  to 
make  her  home  in  the  house  on  East  Main  street  which  he  had  erected  at 
Xenia  not  long  after  taking  up  his  residence  there,  her  death  occurring  there 
on  March  3,  1896.  She  was  born,  Betsy  Kendall,  at  Sufifield,  a  daughter  of 
Capt.  Simon  and  Elizabeth  (Kent)  Kendall,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Gov.  William  Bradford,  one  of  the  "Mayflower"  emigrants  and 
governor  of  Plymouth  Colony,  and  of  Major  John  Mason,  who  won  fame 
during  the  Pequot  War  in  1637  and  who  was  to  Connecticut  Colony  what 
Miles  Standish  was  to  the  Plymouth  Plantation.  To  Joseph  W.  and  Betsy 
(Kendall)  King  were  born  five  daughters,  namely:  Helen,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  the  Reverend  Doctor  Morehead,  of  Xenia;  Mary,  wife 
of  G.  M.  Peters,  of  Cincinnati ;  Elouisa.  wife  of  C.  C.  Nichols,  a  banker,  of 
Wilmington,  Ohio,  and  Isadora  and  Emma,  who  continue  to  reside  at  the 
old  home  in  Xenia.  Joseph  W.  King  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Baptist  church  and  Mr.  King  was  for  many  years  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  of  the  same.  Miss  Emma  King  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters 
of  the  movement  which  led  to  the  organization  of  Catherine  Greene  chapter 
of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  at  Xenia  and  was  elected  first 
regent  of  the  same.  Miss  Isadora  King  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Librarv  Board. 


FRANK  FISHER. 

Frank  Fisher,  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store  at  239  East  Main  street, 
Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  west  of  Xenia,  in  Beavercreek 
township,  April  24,  1868,  son  of  George  and  Mary  (Slate)  Fi.sher,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Germany  and  who  were  married  in  this  county.  George 
Fisher  was  born  on  February  22,  1829,  and  was  about  eighteen  years'  of 
age  when  he  came  to  this  country  in  1847  and  located  at  Eaton,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  a  few  years  later  coming  to  Ohio  and  locating  in  Greene  county, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Mary  Slate  was  born  in  1833  and  was 
seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  this  country,  her  fam- 
ily coming  to  Ohio  and  locating  in  Greene  county,  where  she  married  George 
Fisher,  who  after  living  for  some  years  on  a  farm  west  of  Xenia,  in  Beaver- 


36  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

creek  township,  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  moved  into  Xenia,  in 
1870,  and  there  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  continuing  thus  engaged 
until  his  death  in  1909.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  David,  who  is  living  in  Xenia;  Samuel,  also  of  Xenia; 
Clinton,  deceased;  George,  Jr.,  deceased;  Edward,  who  is  now  living  in 
southern  Ohio;  Mrs.  Anna  Oster,  of  Yellow  Springs,  this  county,  and 
Elizabeth  and  Lena,  also  living  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Frank  Fisher  was  but  four  }-ears  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
the  farm  to  Xenia  and  he  grew  up  in  the  city  and  there  received  his  school- 
ing. He  early  became  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  latter's  grocery  store 
and  continued  as  such  until  his  father's  death  in  1909,  when  he  bought  the 
interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  store  and  has  since  been  conducting  it. 
Mr.  Fisher  has  a  small  farm  at  the  edge  of  town  and  takes  delight  in  what 
"truck"  farming  he  is  able  to  do  there.  On  that  place  he  has  five  hundred 
and  fifty  bearing  cherry  trees. 


GEORGE  KREPPS. 


No  roll  of  the  early  settlers  of  Greene  county  would  be  complete  with- 
out the  name  of  George  Krepps,  a  sturdy  pioneer  who  came  over  into  this 
section  of  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania  with  his  family  in  1834,  set  up  a  black- 
smith shop  in  Xenia,  later  engaged  in  the  same  business  at  Trebein  and  still 
later  settled  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  and  whose  descendants  in  the  third  and  fourth  generation 
form  a  numerous  connection  in  this  and  neighboring  counties.  One  of  his 
sons,  Jeremiah  Krepps,  of  Xenia  township,  and  two  of  his  daughters.  Miss 
Henrietta  Ivrepps,  of_Xenia,  and  Mrs.  W.  L.  Fulkerson,  of  Xenia  township, 
are  still  living,  the  two  former  now  being  well  past  eighty  years  of  age. 

George  Krepps  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  August  30,  1802,  and  in 
that  state  grew  to  manhood,  becoming  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  He  married 
Nancy  Baughman,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of  Maryland  on  July  16,  1806, 
and  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Pennsylvania  until 
1834,  in  which  year  he  came  over  into  Ohio  with  his  family  and  located  at 
Xenia,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  smith,  some  time  later  moving  to 
Trebein,  a  few  miles  northwest  of  the  city,  where  he  erected  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  there  continued  in  business  until  about  1845,  when  he  moved  to  a 
point  about  two  and  a  half  miles  out  on  the  Fairfield  road,  where  he  was  in 
business  until  1850,  in  which  year  he  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  acres,  known  as  the  John  Scarff  farm,  in  Spring  Valley  town- 
ship, established  his  home  there  in  the  winter  of  1852  and  there  spent  the  re- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  37 

mainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  August  9,  1873.  His  wife  had 
preceded  him  to  the  grave  more  than  fifteen  years,  her  death  having  occurred 
on  January  15,  1856.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  Mary 
Ann,  born  on  February  28,  1829,  who  married  Joseph  W.  Ferryman,  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  died  on  September  7,  1884;  Jeremiah,  who  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  17,  1831,  and  who  is  still  living,  one 
of  Greene  county's  old  settlers  and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Xenia  town- 
ship; Eli,  born  on  November  29,  1833,  who  died  on  October  12,  1862;  Hen- 
rietta, born  on  August  29,  1836,  who  is  now  living  at  Xenia,  which  has  been 
her  home  for  many  years  and  where  she  is  occupying  the  old  Baughman  home 
in  North  King  street;  Ann  Rebecca,  born  on  September  16,  1838,  who  died 
on  November  29,  1899;  Magdalena,  February  17,  1841,  who  died  on  April 
26,  1913;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  July  30,  1843,  who  married  Richard  Sinnard,  a 
farmer  of  Greene  county,  and  died  on  February  5,  1890,  leaving  two  children, 
Marietta  and  Anna  Jane;  Eliza  Ann,  August  24,  1846,  who  married  Austin 
Stillings,  a  Greene  county  farmer,  by  whom  she  had  five  children,  Florella, 
George  (deceased),  Frank  (deceased),  Hattie  and  Raymond;  and  Nancy 
Ann,  twin  of  Eliza  Ann,  who  married  William  L.  Fulkerson,  a  farmer  of 
Xenia  township,  now  living  retired.  William  L.  Fulkerson  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  this  county,  on  the  Cincinnati  pike,  son  of  William  and  Eliza  Fulker- 
son, and  has  always  been  a  farmer.  To  him  and  his  wife  eight  children  have 
been  born,  namely ;  George  Walter,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Jay  county,  Indiana ; 
Mary  Caroline,  deceased;  Minnie  G.,  deceased;  Clarissa  Irene,  who  married 
Fernando  Sanders,  of  this  county ;  Harvey  E.,  a  teacher  at  Coal  City,  Illi- 
nois; Charles  M.,  a  teacher  in  the  state  of  California;  Ivy  Foy,  a  farmer  of 
this  county,  and  Andrew  L.,  a  bookkeeper.  George  Krepps  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith.  In  his  political  views  he  held  to  the  tenets  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

Jeremiah  Krepps,  only  surviving  son  of  George  Krepps,  was  about  three 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  he  grew  up  as  an  assistant 
to  his  father  in  the  latter's  blacksmith  shop  and  later  became  a  farmer,  for 
many  years  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  about  two  hundred  acres  in  Xenia 
township,  on  the  Cincinnati  pike.  Jeremiah  Krepps  has  been  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  having  been  Diana  Moore,  who  was  born  in  Spring  Valley,  this 
county,  daughter  of  John  and  Lana  (Quick)  Moore.  To  that  union  were 
born  four  children,  Emma,  who  became  the  wife  of  David  Anderson  and 
died,  leaving  a  daughter.  Bertha ;  Nancy  Olive,  wife  of  L.  J.  Crumley,  a 
farmer  of  Spring  Valley  township,  by  whom  she  had  three  children,  W. 
Albert,  Eva  and  one  who  died  in  infancy;  Lana  Belle,  wife  of  L.  L.  Hickman, 
a  farmer  of  Jay  county,  Indiana,  and  Diana  C,  who  died  in  infancy.     Fol- 


38  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lowing  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  Mr.  Krepps  married,  IMarch 
31,  1866,  Harriet  A.  Stillings,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Greene  county, 
daughter  of  James  and  Lana  (Fisher)  Stillings,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  were  born,  Ada  J.,  wife  of  G.  W.  Fudge,  now  living  at  Oxford. 
Ohio,  and  Marietta,  who  married  Joseph  E.  Lyle,  living  on  tiie  old  home 
place. 

Nancy  Baughman,  wife  of  George  Krepps,  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  H. 
Baughm.an.  for  many  years  one  of  the  acknowledged  leaders  in  the  financial 
and  commercial  life  of  Xenia  and  who  died  at  his  home  in  that  city  in  Sep- 
tember, 1 89 1.  Andrew  H.  Baughman  was  born  on  a  farm  seven  miles  east 
of  the  city  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  son  of  Capt.  Andrew  and  Esther 
(Herr)  Baughman,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  and  reared  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  married  and  where  he  followed  farming 
and  inn-keeping,  during  the  War  of  181 2  serving  as  captain  of  a  volunteer 
company.  Captain  Baughman's  wife  died  in  1814  and  he  survived  her  eight 
years.  Deprived  of  a  mother's  care  when  he  was  but  seven  years  of  age,  An- 
drew H.  Baughman  was  reared  on  the  farm  of  an  uncle  in  the  Hagerstown 
neighborhood  and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  began  to  make  his  own  way, 
working  in  a  mill,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
never  at  any  time  during  that  period  receiving  more  than  nine  dollars  a  month 
as  wages.  Upon  reaching  his  majority  he  walked  to  Wheeling  and  worked 
his  way  by  steamer  down  the  Ohio  to  Cincinnati,  whence  he  went  to  Ham- 
ilton, where  he  had  two  uncles  living,  and  a  few  days  later  started  out  for 
this  section  of  Ohio,  making  his  way  to  Alpha,  in  this  county.  On  Christmas 
Day  he  began  working  in  Harbine's  mill,  at  a  wage  of  nine  dollars  a  month 
and  his  board,  and  some  time  later,  in  association  with  his  cousin,  Jacob  Herr, 
rented  the  mill  and  operated  the  same  for  a  couple  of  years,  1830-31,  after 
which  he  rented  the  Snyder  mill  and  six  years  later,  in  association  with  Casper 
Snyder,  bought  the  same  and  continued  to  operate  it  until  1853,  i"  which  year 
he  sold  out  and  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  which  he  began 
to  cultivate  and  improve,  meanwhile,  however,  continuing  his  business  asso- 
ciation with  Mr.  Snyder,  who  at  this  time  took  charge  of  both  the  Oldtown 
mills,  which  they  had  purchased  and  in  which  Mr.  Baughman  retained  a  half 
interest  to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  addition  to  his  other  land  interests  Mr. 
Baughman  bought  a  tract  of  seven  acres  in  the  Xenia  city  limits,  included 
between  King  and  Galloway  streets  and  Church  and  Shawnee  streets,  and  in 
1871  erected  on  that  tract  a  house,  with  beautiful  surrounding  lawn,  that  is 
still  one  of  the  most  tasteful  and  attractive  residences  in  the  city. 

As  his  affairs  prospered  Mr.  Baughman  began  giving  attention  to  the 
general  business,  affairs  of  the  city,  his  first  connection  with  the  banking 
interests  of  the  c'tv  being  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Xenia 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  39 

Bank,  afterward  a  branch  of  the  State  Bank  of  Ohio,  and  which  was  rechar- 
tered  as  the  First  National  Bank  of  Xenia  upon  the  passage  of  tiie  national 
bank  law.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  latter  institution  and  upon  the  death 
of  the  president  of  the  same  was  elected  president,  a  position  he  filled  until 
the  expiration  of  the  bank's  charter;  and  when  the  bank  was  reorganized  as 
the  Xenia  National  Bank  he  was  elected  president  of  the  same  and  so  con- 
tinued until  failing  health  compelled  his  resignation,  although  he  continued 
his  financial  interest  in  the  bank  and  his  place  on  the  directorate  until  his 
death.  Mr.  Baughman  also  was  an  active  figure  in  local  political  circles.  His 
first  vote  was  cast  for  Andrew  Jackson  for  President  and  he  continued  his 
affiliation  with  the  Democratic  party  until  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party  in  1856,  when  he  voted  for  John  C.  Fremont  and  ever  afterward  was 
a  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  For  twelve  years  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  and  also  for  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council,  for  several  terms  president  of  the 
same,  and  in  other  ways  gave  his  attention  to  public  affairs.  For  more  than 
forty  years  he  was  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  Reformed 
church  in  the  United  States  and  an  ofifice  bearer  in  the  local  congregation  of 
the  same,  his  name  being  interwoven  with  the  history  of  that  church  in 
America  during  the  period  of  his  activities,  he  being  particularly  remembered 
as  the  donor  of  a  fund  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  for  the  creation  of  the 
Baughman  Professorship  of  the  Latin  Language  and  Literature  and  Biblical 
Instruction  in  Heidelberg  University  at  Tiffin,  this  state.  That  he  enjoyed  in 
an  unusual  degree  the  confidence  of  the  public  and  those  with  whom  he  was 
associated  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  he  had  served  as  the  guardian  of  fourteen 
minor  children  and  had  served  as  administrator  or  executor  of  ten  extensive 
estates.  For  many  years  he  was  an  active  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member  of  the 
grand  lodge  of  that  order  and  of  the  grand  encampment,  Patriarchs  Militant. 
On  February  7,  1833,  but  a  few  years  after  becoming  a  resident  of 
Greene  county,  Andrew  H.  Baughman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Snyder,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  September  7,  18 14, 
and  who  was  but  an  infant  when  her  parents,  Jonathan  Snyder  and  wife, 
came  to  Ohio  and  settled  with  their  family  in  Greene  county,  Jonathan  Snyder 
becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  millers  of  this  county,  proprietor  of  the  mill  in 
which  Mr.  Baughman  later  and  for  many  years  had  an  interest.  To  that 
union  no  children  were  born,  but  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baughman  reared  several 
children  to  whom  they  gave  the  same  indulgent  care  that  would  have  been 
bestowed  upon  children  of  their  very  own.  Mrs.  Baughman  died  in  1891, 
just  a  few  months  before  the  death  of  her  husband.  As  the  Xciiia  Gazette 
fittingly  commented,  following"  the  death  of  Andrew  H.  Baughman :  "Mr. 
Baughman  will  be  missed  by  the  church  and  by  people  in  different  walks  of 


40  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

life  and  he  will  be  remembered  for  many  years  as  one  whose  sympathies  were 
as  broad  as  the  human  race  and  whose  integrity  was  beyond  question."  An- 
other biographer  also  pointed  out  that  "his  love  for  his  fellow  men  was  deep 
and  sincere,  and  surely  the  world  is  better  for  his  having  lived." 


JOHN  LUTZ. 


In  making  up  a  list  of  those  residents  of  Xenia  aforetime  who  contrib- 
uted actively  to  the  general  business  and  industrial  development  of  the  city 
of  Xenia,  mention  should  be  made  of  the  life  and  services  of  the  late  John 
Lutz,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  who  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the 
blacksmithing  and  wagon-making  business  at  Xenia  and  who  departed  this 
life  at  his  home  in  that  city  on  December  17,  191 2,  and  is  buried  in  Wood- 
land cemetery.  John  Lutz  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  but  had 
been  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  was 
born  near  the  village  of  Clear  Spring,  Maryland,  January  5,  1829,  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Frances  (Moudy)  Lutz,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Millersburg,  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1802,  and 
the  latter,  at  Williamsport,  Maryland.  Henry  Lutz  was  a  son  of  Nicholas 
Lutz,  whose  father  had  come  to  this  country  from  Germany  in  colonial  days 
and  had  established  the  family  in  Pennsylvania,  where  and  in  other  sections 
of  the  country  there  is  a  numerous  connection  of  the  family  to  this  day. 
During  the  early  '50s  of  the  past  century,  Henry  Lutz  came  with  his  family 
to  Ohio  and  located  at  Xenia,  but  in  1859  moved  over  into  Indiana  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Ft.  Wayne,  but  after  residing  there  about 
ten  years  returned  to  Xenia  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring 
in  1877.  His  widow  survived  him  about  eight  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  but  two  reached 
maturity,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Mary,  the 
wife  of  B.  Y.  Berry,  also  a  resident  of  Xenia. 

John  Lutz  was  reared  in  his  native  ^Maryland  and  there  received  his 
schooling  and  became  proficient  in  the  use  of  tools,  becoming  an  expert 
blacksmith  and  wagon-maker,  and  when  he  arrived  in  Xenia  in  November, 
1853,  he  became  employed  working  at  his  trade,  in  the  employ  of  James 
White.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  returned  to  Maryland  and  was  there  mar- 
ried to  the  girl  to  whom  he  had  plighted  his  troth  before  coming  to  Ohio. 
Upon  his  return  to  Xenia  he  was  accompanied  by  his  father  and  together 
they  set  up  in  business  with  a  smithy  on  Church  street  and  were  thus  en- 
gaged until  the  spring  of  1859,  when  they  bought  an  established  wagon- 
making  shop  in  Xenia  and  engaged  in  that  business.  In  that  same  year  the 
father  left  Xenia  to  go  over  into  Indiana  and  thereafter  John  Lutz  conducted 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4I 

the  business  alone  and  continued  so  engaged  until  his  retirement  from  busi- 
ness, not  long  before  his  death,  having  been  continuousl}'  thus  engaged  for 
a  period  of  nearly  fifty  years.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Lutz 
had  associated  with  him  in  business  his  eldest  son,  Jacob  H.  Lutz,  who  is 
still  carrying  on  the  business  at  the  same  old  stand.  During  the  progress  of 
the  Civil  War,  in  the  early  part  of  1864,  John  Lutz  enlisted  for  service, 
under  the  four-months  call,  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company 
E,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry;  with 
that  regiment  participated  in  the  battle  of  New  Creek,  Virginia,  and  was 
mustered  out  at  Camp  Denison  at  the  end  of  his  term  of  service,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1864.  Mr.  Lutz  was  a  member  of  Lewis  Post  No.  347,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church  and  broke  the  ground  for  the  erection  of  the  present  church 
edifice  of  that  congregation  in  Xenia.     Politically,  he  was  a  Republican. 

It  was  in  March,  1855,  in  Maryland,  that  John  Lutz  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Savilla  Wolford,  who  also  was  born  in  that  state,  and  to  that  union 
were  born  six  children,  Jacob  Henry,  John  Edward,  Laura  B.,  Cora  E.,  Ida 
S.,  and  Frances  Elizabeth,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  at  her  home  in  Xenia  on  March  4,  1907,  and  is  buried 
in  Woodland  cemetery,  where  her  husband  was  carried  to  be  laid  by  her 
side  in  the  closing  month  of  191 2,  as  noted  above.  Miss  Cora  E.  Lutz  is 
maintaining  the  old  home  residence,  she  having  continued  as  housekeeper 
for  her  father  after  her  mother's  death,  and  is  very  comfortably  situated 
there.  She  has  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  the  general  good  works  of 
the  community. 

Jacob  H.  Lutz,  who  is  continuing  the  business  established  so  many 
years  ago  by  his  father,  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  Anna  Cisco, 
having  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-four  years,  leaving  three  children.  Myrtle 
Bell,  who  married  Roy  Barnes,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  now  lives  in  Jack- 
sonville, Florida;  Harry  DeGroot,  also  living  in  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and 
John  Wilbur,  who  now  lives  at  Dayton,  this  state.  In  191 5  Mr.  Lutz  mar- 
ried, secondly,^  Mrs.  Susie  Matthews,  of  Dayton.  John  Edward  Lutz  also  is 
married  and  with  his  family  is  now  living  at  Vernon,  Texas.  He  has  seven 
children,  John,  Robert,  Mary,  Ida,  Charles,  James  and  Ruth.  Laura  B. 
Lutz  married  John  F.  Sanders,  of  Xenia,  and  has  two  sons,  both  of  whom 
are  married.  Earl  Lutz  Sanders,  now  living  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and 
Frank  Ira  Sanders,  living  at  Detroit,  Michigan.  Ida  S.  Lutz  married 
George  Sinz,  who  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Xenia  and  who 
died  in  1896.  She  continues  to  make  her  home  in  Xenia,  residing  at  the  old 
home  place  with  her  sister  Cora,  and  conducts  the  leading  millinery  estab- 


42  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lishment  in  Xenia,  a  business  in  which  she  has  been  quite  successful.  Mrs. 
Sinz  has  traveled  widely  having  visited  England,  Holland,  Germany,  Switzer- 
land and  France  and  has  witnessed  the  Passion  Play.  She  has  made  thirty 
trips  to  New  York  City  in  connection  with  her  business,  it  ever  being  her 
endeavor  to  introduce  for  the  benefit  of  the  patrons  of  her  establishment  the 
latest  stvles  in  millinerv. 


CHARLES  W.  \YHIT:MER. 

Charles  W.  Wliitmer,  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  bar  of  Greene 
county  and  still  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia, 
with  offices  at  i8  East  Market  street,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived 
in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Rainsboro,  in  High- 
land county,  July  4,  1852,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  David  and  Catherine  (Fox) 
Whitmer,  the  former  of  whom,  for  years  a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  spent  his  last  days  in  Xenia. 

The  Rev.  David  Whitmer  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  but  was  reared  in 
Ohio,  his  parents,  David  Whitmer  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  Penn- 
sylvanian  by  birth,  having  come  to  this  state  and  settled  in  Greene  county, 
where  they  established  their  home  and  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Rev.  David  Whitmer's  first  charge  was  at  Hillsboro,  in  High- 
land county,  and,  under  the  system  of  the  itinerary  of  Methodist  clergymen, 
he  afterward  occupied  charges  at  numerous  places  throughout  this  section  of 
the  state.  In  1872  he  was  stationed  at  Jamestown,  in  this  county,  which 
charge  he  occupied  for  three  years,  and  later  was  at  Spring  Valley.  Upon  his 
acceptance  of  the  superanuate  relation  in  1876  he  made  his  home  at  Xenia 
and  there  spent  bis  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1881,  he  then 
being  sixty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  Catherine 
Fox,  who  was  born  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  and  who  was  a  sister  of  Judge 
Henry  C.  Fox,  of  that  city,  having  died  in  1854.  To  that  union  two  sons 
were  born,  Charles  W.  Whitmer  having  had  a  brother  more  than  two  years 
older  than  himself,  William  C.  Whitmer,  who  was  long  connected  with  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  service,  for  some  time  trainmaster  of  the  northern  di- 
vision at  Columbus,  who  died  in  1909.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother 
of  these  children  Rev.  David  Whitmer  married  Amanda  C.  Gardner,  of  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  who  survived  him  about  five  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  1886.  To  that  union  were  born  nine  children,  six  of  whom  are 
still  living,  namely :  George  Whitmer,  trainmaster  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Xenia;  Harriet,  unmarried,  who  is  living  in 
Xenia ;  Clarence  Whitmer,  formerly  teller  of  the  Xenia  National  Bank,  now 
livine  in  Chicago ;  Florence,  who  married  W'alter  Fulghum  and  is  living  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  43 

Richmond,  Indiana;  Mary,  who  married  Marshall  Lupton  and  is  living  at 
Indianapolis,  and  Harry  W'hitmer,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness at  Xenia. 

Before  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  Charles  W.  Whitmer  had  passed 
the  necessary  examination  for  a  teacher's  license  and  taught  a  term  of  school 
in  Champaign  county,  where  his  father  then  was  located.  The  next  winter  he 
taught  at  the  Stover  school  in  that  same  county.  During  the  time  his  fatlier 
was  located  at  Urbana  he  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  in  that  city 
and  then  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware,  pursuing  there  the 
four-year  course  and  was  just  ready  to  be  graduated  when  he  was  stricken 
with  the  measles,  which  prevented  his  completion  of  the  course  and  he  never 
graduated.  In  the  meantime  he  had  learned  the  art  of  telegraphing  and  had 
been  spending  his  vacations  from  college  in  the  railroad  service,  a  service  he 
continued  for  some  time  after  leaving  college,  spending  his  winters  teaching 
school.  He  had  married  in  1876,  two  years  before  leaving  college,  and  upon 
leaving  college,  in  1878,  resumed  teaching  at  the  Mt.  Tabor  school  in  New 
Jasper  township,  this  county,  and  was  thus  engaged  there  in  1881  when  lie 
took  up  the  study  of  law.  In  1884  he  passed  the  examination  for  admission 
to  the  bar,  resigned  his  position  as  superintendent  of  schools  at  New  Bur- 
lington and  moved  to  Xenia  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  established  his 
home  there  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Upon  lo- 
cating at  Xenia  Mr.  Whitmer  secured  the  law  office  and  practice  of  Squire 
W.  J.  Alexander,  who  had  just  been  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Ohio 
State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home,  and  upon  the  latter's  return  from 
that  position  a  year  later  formed  a  partnership  with  him  which  continued  un- 
til the  death  of  Squire  Alexander  in  1886,  since  which  time  Mr.  Whitmer  has 
been  engaged  in  practice  alone.  Mr.  Whitmer  is  a  Republican.  He  formerly 
was  city  solicitor,  for  fourteen  years  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  tax  equal- 
ization and  for  ten  years  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  review.  He  was 
elected  to  the  board  of  public  service  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  in  1909  when 
the  Legislature  created  the  office  of  director  of  public  service  he  was  appointed 
to  that  office.  For  twenty  years  he  has  been  the  attorney  for  the  Peoples 
Building  and  Savings  Company  of  Xenia.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons 
the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

On  November  24;  1876,  Charles  W.  Whitmer  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Libbie  S.  Cooper,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Polly  Cooper,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have 
been  born,  Effie  C,  who  married  Charles  Cross,  manager  of  the  Springfield  & 
Xenia  Telephone  Company ;  Freddie,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  John  Ray- 
mond, now  deceased,  who  was  formerly  connected  with  the  Miami  Telephone 


44  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Company  of  Xenia  and  whose  daughter  Dorothy  makes  her  home  with  her 
grandparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitmer.  The  W'hitmers  are  members  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


THOMAS  L.  MAGRUDER. 

The  late  Thomas  L.  Magruder,  attorney-at-law,  who  died  at  his  home 
in  Xenia  in  1906,  was  born  in  Prince  George's  county,  Maryland,  not  far 
from  the  City  of  Washington,  July  3,  1848,  and  was  consequently  fifty- 
eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Archi- 
bald and  Narcissa  (Adamson)  Magruder,  both  of  whom  also  were  natives 
of  Maryland,  in  which  state  they  spent  all  their  lives.  Mr.  Archibald  Ma- 
gruder died  at  the  height  of  his  powers,  during  the  Civil  War  period,  he 
then  being  forty-five  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  five  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  three  of  whom  are  still 
living. 

After  the  death  of  his  father  Thomas  L.  ]Magruder  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Maryland,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  medicine  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  vears,  the  youngest  man  who  had  ever  received  a  diploma  from 
that  college.  He  practiced  medicine  for  one  year  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
under  the  late  Dr.  Josiah  Magruder,  a  one  time  mayor  of  the  City  of  Wash- 
ington, which  in  1871  lost  its  local  charter  and  v^'as  placed  under  the  control 
of  three  commissioners  under  the  direction  of  the  Congress.  Mr.  Magruder 
later  abandoned  the  study  of  medicine  for  that  of  law,  and  in  1874,  he  then 
being  about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  determined  upon  Xenia  as  a  promising 
place  in  which  to  locate  for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  in  that  year  was 
given  a  place  in  the  law  office  of  Little  &  Shearer,  and  was  for  two  years  thus 
associated,  during  that  time  securing  admission  to  the  bar.  He  then  opened 
an  office  of  his  own  and  from  that  time  therce forward  practice  alone.  Mr. 
Magruder  was  an  "independent"  in  politics.  The  only  public  office  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  prosecuting  attorney  for  Greene  county.  He  was  intensely 
interested  in  the  raising  of  fine  stock  and  devoted  many  years  to  that  avoca- 
tion. Some  of  his  more  notable  horses  were  exported  to  Europe  after  his 
death.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
His  death  occurred  on  September,  6,  1906,  and  his  widow  still  survives  him, 
continuing  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia,  where  she  has  always  lived  in  the 
old  Millen  home,  erected  by  her  father  many  years  ago  at  230  Xorth  Detroit 
street,  where  she  now  lives  with  her  niece.  Miss  Emma  Davidson. 

Mrs.  Magruder  was  born,  Margaret  Emma  Millen,  in  Xenia,  daughter 
of  David  and  Mary  Patterson  (Stewart)  Millen,  and  was  living  there  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage  on  June  24,  1877,  to  Mr.  Magruder,  which  union 


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GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  45 

was  without  issue.  David  Millen,  her  father,  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, born  in  Chester  county,  that  state,  one  of  the  ten  children  born  to  John 
and  Martha  (Moffitt)  Millen,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Scotland 
and  was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents,  Robert  Millen  and  wife,  came  to  this 
country  with  their  family  and  settled  in  South  Carolina,  Robert  Millen  hav- 
ing received  a  patent  for  his  land  in  that  state  direct  from  King  George. 
John  Millen  became  an  extensive  landowner  and  slaveholder  in  South  Caro- 
lina, but  when  he  found  death  approaching  he  willed  that  all  his  slaves 
should  be  given  their  freedom  and  some  of  these  freedmen  David  Millen 
later  brought  with  him  to  Ohio  when  he  came  to  this  state.  David  Millen 
was  born  in  the  year  1813  and  grew  up  on  the  home  plantation  in  Chester 
county  and  was  there  married.  His  first  wife  died  within  the  year  of  her 
marriage  and  after  Mr.  Milieu's  removal  to  Xenia  he  later  married  Mary 
Patterson  Stewart  of  Clark  county,  Ohio.  They  located  at  Oxford,  where 
they  made  their  home  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  came 
to  Xenia,  where  David  Millen  joined  his  brother  Eli  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, Eli  Millen  having  previously  located  there  in  1834.  For  many  years 
David  and  Eli  Millen  carried  on'  a  general  mercantile  business  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Main  and  Detroit  streets,  where  the  Steele  building  now 
stands,  and  then  moved  to  a  point  in  East  Main  street,  now  occupied  by 
the  Orpheum  Theater,  where  they  were  for  years  engaged  in  the  dry-goods 
business.  They  also  were  for  some  time,  in  association  with  the  Connable 
brothers,  engaged  in  the  pork-packing  business  and  were  likewise  inter- 
ested in  various  other  business  enterprises  in  the  city,  the  Millen  interests 
coming  to  be  recognized  as  among  the  most  extensive  hereabout.  David 
Millen  also  was  engaged  quite  extensively  in  real-estate  transactions  and  in 
this  connection  built  numerous  buildings  about  town,  and  he  and  his  brother 
erected  the  building  still  known  as  the  Millen  block  on  Greene  street.  They 
took  a  deep  interest  in  Xenia's  upbuilding  and  were  liberal  contributors  to 
all  local  good  works,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the  pubic 
library  and  other  movements  of  a  beneficent  or  cultural  character  having 
their  ungrudging  support.  Mr.  Millen  was  a  Republican  and  for  many  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  and  his  wife  originally  were 
members  of  the  Associate 'Reformed  church,  but  after  the  "union"  in  1S58 
became  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  in  that  faith  their 
children  were  reared.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Magruder  now  is  the  only  survivor,  the  others  having  been  Eva,  who  mar- 
ried William  Trow,  and  died  at  Madison,  Indiana ;  Carrie,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Dr.  Eber  Watt,  of  Xenia ;  Edwin  Stewart  Millen,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years,  and  Mrs.  Martha  Jane  Davidson,  whose  children,  David 
Millen   Davidson,    John  M.    Davidson,   Edwin   S.    Davidson   and   Emma   J. 


46  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Davidson,  are  the  only  surviving  grandchildren  of  David  Millen.  All  live 
in  Xenia  with  the  exception  of  D.  M.  Davidson,  who  is  a  plantation  owner 
in  Guatemala,  Central  America.  In  both  church  and  social  ser^'ice  Mrs. 
Magruder  has  taken  an  earnest  interest  and  her  gentle  influence  has  been 
helpful  in  many  ways  in  promoting  such  movements  as  have  been  designed 
to  advance  the  common  welfare  hereabout. 


FLOYD  ANDERSON. 


Floyd  Anderson,  a  florist  at  Xenia,  with  an  establishment  at  loi  West 
Main  street  in  that  city,  was  born  at  Waverly,  in  Pike  county,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1873,  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Holton)  Anderson,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  that  same  locality  and  there  spent  all  their  lives. 

Henry  Anderson  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  followed  that  vocation 
through  life,  and  also  was  for  some  time  a  singing-school  teacher  in  Pike 
county.  He  was  born  on  June  20,  1850,  one  of  the  ten  children  born  to  his 
parents  and  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  save  two,  William,  who  continues 
to  live  in  Pike  county,  and  Mrs.  Jane  Rankin,  of  Elkhart,  Indiana,  the  others 
besides  Henry  having  been  James,  Jonathan,  John,  Willis,  Tennyson,  Callie 
and  Susan.  On  December  24,  1871,  Henry  Anderson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Catherine  Holton,  who  also  was  born  in  Pike  county,  August  28, 
1852,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Susan  (Beekman)  Holton,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  that  same  county  and  who  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, those  besides  Mrs.  Anderson  having  been  Branson,  deceased;  Cath- 
erine, who  is  living;  Mrs.  Euphemia  Leeper,  deceased;  Douglas,  deceased; 
James,  who  is  still  living  in  Pike  county ;  Mrs.  Callie  Alexander,  deceased ; 
May,  wife  of  C.  L.  Humphrey;  Harvey,  who  lives  in  Pike  county,  and 
Chloe,  of  Waverly.  To  Henry  and  Catherine  (Holton)  Anderson  were 
born  ten  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  fol- 
lowing: Arzie,  who  married  Ella  Ashbaugh  and  has  six  children,  Callie, 
May,  Opal,  Harold,  Robert  and  Donald :  Dora,  who  married  C.  D.  Legg, 
of  Anderson,  Indiana,  and  has  two  children,  Donald'  and  Lucile ;  Alta,  who 
died  in  infancy ;  Merle,  now  living  at  Newark,  this  state,  wlio  married  Zoe 
Ashbaugh  and  has  two  children,  Donald  and  Dora ;  Mrs.  Erma  Beekman, 
who  died  at  Newark ;  Bessie,  who  married  Charles  West,  of  Jeffersonville, 
Fayette  county,  and  has  six  children,  Esther,  Howard,  Cecil,  Catherine, 
Maxine  and  Vernon ;  Thomas,  living  at  Newark,  who  is  married  and  has 
one  child,  a  son,  Paul;  Harvey,  who  is  married  and  lives  at  Newark,  and 
George,  also  married  and  living  at  Newark. 

Floyd    Anderson   early   turned   his   attention   to    floriculture   and   upon 


GREENE    COtjNTY,    OHIO  47 

completing  his  schooling  gave  his  attention  seriously  to  that  vocation.  After 
three  years  of  experience  in  a  floral  establishment  in  Warren  county  he  went 
to  Columbus,  where  he  became  employed  in  the  floral  department  of  the  Liv- 
ingston Seed  Company  and  after  some  further  experience  there  went  to 
Dayton  and  thence  to  Xenia,  in  which  latter  city,  October  2-],  19 13,  he 
opened  a  floral  shop  at  loi  West  Main  street,  where  he  ever  since  has  been 
engaged  in  business. 

On  November  12,  1902,  at  Harveysburg,  this  state,  Floyd  Anderson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Maude  Davis,  of  that  place,  and  to  this  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  a  son,  D.  Carlton  Anderson,  born  on  June  21,  1904. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  x^nderson  are  members  of  the  Friends  church  at  Xenia.  Mr. 
Anderson  is  an  independent  voter  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local 
lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Loyal  Order  of 
the  Moose  at  Xenia. 


BARNEY  W.   CARLOS. 


The  late  Barney  W.  Carlos,  who  for  years  was  a  passenger  conductor 
on  the  division  of  the  Pennsylvania  lines  between  Richmond,  Lidiana,  and 
Springfield,  Ohio,  and  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  on  July  28,  1917,  was 
born  at  Springfield  on  July  25,  1855,  son  of  Matthew  and  Bridget  (Gaffney) 
Carlos,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  at  Springfield,  and  who  spent  their 
last  days  there.  Matthew  Carlos  was  for  years  an  employe  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company  at  Springfield,  connected  with  the  freight  house 
there.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  their 
children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others 
being  Matthew,  deceased;  George,  of  Springfield;  ^^'innifred,  of  Columbus, 
and  Bridget,  deceased. 

Reared  at  Springfield,  Barney  W.  Carlos  received  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  city  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  became  engaged  as 
assistant  baggagemaster  for  the  Pennsyhania  Railroad  Company  at  that 
point.  He  later  became  a  railway  brakeman,  presently  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  conductor  of  a  freight  train  and  in  due  time  was  raised  to 
the  position  of  a  conductor  in  the  passenger  service,  a  position  he  filled  for 
sixteen  years,  during  which  time  he  became  widely  known  along  the  line 
of  the  Pennsylvania  between  Richmond  and  Springfield.  For  vears  Mr. 
Carlos  had  made  his  home  in  Xenia  and  there  his  death  occurred  on  July  2'^, 
191 7,  he  then  being  three  days  past  sixty-two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  St.   Brigid's  Catholic  church  at  Xenia,  was  affiliated  with  the  local 


40  GREENE    COWNTY,    OHIO 

council  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  there  and  was  for  years  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Brotherhood  of  Railroad  Conductors. 

Mr. -Carlos  wai  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Julia  McDon- 
ald, of  Xenia.  To  that  union  were  born  two  children,  James,  who  married 
Agnes  Wade  and  is  living  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  employed  as  a  locomotive 
engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  and  Gertrude,  who  is  living  at  Xenia. 
Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Mr.  Carlos,  on  August 
12,  1903,  married  Mary  Whalen,  who  was  born  at  Newport,  Kentucky,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Julia  (Flynn)  Whalen,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  had 
come  to  this  country  in  the  days  of  their  youth  and  were  married  in  Ohio, 
later  moving  to  Newport,  Kentucky,  where  John  Whalen  became  engaged 
in  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  later  becoming  con- 
nected with  the  maintenance  department  of  the  road  between  Cincinnati  and 
Xenia,  making  his  home  in  Xenia  in  1898.  He  died  in  that  city  on  December 
3,  1903.  and  his  widow  is  still  living  there.  They  were  members  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  their  children  were  brought  up  adherents  of  that  faith. 
Of  tiiese  children  Mrs.  Carlos  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being  John,  James 
(deceased),  Patrick,  Arthur,  Catherine,  Margaret  and  Anna.  Since  the 
death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Carlos  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia. 
She  is  a  member  of  St.  Brigid's  Catholic  church. 


ROBERT  DUNCAN  WILLIAMSON. 

Robert  Duncan  Williamson,  proprietor  of  the  "R.  D.  \\^illiamson 
Stock  Farm"  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  five  miles  east  of  Xenia,  rural  mail 
route  No.  2  out  of  Xenia,  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  a  member 
of  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  a  member  of  the  Greene  county 
board  of  commissioners,  chairman  of  the  Greene  county  selective  draft  board 
and  for  years  recognized  as  an  authority  on  the  breeding  of  Merino  sheep, 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  living  and  has  lived  there  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  on  February  13,  1862,  son  of  Jonathan  Duncan  and 
Martha  x^nne  (McMillan)  Williamson  and  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth 
of  the  eight  children  born  to  that  parentage,  as  is  set  out  in  a  comprehen- 
sive narrative  relating  to  the  Williamson  family  in  this  county  presented 
elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  his  elder  brother, 
John  C.  Williamson,  of  Xenia,  wherein  the  reader  is  informed  of  the  com- 
ing of  the  Williamsons  to  Greene  county  in  1836,  when  David  and  Catherine 
(Duncan)  Williamson,  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Jonathan  was  the 
eighth  in  order  of  birth,  settled  on  a  tract  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land 
on  Caesars  creek  at  a  point  about  equidistant  from  Xenia  and  Jamestown. 


ROBERT  D.  WILLIAMSON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  49 

Jonathan  Duncan  Williamson  not  only  was  an  excellent  general  farmer, 
but  was  a  expert  on  the  breeding  of  sheep  and  it  was  he  who,  in  i860, 
started  the  great  Merino  breeding  cotes  that  have  made  the  name  Williamson 
familiar  among  sheep  breeders  all  over  the  world.  From  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  Robert  Duncan  Williamson  took  an  active  interest  in  the  sheep 
industry  that  was  developed  by  his  father  on  the  home  farm  and  in  due  time 
was  made  a  partner  of  his  father  in  the  development  of  that  phase  of  their 
farming  operations.  When  the  Ohio  Merino  Record  Association  was  organ- 
ized in  1876  the  elder  Williamson  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
the  same  and  a  continuous  register  of  the  Williamson  Merinos  has  ever 
since  been  scrupulously  maintained.  These  register  marks  have  been  sus- 
tained by  a  series  of  successes  in  the  greatest  exhibition  rings  in  the  world. 
When  in  1888  the  elder  WilHamson  retired  and  moved  to  Cedarville,  where 
he  spent  his  last  days,  he  divided  his  farm  between  his  two  sons,  John  C. 
and  Robert  D.,  and  the  latter  took  over  the  Merino  flock  and  has  ever  since 
maintained  the  same.  He  made  his  first  exhibition  at  the  Ohio  state  fair 
in  the  following  season  and  has  never  missed  a  season  as  an  exhibitor  since 
then,  besides  showing  at  the  leading  state  fairs  all  over  the  country.  At  the 
Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at  St.  Louis  in  1904  Mr.  Williamson  won 
the  prize  as  the  premier  champion  exhibitor  in  the  sheep  depattment,  the 
products  of  his  f^ock  carrying  off  more  prizes  than  those  of  any  other 
individual  exhibitor,  and  he  also  won  the  prize  awarded  for  having  bred 
all  the  sheep  he  exhibited,  his  cash  prizes  at  that  World's  Fair  aggregating 
nearly  -fourteen  hundred  dollars.  At  dozens  of  state  fairs  Mr.  Williamson 
has  won  the  championship  ram  prize  and  in  191 1  he  brought  away  from 
the  Ohio  state  fair  the  much  desired  Governor  Harris  cup,  a  trophy  more 
hotly  contested  than  any  similar  trophy  ever  put  up  in  this  state.  This 
handsome  silver  cup  was  offered  by  the  governor  as  a  final  for  one  of  the 
most  interesting  contests  ever  taken  part  in  by  sheep  breeders  in  this  coun- 
try. For  three  years  the  cup  was  held  for  the  exhibitor  of  the  best  ram  and 
the  three  best  ewes.  Each  year  the  trophy  was  awarded  to  a  different  exhi- 
bitor, Mr.  Williamson  being  one  of  the  fortunate  three.  In  the  fourth  year 
these  three  winners  entered  their  sheep  for  the  decisive  contest  and  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson won  the  final.  For  twelve  years  prior  to  the  breaking  out  of  the 
great  World  War  Mr.  Williamson  was  a  constant  exporter  of  his  breeding 
stock  to  South  Africa,  South  America  and  Australia  and  the  products  of  his 
cotes  thus  attained  a  wide  reputation.  At  the  same  time,  of  course,  he  was 
being  called  on  to  supply  his  stock  to  sheep  farms  all  over  this  countr}'  and 
Canada  and  this  domestic  demand  is  constantly  growing.  In  191 2  Wr. 
Williamson    started    a   pure-bred    Shorthorn   cattle   herd    on   his    farm    and 

(3) 


50  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

now  has  a  herd  of  registered  Shorthorns,  the  increase  of  which  has  come 
to  be  in  wide  demand.  Though  he  makes  a  specialty  of  Class  B  Merinos, 
he  raises  all  types  of  this  strain  and  is  thus  able  to  supply  a  wide  market. 
Mr.  Williamson  is  a  Republican,  but  had  never  held  an  elective  office  until 
191 1,  when  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
from  his  district.  By  successive  re-elections  he  has  been  retained  in  that 
office  and  in  September,  1917,  entered  upon  his  fourth  term.  In  1915  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Willis  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Agri- 
culture and  in  1918  was  reappointed  to  that  position  by  Governor  Cox,  the 
only  Republican  thus  retained  on  the  board.  Upon  the  enactment  of  the 
selective  draft  law  following  this  nation's  declaration  of  war  against  Ger- 
many in  the  spring  of  191 7  Mr.  Williamson  was  appointed  chairman  of 
the  draft  board  for  Greene  county  and  has  given  his  most  thoughtful  atten- 
tion to  the  duties  of  that  trust.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  diaconate  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  Of  late 
years,  since  the  return  of  his  son,  Robert  C.  Williamson,  from  college,  Mr. 
Williamson  has  had  an  opportunity  to  relax  somewhat  his  direct  atten- 
tion to  the  affairs  of  his  stock  farm,  turning  much  of  the  management  of 
the  place  over  to  his  son  and  partner,  who  in  the  third  generation  is  carry- 
ing on  the  great  sheep-breeding  industry  started  there  by  his  grandfather 
nearly  sixty  years  ago.  The  old  farm  house  which  stood  on  that  place  was 
destroyed  by  fire  j'n  April,  1897,  and  Mr.  Williamson  erected  in  its  place 
the  dwelling  in  which  the  family  now  resides. 

On  December  6,  1887,  at  the  home  of  the  bride  on  the  Bellbrook  pike 
a  few  miles  south  of  Xenia,  Robert  Duncan  Williamson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Ella  Gowdy,  who  was  born  on  that  place  on  June  30,  1861.  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Emily  (Manor)  Gowdy,  of  the  pioneer  Gowdy 
family  in  this  county,  further  and  fitting  mention  of  which  family  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  officiating  clergymen  at  this  wedding  were 
two  of  the  bride's  brothers,  the  Rev.  George  Gowdy  and  the  Rev.  William 
Gowdy.  To  this  union  one  child  was  born,  a  son,  Robert  Gowdy,  born  on 
February  21,  1890,  who,  as  noted  above,  is  now  a  partner  of  his  father 
in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm,  continuing  to  make  his  home  there 
since  his  marriage.  Robert  G.  Williamson  was  graduated  from  Cedarville 
College  and  then  entered  Harvard  University,  earning  his  degree  there  in 
two  years.  Upon  his  return  home  from  college  he  was  given  charge  of 
the  farm  and  has  since  co-operated  with  his  father  in  the  direction  of  the 
affairs  of  the  same.  In  October,  1916,  Robert  Gowdy  Williamson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ann  Dickinson,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Edwin  H.  Dick- 
inson, a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  now  stationed  at  Lig- 
onier,  Pennsylvania. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  51 

CHARLES  DARLINGTON. 

In  the  memorial  annals  of  Greene  county  and  of  the  city  of  Xenia  there 
are  few  names  held  in  better  remembrance  than  that  of  the  late  Charles 
Darlington,  a  practicing  attorney  at  Xenia  from  the  time  of  his  entrance  into 
practice  there  until  his  death  in  1908.  He  was  born  at  Zanesville,  this  state, 
son  of  Capt.  James  and  Margaret  (Bowman)  Darlington,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  this  state,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  old  families  at  Zanesville.  Capt.  James  Darlington  was  a  steamboat 
captain  and  during  the  Civil  War  had  charge  of  a  boat  in  the  government 
service.  After  the  war  he  located  at  Zanesville,  where  he  became  a  coal-mine 
operator  and  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  They  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  and  a  daughter, 
Virginia,  widow  of  Arnold  Green,  a  Cleveland  attorney.  Mrs.  Green  is  a 
member  of  the  Cleveland  school  board. 

Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  public  schools  of  Zanesville,  Charles 
Darlington  entered  Wittenberg  College  at  Springfield  and  later  continued  his 
law  studies  under  the  preceptorship  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  Bowman,  one  of 
the  leading  lawyers  of  that  city  and  who  had  three  sons,  Elden,  Borden  and 
Edward  Bowman,  all  of  whom  became  attorneys  in  that  city.  Upon  qualify- 
ing for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  Charles  Darlington  located  at  Xenia 
and  for  a  time  was  associated  in  practice  with  Judge  Smith,  but  presently 
resumed  his  practice  alone  and  so  continued  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  July,  1908,  he  then  being  sixty-two  years  of  age. 
Mr.  Darlington  never  aspired  to  public  office.  Originally  a  Democrat,  he 
abandoned  the  main  wing  of  that  party  in  the  campaign  of  1896  and  affili- 
ated himself  with  the  "gold"  Democrats,  later  espousing  the  Republican 
cause,  and  voted  for  Major  McKinley  for  President,  ever  afterward  con- 
tinuing in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  a  Scottish  Rite  (32°) 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  churck 

On  August  31,  1873,  Charles  Darlington  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lissa  Snively,  who  was  born  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana,  daughter  of  Dr.  David 
and  Olivia  (Bushnell)  Snively;  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  the  latter  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  both  long  since  deceased.  Dr. 
David  Snively  was  for  more  than  thirty  years  a  surgeon  in  the  United  States 
regular  army,  serving  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  during  that  time  was 
stationed  at  various  stations  at  widely  separated  points  in  the  United  States. 
He  is  buried  in  the  national  cemetery  at  Arlington.  He  and  his  wife  had  two 
children,  Mrs.  Darlington  having  had  a  brother,  Alonzo  Snively,  a  writer 
of  considerable  note,  who  died  in  California  in  February,  1913. 

To  Charles  and  Lissa  (Snively)  Darlington  one  child  was  born,  a  son, 


52  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Capt.  Charles  LeRoy  Darlington,  who  is  now  (1918)  serving  in  the  National 
Army  of  the  United  States,  having  enlisted  his  services  and  entered  the 
officers  training  camp  at  Ft.  Benjamin  Harrison,  Indianapolis,  shortly  after 
the  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  the  spring  of  191 7,  receiving  a 
commission  as  captain.  Charles  L.  Darlington  was  born  at  Xenia  on  May 
28,  1877,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  was  placed  in  the  University  school  at 
Cleveland,  attending  the  same  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  course  he 
entered  Yale  College  and  after  a  four-years  course  there  was  graduated  in 
1899.  He  then  completed  his  law  studies  in  the  Cincinnati  Law  School  and 
after  a  four-years  course  there  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  opened  an  office 
in  the  Union  Trust  building  at  Cincinnati.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in 
the  summer  of  1908  Mr.  Darlington  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Xenia  and 
reopened  his  father's  office  and  was  there  engaged  in  practice,  with  offices 
in  the  Steele  building,  until  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  nation's 
cause  in  the  spring  of  191 7.  During  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Cincinnati, 
Charles  L.  Darlington  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louise  Swing,  daughter  of 
Judge  Peter  Swing,  of  that  city.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Darlington  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia.  In  her  church  work 
she  has  given  special  attention  to  the  labors  of  the  Missionary  Society.  She 
is  one  of  the  active  members  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution. 


WILLIAM   CAMPBELL   DEAN. 

In  the  memorial  annals  of  that  part  of  Greene  county  comprised  in  what 
is  now  New  Jasper  township  there  is  no  name  entitled  to  more  respectful 
consideration  than  that  of  William  Campbell  Dean,  who  died  at  his  home  in 
that  township  in  the  summer  of  1888,  and  two  of  whose  daughters.  Miss  Letitia 
Dean  and  Mrs.  Susan  Ballard,  are  still  living  there.  The  house  in  which 
they  are  living  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Xenia  was  erected  by  their 
grandfather,  Robert  Dean,  in  1833.  It  was  constructed  of  brick  burnt  on 
the  place  and  finished  throughout  in  walnut  cut  from  the  midst  of  the  mag- 
nificent forest  that  then  marked  the  place. 

It  has  been  noted  elsewhere  in  this  volume  that  the  Deans  are  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  numerous  families  in  this  section  of  Ohio.  The  family  had 
its  beginning  here  in  1912,  when  Daniel  Dean  came  up  here  from  Kentucky 
with  his  family  of  eleven  children  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  eighteen  hundred 
acres  of  land  he  had  purchased  along  Caesarscreek.  Daniel  Dean  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Tubermore,  Londonderry,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  in  1766, 
son  of  Roger  and  Mary  Dean,  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  this  country  in  1784,  landing  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia.     For  about  four 


WILLIAM   CAMPBELL  DEAN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  53 

years  after  his  arrival  here  he  sojourned  in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia, "getting  his  bearings,"  and  then  went  to  Kentucky  and  bought  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Sterling,  in  Montgomery  county.  A  couple  of 
years  later  he  sent  back  to  Ireland  for  his  mother,  his  father  meanwhile  hav- 
ing died,  and  a  year  later,  in  1791,  he  married  Janet  Steele,  who  was  born  in 
Augusta  county,  Virginia,  but  who  had  moved  with  her  parents  into  Ken- 
tucky, and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  his  land  in  the  Mt. 
Sterling  settlement,  where  he  continued  to  live  until  1812,  when  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  there  and  moved  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  and 
settled  on  the  tract  of  land  he  had  previously  bought  with  a  view  to  removing 
his  family  from  the  baleful  influence  of  the  institution  of  human  slavery  that 
had  fastened  itself  upon  the  state  of  Kentucky.  By  this  time  his  older  sons 
were  pretty  well  grown  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  Dean  tract  on  Caesars 
creek  began  to  be  claimed  from  its  wilderness  state  and  as  the  children  mar- 
ried homes  also  were  established  for  them  there.  In  that  pioneer  home  on 
Caesars  creek  Daniel  Dean's  mother  died  on  July  21,  1825,  she  then  being 
eighty-six  years  of  age.  His  wife  died  on  November  28,  1841,  and  he  died 
on  January  24,  1843,  all  being  buried  in  the  burial  ground  he  had  established 
on  his  land  and  in  which  many  others  of  the  Deans  have  since  been  buried. 
In  Kentucky  Daniel  Dean  and  his  wife  were  affiliated  with  the  Associate  Re- 
formed church,  but  upon  coming  up  here  put  in  their  lot  with  that  of  the 
Associate  congregation  then  being  ministered  to  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Arm- 
strong, there  being  here  no  congregation  of  their  own  communion,  and  were 
ever  after  active  workers  in  the  affairs  of  that  congregation,  as  were  their 
children.  As  noted  above,  there  were  eleven  of  these  children,  namely : 
Robert,  the  first-born,  who  was  the  father  of  William  Campbell  Dean,  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch ;  Mary  C,  who  married  James  Moore :  Janet  S., 
who  married  Hugh  Campbell;  Elizabeth,  who  married  James  Campbell;  Mar- 
garet, who  married  John  Bickett ;  William,  who  married  Catherine  Shook ; 
James,  who  married  Elizabeth  Pendray  and  moved  to  Delaware  county,  Indi- 
ana; Joseph,  who  married  Hannah  Boggs;  Ann,  who  married  Walter  Perry; 
Daniel,  who  married  Jane  Campbell,  and  Julia,  who  married  James  Hopping. 
As  all  of  these  reared  large  families  of  their  own,  the  numerous  connection 
of  the  Dean  family  in  the  present  generation  is  readily  accounted  for.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  thirty-six  of  the  male  descendants  of  the  pioneer  Daniel 
Dean  served  as  soldiers  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War. 

Robert  Dean,  eldest  son  of  Daniel  and  Janet  (Steele)  Dean,  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Mt.  Sterling,  in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  in  1792,  and 
was  about  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his 
father  in  1812.  Not  long  after  coming  here  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf 
of  the  struggle  then  going  on  between  this  country  and  England  and  served 


54  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  under  Capt.  Robert  McClellan,  on  a  tour 
of  duty  to  Ft.  Wayne,  over  in  the  then  Territory  of  Indiana.  On  January 
8,  1818,  he  married  EHzabeth  Campbell,  who  was  born  in  South  Carolina 
and  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(English)  Campbell,  about  the  year  1815,  the  family  settling  on  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  wilderness  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Jasper  pike  in  New  Jasper 
township.  Samuel  Campbell  and  his  wife  were  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, and  were  there  married,  not  long  afterward  coming  to  this  country  and 
locating  in  South  Carolina,  whence  they  moved  to  Tennessee,  where  one  of 
their  sons,  William  Campbell,  remained  and  established  a  home.  They  later 
moved  up  into  Kentucky  and  after  a  sometime  residence  there  moved  up  here 
and  established  their  pennanent  home.  After  his  marriage  Robert  Dean 
established  his  home  on  a  part  of  his  father's  land  that  had  been  given  him 
and  in  1833  erected  there  the  brick  house  that  has  been  referred  to  above. 
His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  there  on  September  22,  1838,  and  he  presently  mar- 
ried Margaret  Orr  and  continued  to  make  his  home  there  until  his  death 
on  May  18,  1856.  Meanwhile  he  had  added  to  his  land  holdings.  He  was 
for  years  an  elder  in  the  congregation  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  on 
Caesars  creek.  Robert  Dean  was  the  father  of  eighteen  children,  eleven  of 
whom  were  born  to  his  union  with  Elizabeth  Campbell,  namely:  Daniel  A., 
Samuel  D.,  William  C,  Janet  S.,  who  married  William  Cooley;  John  D., 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Harding,  Robert  Harvey,  James  Henry,  who  moved  to  Illi- 
nois; Andrew  H.,  Joseph  A.  and  Mary.  Of  these  children,  two  are  still 
living,  Robert  H.  and  Andrew  H.  By  his  marriage  to  Margaret  Orr,  Robert 
Dean  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  namely :  Albert,  now  deceased,  who 
was  a  government  inspector  in  the  cattle  yards  at  Kansas  City;  Eli,  who  is 
now  living  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren ;  Milton,  who  died  in  in- 
fancv ;  Isaac,  who  also  died  in  infancy ;  Cyrus,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Gib- 
bon, Nebraska;  Calvin,  now  a  resident  of  Boulder,  Colorado,  and  Mrs.  Mar- 
tha Ann  Lackey,  now  deceased. 

William  Campbell  Dean,  third  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Campbell) 
Dean,  was  born  on  the  old  Dean  home  place  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper 
township,  but  which  then  was  a  part  of  the  original  township  of  Caesars- 
creek,  Tilly  24,  1822,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  his  schooling 
in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  as  a  young  man  went  to  Tennessee,  where 
for  eighteen  months  he  was  employed  as  a  guard  in  the  state  penitentiary  at 
Nashville.  Upon  his  return  home  he  married  and  became  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Daniel  at  Xenia,  the  broth- 
ers opening  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Detroit  streets,  now  occupied 
by  the  Steele  building,  the  first  store  for  the  exclusive  sale  of  groceries  ever 
opened  in  Xenia.  For  four  years  Mr.  Dean  continued  thus  engaged  and  then 
he  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  to  his  brother  and  moved  down  into  Clinton 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  55 

county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  the  interests  of  the 
other  heirs  in  his  father's  old  home  place,  then  comprising  one  hundred  and 
eighty-four  acres,  and  there  established  his  permanent  home,  spending  the 
rest  of  his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  there  on  August  27,  1888,  he  then 
being  one  month  over  sixty-six  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for 
more  than  eight  years,  her  death  occurring  on  February  13,  1897,  she  then 
being  seventy-six  years  of  age.  She  was  born,  Susan  Janney,  in  Loudoun 
county,  Virginia,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Letitia  (Taylor)  Janney,  Quakers 
(the  Janneys  having  become  established  as  a  family  in  this  country  with  the 
establishment  of  William  Penn's  colony),  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that 
same  county,  where  they  were  married,  and  who  came  to  Ohio  in  183 1  and 
settled  in  the  Springboro  neighborhood,  in  Warren  county,  where  Susan 
Janney  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  William  C.  Dean  on  October 
23,  185 1.  To  that  union  were  born  five  children,  namely:  Letitia  E.,  unmar- 
ried, who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place,  which  she  owns  jointly  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Ballard;  Anna,  now  living  at  Indianapolis  and  who  has  been 
twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  William  Hazelrigg  and  her 
second,  William  Baldock ;  William  A.,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Colum- 
bus, Indiana,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume;  Charles  S.,  now  living  at  Xenia,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of 
whom  also  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  Susan,  who  married 
Edgar  T.  Ballard  and  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  which  she  owns 
jointly,  as  noted  above,  with  her  sister,  Miss  Letitia  Dean,  Mr.  Ballard  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  operation  of  the  farm.  Miss  Letitia  Dean  and  her  sister 
are  members  of  the  Friends  church. 

William  Campbell  Dean  was  reared  in  the  Associate  Reformed  church, 
but  after  the  "union"  of  1858  became  affiliated  with  the  congregation  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  on  the  banks  of  the  north  branch  of  Caesars 
creek,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  Jamestown  road.  Reared  a  Whig,  he  became 
a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  the  latter  party  and  for  years  served 
as  township  trustee. 


BERT  BLAIR. 


Bert  Blair,  proprietor  of  a  saloon  at  16  North  Whiteman  street,  Xenia, 
was  born  at  New  Burlington  on  March  9,  1873,  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Jose- 
phine (Smith)  Blair,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  latter  in 
Greene  county  and  the  former  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomer}\ 
and  who  were  married  in  Greene  county.  Joseph  Blair  was  born  on  January 
19,  1844,  and  his  wife  was  born  on  February  22,  1845.  She  was  one  of  the 
nine  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  Wesley,  deceased;  Louis, 


56  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  former  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Greene  county, 
who  died  while  serving  in  that  office;  Joseph,  who  is  hving  at  New  Burhng- 
ton;  Airs.  John  Hohand,  deceased;  Mrs.  Arabella  Calvin,  deceased;  Cath- 
erine, who  is  living  in  Indianapolis;  Mrs.  Alice  Peterson,  of  Dayton,  and 
Nancy,  of  New  Burlington.  Joseph  Blair  had  two  brothers  and  one  sister, 
namely :  John,  deceased ;  William,  of  New  Burlington,  and  Mrs.  Arabella 
Reeves,  of  New  Burlington.  The  parents  of  these  children  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania,  of  Scotch-Irish  stock.  To  Joseph  Blair  and  wife  were 
bom  seven  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  James,  a 
widower,  who  has  two  sons,  Everett  and  Elmer;  Alva,  who  is  married  and 
has  two  children,  Herman  and  Helen;  Frank,  of  Xenia;  Charles,  of  New- 
Burlington;  Lena,  who  married  Berr}'  Kelch  and  now  lives  in  Chicago,  and 
Dena,  deceased. 

Reared  at  New  Burlington,  Bert  Blair  received  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  village  and  became  employed  in  a  blacksmith  shop  there. 
Upon  completing  his  trade  he  started  out  as  a  journeyman  blacksmith,  has 
travels  taking  him  into  every  state  of  the  Union.  About  1902  he  returned 
to  Ohio  and  after  a  couple  of  years  spent  at  Xenia  again  went  West,  remain- 
ing away  for  about  seven  years,  or  until  191 1,  when  he  again  returned  to 
Xenia  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  blacksmith  business  in  association 
with  Nels  Beal  and  so  continued  until  in  April,  19 15,  when  he  opened  his 
present  place  of  business  in  Xenia. 

On  September  27,  191 7,  Bert  Blair  was  united  in  marriage  to  Theresa 
Brennan,  who  was  born  in  Xenia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  and  of  the 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose.  His  father's  people  were  Quakers  and  his  mother's 
people  were  adherents  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JAMES  L.  G.  TROLLINGER. 

James  L.  G.  Trollinger,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  in  Bath  township,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all 
his  life.  He  was  born  on  February  5,  1864,  son  of  Nimrod  and  Martha 
(Shaw)  Trollinger,  natives  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  who  were  married  in 
that  state  and  who  later  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county,  where 
they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Nimrod  Trollinger  was  born  in  1827  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
state  of  Maryland.  There  he  married  Martha  Shaw,  who  was  born  in  that 
same  state  in  183 1,  and  in  1853  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  where  they  established  their  home, 
reared  their  family  and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.     Mrs.  Trollinger  died 


' 


^c^-OCK.    dA'y-l^-^ yC.X^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  57 

in  1896  and  Nimrod  Trollinger  died  in  1902.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  Mrs.  Sarah  Batdorf,  of  Fairfield,  this  county;  Mrs.  Mary 
Jane  Paxton,  of  West  Alexandria,  this  state;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Burrows,  of 
the  Osborn  neighborhood  in  this  county;  Mrs.  Emma  C.  Harner,  of  Xenia; 
Mrs.  Julia  M.  Wolf,  of  Bath  township;  Mrs.  Martha  Ann  Lambert,  of  New 
Carlisle,  Ohio;  John  H.  and  Jacob  William,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is 
living  in  Bath  township  and  the  latter  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  and 
Charles,  who  died  in  his  first  year. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Bath  township,  James 
L.  G.  Trollinger  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood. 
After  his  marriage  in  1887  he  established  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  living,  a  part  of  the  old  home  farm,  and  has  ever  since  resided 
there.  Mr.  Trollinger  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  district  and  township 
school  board,  for  some  time  clerk  of  the  latter  body;  as  township  highway 
commissioner  and  as  a  trustee  of  the  local  cemetery  association,  of  which 
latter  organization  he  is  now  the  secretary.  On  national  issues  Mr.  Trollinger 
adheres  to  the  Democratic  party,  but  in  local  issues  reserves  his  right  to  vote 
independently  of  political  parties.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock. 

On  November  17,  1887,  James  L.  G.  Trollinger  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Rosa  Flatter,  who  was  born  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  and  to 
this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter.  Pearl  Ann,  who  married 
Ray  Wilson  and  has  two  children,  a  son,  Howard  L.  Woodrow,  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Gladys  Irene.  Mr.  Wilson  is  farming  a  part  of  Mr.  Trollinger's  farm 
and  lives  in  a  house  across  the  road  from  the  home  of  the  latter.  The 
Trollingers  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Trollinger  has 
been  an  elder  and  a  deacon  of  the  local  congregation  for  thirty  years. 


SAMUEL  EWING. 


The  late  Samuel  Ewing,  who  formerly  and  for  many  years  was  one 
of  the  leading  figures  in  the  social  life  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  who  died  at 
his  home,  "Roberts  Villa,"  in  that  citv  on  October  6,  1917,  was  born 
in  Xenia  and  had  spent  all  his  life  there.  He  was  born  on  September  22, 
1833,  and  was  thus  past  eighty-four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  a  notice  regarding  Mr.  Ewing's  death  the  Cincinnati  Enquire}-  referred 
to  the  deceased  as  "a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  oldest  and  wealthiest 
families."  As  such,  Mr.  Ewing,  of  course,  had  a  position  to  maintain  in  the 
community  in  which  he  had  resided  all  his  life,  and  he  maintained  it  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  a  typical  "gentleman  of  the  old  school." 


58  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Samuel  Ewing  was  a  son  of  John  and  Prudence  W.  (Roberts)  Evving, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Xenia  on  December  28,  1814,  daughter  of 
Silas  and  Cassandra  (Sparks)  Roberts,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian  and  one  of  the  early  residents  of  Xenia,  having  settled  there  in  1808. 
Upon  locating  at  the  new  town  of  Xenia,  Silas  Roberts  bought  a  tract  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  immediately  north  of  the  townsite 
and  extending  south  to  the  line  now  formed  by  Church  street  and  gradually 
increased  his  holdings  there  until  they  comprised  many  hundreds  of  acres. 
Although  some  of  this  land  was  sold,  the  Roberts  estate  still  comprises  five 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres  and  as  all  overtures  in  the  way  of  taking 
over  and  platting  the  same  for  town-lot  purposes  have  been  discouraged  by 
the  estate  the  growth  of  the  city  to  the  north  in  that  section  east  of  Detroit 
street  has  been  effectually  blocked,  the  only  building  save  "Roberts  Villa"  in 
that  tract  being  the  public  library,  a  lot  for  which  was  set  off  by  the  estate 
when  the  new  library  was  projected.  Silas  Roberts  died  on  July  29,  1864. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  nearly  seventeen  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  on  September  11,  1847.  They  were  married  in  1814,  and  they 
had  seven  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Ewing  having  been  the  following: 
Micajah,  who  died  in  1883;  Emesetta,  who  died  unmarried  in  1900;  Diana, 
who  died  unmarried  in  1914;  Louisa,  wife  of  John  Lackey,  who  died  in  1910; 
Mathias  who  died  in  California  in  1850,  and  John,  who  died  in  1872.  After 
their  brothers  and  sisters  had  gone,  the  Misses  Emesetta  and  Diana  Roberts 
continued  to  make  their  home  on  the  old  home  place  and  in  the  '70s  they 
erected  there  a  quite  remarkable  big  brick  house,  typical  of  a  much- favored 
style  of  architecture  of  the  period  and  handsomely  and  lavishly  appointed  and 
finished  within.  In  that  big  house  on  the  edge  of  town,  and  which  has  ever 
been  styled  "Roberts  Villa,"  they  spent  their  last  days  and  there  Samuel  Ew- 
ing, who  inherited  it,  spent  his  last  days  in  lonely  splendor,  maintaining  liis 
position  to  the  end. 

John  Ewing,  who  was  for  years  a  merchant  at  Xenia,  was  bom  in  Camp- 
bell county,  Kentucky,  January  6,  1800,  a  son  of  John  and  "Margaret  Ewing, 
who  were  reared  and  married  in  ^'ork  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  in 
1795  moved  to  Kentucky,  moving  thence  in  1801  to  Ohio,  and  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  John  Ewing  thereafter  made  his  home  in  Hamilton 
and  Clermont  counties,  this  state.  He  then,  in  18 14,  came  up  into  this  part 
of  the  state  and  became  employed  in  the  store  of  James  Gowdy,  one  of  the 
first  merchants  in  Xenia.  He  continued  that  connection  until  he  grew  to 
manhood,  when  Gowdy  admitted  him  to  a  partnership  and  upon  Gowdy's 
retirement  from  buisness  in  1838  he  became  proprietor  of  the  store  con- 
tinuing thus  in  business  at  Xenia  until  his  own  retirement  in  1861.  Originally 
the  Ewing,  or  Gowdy,  store  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Greene 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  59 

Streets,  but  in  184Q  Mr.  Ewing  erected  a  three-story  structure  at  the  corner 
of  Main  and  Whiteman  streets  and  thereafter  carried  on  his  business  in  the 
latter  building.  He  also  built  what  is  now  known  as  the  Grand  Hotel,  but 
which  in  his  day  was  known  as  the  Merrick  Hotel.  He  died  at  his  home  in 
Xenia  in  t8q.^.  His  wife  had  long  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1858,  and  he  did  not  remarry.  They  were  married  on 
December  12,  1833,  ^"d  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  those  besides  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  being  Miss  Elizabeth  Ewing,  of  Xenia; 
Miss  Ida  Ewing,  of  New  York  City;  Mrs.  Cummins  B.  Jones,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California;  William  Ewing,  of  Two  Buttes,  Colorado,  and  James 
Ewing,  of  Los  Angeles.  The  father  of  these  children  was  reared  in  the 
CoA'enanter  church  and  his  wife  was  a  ^Methodist. 


EDWIN  H.  HUNT. 


Edwin  H.  Hunt,  dealer  in  automobile  accessories  at  Xenia,  was  born 
in  that  city  on  November  18,  1886,  son  and  only  child  of  E.  C.  and  Luella 
(Karch)  Hunt,  the  former  of  whom  died  on  January  9,  191 5,  and  the  latter 
of  whom  is  still  living  in  Xenia.  She  also  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Cornelia  (Dunham)  Karch,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  at  Bell- 
brook,  this  county.  Isaac  Karch  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  and  he  grew  up  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  later 
becoming  empldyed  as  a  clerk  in  the  Millen  store  at  Xenia.  He  died  at  his 
home  in  Xenia  in  1912,  he  then  being  eighty-six  years  of  age.  The  Hunts 
were  a  well-known  family  in  Xenia  in  their  day  and  are  more  particularly 
remembered  by  reason  of  the  activity  in  local  musical  circles  of  Converse 
Hunt,  uncle  of  Edwin  H.  Hunt,  who  was  a  singer  of  more  than  local  note 
and  who  for  years  conducted  a  "conservatory  of  music"  in  Xenia. 

When  thirteen  years  of  age  Edwin  Hunt  became  employed  in  George 
Galloway's  drug  store,  where  he  worked  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  became  a  cutter  in  the  local  shoe  factory.  He  then  took  employment 
during  the  summer  as  a  baggageman  on  a  steamer  plying  the  waters  of  the 
Great  Lakes  and  for  two  summers  was  thus  employed.  At  eighteen  years 
of  age  he  began  working  in  the  Vanderpool  bicycle  establishment  at  Xenia 
and  at  the  end  of  two  years  of  that  form  of  employment  found  himself  pos- 
sessed of  a  capital  of  fifty  dollars.  With  this  capital  he  opened  a  shop  of 
his  own  for  the  repair  of  bicycles  and  guns,  starting  in  the  Glossinger  build- 
ing, and  as  the  automobile  business  gradually  developed  added  to  his  stock 
a  line  of  accessories.  In  1905  Mr.  Hunt  found  it  necessary  to  seek  other 
quarters  and  he  opened  his  present  store  at  39  West  Main  street,  where  he 
ever  since  has  been  engaged   in  business.     In    19 14   Mr.   Hunt   opened   a 


6o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

garage  and  operated  the  same  under  the  name  of  the  Xenia  Garage  Com- 
pany, but  a  year  later  sold  that  estabHshment  and  has  since  confined  himself 
to  his  old  familiar  line.  He  was  the  first  man  in  Xenia  to  do  general  auto- 
mobile tire  repair  work,  as  well  as  the  first  man  in  that  city  to  do  acetyline 
welding. 

In  June,  igo6,  Edwin  H.  Hunt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Evelyn  Ora 
Ferguson,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  "Doc"  Ferguson 
and  wife,  the  former  of  whom,  now  deceased,  was  for  years  an  auctioneer 
in  this  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  living  in  Dayton,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  five  children,  namely:  Louise,  born  in  1907;  Harold, 
1909;  Evelyn,  1910;  Robert,  January,  1916,  and  Annis,  January,  1917. 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Hunt  are  members  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
They  own  and  reside  on  the  old  Clevenger  place  of  eighteen  acres  on  the 
Cincinnati  pike  just  at  the  edge  of  town,  where  Mr.  Hunt  finds  recreation 
in  looking  after  a  truck  patch  during  the  summers. 


GEORGE  W.  WARNER. 


George  W.  Warner,  a  retired  farmer  of  Greene  county,  now  living  at 
Fairfield,  where  he  has  made  his  residence  since  1886,  was  born  on  a  farm 
three  miles  south  of  Fairfield  on  February  27,  1843,  son  of  Henr}'^  and  Har- 
riet (Cosad)  Warner,  the  latter  of  whom  was  also  born  in  this  county,  her 
parents  having  been  pioneers  in  Bath  township. 

Henry  Warner  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, in  1803,  son  of  George  W.  Warner  and  wife,  who  came  to  Ohio  in 
1826  with  thei'-  family  and  settled  in  Bath  township,  this  county.  Henry 
Warner  married  here  and  continued  to  live  on  his  father's  farm  after  his 
marriage  until  1845,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  on  the  Yellow  Springs  road, 
where  he  resided  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  the 
village  of  Fairfield,  but  two  years  later  returned  to  the  old  home  farm. 
There  his  wife  died  in  1852.  He  survived  her  for  many  years,  his  death 
occurring  in  1895.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  as  follow :  Mrs.  Christina  Koogler, 
of  this  county;  John,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood;  Paul  P.,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  Fairfield  neighborhood;  Aaron,  deceased;  Henry  G.,  a  resident 
of  this  county :  Mrs.  Sophia  Dellinger,  of  Osborn ;  Mary  Alice,  deceased,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Taylor  Gerlaugh;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nicholas,  of  Versailles,  this 
state,  and  Mrs.  Ann  Walsh,  who  lives  two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
Fairfield.  Henry  Warner,  the  father  of  these  children,  had  bought  the  old 
home  place  after  the  death  of  his  father  and  there  developed  a  fine  piece  of 
property.     His  parents,  George  W.  and  Christina  (Harshman)  Warner,  came 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  6l 

to  Ohio  in  1826  and  the  Warners  are  thus  one  of  the  old  famihes  in  Greene 
county. 

George  W.  Warner,  who  was  given  his  name  in  honor  of  his  father's 
father,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Bath  township  and  received  his 
schooHng  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  1866  he  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place  and  there  resided  for  ten  years. 
He  then  moved  to  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  west  and  there  lived  for  nineteen 
years,  or  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1886  and  removal  to  Fair- 
field, where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Mr.  Warner  is  a  Democrat  and. 
fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  o{  Odd 
Fellows.  He  owned  two  hundred  acres  of  land  that  the  Conservancy  Board 
bought,  and  he  then  went  across  into  Clark  and  Montgomery  counties  and 
bought  136  acres  which  he  used  for  small  grain  production  and  potatoes. 

On  February  6,  1866,  George  W.  Warner  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  Kreider,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  banks  of  Mad  river,  in 
the  extreme  northwestern  part  of  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Susan  (Kirkwood)  Kreider.  Mr.  Kreider,  a  blacksmith,  came  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Ohio  in  an  early  day  and  located  in  Montgomery  county,  later 
coming  to  Greene  county  and  moving  from  here  to  Springfield,  where  he 
died.  His  wife  died  while  living  in  Greene  county.  They  had  three  chil- 
dren, Elizabeth,  who  married  Mr.  Warner ;  Susan,  deceased,  and  Mary,  who 
married  Frank  Miller.     The  familv  belonged  to  the  Reformed  church. 


C.  HOWARD  LITTLE. 


C.  Howard  Little,  former  president  of  the  Xenia  city  council  and  vice- 
president  and  treasurer  and  general  office  manager  of  the  Xenia  Grain  Com- 
pany, wholesale  grain  dealers,  with  offices  in  the  Allen  building  at  Xenia  and 
an  elevator  at  Bowersville,  was  born  at  the  village  of  Jamestown,  this  county, 
February  25,  1870,  son  of  Asa  and  Margaret  (Moorman)  Little,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  who 
are  still  living,  making  their  home  at  Xenia. 

Asa  Little  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township  in  Jnne,  1843.  son  of 
Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Hiett)  Little,  who  were  born  in  Hampshire  county, 
Virginia,  where  they  grew  up  and  were  married.  In  the  year  in  which  they 
were  married  Robert  Little  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  the  woods  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  where  they  established 
their  home  and  reared  their  family,  becoming  substantial  pioneers  of  that 
community.  They  were  among  the  leaders  in  the  local  congregation  of  the 
Campbellite,  or  Christian,  church  in  their  neighborhood  and  Robert  Little  ac- 
quired more  than  a  merely  local  reputation  as  a  preacher  of  that  faith,  filling 


62  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  pulpit  of  the  local  church  in  the  absence  of  a  regular  pastor.  He  was 
reared  a  Whig  and  later  became  a  Republican  and  for  several  years  served 
his  community  as  township  trustee.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  about 
four  hundred  acres.  He  died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  his 
widow  survived  him  for  ten  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1888.  she  then 
being  eighty-two  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  name- 
ly:  J.  H.,  now  deceased,  who  lived  at  Yellow  Springs;  the  late  Hon.  John 
Little,  for  years  prominent  in  public  life  here ;  Lucy,  who  married  Joseph 
Ritenour,  a  farmer  of  Ross  township  and  is  now  deceased ;  Mrs.  Emily  Birch, 
wife  of  a  merchant  at  Yellow  Springs;  Asa,  f.ather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  and  Anna,  who  married  Henry  Flagg,  of  Xenia,  and  who,  as  well  as 
her  husband,   is  now  deceased. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township,  Asa  Little  completed  his 
schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  for  fifteen  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in 
teaching  school,  most  of  this  time  being  spent  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
ing county  of  Madison,  although  for  some  time  he  was  superintendent  of  the 
schools  at  Yellow  Springs.  He  also  served  for  a  time  as  superintendent  of 
the  schools  at  South  Solon  and.  at  Sedalia.  He  then  became  engaged  in  the 
grain  business  at  Yellow  Springs  and  for  four  years  was  the  owner  of  an 
elevator  there  and  for  a  few  years  also  had  a  lease  on  the  Oldtown  mill.  In 
1890  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Greene  county,  nominee  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  in  1892  was  re-elected  to  that  office,  thus  serving  as  treasurer  of 
the  county  for  two  terms,  or  four  years,  during  which  time  he  made  his 
home  in  Xenia.  Upon  leaving  the  county  treasurer's  office  he  bought  a  farm 
of  two  hundred  acres  in  Beavercreek  township  and  there  made  his  home 
until  his  retirement  in  1913  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife 
are  now  living,  at  816  North  King  street.  They  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church  at  Xenia.  Mrs.  Little  was  born,  Margaret  Moorman,  in  Sil- 
vercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Matilda  (Watson) 
Moorman,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  Penn- 
sylvania. Charles  Moorman  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  county  from  Virginia,  the  family  settling  in  Silvercreek  town- 
ship. To  Asa  and  Margaret  (Moorman)  Little  were  born  two  sons,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  having  had  a  younger  brother,  Arthur  W^ard,  born  in  1877, 
who  died  in  1880. 

C.  Howard  Little's  early  scliooling  was  obtained  in  the  various  schools 
taught  by  his  father  and  he  completed  the  same  by  attendance  at  Antioch 
College  and  at  Nelson's  Business  College  at  Springfield.  \A'hen  his  father 
engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Yellow  Springs  he  became  an  active  assist- 
ant in  the  management  of  that  business  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1897, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  63 

when  he  was  made  office  manager  for  the  Miami  Grain  Company  at  Xenia 
and  so  continued  in  the  grain  business  in  the  latter  city  until  1910,  when 
the  Xenia  Grain  Company  was  organized  and  he  was  elected  vice-president 
and  treasurer  of  the  same  and  also  made  office  manager,  the  other  officers 
being  G.  N.  Perrill,  president,  and  A.  V.  Perrill,  secretary.  This  company 
maintains  an  elevator  at  Bowersville  and  offices  in  the  Allen  building  at  Xenia. 
Mr.  Little  is  a  Republican  and  was  serving  as  president  of  the  Xenia  city 
council  when  the  local  government  was  changed  to  that  of  a  commission 
form  of  government. 

On  December  25,  1905,  C.  Howard  Little  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Annie  Lehow,  who  was  born  in  Colorado,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  E. 
Lehow,  both  now  deceased,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Margaret,  born  in  1907,  and  Lehow,  191 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Little  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Little  is  a  member  of  the  vestry  of  the 
same.    Their  home  is  at  810  North  King  street. 


LESTER  DUNCAN  BALL. 

Lester  Duncan  Ball,  a  dealer  in  and  shipper  of  poultry  at  Xenia,  is  a 
native  son  of  Greene  county,  bom  in  the  village  of  Spring  Valley  on  Novem- 
ber 4,  18S6,  a  son  of  William  G.  and  Martha  (Gartrell)  Ball,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  county  and  here  spent  all  their  lives,  the  former  dying 
at  Xenia  on  January  6,  1913,  and  the  latter,  in  October,  191 1. 

William  G.  Ball  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow 
Springs  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  His  parents  came  to  this  county  from 
Pennsylvania.  About  1880,  at  Spring  Valley,  he  married  Martha  Gartrell, 
who  was  born  at  Yellow  Springs,  daughter  of  Robert  Gartrell,  and  after 
his  marriage  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  so  continued  until  about 
1895,  when  he  became  engaged  in  the  poultry  business  at  Spring  Valley  and 
about  1902  moved  to  Xenia  and  there  opened  an  establishment  in  South 
Collier  street,  where  he  continued  engaged  in  the  poultry  business  until  his 
death.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  two  years,  as  noted 
above.  William  G.  Ball  and  his  wife  were  adherents  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  of  whom  are  still 
living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Halleck,  living  at  Rich- 
mond, Indiana,  and  a  sister,  Helen  M.,  who  is  living  at  Osborn,  this  county. 
The  other  child,  Ernest,  died  in  infancy.  Halleck  Ball  married  Maude 
Armentrout  and  to  that  union  five  children  have  been  born,  two  of  whom 
are  living. 

Lester  D.  Ball  '"grew  up"  at  Spring  Valley,  attending  the  schools  of 


64  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

that  village,  and  when  eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age  became  emploj'ed 
in  the  express  company's  office  at  Xenia  and  was  thus  engaged  for  seven 
years,  during  which  time  he  rose  to  the  position  of  local  agent  for  the  com- 
pany. Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  191 3  he  left  the  express  company's 
office  and  took  over  the  poultry  business  his  father  had  built  up  at  Xenia  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  that  business,  shipping  to  New  York,  Phila- 
delphia, Pittsburgh  and  other  points  East. 

On  July  14,  1910,  at  Xenia,  Lester  D.  Ball  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Gertrude  Shelly,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Minnie  (Mitchell)  Shelly,  of 
Xenia,  who  were  married  on  August  2,  1887,  and  who  have  two  children, 
Mrs.  Ball'  having  a  brother,  Gary  Shelly,  who  is  now  living  at  New  Madi- 
son, this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ball  have  one  child,  a  son,  Lawrence  Leroy, 
who  was  l^orn  on  August  2,  191 3.  They  attend  the  ^Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  Mr.  Ball  is  an  "independent"  voter.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Xenia. 


ANDREW''  H.  CRESWELL. 

One  of  the  substantial  and  successful  farmers  who  has  been  a  lifelong 
resident  of  Gedarville  township  is  Andrew  H.  Greswell,  who  was  born 
on  the  farm  adjoining  the  one  where  he  now  lives  on  January  2,  1856,  the 
son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  ( Huffman)    Greswell,  pioneers  of  Greene  county. 

Samuel  Greswell  was  born  on  the  same  farm  where  his  son  Andrew 
H.  was  born,  in  the  year  1820,  and  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
three  years  on  this  same  farm,  his  death  occurring  in  1912.  His  wife, 
Eliza  (Huffman)  Greswell,  died  in  19 14,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Martha  Ann, 
the  widow  of  J.  S.  Turnbull,  of  Ross  township;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Alex- 
ander Kyle,  a  farmer  of  Gedarville  township;  Mary,  living  at  home;  James 
H.,  a  farmer  of  Gedarville  township ;  Julia,  the  wife  of  W.  R.  Sterrett,  of 
Gedarville;  William  H..  also  a  farmer  of  this  township;  George  H.,  living 
on  the  old  home  farm;  Nettie,  the  widow  of  James  Ervin.  of  Xenia,  and 
Ida,  who  is  now  living  in  Gedarville  township,  widow  of  J.  H.  Stormont. 
Samuel  Greswell  inherited  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  at  the  time 
of  his  father's  death,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  acres.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed  Presby- 
terian church  at  Gedai-ville.  Mr.  Gresswell  was  a  Republican  during  most 
of  his  long  and  viseful  life,  but  for  twenty  years  before  his  death  espoused 
the  cause  of  prohibition.     He    always    took    an    acti\e    interest  in    the    z\\'\c 


^ 


^ 


MR.   AND    MItS.    8AMUEL   CKESWELL. 


iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiii!iii!{pj'''i!!iil 


SAMl'EL  CRESWELL  HOMESTEAD. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  65 

and  social  affairs  of  his  community  and  was  for  years  a  director  of  the 
school  board  of  his  township. 

The  paternal  grandparents  of  Andrew  H.  Creswell  were  James  Cres- 
well  and  wife,  who  emigrated  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio  in  a  very  early  day, 
coming  here  in  1804  with  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong,  and  in  the  then  new 
country  established  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  of  which  he  and  his 
family  were  devout  members.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and 
one  daughter,  all  now  deceased.  A  complete  sketch  of  the  ancestry  of  Mr. 
Creswell  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Andrew  H.  Creswell  received  his  early  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  Cedarville  township,  later  attending  the  high  school  at  Cedarville.  He 
was  reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer,  and  upon  leaving  the  paternal  home 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Cedarville  township, 
two  miles  southeast  of  the  village  of  the  same  name,  and  has  lived  there 
ever  since.  He  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  ranks 
among  the  progressive  farmers  of  the  county.  He  has  rendered  public  serv- 
ice as  a  member  of  the  board  of  township  trustees. 

On  November  26,  1896,  Andrew  H.  Creswell  was  married  to  Rachel 
Kyle,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Hanassah  (Kennedy)  Kyle.  Mrs.  Cres- 
well is  a  member  of  a  family  that  has  been  connected  with  this  portion  of 
the  state  for  nearly  a  century  and  is  a  sister  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Kyle,  D.  D., 
now  president  of  Xenia  Theological  Seminary.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creswell  are 
adherents  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville  and  Mr.  Cres- 
well has  served  as  trustee  of  the  local  congregation  most  of  the  time  for 
forty  years. 


JAMES  H.   CANADAY. 


James  H.  Canaday,  chief  of  police  of  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  born  at  Gallipolis,  in  Gallia  county,  June  16,  1866,  a  son  of  Reuben  S. 
and  Elizabeth  (Adier)  Canaday,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia 
and  the  latter  of  whom  was  of  European  birth,  who  later  became  residents 
of  Xenia,  but  after  some  years  of  residence  in  lliat  city  returned  to  Galli- 
polis, where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Reuben  S.  Canaday  was  born  on  August  26,  1841,  of  Scotch-Irish  and 
French-Canadian  parentage,  and  was  but  a  yoath  when  he  left  his  native 
Virginia  and  came  to  Ohio,  locating  at  Gallipolis,  ndiere  he  presently  be- 
came engaged  in  the  butcher  and  grocery  business  and  where,  on  July  4. 
1 86 1,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Adler,  who  v/as  born  in  the 

(4) 


66  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

grand  duchy  of  Baden  on  July  28,  1840,  and  who  was  but  eight  years  of 
age  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  ^larents  in  1848,  the  family 
locating  at  Gallipolis,  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  Reuben  S.  Canaday  con- 
tinued in  business  at  Gallipolis  until  the  spring  of  188 1,  when  he  disposed 
of  his  interests  there  and  moved  to  Xenia,  arriving  in  the  latter  city  with 
his  family  on  April  7  of  that  year.  There  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  and  so  continued  until  1892,  when  he  and  his  wife  returned  to 
Gallipolis,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring 
on  June  i,  igo6,  and  hers,  March  7,  1913.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  William  R.,  of  Logan,  West  Virginia, 
who  married  Laura  Betz  and  has  three  children;  John  P.  and  George  B., 
twins,  who  died  in  infancy;  Reuben  H.,  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio,  who  is 
married  and  has  one  child ;  the  Rev.  Fred  L.  Canaday,  unmarried,  who  is  an 
evangelist  and  makes  his  home  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania;  Scott,  of  Rut- 
land, this  state,  who  is  married  and  has  one  child ;  Myrtle,  who  married  U. 
S.  Losey,  now  living  at  Columbus,  Indiana,  and  has  two  children,  and 
Belle,  who  married  J.  C.  Kearney  and  is  now  living  at  Detroit,  Michigan. 

James  H.  Canaday's  early  youth  was  spent  in  Gallipolis,  where  he  com- 
pleted the  eighth-grade  course  in  the  public  schools.  He  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Xenia  in  1881  and  for  a  few  years  after 
his  arrival  in  that  city  he  was  engaged  in  his  father's  store.  He  then  became 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  H.  E.  Schmidt  grocery  and  was  thus  engaged  for 
twenty-one  years,  or  until  the  time  of  his  appointment  to  the  position  of 
chief  of  police  for  the  city  of  Xenia  on  February  i,  1914.  The  Chief  is  a 
Democrat. 

Chief  Canaday  has  been  twice  married.  On  Septemljer  15,  1887,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Delia  Strickle,  who  was  born  in  Xenia,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Strickle  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  an  Anderson,  also  born 
in  Xenia,  and  to  that  union  were  lx)rn  four  children,  namely :  Robert,  born 
on  May  26,  1890,  now  living  at  North  Platte,  Nebraska,  who  is  married 
and  has  one  child,  a  son,  James  Woodrow;  La\vrence,  October  31,  1893, 
also  now  living  in  Nebraska,  who  is  married  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  James 
William;  Thyra,  January  29,  1896,  who  died  on  November  12,  1898,  and 
Fern,  June  23,  1898,  who  is  now  living  in  Cinchmati.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  at  Gallipolis  on  Septembe-  4,  189S,  and  on  January  10.  1901, 
Mr.  Canaday  married  Gertrude  Gatrell,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia,  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Mary  (Ginn)  Gatrell,  and  to  this  unio!!  one  child  has 
been  born,  a  son,  Marion  W.,  born  on  May  16,  1909.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Can- 
aday are  members  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia. 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  67 

WILLIAM  HULICK  BLAIR. 

The  late  William  Hulick  Blair,  former  editor  of  the  CcdarznU'c  Herald, 
who  died  in  Loveland  in  1909,  and  whose  widow  and  daughter  are  now 
making  their  home  in  Cedanille,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  all  his  life 
was  spent  in  this  state.  He  was  born  at  Georgetown,  in  Brown  county, 
April  16,  1857,  son  of  Brice  R.  and  Margaret  (Kirkpatrick)  Blair,  the 
latter  of  whom  spent  her  last  days  at  Clifton,  this  county. 

Brice  R.  Blair  also  was  born  in  Brown  county,  this  state,  and  there 
became  a  cabinet-maker  and  contracting  carpenter,  following  that  vocation 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Dim- 
mitt,  died  in  1 85 1.  To  that  first  union  there  were  born  ten  children,  Eras- 
tus,  Ezekiel,  George,  Ann.  Kezia,  John  (now  a  resident  of  Ripley,  Ohio), 
Irene  (Mrs.  McCreight,  of  Jamestown),  and  three  who  died  in  childhood. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  Brice  R.  Blair  married  Mar- 
garet Kirkpatrick  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children,  the  subject  of 
this  memorial  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Emma,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the 
Girls  Industrial  School  at  Delaware,  this  state,  and  a  brother.  Charles  Blair, 
now  deceased,  who  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work  in  Cincinnati.  Brice 
R.  Blair  died  in  Brown  county  and  his  widow  later  came  to  Greene  county, 
her  last  days  being  spent  at  Clifton,  where  she  died  on  March  10,  1908. 
They  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that   faith. 

William  H.  Blair  spent  his  youth  in  his  native  county  and  there  re- 
ceived his  schooling,  later  becoming  a  school  teacher..  He  early  took  up 
newspaper  work  and  became  a  trained  editor  and  publi-sher.  Years  ago  he 
came  to  this  county  and  became  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business  at 
Jamestown,  at  the  same  time  becoming  associated  there  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  M.  T.  McCright,  in  the  mecantile  business.  Mr.  Blair  later  bought 
the  Cedarville  Herald  and  for  about  eight  years  was  editor  and  publisher 
of  that  paper,  establishing  his  home  at  Cedarville.  His  newspaper  activities 
were  not  confined  to  the  Herald  and  he  became  the  owner  of  a  string  of 
newspapers  in  this  part  of  the  state,  including  the  Morrozi'  Tribune  as  well 
as  a  German  paper  at  IMorrow,  the  Tri-County  Press  at  Loveland  and  a 
paper  at  Blanchester,  continuing  actively  engaged  in  the  newspaper  busi- 
ness until  his  death  on  April  11,  1909.  He  also  for  some  time  had  been  a 
resident  of  Loveland.  Mr.  Blair  was  a  Republican  and  his  newspapers  re- 
flected his  views  on  the  political  questions  of  the  day.  He  was  a  Mason, 
past  master  of  the  lodge  at  Jamestown,  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics.  He  was  a 
Presbyterian,  affiliated  with  the  church  at  Loveland. 

On  September  22,   1894,  at  Cedarville,   William  H.   Blair  was  united 


68  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  marriage  to  Edith  Satterfield,  who  was  born  in  that  village,  daughter  of 
James  P.  and  Jane  T.  (Milbourn)  Satterfield,  who  were  born  at  Martins- 
burg,  West  Virginia,  where  they  were  married,  later  coming  to  Ohio  and 
locating  on  a  farm  in  the  neighbohood  of  Urbana,  from  which  place  they 
presently  moved  to  CedarviHe,  where  Mr.  Satterfield  became  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  and  also  operated  a  lime  kiln.  James  P.  Satterfield  was 
born  on  February  8,  1826,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  His 
widow,  who  survived  him  for  some  years,  was  born  on  June  12,  1826,  and 
lived  to  be  eighty-two  years  of  age.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were 
five  of  these  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Blair,  the  last  in  order  of  birth, 
being  Robinson,  who  was  a  bookkeeper  and  who  died  in  1888;  Stewart,  a 
retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Atlanta,  Illinois;  CoUett,  an  artist  and  a  trav- 
eling man.  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  and  Oscar,  who  is  a 
rural   mail   carrier   out   of   CedarviHe. 

To  William  H.  and  Edith  (Satterfield)  Blair  one  child  was  born,  a 
daughter,  Kathleen  M.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Love- 
land,  later  attended  Miami  University  and  CedarviHe  College  and  is  now  a 
member  of  the  teaching  staff  of  the  CedarviHe  schools,  making  her  home 
with  her  mother.  Mrs.  Blair  and  her  daughter  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  at  CedarviHe. 


HON.  HORACE  ANKENEY. 

The  Hon.  Horace  Ankeney,  former  member  of  the  Ohio  state  Legisla- 
ture from  this  district  and  a  former  member  of  the  Ohio  state  dairy  and 
food  commission,  was  born  in  a  log  house  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living,  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of 
Xenia,  February  11,  1850,  son  of  Samuel  and  Margaret  (Gettard)  Ankeney, 
further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive  review 
of  the  history  of  the  Ankeney  family  in  Greene  county,  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Samuel  Ankeney  was  a  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Ankeney, 
who  settled  in  this  county  in  1830,  having  come  to  this  state  in  that  year 
from  Maryland,  and  the  Ankeneys  have  ever  since  been  prominently  repre- 
sented here. 

Horace  Ankeney  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  townsliip. 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood,  prepared 
for  college  by  attendance  at  a  select  school  at  Xenia  and  in  the  fall  of  1867, 
he  then  being  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  entered  Miami  University,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1872  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts,  later  receiving  from  the  university  his  Master  degree.     Upon  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  69 

return  from  the  university  Mr.  Ankeney  resumed  his  place  on  tlie  farm  and 
during  the  succeeding  two  winters  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  his  old  home 
school,  meantime  continuing  to  systematize  his  farm  operations  on  that  part 
of  the  home  farm  of  which  he  had  taken  charge  and  on  which  he  is  still 
living,  having  permanently  established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1879.  During  the  early  '80s  Mr.  Ankeney  was  elected  director 
of  the  county  infirmary  and  he  was  retained  in  that  position  until  his  resig- 
nation in  1889.  In  1881  he  was  elected  director  of  schools  in  his  district 
and  he  retained  that  position  until  1901.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  said 
that  Mr.  Ankeney's  administration  of  affairs  at  the  county  infirmary  was 
marked  by  reforms  in  that  institution  that  attracted  state-wide  notice.  It 
also  is  worthy  of  note  that  it  was  while  he  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
in  Beavercreek  township  that  township  was  the  first  township  in  the  state 
to  adopt  the  system  of  township  supervision  of  schools.  During  his  later 
service  in  the  Legislature  Mr.  Ankeney  took  an  active  part  in  promoting 
reforms  in  the  laws  regulating  the  country  schools  of  the  state.  Mr.  Ankeney's 
first  nomination  for  the  Legislature  came  to  him  in  1890,  but  he  was  unsuc- 
cessful in  that  race,  as  well  as  in  a  succeeding  race.  In  1899  his  friends 
insisted  that  he  again  make  the  race  and  he  was  elected  b)'  a  large  majority. 
He  was  re-elected  at  the  next  election  and  thus  served  as  a  member  of  the 
House  during  the  sessions  of  1900  and  1902.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
legislative  service  Mr.  Ankeney  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  dairy  and 
food  commission,  taking  his  seat  in  that  body  in  February,  1903,  and  thus 
served  for  two  terms,  at  tlie  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  the  operation 
of  his  farm,  which  since  has  engaged  his  attention.  Mr.  Ankeney  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  he  is  the  vice-president 
of  the  foreign  missionary  board  of  that  church  in  the  United  States,  this 
office  constituting  him  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  executive  board  of  tiiat 
body,  which  holds  meetings  about  eight  times  a  year  in  Pliiladelpliia,  which 
meetings  he  attends.  In  1888  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Heidelberg  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  then  located  at  Tiffin,  Ijut  now  the  Central  Theological 
Seminary  at  Dayton,  and  he  still  occupies  that  position.  He  also  is  treas- 
urer of  the  Ohio  State  Rural  Life  .\ssociaeion.  Politically,  Mr.  Ankeney  is  a 
Republican  and  has  for  years  been  an  acti\e  factor  in  the  activities  of  that 
party  throughout  this  part  of  the  state. 

On  October  14,  1879,  Horace  Ankeney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lina 
Gertrude  Cline,  one  of  his  former  pupils,  wlio  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  William  and  Nancy  A.  (Harner)  Cline,  and  to  this  union  seven 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Florence,  wife  of  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Mabon, 
of  Belief ontaine ;  Samuel,  who  is  engaged  in  business  at  Dayton;  Alfred, 
who   is  engaged  in  missionary  service  in  Japan;   Elizabeth   T.,   who   is  at 


JO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

home;  William  M.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  medical  department  of 
the  Western  Reserve  University  at  Cleveland  in  1918;  Herman  K.,  at  hom.e, 
and  Rachel  H.,  now  a  student  at  Heidelberg  University  at  Tiffin. 


HON.  WILLIAM  BRADFUTE  BRYSON. 

The  Hon.  William  Bradfute  Bryson,  representative  from  Greene  county 
in  the  Ohio  state  Legislature,  a  member  of  the  Greene  county  board  of  edu- 
cation, an  extensive  landowner  and  well-known  horseman,  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  one  mile  north  of  Xenia  on  the  Clifton-Old- 
town  pike,  in  Xenia  township,  August  19,  1854,  a  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
A.  (Bradfute)  Bryson,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
the  latter  in  Greene  county,  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  the  home  farm 
north  of  Xenia. 

James  Bryson  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Watsontown. 
in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  i,  181 5,  and  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  Robert  and  Hannah 
(Corry)  Bryson,  the  family  settling  on  a  farm  just  north  of  Xenia.  Robert 
Bryson  and  his  wife  also  were  born  in  Northumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
of  sturdy  Covenanter  stock,  and  it  was  on  account  of  the  presence  in  Greene 
county  of  a  considerable  colony  of  Covenanters  that  they  determined  to  come 
out  here  and  establish  their  home.  In  1834  they  disposed  of  their  interests 
in  Pennsylvania  and  drove  through  with  their  family  to  the  point  which  they 
had  determined  on  as  their  future  place  of  residence,  coming  through  with 
their  essential  household  goods  in  a  wagon  and  driving  their  stock  along  with 
them.  Upon  his  arrival  in  Greene  county  Robert  Bryson  bought  a  tract  of 
two  hundred  acres  a  mile  north  of  Xenia,  on  the  Clifton-Oldtown  pike,  in 
Xenia  township,  and  there  established  the  family  home,  he  and  his  wife 
spending  the  remainder  of  their  lives  there.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  James  Bryson  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  as  follows :  Matthew,  who  went  West  and  spent  his  last  days  in 
Nebraska;  Robert,  who  died  while  attending  Miami  University,  where  he  was 
preparing  for  the  ministry;  Hester,  who  married  John  Miller  and  spent  her 
last  days  on  a  farm  on  Clarks  run  in  this  county ;  Nancy,  who  married  Samuel 
Nisbit  and  spent  her  last  days  at  Cedarville;  Ellen,  who  was  the  wife  of  John 
Williamson,  also  of  Cedarville;  Rebecca,  who  was  unmarried  and  who  after 
her  mother's  death  remained  as  housekeeper  for  her  father,  and  Ann,  who 
died  during  the  days  of  her  girlhood. 

As  noted  above,  James  Bryson  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Greene  county  in  1834  and  he  at  once  took  an  active  part  in  the  labors  of 
developing  and  improving  the  home  farm,  remaining  with  his  father  until  the 
latter's  death,  when  he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  and  there  con- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  7I 

tinned  to  make  his  home  for  years.  He  added  to  the  original  home  farm 
until  it  contained  more  than  three  hundred  acres  and  also  bought  the  old 
Sexton  farm  adjoining,  on  which  is  the  spring  which  traditionally  is  said  to 
have  been  the  birthplace  of  the  great  Indian  chief  Tecumseh.  In  1879  James 
Bryson  bought  a  tract  of  three  hundred  acres  one  miles  north  of  Xenia  and 
there  in  1880  he  erected  a  large  brick  house,  facing  the  Springfield  pike,  where 
he  made  his  home  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  also  owned  a  hundred-acre  farm 
on  the  Little  Miami,  near  the  village  of  Trebein,  and  had  other  interests  in  the 
county.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  James  Bryson  became 
affiliated  with  the  same.  For  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
and  an  elder  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  continuing 
earnest  in  good  works  until  his  death  in  191 1,  he  then  being  at  the  age  of 
ninety-seven  years. 

On  March  17,  1853,  James  Bryson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nancy  A. 
Bradfute,  who  was  bom  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  January  10, 
1828,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Bradfute,  of  the 
Cedarville  neighborhood,  the  former  of  whom  had  come  to  this  country  from 
his  native  Scotland  as  a  young  man  and  had  settled  in  this  county.  To  James 
and  Nancy  A.  (Bradfute)  Bryson  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-bom,  the  others  being  Nettie,  who  died 
when  four  years  of  age,  in  t86i  :  Robert  Edwin,  born  on  July  29,  i860,  a 
retired  farmer  now  living  in  North  Detroit  street  in  Xenia,  who  married  Ella 
Williamson  and  has  four  children,  Harold,  Agnes  Louise,  Martha  Lucille 
and  James  C. :  and  Agnew  E.,  unmarried,  who  continues  to  live  on  the  farm 
in  Xenia  township  where  his  father  spent  his  last  days  and  further  mention 
of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

William  B.  Bi-yson  was  reared  to  the  life  of  the  farm.  Upon  completing 
the  course  in  the  district  school  he  entered  the  old  Xenia  College  on  East 
Church  street  and  after  a  further  course  there  entered  Monmouth  College 
at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  and  was  graduated  from  the  same  in  1876.  While  at 
Monmouth  Mr.  Bryson  became  acquainted  with  the  girl,  a  fellow  student, 
who  a  few  years  later  became  his  wife.  Upon  his  graduation  from  college 
Mr.  Bryson  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  operat- 
ing the  place.  In  1881,  shortly  after  his  marriage,  he  bought  the  home  place 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres,  remodeled  the  house  and  there  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born  and  on  which  his  grand- 
father had  settled  upon  coming  here  in  1834.  In  1913-  this  house  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  and  Mr.  Bryson  straightway  erected  a  new  dwelling  place.  Mr. 
Bryson  has  added  to  his  holdings  until  he  now  is  the  owner  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia,  including  the  Collins  farm  of  two 
hundred  acres,  the  Carroll  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  adjoining  his  place  on 


72  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  east  and  the  Kelsey  farm  of  about  one  hundred  acres  on  the  south.  In 
1890  Mr.  BiTson  began  definitely  his  career  as  a  successful  breeder  of  fine 
horses.  Not  only  has  he  earned  a  reputation  as  a  breeder  of  fine  horses,  but 
for  years  his  services  as  a  lecturer  before  farmers  institutes  have  been  in 
demand  and  he  also  has  done  good  service  by  giving  a  course  of  lectures  on 
the  subject  at  Wilberforce  University.  For  years  he  kept  a  stable  of  a  hun- 
dred or  more  head  of  fine  horses,  but  of  late  years  has  not  carried  on  his 
operations  in  that  line  quite  so  extensively,  the  popularity  of  the  automobile 
having  lessened  the  market  for  driving  horses,  though  he  still  keeps  in  his 
stables  from  forty  to  fifty  head  to  meet  the  demand.  Mr.  Bryson's  specialty 
has  been  the  Wilkes  strain  and  for  twenty-five  years  he  has  held  annual 
sales  at  his  farm.  For  years  Mr.  Bryson  kept  a  string  of  horses,  making  the 
circuit  of  the  best  tracks  in  the  country  and  kept  on  his  place  a  competent 
trainer,  racing  merely  to  create  marks  for  his  sires,  among  some  of  his  most 
noted  horses  having  been  the  following :  "West  Egbert,"  son  of  "Egbert," 
Mr.  Bryson's  first  fast  sire;  the  sire  "Tom  Keene,"  with  a  mark  of  2:04% 
and  the  sire  of  more  than  thirty  fast  colts;  "Wilmons,"  2:1734,  son  of 
"Simmons,"  sire  of  a  number  of  fast  colts,  one  of  which,  "Harry  Mack,"  had 
a  mark  of  2:08^  and  another,  "Robert  K.,"  2:ioy2,  and  "Wildemar," 
2:i6j4,  son  of  "Wilmons"  and  sire  of  twelve  fast  colts.  For  two  seasons 
Mr.  Bryson  has  been  the  judge  at  the  Ohio  State  Fair  Association's  race 
track  and  has  many  times  acted  as  judge  in  show  rings.  He  also  for  years 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  county  fair  board. 

Mr.  Bryson  has  for  years  been  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Greene  county.  In  1914  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Greene  county  in  the  state  Legislature  and  sen-ed  during  the  session  of  191 5, 
doing  conspicuous  service  in  that  session  as  chairman  of  the  House  commit- 
tee on  prison  reform.  In  1916  he  was  re-elected  and  though  the  Republicans 
occupied  the  minority  side  of  the  House  during  the  session  of  19 17  he  was 
able,  by  diplomatic  methods,  to  render  some  really  valuable  service,  particu- 
larly as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  agriculture,  and  was  successful  in  get- 
ting through  more  bills  than  any  other  Republican  member  of  the  House. 
For  many  years  Mr.  Bryson  served  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  township  school 
board  and  is  now  a  meml>er  of  the  Greene  county  board  of  education.  When 
an  attempt  was  made  in  the  House  of  Representatives  to  do  away  with  dis- 
trict supervisors,  an  important  department  of  the  new  system  of  education 
in  this  state,  Mr.  Biwson  vigorously  defended  the  system  and  his  speech  in 
the  House  on  that  subject  was  given  the  credit  for  having  defeated  the  re- 
actionary attempt  to  weaken  the  new  system. 

On  November  10,  1880,  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  William  B.  Bryson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Marv  Louise  Graham,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  73 

daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  Graham,  tlie  former  of  whom  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Monmouth  College,  the  proprietor  of  a  dry-goods  store  in 
Monmouth  and  the  owner  of  fifteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
that  city.  Mrs.  Bryson  is  a  graduate  of  Monmouth  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brysoii  have  three  sons,  William  Graham,  James  Robert  and  David  Brown, 
all  of  whom  have  followed  their  parents  in  the  ways  of  learning  at  the  lat- 
ters'  alma  mater.  William  G.  Bryson,  the  eldest  son,  also  got  his  wife  at 
Monmouth,  he  there  having  met  Jessie  Graham,  who  though  bearing  the  same 
surname  as  that  of  his  mother  is  not  related  to  the  latter  by  ties  of  consan- 
guinity, and  not  long  after  his  graduation  from  Monmouth  married  her. 
They  have  two  daughters,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Sarah  Frances.  William  G. 
Bryson  is  operating  a  part  of  his  father's  farm  north  of  Xenia  and  he  and 
his  family  live  across  the  highway  from  the  home  of  his  parents.  James  R. 
Bryson,  who  also  was  graduated  from  A-Ionmouth  College,  married  Mary  Fay 
and  now  lives  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  the  old  Carroll  place,  which  he  is 
operating.  David  B.  Bryson  is  now  (1918)  a  student  at  Monmouth  College 
and  is  a  member  of  the  College  Glee  Club,  in  which  he  sings  bass.  The  Bry- 
sons  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  For 
years  Mr.  Bryson  has  been  an  elder  of  his  church  and  for  thirty-three  con- 
secutive years  has  been  superintendent  of  the  mission  Sabbath  school  main- 
tained bv  that  church  at  Goes  Station. 


ASA  CLAY  MESSENGER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Asa  Clay  Messenger,  health  officer  for  the  city  of  Xenia,  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  that  city,  formerly  and  for  years  resident  physician 
at  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia  and  since 
that  period  of  service  and  for  the  past  fifteen  years  engaged  in  the  general 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in 
this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  the  spring  of  1892.  He  was 
born  at  Jackson,  county  seat  of  Jackson  county,  November  20,  1861,  only 
son  and  last-born  of  the  four  children  born  to  Capt.  Henry  Clay  and  Sophia 
Eliza  (Isham)  Messenger. 

Capt.  Henry  Clay  Messenger's  father  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire 
and  his  mother,  of  Vermont.  They  were  married  in  the  East  and  then  came 
to  Ohio,  locating  at  Granville,  in  Licking  county,  where  they  established  their 
home,  but  later  removed  to  Utica,  Licking  county,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  The  Captain  there  grew  to  manhood  and  early  became 
qualified  as  a  civil  engineer,  in  which  capacity  he  was  working  for  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Railroad  when,  at  Jackson,  he  met  and  married  Sophia  Eliza 
Isam,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  daughter  of  Dr.  Asa  W.  Isham,  a  pioneer 


74  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

physician  of  that  place,  one  of  the  acts  for  which  he  still  is  gratefully  remem- 
bered there  having  been  the  gift  of  the  tract  of  ground  upon  which  the  first 
Presbyterian  church  in  Jackson  was  erected.  Captain  Messenger  was  sta- 
tioned at  Jackson  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  at  once  proceeded  to 
raise  a  company,  which  was  organized  as  Company  C,  Fifty-third  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry ;  was  chosen  captain  of  the  same  and  was  com- 
manding the  company  when  stricken  with  mortal  illness  in  camp,  his  death 
occurring  at  Moscow,  Tennessee,  in  April,  1863.  His  body  was  brought  back 
to  Ohio  and  was  interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Jackson,  where  many  years  later 
the  body  of  his  widow  was  laid  beside  it.  She  remained  faithful  to  the 
memory  of  her  soldier  husband  and  her  last  days  were  spent  in  the  home  of 
her  son,  Doctor  Messenger,  at  Xenia,  she  having  accompanied  him  to  that 
city  when  he  located  there  in  1892,  her  death  occurring  there  in  February, 
1916.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  To  Captain  Mecsenger 
and  his  wife  were  born  four  children,  the  Doctor  having  had  three  sisters, 
namely :  Nellie  M.,  who  married  the  Rev.  C.  E.  Tedford,  a  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, and  died  at  Huntsville,  Ohio,  in  1907;  Mary  M.,  wife  of  the  Rev.  J.  K. 
Gibson,  present  chaplain  of  the  National  Soldiers  Home  at  Dayton,  and 
Fannie  M.,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Reese  W.  Edwards,  of  Jacksonville,  Florida, 
pastor  at  large  for  the  Presbyterian  church  in  the  state  of  Florida. 

Following  his  graduation  from  the  high  school  at  Jackson,  Doctor 
Messenger  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  high  school  and  then  entered 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  with  the  class  of  1884.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Mes- 
senger opened  an  office  at  Coalton,  in  his  native  county,  and  five  years  later, 
in  his  old  home  county  of  Jackson,  was  married.  He  remained  in  practice  at 
Coalton  from  January  i,  1885.  until  his  appointment  seven  years  later  by 
Governor  McKinley  to  the  post  of  resident  physician  at  the  Ohio  State  Sol- 
diers and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  that 
position  in  the  spring  of  1892.  Doctor  Messenger  continued  his  service  at  the 
Home  for  eleven  years,  or  unitl  1903,  when  he  opened  an  office  and  became 
engaged  in  general  practice  at  Xenia,  where  he  ever  since  has  been  thus  en- 
gaged. In  that  same  year  the  Doctor  took  a  special  course  in  the  study  of  dis- 
eases of  children  at  the  Post  Graduate  Medical  School  at  New  York.  The 
Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State 
Medical  Society,  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  of  the  Ohio  Second 
District  Medical  Society,  which  latter  he  has  served  as  secretary  and  as  pres- 
ident. For  the  past  twelve  years  or  more  Doctor  Messenger  has  been  the 
local  health  officer  at  Xenia,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Miami  Valley 
Health  Officers  Association,  and  has  served  on  the  officiary  of  that  organiza- 
tion.    For  the  past  twelve  years  the  Doctor  also  has  been  serving  as  a  mem- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  75 

ber  of  the  Xenia  city  school  board.  He  is  a  Republican.  The  Doctor  is  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge,  the  chapter  and  the  council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters,  at  Xenia,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the  local  camp  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans.  Not  long  after  entering  upon  his  regular  practice  at 
Xenia,  Doctor  Messenger  bought  the  house  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Second 
and  Detroit  streets  and  still  resides  there,  with  offices  in  the  building.  For 
the  past  year  or  more  the  Doctor  has  had  associated  with  him  in  practice  his 
son,  Dr.  Harold  C.  Messenger,  a  graduate  of  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  who  became  associated  with  his  father  in  prac- 
tice at  Xenia  after  a  year  as  interne  in  the  Miami  Valley  Hospital  at  Dayton, 
and  is  now  the  secretary  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society. 

On  October  8,  1889,  in  his  old  home  county  of  Jackson,  Dr.  A.  C.  Mes- 
senger was  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda  L.  Long,  who  also  was  born  in 
that  county,  daughter  of  Elias  and  Emily  (Carrick)  Long,  who  are  still  living 
on  their  farm  in  Jackson  county,  the  former  the  oldest  native-born  resident 
of  the  city  of  Jackson.  Elias  Long  is  a  son  of  Elias  Long  and  wife,  who  set- 
tled in  Jackson  county  in  1804  and  the  former  of  whom  became  a  pioneer 
merchant  at  Jackson.  The  junior  Elias  Long  has  for  many  years  been  a 
retired  farmer  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jackson.  Mrs.  Messenger  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  Jackson  (Ohio)  high  school  in  1886  and  attended  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University,  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Messenger  is  an  active  member 
of  the  Junior  Woman's  Club,  also  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution  of  which  latter  organization  she  was  regent  for  four 
years.. 

Doctor  and  Mrs.  Messenger  have  three  children,  Harold  C,  Lois  and 
Emily,  all  of  whom  are  at  home.  Dr.  Harold  C.  Messenger  was  born  on 
January  10,  1891,  and  after  his  graduation  from  the  Xenia  high  school  took 
a  literary  course  at  Antioch  College,  Yellow  Springs,  and  at  Dennison  Uni- 
versity at  Granville  and  then  entered  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  19 14.  For  a  year 
thereafter  he  was  stationed  as  an  interne  in  the  Miami  Valley  Hospital  at 
Dayton  and  then  entered  general  practice,  in  association  with  his  father,  at 
Xenia.  In  191 7  Doctor  H.  C.  Messenger  married  Nelle  Fairbanks,  of  Spring- 
field, Ohio.  Lois  Messenger  was  born  on  December  9,  1895,  ^^^  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Xenia  high  school  in  1914.  Emily  Messenger,  born  on  Marcli 
15,  1898,  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school,  in  1915.  The  following 
fall  she  began  her  collegiate  work  at  Denison  L^niversity  and  later  entered  the 
National  School  of  Domestic  Art  and  Science  at  Washington,  D.  C,  from 
which  she  was  graduated  in  191 7.  The  Messengers  are  members  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  and  the  elder  Doctor  has  been  a  member  of  the  session 
of  that  church  for  the  past  twenty-five  years. 


y6  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

CAPT.  ANDREW  S.  FRAZER. 

Capt.  Andrew  S.  Frazer,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  W'SlV,  former  county 
auditor,  former  president  of  the  Xenia  National  Bank,  with  the  directorate 
of  which  institution  he  still  is  connected,  as  well  as  retaining  connection  with 
various  others  of  the  most  important  commercial  and  industrial  concerns  of 
Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resi- 
dent of  Greene  county  since  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  The  Captain  was 
born  at  Russellville,  down  in  Brown  county,  October  15,  1836,  a  son  of  John 
F.  and  Sarah  (Kelly)  Frazer,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky,  who  later  became  residents  of 
Greene  county,  John  F.  Frazer  for  years  being  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
in  the  village  of  Cedarville. 

The  Frazers  are  of  Scottish  origin,  originally  hailing  from  the  High- 
lands, but  were  transplanted  into  Ireland,  whence,  from  County  Down,  came 
John  F.  Frazer's  father,  a  weaver,  who  settled  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  established  his  home  and  pursued  his  vocation,  later  moving 
to  Brown  county,  this  state,  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  John  F.  Frazer 
was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  learned  the  trade  of  a 
tanner,  afterward  locating  at  Russellville,  in  Brown  county,  this  state,  and 
continuing  thus  engaged  at  that  place  until  the  spring  of  1837,  when  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  Decatur,  this  state,  where  he  made  his  home  until  in 
December,  1848,  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  and  located  at  Cedarville, 
where  he  bought  a  half  interest  in  a  general  store  and  went  into  business 
there,  the  establishment  operating  under  the  firm  name- of  Mitchell  &  Frazer. 
He  presently  bought  his  partner's  interest  in  the  store  and  continued  active  in 
business  there  until  his  retirement  in  1885,  having  thus  been  in  business  at 
Cedarville  for  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years.  John  F.  Frazer  was  an  ardent 
Abolitionist  and  during  the  days  preceding  the  Civil  \\'ar  was  one  of  the 
most  active  "conductors"  on  the  "underground  railroad"  operating  through- 
out this  part  of  the  state,  in  that  capacity  having  helped  on  his  way  many  a 
negro  seeking  freedom.  He  took  an  active  part  in  local  and  state  politics 
and  was  a  delegate  from  this  district  to  the  first  convention  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  held  at  Pittsburgh  in  February,  1856.  During  the  progress  of 
the  Civil  War  he  was  enrolled  among  Ohio's  famous  "Squirrel  Hunters," 
and  while  acting  in  that  relation  helped  repel  Morgan's  invaders.  He  was 
an  active  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  a  leader  jn  local 
good  works.  John  F.  Frazer  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  in  August,  1890. 
He  had  been  four  times  married  and  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  three 
of  whom,  the  late  James  K.  Frazer,  of  Sandusky,  this  state;  Margaret,  wife 
of  H.  P.  Jackson,  of  Cedarville,  and  Captain  Frazer,  were  born  of  his  union 
with  Sarah  Kelly,  his  first  wife,  who  died  at  her  home  in  Brown  county  in 


CAI'T.  AXDItEW  S.   FRAZEU. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  7/ 

1846.  Of  the  Others  there  now  survive:  Mrs.  Flora  Utter,  of  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana;  Nettie,  wife  of  Lee  Nash,  of  Xenia  township,  this  county; 
W.  S.  Frazer,  of  Springfield,  this  state,  and  John  H.  Frazer,  cashier  of  a 
bank  at  Newcastle,  Pennsylvania. 

Andrew  S.  Frazer  was  but  six  months  of  age  when  liis  parents  moved 
from  Russellville  to  Decatur  and  in  the  latter  place  his  childhood  was  spent. 
He  was  ten  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
he  made  his  home  with  an  uncle,  Samuel  Mehaffy,  at  Ripley,  rejoining  his 
father  at  Cedarville  in  1848,  he  then  being  twelve  years  of  age.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  been  receiving  instruction  at  Grove  Academy  and  upon  his  ar- 
rival at  Cedarville  pursued  his  studies  in  that  village,  completing  his  schooling 
in  the  academy  at  that  time  conducted  there  by  Turnbull  &  Amyx.  During 
the  winters  of  1855-6-7  he  taught  school  in  Cedarville  township  and  was 
there  an  intimate  friend  and  chum  of  Whitelaw  Reid,  afterwards  editor  of 
the  Nnv  York  Tribune  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  United  States  ambassador 
to  England.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  acquiring  a  detailed  knowledge 
of  business  forms  in  his  father's  store  and  in  1859  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  in  association  with  John  Gibney  opening  a  merchant-tailoring  estab- 
lishment and  general  clothing  store  at  Cedarville,  and  was  thus  engaged  at 
the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  In  April,  1861,  following 
President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers  to  put  down  the  armed  rebellion 
against  the  Union,  he  enlisted  his  services  as  a  private  in  Company  F,  Thirty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  when  that  company  pres- 
ently was  merged  with  a  company  from  Clermont  county  was  elected  second 
lieutenant  of  the  same,  the  company  reporting  to  Camp  Dennison  in  August. 
In  September  the  command  went  into  camp  at  Charleston,  Virginia  (now 
West  Virginia),  and  a  few  days  later,  in  that  vicinity,  had  its  first  contact 
with  armed  rebels.  On  September  25th  the  command  moved  to  Chapmansville 
and  in  October  moved  thence  to  Barboursville,  where  it  spent  the  winter  in 
camp;  in  the  spring  of  1862  moving  camp  to  Kanawha  Falls  and  thence  to 
Fayetteville,  all  this  time  being  in  almost  constant  touch  with  bushwhackers. 
During  that  spring  the  command  participated  in  the  battle  of  Princeton  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year,  September  25,  1862,  Lieutenant  Frazer  received  a 
wound  which  came  near  causing  his  death  and  from  the  effects  of  which 
he  has  suffered  ever  since.  That  was  at  the  battle  of  Fayetteville,  where 
his  men  were  attacking  a  band  of  rebels  five  times  their  number,  and  he 
received  a  ball  through  the  hip.  The  jail  at  that  town  was  being  used 
as  a  temporary  hospital  and  he  was  removed  there  for  first-aid  treatment, 
that  night  being  put  in  a  wagon  and  hauled  over  Cotton  mountain  to 
the  river,  where  he  was  put  into  a  bateau  and  taken  down  to  Galli- 
polis,   where   he   remained   in  the  hospital   for  eight  weeks,   at   the   end   of 


78  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

which  time  his  father  was  permitted  to  bring  him  home  on  a  hospital 
cot.  The  Captain  was  very  severely  wounded  and  he  was  not  able  to  arise 
from  bed  until  in  March,  1863,  and  it  was  not  until  in  June  that  he  was  able 
to  walk  with  the  assistance  of  a  cane  which  has  been  his  constant  aid  ever 
since.  Incapacitated  for  active  service  Captain  Frazer  resigned  his  commis- 
sion and  received  his  honorable  discharge.  In  the  meantime  his  business 
affairs  had  been  neglected  during  his  absence  and  it  became  necessary  to  close 
out  his  interest  in  the  store  at  Cedarville.  In  the  fall  of  1864  the  Captain 
was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  county  auditor,  but  was  defeated.  In  1866, 
however,  he  was  renominated  and  was  elected,  entering  the  court  house  as 
auditor  of  Greene  county  on  March  4,  1867.  By  successive  re-elections  he 
occupied  the  position  of  county  auditor  for  sixteen  years  and  eight  months 
and  during  that  long  incumbency  inaugurated  a  system  of  audits  that  is  still 
observed  there.  In  November,  1883,  Captain  Frazer  became  engaged  in 
closing  up  the  affairs  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Xenia,  then  in  liquida- 
tion, and  in  September,  1885,  entered  the  Xenia  National  Bank,  which  had 
reorganized  the  affairs  of  the  former  bank,  and  in  January,  1886,  was  made 
cashier  of  that  institution.  Captain  Frazer  continued  as  cashier  of  the  Xenia 
National  Bank  for  nearly  twenty-five  yeaFS,  or  until  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  board  of  directors  in  January,  1910,  when  he  declined  re-election,  though 
still  retaining  his  stock  in  the  bank  and  a  place  on  the  directorate.  He  was 
then  made  vice-president  of  the  bank  and  in  the  next  year,  191 1,  was  elected 
president  of  the  same,  a  position  he  occupied  for  three  years,  since  which  time 
he  has  still  continued  to  serve  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors,  declining 
further  more  active  office.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  much  of  the  present 
strength  of  the  Xenia  National  Bank  is  due  to  Captain  Frazer's  long  and 
active  connection  with  the  same,  a  statement  which  the  Captain  modestly 
might  deprecate  but  which  his  friends  and  the  business  community  in  gen- 
eral freely  concede.  Captain  Frazer  also  has  for  years  had  other  important 
business  connections  in  Xenia  and  is  at  present  vice-president  and  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Hooven-Allison  Company,  cordage  manu- 
facturers, and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Home  Building  and 
Saving  Company,  one  of  the  wealthiest  institutions  in  the  county.  To  other 
affairs  along  helpful  lines  the  Captain  also  has  for  years  given  his  atten- 
tion and  he  thus  has  been  one  of  the  strongest  and  most  influential  factors  in 
the  community  life  of  this  region  since  the  Civil  War.  For  the  past  six  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Greene  County 
Children's  Home  and  is  the  present  president  of  the  board.  He  also  served 
for  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Ohio  State 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia,  in  the  affairs  of  which  insti- 
tution he  has  for  many  years  taken  a  warm  interest.     The  Captain  is  a  mem- 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  79 

ber  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  churcli  and  for  the  past  six  years  or 
more  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Xenia,  of  which  for  years  he  has. been  an  enthusiastic  supporter. 
When  the  church  congregation  with  which  lie  is  affiliated  decided  to  erect 
a  new  house  of  worship  in  1910  the  Captain  was  made  chairman  of  the  build- 
ing committee  and  in  that  capacity  had  practical  charge  of  the  erection  of  the 
church  edifice,  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  completely  appointed  in  this 
part  of  the  state.  Captain  Frazer  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Ohio  State 
Bankers  Association,  which  was  founded  in  1891.  and  in  the  affairs  of  which 
he  has  ever  taken  a  warm  interest.  Since  1886  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Dayton  &  Western  branch  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Lines  and  is  also  a  director  of  the  Little  Miami  Railroad.  He  is  an  ardent 
Republican  and  has  for  many  years  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  in 
that  party  in  this  part  of  the  state,  but  since  his  service  in  the  county  auditor's 
office  has  not  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office.  During  the  time  of  the  active 
existence  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Cedarville, 
the  Captain  was  one  of  the  chief  promoters  of  the  same,  retaining  his  mem- 
bership there  at  his  old  home,  though  a  resident  of  Xenia,  and  for  some  time 
served  as  commander  of  the  post.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  A'lilitary  Order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States. 

Captain  Frazer  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  2,  1870,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  Mitchell,  of  Attica,  Indiana,  who  died  in 
October,  1885,  leaving  two  children,  Clarence  S.  and  Katie,  the  latter  of 
whom  married  William  A.  Cork  and  is  now  living  at  Toronto,  Canada,  where 
her  husband  is  engaged  in  government  service.  Clarence  S.  Frazer,  a  bio- 
graphical sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  is  one  of 
Xenia's  best-known  merchants,  having  for  years  been  successfully  engaged 
there  in  the  shoe  business.  In  October,  1887,  Captain  Frazer  married  Ruby 
H.  Sexton,  of  Rushville,  Indiana,  who  is  still  living.  In  1867  the  Captain 
erected  at  118  West  Third  street  a  comfortable  brick  house  and  there  he  and 
his  wife  are  very  pleasantly  situated.  It  is  not  generally  known  in  the  com- 
munity, or  perhaps  forgotten  by  all  save  his  old  Cedarville  neighbors,  that 
Captain  Frazer  came  near  becoming  a  Kansan,  which  would  have  been  a  loss 
to  Greene  county,  indeed.  During  the  troublous  days  preceding  the  Civil 
War  when  Kansas  was  "debatable  ground"  and  the  scene  of  numerous  fierce 
encounters  between  the  Jayhawkers  and  border  ruffians  who  were  detemiined 
to  fasten  the  institution  of  slavery  upon  the  new  territory  and  the  opponents 
of  that  institution,  who  were  just  as  determined  that  when  Kansas  did  come 
into  the  sisterhood  of  states  it  shoiild  be  as  a  free  state,  he  accompanied  a 
party  of  young  men  from  Greene  county  to  Kansas  Territory  to  help  swell 
the  forces  of  human  freedom  there  and  remained  there  from  April  to  Sep- 


8o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tember,  1857,  during  that  time  helping  to  lay  out  the  town  of  Emporia.  In 
that  party  of  Greene  county  young  men  was  P.  B.  Plum,  who  put  in  his  lot 
definitely  with  that  of  bleeding  Kansas  and  who  became  a  United  States  sen- 
ator from  that  state. 


DANIEL  Mc^IILLAN  STEWART. 

Daniel  ^IcMillan  Stewart,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  banker,  former 
member  of  the  city  council  and  for  many  years  actively  identified  with  the 
various  interests  of  his  home  town  and  of  Greene  county  in  general,  and 
who  is  now  living  practically  retired  from  the  more  active  affairs  of  life  in 
his  pleasant  home  at  Xenia,  is  one  of  Greene  county's  native  sons  and  has 
maintained  his  home  here  all  his  life,  though  formerly  and  for  some  years 
his  business  interests  required  that  he  spend  much  of  his  time  in  the  West. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  just  one  mile  east  of  the 
court  house  in  Xenia,  March  17,  1840,  son  of  William  H.  and  Esther 
(McMillan)  Stewart,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  South  Carolina,  members 
of  families  that  became  pioneers  in  Greene  county. 

William  H.  Stewart  was  born  at  York,  South  Carolina,  in  1809,  and 
was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents.  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Hart)  Stew- 
art, left  that  section,  where  they  also  had  been  born,  and  came  over  into  this 
section  of  Ohio  in  1818,  settling  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Collins  farm 
on  the  Jamestown  pike  in  this  county.  Samuel  Stewart  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  old  Associate  Reformed  church,  which  after  the  "union"  of 
1858  became  merged  with  the  Associate  church,  the  two  forming  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  and  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the  institution  of  slavery 
which  had  become  fastened  upon  their  native  state  and  thus  they  disposed  of 
their  interests  in  South  Carolina  and  came  out  into  a  free  state.  Upon  his 
arrival  here  Samuel  Stewart  became  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of 
wood  tract  and  with  the  assistance  of  his  four  elder  sons  cleared  and  devel- 
oped the  same.  He  was  an  ardent  Abolitionist  and  took  an  active  part  in  the 
anti-slavery  agitation  of  his  day.  The  few  slaves  which  had  come  to  him  in 
his  native  state  he  brought  out  here  with  him  and  gave  them  their  freedom. 
He  lived  for  more  than  twenty-five  years  after  coming  to  Greene  county,  his 
death  occurring  in  1846.  He  and  his  wife  were  active  in  the  work  of  the 
Associated  Reformed  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  twelve  of  these  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  rear  families  of  their 
own,  except  one,  who  died  unmarried. 

\Villiam  H.  Stewart  grew  up  here  a  tall,  raw-boned  man  of  sinewy  frame 
and  of  great  muscular  strength.  He  received  but  limited  schooling  in  h.is 
youth,  but  by  self-study  in  after  years  became  a  very  well-informed  man. 


J 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8l 

Much  of  the  time  durino-  his  youth  was  spent  with  his  ax  in  the  woods.  xA.t 
that  time  the  nearest  real  market  was  at  Cincinnati,  sixty-five  miles  away, 
and  occasional  trips  would  have  to  be  made  there  for  supplies.  When  about 
twenty-five  years  of  age  he  married  and  located  on  a  farm  of  one  liundred 
acres  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  one  mile  east  of  the  court  house  in  Xenia,  estab- 
lished his  home  there  and  on  that  place  all  his  children  were  born.  When 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  came  along  and  cut  through  his  farm  he  left  the 
place  and  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  the  old  Adams 
place,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cedarville,  where  he  remained  until  1870,  in 
which  year  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  establishing  his 
home  in  King  street,,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  April  23,  18S9,  he  then  being  past  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  Will- 
iam H.  Stewart  had  become  a  Republican  upon  the  formation  of  that  party. 
Reared  as  an  adherent  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  he  later  became  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (Covenanter)  church. 

William  H.  Stewart  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  Esther  McMillan, 
having  died  in  1856,  after  which  he  married  Eliza  Bradford,  who  survived 
him  many  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1912.  That  second  union  was  with- 
out issue.  Esther  McMillan  was  born  at  Chester,  South  Carolina,  September 
14,  1814,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Jeannette  B.  (Chestnut)  McMillan,  who 
became  residents  of  Greene  county  in  1832  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Daniel  McMillan  was  born  in  County  ^Antrim,  Ireland,  on  August 
I,  1776,  son  of  Hugh  and  Jane  (Harvey)  McMillan,  natives  of  that  same 
county,  the  former  born  in  1750,  who  were  married  there  in  1775  and  who 
came  to  this  country  in  1786,  settling  in  South  Carolina.  Hugh  McMillan 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Covenanter  (Reformed  Presbyterian) 
church  and  with  four  other  families  of  that  same  faith  decided  to  emigrate 
to  the  newly  established  United  States  of  America.  After  an  ocean  voyage 
of  nine  weeks  they  landed  at  Charleston  and  shortly  afterward  located  in  the 
Chester  district,  in  South  Carolina,  where  they  purchased  land  and  estab- 
lished a  church  of  their  faith.  Hugh  McMillan  died  there  on  January  5,  1818, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  His  widow  survived  him  until  1825,  she  being 
seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  Daniel,  John,  Mary,  Gavin,  David,  James  and  Hugh. 

Daniel  McMillan  was  ten  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
this  country  and  his  youth  was  spent  on  the  farm  on  Rocky  creek,  in  the 
Chester  district  of  South  Carolina,  remaining  on  that  farm  until  1794,  when 
the  family  moved  to  a  farm  which  the  father  had  bought  on  Bull  run,  in  the 
same  neighborhood.  When  twelve  years  of  age  Daniel  McMillan  fell  and 
suffered  a  fracture  of  the  thigh  bone,  the  accident  rendering  him  a  cripple. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  suffered  a  second  fracture  of  the  same  bone 

(5) 


<52  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  thereafter  was  compelled  to  use  both  a  crutch  and  a  staff.  He  began 
teaching  school  and  for  eight  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  teaching.  In 
the  meantime,  in  the  spring  of  1806,  he  married  and,  having  saved  the  sum 
of  five  hundred  dollars,  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  partnership  with 
his  wife's  brother,  James  Chestnut.  In  1830  Hugh  and  Gavin  ^IcMillan,  his 
brothers,  came  over  into  Ohio  on  a  niission  in  behalf  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian church  and  while  visiting  the  church  of  that  faith  in  Greene  county 
became  greatly  impressed  by  the  outlook  in  this  region.  Upon  their  return 
home  so  enthusiastic  were  their  praises  concerning  the  settlement  here  that 
the  whole  family  decided  to  come  out  here,  and  in  1832  the  sons  of  the  elder 
Hugh  McMillan,  with  their  respective  families,  came  to  Greene  county. 
Daniel  McMillan  bought  an  improved  farm  a  mile  and  half  east  of  Xenia 
and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian church  and  enthusiastic  in  its  service,  riding  horseback  to  Pittsburgh 
to  attend  the  presbyterial  meetings  of  the  same.  An  ardent  Abolitionist,  he 
had  freed  the  slaves  his  wife  had  inherited,  to  the  number  of  one  hundred,  and 
upon  coming  here  became  one  of  the  active  "conductors"  on  the  "under- 
ground railroad,"  furnishing  teams  and  other  means  to  aid  in  the  transporta- 
tion of  runaway  slaves  to  free  soil. 

It  was  on  March  11,  1806  that  Daniel  AIcMillan  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Jeannette  B.  Chestnut,  who  was  then  not  sixteen  years  of  age.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  Col.  James  and  Esther  (Stormont)  Chestnut,  who  lived  eight 
miles  north  of  Rocky  Creek,  in  the  Chester  district  of  South  Carolina.  Col. 
James  Chestnut,  who  was  an  officer  of  the  patriot  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  was  at  one  time  captured  and  was  sentenced  by  the  Tories  to  be 
hanged.  The  place  of  execution  was  fixed,  but  before  the  hour  for  the  same 
came  around  a  party  of  General  Washington's  soldiers  appeared  on  the  scene 
and  rescued  him.  To  Daniel  and  Jeannette  B.  (Chestnut)  McMillan  were 
born  twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  lived  to  maturity,  namely :  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Cooper,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church,  and  died  in  1888;  James  C,  born  in  1810,  who  also  became  an  active 
church  worker  and  who  was  thrice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Mar- 
garet Millen,  his  second,  Christiana  Moody,  and  his  third,  Mary  Reece ;  Mary, 
who  married  the  Rev.  Robert  McCoy,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed  Presbyte- 
rian church,  and  died  without  issue;  Esther,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  review;  Martha,  born  in  18 17,  who  married  Samuel  Dallas  and 
died  on  February  27,  1898;  Margaret,  who  married  David  Millen,  of  Xenia, 
and  died  without  issue;  Nancy  S.,  born  in  1822,  who  married  Joseph  Ken- 
dall, a  farmer  of  Greene  county;  the  Rev.  John  McMillan,  born  in  1826, 
who  married  Elizabeth  Walton,  was  for  years  the  pastor  of  the  Reformed 
Presbvterian  church  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Lombard  streets,  Phila- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  83 

delphia,  and  who  died  on  Augjust  30,  1882;  Jeannette,  bom  in  1829,  who 
married  James  D.  Ligg;ett,  a  Xenia  lawyer  and  onetime  editor  of  the  Xenia 
Torchlight,  and  Daniel,  born  on  May  6,  1832,  who  married  Elizabeth  Ben- 
nett and  became  a  farmer  and  stockman  in  this  county.  William  H.  Stewart 
and  Esther  McMillan  were  united  in  marriage  on  May  6,  1837,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  eight  children,  o£  whom  Daniel  M.  Stewart  is  now  the  only 
survivor.  Four  of  these  children  died  in  infancy,  one  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years,  another  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  and  the  other,  James  R. 
Stewart,  who  married  Rachel  Dallas,  spent  his  last  days  at  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, his  death  occurring  there  on  April  24,   1912. 

Daniel  McMillan  Stewart  spent  his  early  youth  on  the  home  farm  on 
the  Cedarville  pike  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  father  moved  to 
the  Cedarville  neighborhood  in  1854,  after  which  he  attended  the  Cedarville 
schools,  there  coming  under  the  instruction  of  Professor  Orr  and  James  Turn- 
bull.  He  later  attended  a  couple  of  terms  at  the  Urbana  Institute  and  in  i860 
matriculated  at  Monmouth  College,  but  was  taken  ill  with  diphtheria  at  the 
outset  of  his  college  career  and  was  compelled  to  return  home,  where  for  some 
time  afterward  he  was  in  a  poor  state  of  health.  When  the  Civil  War  broke 
out  he  desired  to  enlist,  but  was  unable  to  do  so  on  account  of  the  state  of  his 
health.  He  was  able,  however,  later  to  enter  the  service  with  the  hundred- 
day  men  and  thus  served  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infant^)^  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  military  service  Mr.  Stewart  returned  home  and  became  engaged  in 
farming,  his  father  giving  him  the  old  home  place  east  of  Xenia.  He  later 
became  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  business  at  Xenia,  buying 
his  grandfather's  farms  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  disposed  of 
them  and  bought  a  farm  in  Champaign  county  and  has  ever  since  been  more 
or  less  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in  and  about  Xenia.  After  his 
marriage  in  1877  he  established  his  home  in  Xenia,  where  his  wife  planned 
the  erection  of  the  brick  house  at  1 14  West  Third  street,  where  he  still  lives, 
and  that  has  ever  since  been  his  established  home,  though  for  some  years 
afterward  much  of  his  time  was  spent  in  the  West.  It  was  about  the  time 
of  his  marriage  that  Mr.  Stewart  became  engaged  as  an  agent  for  the  sale  of 
railroad  lands  along  the  line  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  and 
he  was  thus  engaged  for  seven  years,  or  until  the  lands  were  closed  out.  He 
then  became  engaged  in  the  lead-mining  business  at  Joplin,  Missouri,  and 
after  operating  with  more  or  less  success  in  that  section  for  fifteen  years 
"struck  it  rich"  when  he  opened  the  "Get  There"  mine  at  Webb  City,  Mis- 
souri, which  he  developed  and  operated  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  leased  the  mine  and  later,  in  1896,  sold  it.  Since  that  time  Mr. 
Stewart  has  devoted  his  time  to  his  real-estate  and  other  interests  in  and  about 


84  GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO 

Xenia.  For  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  tlie 
Xenia  National  Bank,  for  the  past  fifteen  years  vice-president  of  the  same. 
Mr.  Stewart  is  a  RepubHcan  and  for  twelve  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Xenia  city  council.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and 
for  the  past  thirty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Xenia  Theological  Seminary.  Air.  Stewart  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

On  January  i,  1877,  Daniel  M.  Stewart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Har- 
riet Bonner,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike,  in  Xenia 
township,  this  county,  and  who  died  in  April,  1908,  at  her  home  in  Xenia. 
Mrs.  Stewart  was  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  R.  and  Martha  (Gowdy) 
Bonner,  the  former  of  whom  at  the  time  of  her  birth  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  numerous  Gowdy  family  which  came  up  here  from  Kentucky  in 
1806.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  one  child  was  born,  a  daughter.  Lunette 
Belle,  who  was  graduated  from  the  seminary  at  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
and  who  on  December  24,  1906,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Charles  IMurdock 
Kelso,  a  consulting  engineer  and  contractor,  of  Dayton.  JNIr.  and  Mrs.  Ivelso 
have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Stewart  Kelso,  born  on  September  5,  1909, 
whom  Mr.  Stewart  regards  as  "the  apple  of  his  eye." 


IDA  CLERKE  WOOI.SEY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Ida  Gierke  Woolsey,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Xenia  since  the  completion  of  her  college  work  in  1893,  is  a  native  of 
the  neighboring  Hoosier  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since  she  was 
five  years  of  age,  her  parents  having  moved  from  Indiana  to  Cincinnati  when 
she  was  a  child,  and  in  the  Queen  City  she  grew  to  womanhood.  The  W'ool- 
seys  have  been  identified  with  Xenia  for  many  years.  Doctor  Woolsey's  grand- 
father. Dr.  Jeremiah  Woolsey,  of  notable  memory,  having  been  one  of  the 
first  real  physicians  to  locate  in  tliat  city  and  during  liis  long  residence  there 
was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  influential  figures  in  the  professional 
life  of  the  city.  Dr.  Jeremiah  Woolsey  had  his  office  at  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Detroit  streets  and  was  the  first  physician  to  give  prominence  to  the 
fallacy  of  the  old  practice  of  "starving  a  fever."  When  he  began  to  treat  his 
fever  patients  by  the  reverse  method  it  is  recalled  that  there  was  no  little 
local  apprehension  regarding  the  probable  outcome  of  such  a  distinct  de- 
parture from  tradition,  but  his  "feed  a  fever"  theory  soon  proved  its  efficacy 
and  the  medical  profession  was  advanced  by  so  much.  Dr.  Jeremiah  Woolsey 
also  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  labors  of  promoting  the  material  interests 
of  Xenia  and  was  the  chief  promoter  of  the  construction  of  the  Springfield 


t 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  85 

branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  the  hne  that  runs  through  Xenia  in 
Detroit  street.  In  other  ways  he  contributed  of  his  services  and  his  ener- 
gies to  the  upbuilding  and  betterment  of  the  community  and  at  his  passing 
left  a  good  memory. 

Dr.  William  Montgomery  Woolsey,  a  son  of  Dr.  Jeremiah  Woolsey  and 
father  of  Dr.  Ida  C.  Woolsey,  was  born  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  where  the 
Woolseys  had  been  established  since  colonial  days,  one  of  the  well-to-do 
families  of  that  city  and  of  the  city  of  Baltimore,  and  in  Trenton  he  received 
his  schooling,  supplementing  a  thorough  classical  education  by  the  study  of 
medicine  and  in  due  time  was  licensed  to  practice  medicine.  For  a  time  he 
maintained  an  office  in  Trenton  and  then  came  West,  locating  at  Hamilton, 
in  this  state,  where  he  for  a  time  conducted  a  drug  store  in  connection  with 
his  practice.  He  married  in  Cincinnati  and  later  moved  to  Evansville, .  In- 
diana, but  after  a  few  years  of  practice  there  returned  to  Cincinnati,  re- 
entered the  drug  business  in  that  city  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  quite 
successfully  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  his  death  occurring  in  1883. 
His  widow  survived  him  about  four  years.  She  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Hannah  Clerke  Hall,  a  daughter  of  Ezekiel  and  Elizabeth  Hall,  early  and 
influential  residents  of  that  city,  the  latter  of  whom  was  one  of  the  seven 
founders  of  the  Cincinnati  Orphans  Asylum.  The  Halls  came  to  Ohio  from 
Baltimore  and  when  they  located  in  Cincinnati  there  was  but  one  brick  house 
in  the  place.  The  Hon.  James  C.  Hall,  a  son  of  Ezekiel  Hall  and  for  two 
terms  United  States  senator  from  Ohio,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  resi- 
dents of  Toledo  during  his  day  and,  in  association  with  Major  James  Oliver, 
bought  and  laid  out  one  of  the  chief  additions  to  that  now  thriving  city. 

To  Dr.  William  Montgomery  and  Hannah  Clerke  (Hall)  Woolsey  were 
born  eleven  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  biographical  review 
being  as  follow :  Thompson,  who  died  at  Cincinnati  when  sixteen  years  of 
age;  Montgomery  Hall,  who  also  died  in  youth;  Samuel  Parker,  who  went  to 
the  Northwest  and  married  and  established  his  home  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory ;  Mrs.  Mary  Robinson,  who  is  living  at  Peru,  Illinois,  and  who  has  two 
children,  Ora  and  Eva;  Martha  Elizabeth,  who  died  in  Xenia  in  1906;  Clara 
Marie,  who  died  in  Cincinnati  in  1875 ;  Frances  Virginia,  who  died  during 
the  days  of  her  girlhood;  James  Hall,  who  married  Therese  Beatty,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  spent  his  last  days  in  that  city :  William  Hall,  who  died  in  youth, 
and  George  Walker,  who  married  Mary  Berger,  of  Connersville,  Indiana,  and 
moved  from  that  city  in  1886  to  Altoona,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  in 
1888. 

Ida  Clerke  Woolsey  was  but  five  years  of  age  when  her  parents  moved 
from  Evansville,  Indiana,  to  Cincinnati  and  in  the  latter  city  she  grew  to 
womanhood,  receiving  her  early  schooling  in  the  public  schools  of  that  city. 


86  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

In  1870  she  entered  Vassar  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  fol- 
lowed a  three-years  course  in  that  institution.  In  1889  she  entered  the  medi- 
cal department  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  1892,  having  qualified  as  a  practitioner  in  both  the 
Regular  and  in  the  Homeopathic  schools  of  medicine.  She  then  for  a  year 
pursued  a  further  and  special  course  at  Ann  Arbor  and  in  1893  opened  an 
office  in  Xenia  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  practice  in  that  city,  making 
a  specialty  of  the  diseases  of  women  and  children.  Doctor  Woolsey  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  THOMAS. 

■  Benjamin  Franklin  Thomas,  who  for  nearly  ten  years  has  been  serving 
the  people  of  Greene  county  as  county  recorder,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene 
county,  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township  on  April  9,  1871,  son  of 
Joshua  B.  and  Martha  J.  (Lucas)  Thomas,  also  natives  of  this  county  and 
members  of  old  families  hereabout,  and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

Joshua  B.  Thomas  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Bayliff) 
Thomas,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  1800  and  who  was  about  ten  years 
of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  in 
Silvercreek  township  about  18 10,  pioneers  of  that  community,  where  the 
Thomases  ever  since  have  been  represented,  the  family  connection  in  this 
generation  now  being  a  quite  numerous  one  throughout  this  part  of  the 
state.  Benjamin  Thomas  and  wife  were  members  of  the  old  Mt.  Carmel 
Methodist  Protestant  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  Joshua  B.,  born  on  the  home  farm  in  Silvercreek  township  on  June 
27,  1827,  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  Joshua  B.  Thomas  grew  to  man- 
hood on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  bought  his  father's  home  place 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Silvercreek  and  Jefferson  townships  and 
there  established  his  home.  He  later  bought  additional  land,  sixty-seven 
acres,  in  New  Jasper  and  Caesarscreek  townships.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Mt.  Carmel  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Joshua  B.  Thomas 
died  at  his  farm-  home  in  1881,  lie  then  being  fifty-six  years  of  age.  His 
widow  survived  him  about  sixteen  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1907,  she  then 
being  sixty-seven  years  of  age. 

On  May  19,  1859,  Joshua  B.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  to  INIartha 
J.  Lucas,  who  was  bom  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  a  daugliter  of  John 
and  Nancy  (Harness)  Lucas,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county, 
members  of  pioneer  families,  and  one  of  whose  children,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hite, 
is  still  living  in  this  county,  a  venerable  resident  of  the  Bowersville  neighbor- 
hood.   To  Joshua  B.  and  Martha  J.  (Lucas)  Thomas  were  born  ten  children, 


GRKENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8/ 

namely :  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  J.  L.  Fawcett  and  lives  in  Caesarscreek 
township:  Jacob  A.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Nancy  Margaret,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Louis  A.  Gerard;  Sarah  Ellen,  wife  of  Granville  Gultice, 
of  Xenia;  Anna  Lucretia.  wife  of  H.  E.  Powers,  of  Jefferson  township; 
Hannah  L.,  who  died  in  childhood ;  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch;  Joshua  Sanford,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Silver- 
creek  township;  Hattie  J.,  wife  of  Alvin  E.  Stingley.  a  resident  of  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Clinton,  and  John  Lewis,  who  married  Blanche  McGath  and 
lives  at  Alpha,  this  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  Benjamin  F.  Thomas 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  He  was  but  ten 
years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  he  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  when  he  bought  and  continued  to  operate  a 
part  of  the  home  place.  In  1905  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  with 
his  wife  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  became  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  hardware 
store,  a  sarcomatous  development  on  his  right  leg  having  incapacitated  him 
for  the  labors  of  the  farm.  Two  years  later  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  the 
hospital,  where  his  leg  was  amputated,  and  for  nearly  two  years  thereafter 
he  was  laid  up.  During  the  campaign  of  1908  Mr.  Thomas  received  the 
Republican  nomination  for  the  office  of  recorder  of  Greene  county  and  was 
elected  to  that  office.  By  successive  re-elections  he  has  been  continuously 
since  retained  in  that  office,  now  serving  his  ninth  year  as  recorder.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  Trinity  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Xenia.  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of 
the  Ivnights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Fraternal  Order  of  Elks. 
He  and  his  wife  have  their  home  at  32  East  Third  street. 

On  October  11,  1894,  Benjamin  F.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Anna  Belle  Curry,  who  was  born  at  Oskaloosa,  Iowa,  September  27,  1872, 
a  daughter  of  James  L.  and  Abigail  (Smith)  Curry,  both  of  whom  were 
born  and  reared  in  Greene  county,  members  of  old  families  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Iowa.  James  L.  Curry  was  reared 
as  a  farmer  in  Jefferson  township  and  after  his  marriage  began  farming 
there  on  his  own  account,  but  his  health  presently  failing  he  moved  to  Oska- 
loosa, Iowa,  where  lie  began  clerking  in  a  hardware  store  and  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  September  21,  1880,  he  then  being 
but  thirty-one  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  less  than  a  year,  her 
death  occurring  on  April  21,  1881,  she  then  being  but  twenty-eight  years  of 
age.  By  the  death  of  these  parents  four  small  children  were  left  orphaned. 
Of  these  Mrs.  Thomas  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being  Ira  Astor,  who  lives 
at  Jamestown,  this  county;  Gary,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  Paintersville 
neighborhood  in  this  county,  and  Melissa,  wife  of  Guy  L.  Harner,  of  Xenia. 


(3«  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curry  their  children  were  taken  in  charge 
by  kinsfolk  in  this  county  and  Mrs.  Thomas  was  reared  in  the  home  of 
her  mother's  brother,  Levi  H.  Smith,  where  she  was  living  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  to  Mr.  Thomas. 


SILAS  OPDYKE  HALE. 

Silas  Opdyke  Hale,  former  clerk  of  the  common  pleas  court  and  for  the 
past  four  years  or  more  deputy  county  auditor,  one  of  the  most  agreeable 
and  accommodating  officials  that  ever  served  in  the  Greene  county  court 
house,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  practically  all  his 
life,  a  member  of  two  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  county,  both  the  Hales 
and  the  Opdykes  having  been  among  the  earliest  settlers  hereabout,  the 
Hales,  indeed,  having  been  here  even  before  Greene  county  was  created  a 
civic  unit,  thus  being  accounted  among  the  real  pioneer  families  of  this  sec- 
tion of  the  state  of  Ohio. 

The  Hales  are  of  English  stock  and  are  a  far-flung  family,  the  present 
descendants  of  the  various  immigrants  of  that  name  who  settled  in  this 
country  in  colonial  days  now  being  a  numerous  and  wide))'  scattered  con- 
nection throughout  the  United  States.  The  progenitor  of  the  Greene  county 
branch  of  the  family  was  James  Hale,  who  was  bom  in  England  in  the  year 
1737  and  who  with  his  wife,  Catherine  Baird,  bom  in  1741,  of  Welsh  stock, 
came  to  the  American  colonies  in  order  to  enjoy  a  religious  freedom  denied 
to  them  in  their  own  country.  James  Hale  was  a  follower  of  George  Fox, 
founder  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  upon  his  arrival  on  this  side  he  estab- 
lished his  home  in  what  he  thought  was  a  part  of  the  Penn  grant,  but  when 
the  disputed  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  was  settled  by 
the  establishment  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line  in  1767,  he  found  that  he 
was  in  the  Baltimore  tract  in  what  is  now  Baltimore  county,  Maryland.  In 
order  therefore  to  be  in  actual  geographic  connection  with  his  Quaker 
friends  he  moved  over  the  line  and  took  up  his  abode  at  the  foot  of  Tushey 
mountain  on  the  Juniata  river,  in  what  is  now  Blair  county,  Pennsylvania, 
As  that  settlement  began  to  fill  up,  with  true  pioneer  instinct  he  moved  with 
his  family  down  into  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Mason  county,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1801  at  his  home  on  Clarks  run, 
in  the  Bryant  Station  neighborhood,  nine  miles  from  Maysville.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1802,  his  widow  came  up  into  this  part  of  Ohio  with  her  son 
John,  who  had  previously  bought  a  tract  of  land  here,  and  here  she  spent 
her  last  days.  James  and  Catherine  (Baird)  Hale  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children.  Rebecca,  Joseph,  Lydia,  John,  Hannah,  James,  Thomas  and  Silas. 
As  most  of  these  children  married  and  reared   families  of  their  own,   it  is 


.SILAS  ().   IIALK. 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  89 

readily  realized  that  the  Hale  connection  in  this  generation  is  a  numerons 
one. 

John  Hale,  the  second  son  and  fourth  child  of  the  earnest  Quaker  couple 
whose  coming-  to'  this  country  is  above  set  forth,  was  born  on  November  25, 
1775,  and  was  well  grown  when  his  parents  moved  with  their  family  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Kentucky.  He  married  Sarah  Bowen,  who  was  born  in 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1801,  the  year  of  their  father's  death, 
came  up  into  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  and  bought  a  tract  of  government 
land  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Sugarcreek  township,  Greene 
county,  and  in  1802  moved  up  and  established  his  home  there,  on  the  west 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  3,  township  2,  range  6,  thus  becom- 
ing one  of  the  real  pioneers  of  Greene  county.  When  John  Hale  and  his 
wife  came  here  they  were  accompanied  by  their  two  small  sons,  James  and 
Bowen,  and  in  the  following  year  another  son,  Silas,  was  born  to  them.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  1814  and  on  June  29,  181 5,  John  Hale 
married  Sarah  Lewis.  To  this  second  union  were  born  ten  children,  Har- 
mon, Rhoda,  Nancy,  Lewis,  Rachel,  John,  Riley,  Sarah,  David  and  Martha. 
After  he  had  made  a  clearing  on  his  place  John  Hale  established  there  a  tan- 
nery, but  in  1838  he  sold  his  place  and  moved  to  Kosciusko  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  on  September  25, 
1845,  he  then  being  sixty-nine  years  and  ten  months  of  age.  When  he  left 
Greene  county  he  sold  his  place  in  the  Bellbrook  neighborhood  to  William 
Husten,  who  later  sold  it  to  David  John,  from  whom  it  was  bought  by  Silas 
Hale,  son  of  the  original  owner,  and  thus  came  back  into  the  possession  of 
the  Hale  family.  During  the  War  of  181 2  John  Hale,  the  pioneer,  rendered 
service  as  a  member  of  Capt.  Ammi  Maltbie's  company  of  Ohio  militia, 
serving  for  three  months  following  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Hull  at 
Detroit. 

Silas  Hale,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Bowen)  Hale,  the  pioneers,  was 
born  on  the  home  place  in  the  neighlx)rhood  of  where  Bellbrook  later  came 
to  be  established,  August  26,  1803,  and  there  grew  up  amid  typical  pioneer 
conditions,  helpful  as  a  boy  in  his  father's  tanyard.  When  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  went  to  Wilmington,  where  he  learned  the  cabinet-making  trade, 
and  three  years  later  returned  to  Bellbrook  and  there  set  up  a  cabinet-making 
shop  of  his  own,  making  a  general  line  of  furniture  and  also  making  the 
coffins  needful  in  the  community.  Ten  years  later,  in  1833,  in  association 
with  his  father,  he  started  a  general  store  at  Bellbrook  and  when  five  years 
later  his  father  moved  to  Indiana  he  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  store 
and  thus  continued  in  business  at  that  place  practically  all  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  there,  June  20,  1889,  not  long  after  his  retirement 
from   business.      Silas   Hale  had   served   his   community   in    various   official 


go  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

capacities.  In  1839  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Sugarcreek  township  and 
for  more  than  fort}'  years  held  that  office,  finally  resigning  the  same.  In 
1855,  during  the  administration  of  Franklin  Pierce,  he  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Bellbrook  and  held  that  commission  for  thirty-one  years  and  two 
months,  or  until  retired  during  the  first  Cleveland  administration.  In  1854 
he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  township  and  for 
some  years  ser\'ed  in  that  important  magisterial  capacity.  In  1840  he  united 
with  the  Methodist  Protestant  communion  and  was  for  years  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  and  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of  his 
local  congregation  at  Bellbrook.  Fraternally,  he  was  a  Mason  and  an  Odd 
Fellow  and  in  these  Relations  took  the  same  earnest  and  serviceable  interest 
that  marked  all  his  relations  with  his  fellow  men,  and  when  he  died  at  the 
ripe  old  age  of  eighty-six  years  there  were  many  warm  tributes  paid  to  his 
memory  in  the  community  in  which  he  had  so  long  and  so  faithfully  labored. 
On  July  20,  1830,  in  his  home  township,  Silas  Hale  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miriam  Opdyke.  who  was  born  on  February  5,  1814,  sixth  in  order  of 
birth  of  the  ten  children  born  to  Henry  and  Catherine  (Curamings)  Opdyke, 
natives  of  New  Jersev  and  pioneers  of  Greene  county,  the  other  children  of 
that  pioneer  family  having  been  Electa,  Mary  Ann,  Peninah,  Clarissa, 
Martha,  George,  Louisa,  Emily  Jane  and  Oliver  Perry.  The  Opdykes  are 
of  Dutch  descent,  the  first  of  this  branch  of  the  family  to  come  to  America 
from  Holland  having  settled  in  New  Jersey,  where  Henry  Opdyke  was  born 
on  November  16,  1774.  Some  time  after  his  marriage  Henry  Opdyke  came 
to  Ohio  and  established  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township,  this  county,  where 
on  January  23,  1825,  he  accidentally  met  his  death,  being  struck  on  the  head 
by  a  mattock  which  fell  into  a  well  on  the  bottom  of  which  he  was  working. 
The  brick  house  erected  by  him  on  his  farm  just  northwest  of  the  village  of 
Bellbrook  is  still  standing.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  thirty  years, 
her  death  occurring  on  November  i,  1854.  Silas  Hale's  widow  also  sur- 
vived him  for  years,  her  death  occurring  at  the  home  of  her  son,  Francis  G. 
Hale,  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  May  30,  1910.  To  Silas  and  Miriam  (Opdyke) 
Hale  were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch 
was  the  last  born,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Dorinda,  who  married  Dr.  J. 
R.  Brelsford ;  John  C,  who  moved  to  Indiana  and  made  his  home  on  a 
farm  in  Adams  county,' that  state;  Mary  Jane,  who  married  James  Hart- 
sook,  of  Cresarscreek  township:  Henry  H.,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and 
formerly  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Bellbrook,  now  living  retired 
at  Xenia;  Bowen,  who  went  to  the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  Company  D,  Seventy- fourth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  at  Camp  Chase,  while  in  service,  April  22, 
1862;  Angeline,  who  died  in   1848,   at  the  age  of  three  years;  James   R., 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  9I 

formerly  editor  of  the  Spring  J  "alley  Blade,  and  now  document  clerk  in  the 
state  hbrary  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Melancthon,  who  died  in  the  fall  of 
1872,  he  than  being  twenty-two  years  of  age. 

Silas  Opdyke  Hale,  last  born  of  the  children  of  Silas  and  Miriam 
(Opdyke)  Hale,  was  born  at  Bellbrook  on  March  9,  1858,  and  received  his 
early  schooling  in  the  excellent  schools  of  his  home  village,  after  supplement- 
ing the  same  by  a  course  in  the  National  Normal  University  at  Lebanon, 
this  state,  meanwhie  occupying  his  summers  for  a  few  years  by  working  at 
the  carpenter  trade  and  his  winters  by  teaching  school  in  the  schools  of  his 
home  township.  When  the  Sugarcreek  high  school  was  established  Mr.  Hale 
was  made  first  principal  of  the  same,  at  the  same  time  being  made  superin- 
tendent of  the  township  school.  While  thus  serving  Mr.  Hale  became  one 
of  the  most  active  promoters  in  the  work  of  organizing  the  Ohio  State 
Township  Superintendents  Association  and  was  elected  first  president  of  the 
same,  afterward  serving  successi\^ely  as  secretary  and  as  treasurer  of  the 
association.  He  also  served  for  one  year  as  a  member  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Greene  County  Teachers  Association  and  was  chosen  to  preside 
over  the  Teachers'  Summer  Institute.  He  then  was  elected  president  of  the 
teachers'  association  and  as  such  again  conducted  the  Teachers'  Summer  In- 
stitute, which  was  declared  one  of  the  most  popular  ever  held  in  Xenia.  In 
1900  Mr.  Hale  resigned  his  position  as  superintendent  of  his  home  township 
schools  in  order  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  court 
of  common  pleas  for  Greene  county,  to  which  office  he  had  been  elected  in 
that  year  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party,  and  by  successive  re- 
elections  he  served  in  that  oftice  until  1909.  after  which  he  resumed  his  edu- 
cational labors.  In  August.  191 1.  Mr.  Hale  went  to  California  and  was 
there  engaged  for  two  years  as  principal  of  the  South  San  Diego  school. 
He  later  returned  to  Xenia  and  in  October,  1913,  was  appointed  deputy 
county  auditor,  a  position  he  ever  since  has  occupied. 

Mr.  Hale  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  29.  1881,  at  Bell- 
brook,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  M.  Gibbons,  who  also  was  born 
in  that  village,  daughter  of  Thomas  Gibbons  and  wife,  and  to  that  union 
was  born  one  child,  a  daughter.  Minnie  Miriam,  who  on  June  11,  1913,  mar- 
ried Harvev  A.  Wegener  and  now  lives  at  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  her 
husband  being  there  engaged  as  head  of  the  porcelain  department  of  the 
great  Westinghouse  works.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wegener  have  two  children,  Silas 
Hale  Wegener,  born  on  June  24,  1914,  and  Anna  Elizabeth,  January  i,  191 7. 
Mrs.  Anna  Hale  died  at  South  San  Diego,  California,  on  June  4.  1913,  and 
on  October  19,  1914,  at  Xenia,  Mr.  Hale  married  Mabel  Graham,  daughter 
of  Prof.  George  J.  Graham  and  wife,  the  fornier  of  whom  was  for  twenty- 
five  years  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Xenia  and  later  superintendent  of 


C)2  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO. 

the  city  schools  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  JMr.  and  Mrs.  Hale  have  a  very  pleasant  home  at  Xenia.  Mr. 
Hale  was  formerly  an  Odd  Fellow  and  an  Elk  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  at  Xenia.  Ever  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  local  political  affairs  and  has  rendered  service  as  a  member 
of  the  Republican  county  central  committee.  During  his  residence  at  Bell- 
brook  he  was  for  ten  years  treasurer  of  Sugarcreek  township  and  was  also 
for  several  terms  treasurer  of  the  village  of  Bellbrook,  as  well  as  a  member 
of  the  village  council.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Mrs.  Hale  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  and 
from  Antioch  College,  for  some  time  taught  school  in  Xenia  and  vicinity 
and  was  a  member  of  the  high  school  faculty  at  Washington  Court  House  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Hale. 


CHARLES  L.  SPENCER. 

The  biographer  knows  of  no  better  epitome  of  the  life  work  and  of  the 
services  to  this  community  of  the  late  Charles  L.  Spencer  than  that  contained 
in  the  closing  paragraphs  of  the  memorial  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Greene 
County  Bar  Association  and  presented  to  Mr.  Spencer's  widow  and  daughter 
following  the  death  of  that  lamented  gentleman  in  the  spring  of  191 7.  The 
members  of  the  committee  which  prepared  these  resolutions,  M.  J.  Hartley, 
H.  L.  Smith  and  W.  F.  Trader,  were  fellow  attorneys  of  the  departed 
member  of  the  Bar  Association  and  the  words  which  they  framed  to  meet 
the  call  of  the  association  bear  the  stamp  of  sincerity  and  loving  fellow  feel- 
ing that  cannot  be  mistaken.  After  reviewing  Mr.  Spencer's  busy  life  from 
the  days  of  his  boyish  struggles  to  obtain  an  education  which  would  fit  him 
for  that  position  in  life  to  which  he  felt  he  was  entitled  and  for  which  he 
felt  he  was  innately  qualified,  these  resolutions  continue: 

In  these  years  he  enjoyed  a  large  and  varied  practice  of  the  law  in  both  the  state  and 
federal  courts,  acting  as  counsel  in  many  important  cases.  He  was  a  most  industrious  and 
indefatigable  worker  on  his  cases.  While  he  was  slow  and  deliberate  in  forming  judg- 
ment or  reaching  conclusion,  yet  when  he  made  a  decision  or  formed  a  theory  he  was 
most  tenacious  as  to  that  justice  of  his  cause,  and  if  defeated  at  first  he  rarely  abandoned 
a  case  until  it  was  determined  by  the  court  of  last  resort.  He  was  an  efficient  and  capable 
lawyer  in  counsel  and  as  an  advocate  before  the  court  and  was  effective  and  forceful  in 
the  application   of  the  law. 

In  the  laws  of  real  estate,  wills,  taxation  and  corporations  he  was  deeply  versed,  as 
the  records  of  this  court  bear  witness  to  the  many  litigated  questions  concerning  these 
subjects  in  which  he  was  counsel.  His  experience  and  ability  in  business  and  business 
affairs  were  prominent  and  useful  to  him  in  the  practice  of  the  law. 

He  lived  the  life  of  the  ideal  lawyer.  His  large  library  in  his  office  and  his  extens- 
ive collection  of  books  on  many  topics  in  his  home  testify  to  his  love  of  learning. 

His  early  life  on  the  farm,  his  struggle  for  a  higher  education,  his  experience  as  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    UlUO  93 

teacher,  his  happy  home  Hfe  surrounded  by  his  books,  his  extensive  law  practice,  his 
activities  in  the  business  world,  his  devotion  to  the  college  of  his  youth  and  constant  work 
for  and  support  of  his  church,  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Law  Library  Association,  and 
finally  his  decline  and  peaceful  passing  after  but  a  few  hours  of  illness,  with  his  family 
about  him  and  his  life's  work  finished,  together  constitute  a  type  of  life  peculiar  to  this 
country ;  not  unusual,  but  which  novelists  love  to  depict  and  pulicists  to  portray,  as 
illustrative  of  American   life  at  its   best. 

We  shall  miss  his  deliberate  walk,  his  thoughtful  speech,  his  cheerful  and  pleasant 
greetings  for  his  fellow  members,  his  slow  and  measured  arguments  in  court — the  daily 
contact,  all  with  regret,  but  with  the  reflection  that  he  lived  life  to  its  fullness  and  com- 
pleted his  task;  a  life  of  industry,  varied  in  activeness  and  of  unusual  contact  with 
people   of  affairs. 

To  the  family  we  extend  the  sympathy  of  the  bar  and  request  that  this  memorial 
be  spread  on  the  minutes  of  this  court  and  a  copy  sent  to  his  widow  and  daughter. 

Charles  L.  Spencer  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  city  of  Newark 
on  April  4,  1848,  a  son  of  Newton  and  Lucinda  J.  (Trickey)  Spencer, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  in  Herkimer  county  in  January, 
i8r6,  but  who  was  reared  in  Oswego  county,  that  state,  whence,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen  j^ears,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Licking  county,  where 
he  became  variously  employed,  eventually  becoming  the  operator  of  a  grist- 
and  saw-mill  and  later  of  a  stone  quarry.  In  1846,  in  that  county,  Newton 
Spencer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucinda  J.  Trickey.  whose  parents  had 
come  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania,  and  ten  years  later,  in  1856,  moved  with 
his  family  to  Iowa  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Decatur  county,  that  state,  where 
he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1890,  he 
then  being  seventy-four  years  of  age,  and  hers,  in  1901,  she  having  been 
eighty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  of  whom  but  three  reached  the  age  of  maturity,  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch  having  had  a  brother,  Albert  G.  Spencer,  a  resident  of 
Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  F.  Hampton,  of  Van 
Wert.  Iowa,  the  latter  of  whom  now  alone  survives. 

Charles  L.  Spencer  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Ohio  to  Iowa  and  on  the  pioneer  home  farm  in  this  latter  state  he  grew 
to  manhood,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  a  railroad  and  with  but  few 
school  privileges,  but  in  a  community  of  fine  and  intelligent  people.  Although 
able  to  attend  school  but  a  few  months  in  a  year,  he  read  every  book  he  could 
obtain  in  the  sparsely  settled  community  and  thus  gradually  grew  in  wisdom. 
Among  these  books  was  Chapin's  "Duties  of  Young  Men,"  which  so  stimu- 
lated his  ambition  to  seek  a  way  to  further  education  and  culture  that  he  de- 
termined to  secure  the  benefit  of  schooling  at  any  sacrifice  of  self,  and  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  returned  to  the  state  of  his  nativity  and  entered  Ohio  \Ves- 
leyan  University,  having  been  able  to  make  an  arrangement  whereby  he 
could  work  his  way  through  college.  Five  years  later,  in  1872,  his  course 
having  been  impeded  by  the  necessities  of  working  for  the  funds  requisite  to 


94  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  completion  of  the  course,  he  was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  to  which  his  alma  mater  later  added  the  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts.  Having  determined  upon  the  legal  profession  as  a  calling, 
Mr.  Spencer,  within  a  month  after  leaving  college,  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  English  &  Baldwin  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  He  had  been  teach- 
ing school  as  a  means  to  obtaining  funds  for  his  college  course  and  the  winter 
following  his  entrance  into  the  law  office  taught  another  term.  In  the  fall 
of  1873  he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  principal  of  the  Xenia  high 
school  and  there  and  then  formed  associations  and  friendships  which  he  held 
dear  to  the  end  of  his  life,  from  that  time  regarding  Xenia  as  his  home. 
During  the  periods  of  his  vacations  Mr.  Spencer  continued  his  study  of  the 
law  and  at  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  1875  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
finished  his  reading  in  the  office  of  Noyes  &  Lloyd  and  was  admitted  to  the 
practice  of  law  by  the  supreme  court  of  Ohio  in  October  of  that  year.  In  the 
following  January  he  was  offered  a  partnership  in  the  office  of  the  late 
Judge  James  E.  Hawes  at  Xenia  and  accepted  the  same,  that  relation  contin- 
uing for  a  year.  In  1878  Mr.  Spencer  formed  a  partnership  with  W.  J. 
Alexander  which  continued  until  1884,  during  which  period,  1881-82,  he 
served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  Greene  county.  In  the  latter  part  of 
1886  Mr.  Spencer  entered  into  a  partnership  with  the  late  John  Little,  under 
the  firm  style  of  Little  &  Spencer,  which  arrangement  continued  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Little  in  the  fall  of  1900,  after  which  Mr.  Spencer  maintained 
his  office  alone,  continuing  actively  engaged  in  practice,  with  offices  in  the 
Allen  building,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  April  5,  191 7.  Mr.  Spencer 
was  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Law  Library  Association  and  was 
librarian  of  the  same  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  for  several  years  sec- 
retary and  assistant  manager  of  the  Field  Cordage  Company  and  had  interests 
in  other  local  concerns.  He  was  for  many  years  county  and  city  school  ex- 
aminer. In  his  political  views  he  was  a  stanch  Republican,  but  never  would 
respond  to  the  overtures  of  his  friends  in  the  way  of  seeking  public  office. 
For  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  was 
for  many  years  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school  of  the  same. 

On  December  24,  1885,  at  Xenia,  Charles  L.  Spencer  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Luella  Currie,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
H.  and  Lavina  (Forbes)  Currie,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Anna.  Both  Mrs.  Spencer  and  her  daughter  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  missionary  work  and  in  the  Sunday  school  work  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  in  the  work  of  the  Young  Women's  Chris- 
tian Association.  Miss  Anna  Spencer  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high 
school  and  from  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  and  for  several  years  was  engaged 
as  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Hope,  Indiana,  until  her  recent  marriage  to 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  95 

Orin  G.  Ledbetter,  who  is  connected  with  the  Firestone  Tire  Company  of 
Akron,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  Spencer's  father,  Andrew  H.  Carrie,  who  is  still  hving,  making  his 
home  with  his  daughter  in  Xenia,  was  Ixjrn  in  this  county  on  November  14, 
1 83 1,  and  is  therefore  now  past  eighty-six  years  of  age.  He  is  of  Scotcn 
stock  and  his  parents,  James  and  Mary  Currie,  came  to  this  county  from 
Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  in  the  days  of  the  pioneers.  The  latter  was 
born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  the  United  States  with  her  parents.  James  Currie  was  a  farmer  and  after 
a  residence  of  years  in  this  county  moved  over  into  Indiana,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent.  His  wife  died  in  this  county.  After  his  marriage  to 
Lavina  Forbes,  Andrew  H.  Currie  established  his  home  in  Xenia  and  has 
ever  since  lived  there.  His  wife  died  in  January,  1913,  she  then  being  eighty 
years  of  age.  For  more  than  sixty  years  Mr.  Currie  has  been  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday  school  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  also  for 
many  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church.  To 
him  and  his  wife  were  born  six  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the 
others  besides  Mrs.  Spencer  being  Kate,  widow  of  G.  M.  Landaker,  who, 
with  her  daughter  Katharine,  is  now  making  her  home  with  Mrs.  Spencer; 
Anna,  who  married  J.  F.  Orr  and  resides  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri ;  Emma, 
wife  of  Charles  Orr,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  Walter,  who  is  with  the  Kelly 
Cordage  Company  at  Xenia. 


COMMANDER  CHARLES  EARL  SMITH,  U.  S.  N. 

In  making  up  the  list  of  those  sons  of  Greene  county  who  have  repre- 
sented this  county  creditably  in  far  fields  and  whose  actions  have  added  to 
the  luster  of  the  county's  fair  name,  it  is  but  fitting  that  some  special  mention 
should  be  made  of  one  of  these  sons  whose  rise  in  the  navy  has  been  the  occa- 
sion of  much  congratulation  on  the  part  of  his  many  friends  here  and  whose 
service  in  that  arm  of  the  nation's  defense  in  the  present  (1918)  struggle  is 
contributing  valiantly  to  the  world's  common  cause.  Charles  Earl  Smith, 
commander  in  the  United  States  navy,  now  ( 1918)  in  command  of  the  Ignited 
States  destroyer  "Nicholson,"  stationed  in  the  submarine  zone  in  British 
waters,  was  born  at  Xenia  in  1881,  a  son  of  Judge  Horace  L.  Smith  and  wife, 
a  biographical  sketch  of  the  former  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  Charles  Earl  Smith  received  his  early  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  city  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  high  school  re- 
ceived the  appointment  from  this  congressional  district  as  a  cadet  in  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  from  which  he  was  graduated 


96  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

as  an  ensign  in  1903.  During  his  term  of  study  in  the  Naval  Academy  he 
"starred"  in  athletics,  particularly  on  the  "gridiron,"  he  having  played 
quarterback  on  the  navy  team  during  the  seasons  of  1901  and  1902.  Upon 
receiving  his  title  of  ensign  he  was  assigned  to  the  cruiser  "New  York,"  and 
during  the  next  two  seasons  helped  to  coach  the  navy  football  team.  During 
the  fleet's  celebrated  trip  around  Cape  Horn  he  was  stationed  on  a  torpedo- 
boat  destroyer,  which,  though  not  built  for  long  trips,  got  through  all  right; 
and  after  the  completion  of  that  memorable  voyage  he  was  assigned  to  the 
Pacific  fleet  and  did  duty  along  the  California  coast  until  191 5,  when,  mean- 
while having  been  advanced  to  the  grade  of  first  lieutenant,  he  was  given 
command  of  a  flotilla  of  submarines  and  was  at  Honolulu  at  the  time  the 
ill-fated  submarine  4  was  lost  in  the  harbor  there,  to  him  falling  the  duty  of 
raising  the  same.  After  that  tragic  experience  Lieutenant  Smith  obtained 
shore  leave  and  was  assigned  to  special  service  at  the  Naval  Academy,  in 
charge  of  athletics,  and  was  thus  in  service  at  the  time  war  was  declared 
against  Germany  in  the  spring  of  191 7,  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-com- 
mander, in  charge  of  the  training  of  marines  for  petty  officers ;  later  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  commander,  and  is  now  (1918)  engaged  in  convoy- 
ing transports  carrying  soldiers  and  provisions  to  and  from  England  and 
France  and  on  the  lookout  for  German  submarines.  Commander  Smith 
has  also  rendered  service  in  the  army,  he  having  been  a  member  of  the 
First  Ohio  Cavalry,  doing  service  during  the  Spanish-American  War,  and 
was  stationed  in  camp  at  Chickamauga  at  the  time  he  received  his  appoint- 
ment as  a  cadet  to  tlie  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  obtaining  a  furlough  in 
order  that  he  might  take  the  examination  necessary  to  qualify  for  the  latter 
service. 


SAMUEL  STEELE  DEAN. 

Samuel  Steele  Dean,  proprietor  of  "The  Elms,"  was  born  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  is  now  living,  five  miles  east  of  Xenia  on  the  Jamestown  pike, 
in  New  Jasper  township,  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on 
April  17,  1850,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Boggs)  Dean,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  Ohio,  who  had  established 
their  home  on  that  farm  shortly  after  their  marriage  in  1826  and  who  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives  there. 

Joseph  Dean  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Kentucky,  December  31, 
1804,  son  of  Daniel  and  Jeannete  (Steele)  Dean,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  1765,  and  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  first  in  New  York  and  then  in  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  presently  married,  and  later  moving  to  Kentucky,  whence 
he  moved  up  into  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county,  where  he  spent  the 


1 

^^^■Jii^^^'^ 

SAMUEL   S.  DEAN  HOMES. 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  97 

remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  the  only  son  of  Roger  and  Mary  Dean, 
residents  of  Londonderry  and  stanch  Seceders,  the  former  of  whom,  after 
the  birth  of  his  son  Daniel  and  a  daughter,  came  to  America  with  a  view 
to  setting  up  a  home  for  his  family  on  this  side  of  the  water,  but  who, 
through  some  cause  never  explained  to  his  family,  was  lost  before  he  could 
follow  out  his  design.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  his  son  Daniel  came 
to  this  side  and  presently  was  joined  by  his  mother  and  sister,  the  family  for 
a  time  making  their  home  in  New  York  and  then  going  to  Virginia,  whence 
they  moved  to  Kentucky  and  from  there  to  Ohio,  Mary  Dean  spending  her 
last  days  here,  her  death  occurring  on  June  21,  1825,  she  then  being  eighty- 
five  years  of  age.  It  was  about  the  year  1785  that  Daniel  Dean,  who  in 
Virginia  had  married  Jeannete  Steele,  who  was  born  in  Augusta  county, 
that  state,  moved  with  his  wife  and  his  mother  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky 
and  settled  at  Winchester,  in  the  latter  state,  where  he  erected  a  mill  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  which  place  he  lx)ught  a  farm.  There  eleven  children  were 
born  to  him  and  his  wife.  They  were  Seceders  and  were  so  averse  to  rearing 
their  children  on  slave  soil  that  in  April,  1812,  they  disposed  of  their  interests 
in  Kentucky  and  moved  up  into  Ohio,  locating  in  Greene  county.  Here  Daniel 
Dean  bought  about  two  thousand  acres  of  wilderness  land  in  New  Jasper 
township  and  established  his  home.  He  died  there  in  1842,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-seven  years.     His  wife  died  when  seventy-three  years  of  age. 

Having  been  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Greene  county  in  181 2,  Joseph  Dean  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township  and  received  his  schooling  at  Xenia,  walking  six  miles 
night  and  morning  to  do  so.  He  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  his 
marriage  on  November  6,  1826,  to  Hannah  Boggs,  who  was  born  in  Jack- 
son county,  this  state,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Elizabeth  Boggs,  who  later 
moved  to  Gallia  county,  where  she  grew  to  young  womanhood.  Andrew 
Boggs  was  a  cattle  buyer  and  drover,  who  later  moved  from  Ohio  to  Kosci- 
uski  county,  Indiana,  where  the  family  is  still  represented.  After  their  mar- 
riage Joseph  Dean  and  his  wife  started  housekeeping  in  a  house  on  the  west 
edge  of  Cedarville,  but  presently  he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  from  his  father,  just  south  of  the  Jamestown  pike,  in  New  Jasper 
township,  and  there  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  spending  the  rest 
of  his  life  there.  He  added  to  his  holdings  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
four  hundred  and  ninety-eight  acres  in  New  Jasper  township.  About  1841 
he  built  a  large  brick  house  which  is  still  standing  on  the  farm.  He  erected 
a  large  barn  in  1846.  Reared  a  Seceder,  after  the  "union"  Joseph  Dean 
joined  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  as  did  his  wife,  who 
was  reared  a  Methodist.  During  ante-bellum  days  Joseph  Dean  was  an 
ardent  Abolitionist  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican  partv  became 

(6) 


9o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

an  adherent  of  the  principles  of  the  same.  He  died  on  September  14,  1883. 
The  death  of  his  widow  occurred  on  March  7,  1888.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the 
others  being  the  following:  Washington,  born  on  August  10,  1827,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years;  Julia  Ann,  April  27,  1829,  who  married 
William  Strouthers  and  moved  to  Monmouth,  Illinois,  where  her  last  days 
were  spent;  Daniel  Milton,  May  19,  1831,  who  for  years  was  engaged  in 
farming  in  Cedarville  township  and  who  upon  his  retirement  from  the  farm 
moved  to  Cedarville,  where  he  died  on  December  i,  1912;  Louisa,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Willis,  who  also  died  in  infancy;  Lewis  Henrj^,  March  5,  1838, 
who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  the 
Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  who  later  moved  to 
Pawnee  county,  Nebraska,  where  he  died  in  February,  191 7;  Ann  Lavina, 
February  16,  1840,  who  married  S.  W.  Oldham  and  is  now  living  at  Day- 
ton; Judge  Joseph  Newton  Dean,  August  22,  1842,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War  (Company  B,  Fortieth  Ohio  Volunteer  Regiment),  formerly  judge 
of  probate  for  Greene  county  and  for  years  a  lawyer  at  Xenia,  who  died 
on  January  18,  1913;  EHza  Jane,  August  9,  1844,  who  married  the  Rev. 
Andrew  Renwick,  a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  who  died 
in  April,  1882,  and  Mary  Campbell,  August  9,  1847,  who  married  J.  N. 
Wright  and  who  since  the  death  of  her  husband  has  been  making  her  home 
with  her  daughter  at  Detroit,  Michigan. 

Samuel  Steele  Dean  was  baptized  in  infancy  by  the  Rev.  R.  D.  Harper, 
D.  D.,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  in  October,  1864,  united  with  the 
First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  with  the  congregation  of  which 
he  has  since  been  affiliated.  Reared  on  the  home  farm,  he  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  district  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home, 
supplementing  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  old  Xenia  College  on  East  Church 
street,  and  later  took  a  course  in  a  business  college  at  Indianapolis.  In  the 
meantime  he  continued  his  labors  on  the  farm  during  the  summer  vacation 
periods  and  after  a  while  began  farming  "on  the  shares"  for  his  father,  con- 
tinuing thus  engaged  until  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1876,  when 
he  bought  from  his  father  the  farm  where  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  Dean's 
original  purchase  at  "The  Elms"  was  a  tract  of  eighty-two  acres,  to  which 
he  has  gradually  added  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  in  New  Jasper  township.  In  1898  he  erected  his  present 
dwelling  house,  one  of  the  finest  brick  country  houses  in  the  county:  set- 
ting well  back  from  the  highway  and  approaclied  by  way  of  a  lane,  the 
entrance  to  which  is  guarded  by  an  attractive  stone  gateway.  In  addition  to 
his  general  farming  ]\Tr.  Dean  has  for  years  given  much  attention  to  the 
breeding  of  fine  horses,  Percherons  being  his  specialty,  and  in  this  connec- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  99 

tion  has  done  much  to  improve  the  strain  of  draft  horses  in  this  part  of  the 
state.  He  also  feels  about  three  hundred  hogs  annually.  Mr.  Dean  is  a 
Republican. 

Mr.  Dean  has  been  twice  married.  While  on  a  visit  to  Olathe,  Kansas, 
in  the  winter  of  1874-75  he  there  met  Sadie  J.  Thompson,  of  that  place, 
and  on  March  2,  1876,  the  Reverend  Wilkin,  of  Olathe,  officiating,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  her.  She  was  born  in  Randolph  county,  Illinois, 
August  II,  1848,  daughter  of  Andrew  M.  and  Margaret  (Day)  Thompson, 
who  moved  from  Illinois  to  Olathe,  Kansas,  in  March,  1864.  In  this  latter 
place  Sadie  J.  Thompson  united  with  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (Cove- 
nanter) church  in  September.  1865.  During  the  years  1870-73  she  taught 
public  school  in  Kansas  and  from  1873  until  her  marriage  in  1876  kept  house 
for  her  father.  Upon  coming  to  Greene  county  with  her  husband  she  united, 
in  October,  1877,  with  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  and  remained 
a  faithful  member  of  the  same  until  her  death  on  December  14,  1890,  she 
then  being  forty-two  years,  four  months  and  three  days  of  age.  That  union 
was  without  issue.  On  December  17,  1891,  Mr.  Dean  married  Fannie  E. 
Scott,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  daughter  of  Vin- 
cent and  Elizabeth  Scott,  the  former  of  whom  was  engaged  in  mechanical 
trades  at  Lebanon,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  four  children,  S.  Arthur, 
Robert  Southwick,  Leslie  Scott  and  Elizabeth  Hannah,  all  of  whom  are  still 
at  home.  S.  Arthur  Dean,  who  is  now  operating  his  father's  farm,  was 
graduated  from  Cedarville  College  and  later  from  Miami  University,  after 
which  he  took  a  year  of  special  work  in  the  agricultural  department  of  the 
State  University  at  Columbus.  Robert  S.  Dean  also  was  graduated  from 
Miami  University  and  later  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine, 
being  now  (1918)  in  his  fourth  year  at  the  Western  Reserve  Medical 
School  at  Cleveland.  Leslie  S.  Dean  is  now  a  student  at  Cedarville  College 
in  his  junior  year,  and  Elizabeth  H.  Dean  is  a  senior  in  the  preparatory 
department  of  Cedarville  College.  It  is  but  fitting  to  note  in  connection  with 
this  mention  of  the  Dean  family  in  Greene  county  that  all  the  eleven  chil- 
dren of  the  pioneer,  Daniel  Dean,  grew  to  maturity,  married  and  had  large 
families  of  their  own.  There  were  thirty-six  members  of  the  family  who 
served  as  soldiers  of  the  LTnion  during  the  Civil  'War  and  all  continued  in 
service  throughout  their  respective  terms  of  enlistment  and  returned  home, 
with  the  exception  of  one  who  died  at  the  front.  The  late  Judge  Joseph 
N.  Dean,  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  enlisted  on  August  17,  1861, 
and  was  mustered  out  on  October  17,  1864.  During  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga  he  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  face.  He  had  there  aided  in  cap- 
turing three  pieces  of  artillery,  for  which  conspicuous  act  of  bravery  he  was 
recommended  for  a  commission. 


lOO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

GEORGE  FRANKLIN  JOBE. 

George  Franklin  Jobe,  a  retired  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  better  known 
locally  as  "Doc"  Jobe,  who  for  several  years  past  has  been  living  in  Xenia. 
where  he  and  his  sister  Lida  have  their  home  in  West  Market  street,  is  a 
native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  four  or  five  miles  east  of  Xenia,  February  26, 
1853,  son  of  George  and  Mary  Ann  (Hutchinson)  Jobe,  the  former  a  native 
of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter,  of  Kentucky,  who  had  become  residents  of 
Greene  county  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  had  here  married  and  here  spent 
their  last  days,  both  living  to  be  more  than  seventy  years  of  age. 

George  Jobe  was  born  at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  and  was  but  an  infant 
when  his  father  died.  When  he  was  four  years  of  age  his  widowed  mother 
moved  to  Elizabethtown,  Pennsylvania,  where  his  youth  was  spent  and 
where  he  learned  the  trade  of  carriage-maker.  When  a  young  man  he  came 
to  Ohio  and  located  at  Xenia,  where  he  opened  a  carriage  shop  on  Third 
street  and  did  a  thriving  business,  becoming  in  a  comparatively  short  time, 
the  owner  of  a  whole  block  of  property  and  a  thriving  business.  Out  of  the 
generosity  of  his  heart,  however,  he  created  his  own  financial  undoing,  for 
a  simple  readiness  to  act  as  security  for  the  obligations  of  others  so  reduced 
him  in  goods  that  he  lost  most  of  his  property.  Being  compelled  to  relin- 
quish his  business  in  Xenia,  George  Jobe  bought  a  two-hundred-acre  farm 
four  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Xenia  and  there  engaged  in  farming,  spend- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life  there.  Upon  taking  possession  of  that  farm  he 
found  it  but  partly  broken,  the  only  improvement  on  the  place  being  a  log 
cabin  and  a  rickety  stable.  He  later  erected  there  a  fine  ten-room  house  and 
made  other  improvements  in  keeping  with  the  same  and  it  was  not  long  until 
he  had  one  of  the  finest  farm  plants  in  that  part  of  the  county.  One  of  the 
attractive  features  of  this  farm  was  a  splendid  walnut  grove,  besides  consid- 
erable other  native  timber  of  noble  proportions.  George  Jobe  lived  to  be  past 
seventy  years  of  age  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  several  years,  she  hav- 
ing been  seventy-four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  was  born, 
Mary  Ann  Hutchinson,  near  Flat  Rock,  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Ann  (Finley)  Hutchinson,  who  later  came 
up  into  the  Miami  valley  and  settled  in  the  Bellbrook  neighborhood,  where 
they  cleared  off  a  place  in  the  timber,  built  a  log  cabin  in  the  clearing  and 
there  established  their  home.  The  Hutchinsons  were  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  John  Hutchinson  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  on 
their  farm  near  Bellbrook,  both  dying  within  one  week.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Jobe  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  as  follows :  George,  deceased,  who  was  a  farmer  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Sidney,  this  state;  John,  deceased,  who  also  was  a  farmer 
in  the  vicinity  of  Sidney;  Andrew,  who  was  a  tailor  in  Xenia;  Samuel,  a 


GEORGE  JOBE. 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  lOI 

farmer,  of  the  Sidney  neighborhood:  William,' a  tailor  at  Xenia;  Sarah, 
deceased:  Jane,  who  married  Andrew  McClure,  of  Shelby  county,  this  state, 
and  Martha,  who  married  James  B.  Sterrett. 

To  George  and  Mary  Ann  (Hutchinson)  Jobe  were  born  nine  children, 
namely :  James  Harvey,  deceased,  who  was  a  merchant  in  Xenia  and  who 
married  Mrs.  Eliza  M.  Anderson,  who  was  a  Stewart,  of  Clark  county; 
John  Hutchinson,  deceased,  who  married  Nancy  Ellen  Collins  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming ;  Margaret  Ann,  deceased ;  Hugh  Boyd,  deceased,  who 
married  Margaret  Ann  Jobe;  Martha  Jane,  deceased;  William  H.,  deceased; 
Samuel  F.,  deceased;  George  F.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch:  Lida 
R.,  unmarried,  who  has  always  made  her  home  with  her  brother  George,  and 
Albert  Alexander,  deceased. 

George  F.  Jobe  and  his  sister  Lida,  the  only  present  survivors  of  their 
formerly  considerable  family,  have  always  made  their  home  together  and 
until  their  retirement  from  the  farm  and  reriioval  to  Xenia  in  1914,  had 
always  lived  on  the  home  farm  east  of  town.  Their  early  schooling  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  home  and  George  F. 
Jobe  supplemented  this  course  by  attendance  one  year  at  the  Cedarville  school 
and  a  course  in  college  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  Miss  Lida  Jobe  attended 
school  one  year  at  Xenia  and  one  year  at  Oxford,  Ohio.  Mr.  Jobe  later 
assumed  direction  of  the  farm  operations  and  he  and  his  sister  remained 
with  their  parents,  caring  for  them  during  their  declining  years;  and  con- 
tinued the  operations  of  the  farm  until  February  24,  1914,  when  they  left 
the  old  home  place  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  they  own  a  twelve-room 
house  at  22  West  Market  street  and  where  they  are  now  living.  Mr.  Jobe 
still  owns  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  acres,  besides  two 
other  farms  in  Greene  cotmty,  one  of  eighty  acres  at  Wilberforce  and  one  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  in  Cedarville  township.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can, but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after  public  office.  He  and  his  sister  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  in  the  faith  of  which 
communion  thev  were  reared. 


HON.  J.  CARL  MARSHALL. 

The  Hon.  T.  Carl  Marshall,  judge  of  probate  for  Greene  county,  former 
clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  and  previous  to  that  term  of  service  and 
for  some  years  deputy  clerk  of  that  court  and  before  that  time  superintendent 
of  the  Cedarville  township  schools,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has 
lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  Sep- 
tember 12,  i88r,  son  of  Willis  and  Emma  (Tate)  Marshall,  lioth  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  county. 

The  Marshalls  are  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county,  the  first 


I02  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  that  name  to  settle  here  having  been  John  Marshall,  who  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  in  1784.  and  who 
in  1803,  the  year  in  which  Greene  county  became  a  civic  unit,  came  up  here 
into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  and  took  up  a  considerable  tract  of  land  in 
Sugarcreek  township,  where  he  established  his  home.  This  pioneer  John 
Marshall  was  one  of  the  early  associate  judges  of  Greene  county.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters, 
namely :  Nancy,  who  married  James  N.  McConnell :  Sarah,  who  married  John 
Brock;  Hester,  who  married  Captain  Kepler;  Betsy,  who  married  William 
Morgan;  Jam.es,  who  became  a  farmer  in  Sugarcreek  township,  and  Jesse, 
who  was  Judge  Marshall's  grandfather. 

Jesse  Marshall  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  four  sons  and  two  daughters  are  still  living.  Willis  Marshall,  the 
eldest  of  these  sons,  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  father's  death 
was  the  mainstay  of  the  family,  his  mother  continuing  to  make  her  home  on 
the  old  home  place  until  her  death.  He  is  now  living  on  a  farm  in  ihe  New 
Burlington  neighborhood  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton.  Willis  Mar- 
shall has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  Emma  Tate,  having  died  in  the 
fall  of  1884,  after  which  he  married  Laura  Holland,  of  Spring  Valley.  Willis 
Marshall  has  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Leroy  T. 
Marshall,  who  is  practicing  law  at  Xenia  and  who  formerly  served  as  clerk 
of  courts  of  Greene  county.  Leroy  T.  Marshall  was  graduated  from  the 
Bellbrook  high  school  in  the  same  year  in  which  his  brother,  the  Judge,  was 
graduated  there  and  later  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College,  after 
which  for  two  years  he  served  as  principal  of  the  Cedarville  schools.  In  1908, 
as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  in 
1910  was  re-elected,  thus  serving  two  terms.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been 
giving  attention  to  the  study  of  law  and  in  191 2  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  since  his  retirement  from  the  clerk's  office  has  been  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Xenia.  He  for  six  years  served  as  chairman  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Republican  organization  in  this  county.  He  mar- 
ried Nellie  TurnbuU  and  has  two  children,  Maxwell  and  Emma  Jean. 

J.  Carl  Marshall's  early  schooling  was  received  in  the  district  schools 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  boyhood  home  in  Sugarcreek  township  and  he  supple- 
mented this  by  a  course  in  the  Bellbrook  high  school,  from  which  he  pres- 
ently was  graduated.  He  then  entered  Cedarville  College  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  that  institution  in  1907.  During  the  following  winter  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  teacher  in  the  Clifton  high  school  and  during  the  next  winter, 
1908-09,  was  employed  as  superintendent  of  the  Cedarville  township  high 
school.  In  August,  1909,  he  was  appointed  deputy  clerk  of  the  common 
pleas  court  and  for  four  years  held  that  position,  or  until  his  election,  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  IO3 

1912,  to  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  common  pleas  court.  In  1914  he  was  re- 
elected to  that  ofifice  and  would  have  served  in  the  same  until  191 7,  but  in  the 
meantime,  in  the  fall  of  1916,  was  elected  judge  of  probate  for  Greene 
county  for  a  term  of  four  years  and  resigned  his  position  as  county  clerk  to 
enter  upon  his  new  duties  on  the  bencli  and  has  been  thus  engaged  since 
February  9,  1917.     Judge  Marshall  is  a  Republican. 

On  October  10,  1910,  Judge  J.  Carl  Marshall  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Fern  C.  Ervin,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cedarville,  daughter  of  David 
S.  and  Belle  (Murdock)  Ervin,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  in  Cedarville, 
where  the  former  is  engaged  in  the  grain  business  and  also  operates  the  lime 
kilns  there,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Frances  Emma, 
born  on  July  22,  191 1,  and  Carl  Ervin,  September  16,  1915.  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Marshall  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  the 
Judge  was  elected  a  member  of  the  session  of  the  same  in  191 6.  In  that 
same  year  Judge  Marshall  also  was  elected  alumnus  trustee  of  Cedarville 
College. 


LEVI  RADER. 


Levi  Rader,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  former  trustee  of  Xenia 
township,  was  born  in  Xenia  on  July  6,  1832,  last-born  and  now  the  only 
surviving  child  o£  Adam  and  Christina  (Smith)  Rader.  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  October  28,  1787,  and  the  latter, 
May  24,  1791,  who  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  those  besides  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  having  been  the  following:  John  M.,  born  on  March  5, 
i8ri;  Joseph,  September  29,  1812:  David,  December  23,  1813;  Susanna,  July 
24,  1815;  WilHam,  December  31,  1816;  Adam,  Jr.,  November  15.  1818; 
Mary  Ann,  July  10,  1820:  Andrew,  July  5,  1823;  Catherine,  October  5, 
1825;  Julia  Ann,  July  14,  1827,  and  Washington,  April  15,  1829. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  Levi  Rader  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of 
that  city  and  early  learned  the  trade  of  a  bricklayer,  which  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed all  the  active  days  of  his  life.  He  was  married  in  1853  ^"^1  was  living 
in  Xenia  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  1862  Mr.  Rader  volunteered  for 
service  at  the  Greene  county  court  house  in  behalf  of  the  arms  of  the  Union 
and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  under 
General  Buell,  and  served  with  that  command  until  honorably  discharged  two 
years  later,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Xenia,  re- 
sumed his  vocation  and  so  continued  until  his  retirement  when  the  weight 
of  advancing  years  rendered  such  a  course  advisable.  Mr.  Rader  is  a  Re- 
publican, one  of  the  original  voters  in  the  ranks  of  that  party,  and  in  1912, 


I04  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  then  being  eighty  years  of  age,  was  elected  trustee  of  Xenia  township  and 
served  a  term  in  that  office,  appreciating  greatly  the  honor  the  people  of  the 
township  had  conferred  upon  him  in  his  old  age.  Mr.  Rader  was  reared  in 
the  Reformed  church,  with  which  church  his  family  has  ever  been  affiliated. 
Mr.  Rader  has  been  twice  married.  On  December  28,  1S53,  '^^  ^^'^s 
united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  E.  Foreman,  who  was  born  on  September  30, 
1834,  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely:  John  .\.,  born  on 
October  6,  1854;  Clara  (deceased),  May  26,  1857;  Kimber,  February  9, 
1859;  Emma  D.,  February  8,  1863;  Henry  P.  (deceased),  May  26,  1865, 
and  Jennie  K.,  February  14,  1867.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on 
July  9,  1868,  and  on  March  13,  1872,  Mr.  Rader  married  Nina  L.  D.  Fox, 
who  died  on  February  16,  1906.  All  of  Mr.  Rader's  surviving  children  are 
living  in  Ohio  with  the  exception  of  John  A.,  the  eldest,  who  is  making  his 
home  at  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.     Mr.  Rader  has  three  living  grandchildren. 


FRANK  ANDREW  JACKSON. 

Frank  Andrew  Jackson,  sheriff  of  Greene  county,  was  born  at  Cedar- 
ville  on  July  10,  1876,  son  of  the  Hon.  Andrew  and  Mary  J.  (Dunlap) 
Jackson,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  and  further,  extended  and  fitting 
mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  It  is  but  proper  to 
state  in  the  outset  that  Sheriff  Jackson  is  one  of  the  real  "Old  Hickory" 
Jacksons,  his  great-great-grandfather  having  been  a  brother  of  Andrew 
Jackson,  the  hero  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans  and  seventh  President  of  the 
United  States.  He  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  oldest  fami- 
lies, his  father,  the  Hon.  Andrew  Jackson,  former  meml^er  of  the  Legisla- 
ture from  this  district,  being  a  son  of  Gen.  Robert  Jackson,  who  settled  on 
Clarks  run,  three  miles  west  of  Cedarville,  in  1805,  and  who  in  1831  was 
commissioned  general  commanding  the  militia  forces  of  this  district.  All  of 
this,  however,  is  set  out  much  more  at  length  elsewhere  and  is  introduced 
here  merely  as  a  sidelight  on  the  distinguished  family  to  which  Sheriff  Jack- 
son belongs  and  of  which  he  is  a  typical  and  sturdy  representative  in  tliis 
generation. 

Reared  at  Cedarville,  Frank  A.  Jackson  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  there  and  then  entered  his  father's  coal  and  lumber  office  in  that  city, 
and  while  thus  engaged,  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  was  elected  clerk  of 
his  home  township,  a  position  he  filled  by  consecutive  re-elections  for  thir- 
teen years.  He  also  for  some  time  operated  the  opera  house  at  Cedarville 
and  was  otherwise  active  in  the  affairs  of  his  home  town.  For  two  terms 
during  his  father's  service  in  the  state  Legislature  he  served  as  a  legislative 
clerk  and  for  three  vears  thereafter  was  engaged  as  an  agent  of  the  Ohio 


FUANK   A.   .TACKSOX. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  IO5 

Fuel  Supply  Company,  bu}'ing  rights-of-way  between  Columbus  and  Cin- 
cinnati. During  the  incumbency  of  Sheriff  W.  B.  McCallister,  Mr.  Jackson 
was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  Greene  county  and  in  the  campaign  of  19 14 
received  the  Republican  nomination  for  the  office  of  sheriff:  He  was 
elected  in  the  election  of  that  fall  and  so  satisfactory  did  his  services  prove 
that  he  was  renominated  and  re-elected  in  1916,  his  present  term  of  office 
running  until  1919.  Sheriff  Jackson  is  a  Republican  and  since  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  ranks  of  that  party  in  Greene 
county,  for  years  committeeman  from  his  home  precinct  at  Cedarville. 

On  December  21,  1914,  Frank  A.  Jackson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Edna  Townsley,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedarville  township  and  who  had 
been  teaching  school  there  for  some  time  before  her  marriage.  Mrs.  Jackson 
also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county,  the  Towns- 
leys  haxing  been  represented  in  the  Cedarville  neighlx)rhood  ever  since  the 
days,  even  before  there  was  a  Greene  county,  when  Thomas  Townsley,  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  a  Pennsylvanian,  came  up  here  with  his  family 
from  Kentucky  in  1800  and  settled  on  Sun'ey  3746,  a  part  of  the  old  Vir- 
ginia military  tract  set  apart  for  the  Revolutionary  soldiers,  two  miles  east 
of  the  present  town  of  Cedarville.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Anna 
Townsley,  the  former  of  whom,  a  retired  farmer,  is  still  living,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Cedarville,  and  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  February,  1910.  Henry 
A.  Townsley  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  Mrs.  Jackson  hav- 
ing two  brothers,  John,  who  is  now  serving  in  the  United  States  regular 
army,  and  Herman,  a  contractor  engaged  in  business  at  Little  Rock,  Arkan- 
sas, and  a  sister,  Esther,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  this  county. 
Both  the  Jacksons  and  the  Townsleys  have  been  United  Presbyterians  ever 
since  the  "union"  of  1858,  having  previously  been  of  the  old  Associate  com- 
munion, and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  retain  their  adherence  to  that  church, 
being  now  connected  with  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 


IRA  W.  BALDWIN,  U.  D. 

In  making  up  the  biographical  annals  of  Greene  county  due  mention 
must  be  made  of  the  part  taken  in  the  affairs  of  this  county  by  the  late  Dr. 
Ira  W.  Baldwin,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  physician,  journalist,  former  post- 
master at  Yellow  Springs  and  former  member  of  the  United  States  pension 
board  for  this  county,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  early  in  1902,  and  whose 
widow  is  still  making  her  home  in  that  city. 

Dr.  Ira  W.  Baldwin  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  the  most  of 
his  life  was  spent  here.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  on  the  Clifton  pike,  October 
II,  1838,  son  of  David  P.  and  Julia  Baldwin,  and  was  the  elder  of  the  two 
children  born  to  that  parentage.     Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  neigh- 


I06  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

borhood  schools  he  entered  Antioch  College  and  after  a  course  in  that  insti- 
tution entered  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1867.  Meanwhile,  during  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War, 
the  Doctor  had  taken  an  active  part  in  that  struggle,  serving  in  behalf  of  the 
Union,  serving  first  as  a  member  of  the  Sixty-sixth  Regiment,  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  from  which  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  on  account 
of  disability,  and  later  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  from  Ohio 
Medical  College,  Doctor  Baldwin  opened  an  ofiice  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  the  village  of  Enon,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  and  was 
there  engaged  in  practice  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  following 
his  marriage,  he  moved  to  Clarksville,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Greene  county  and  located  at  Spring  Valley,  later  mov- 
ing to  Yellow  Springs  and  thence,  in  1899,  after  a  period  of  eight  years  of 
practice  there,  to  Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his  death  occurring 
at  his  home  in  that  city  on  February  2,  1902.  For  nine  years  Doctor  Baldwin 
served  as  a  member  of  the  local  examining  board  for  Greene  county  of  the 
United  States  penison  bureau ;  served  for  four  years,  under  appointment  of 
President  Cleveland,  as  postmaster  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  for  some  time  was 
connected  with  the  local  journalistic  field.  He  was  the  founder  of  the 
Greene  Cniiufv  Democrat  and  later  purchased  the  Xenia  Democrat  Neii'S, 
merging  tlie  two  into  the  paper  now  known  as  the  Xenia  Herald.  Doctor 
Baldwin  also  was  the  founder  of  the  Saturday  Morning  Post  and  his  jour- 
nalistic activities  were  continued  until  his  retirement  from  that  field  in  1882. 
He  was  a  Democrat.  During  his  residence  at  Yellow  Springs  he  also  was 
engaged  in  farming  in  that  neighborhood.  For  many  years  the  Doctor  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  It 
was  written  of  the  Doctor,  after  his  death :  "In  manner  he  was  genial  and 
jovial  and  his  personal  characteristics  were  such  as  to  make  him  a  popular 
citizen.  Public  spirited,  he  co-operated  with  every  movement  for  the  general 
good  and  lived  an  honorable,  upright  life,  commending  him  to  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all." 

In  1869  Dr.  Ira  W.  Baldwin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine  Allen, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  is  still  living,  continuing  to  make 
her  home  at  Xenia,  residing  at  the  corner  of  West  Second  street  and  West 
street. 

To  that  union  were  born  three  children,  Benjamin  (deceased),  John  and 
Minnie.  John  Baldwin,  unmarried,  is  still  making  his  home  with  his  mother 
in  Xenia,  and  Minnie  is  now  living  at  Dayton,  the  wife  of  William  Thomas. 

Mrs.  Baldwin  is  the  only  survivor  of  the  three  children  born  to  her 
parents,  John  C.  and  Mary  (Arnold)  Allen,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  ID" 

Greene  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  the  latter  of  whom  died 
when  her  daughter  Josephine  (Mrs.  Baldwin)  was  but  five  years  of  age.  The 
other  two  children  were  Frank  Allen,  who  died  in  1857,  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years,  and  Edward  Allen,  who  died  unmarried  in  1889.  The  mother  of  these 
children  was  born  near  New  Burlington,  this  county,  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Jane  (Linton)  Arnold,  Quakers,  and  among  the  early  settlers  of  Greene 
county,  the  Arnolds  having  come  here  from  South  Carolina  and  the  Lintons 
from  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Mary  Arnold  Allen  died  in  1849.  She  and  John 
C.  Allen  were  married  in  1842.  In  1883  John  C.  Allen  married,  secondly, 
Maria  Bell,  also  now  deceased. 

John  C.  Allen  was  born  on  a  farm  one  mile  north  of  Spring  Valley,  in 
this  county,  June  22,  181 5,  and  died  in  1890.  He  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Rebecca  (Campbell)  Allen,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter 
of  South  Carolina,  who  were  married  in  this  count3^  both  having  been  well 
grown  when  their  respective  parents  settled  here.  Benjamin  Allen  was  a 
Quaker  and  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  She 
died  in  1856  and  he  survived  her  until  1868,  he  then  being  eighty-four  years 
of  age.  During  the  latter  years  of  his  life  Benjamin  Allen  had  made  his 
home  at  Spring  Valley,  to  which  place  he  had  moved  upon  his  retirement 
from  the  farm.  John  C.  Allen  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  upon  start- 
ing on  his  own  account  bought  a  small  place  adjoining  his  father's  place  and 
there  built  and  operated  a  tanyard.  A  few  years  later  this  was  burned  and 
he  then  moved  to  Xenia  and  set  up  a  tanyard  on  Cincinnati  avenue,  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  city.  In  185 1  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  western  part 
of  the  county  and  thereafter  confined  his  operations  chiefly  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  becoming  eventually  the  owner  of  "Wliitehall,"  an  estate  of  a 
thousand  acres,  on  which  was  situated  the  finest  house  in  Greene  county,  now 
owned  by  E.  S.  Kelly.  For  thirty  years  or  more  after  the  Civil  War  period 
Mr.  Allen  was  a  heavy  investor  in  practically  every  important  business  en- 
terprise in  Xenia.  He  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  not  a  seeker  after  public 
office. 


ROBERT  D.  ADAIR. 


Robert  D.  Adair,  proprietor  of  a  furniture  store  at  Xenia,  a  member  of 
the  boards  of  directors  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  and  of  the  Home  Sav- 
ings and  Loan  Association,  and  formerly  and  for  years  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  the  city,  is  a  native  of  the  old  Keystone  state,  but  has  been 
a  resident  of  Xenia  since  1886.  He  was  born  in  Allegheny,  the  northern 
suburb  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  in  1857,  son  of  John  and  Ann  (Duncan) 
Adair,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of  Scot- 


I06  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tish  descent,  and  who  were  married  in  this  country,  having  come  here  in  the 
days  of  their  youth,  later  locating  in  Allegheny,  where  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  reared  and  in  the  schools  of  which  place  he  received  his  schooling. 

Upon  completing  his  schooling  Robert  D.  Adair  became  engaged  as  a 
traveling  salesman,  handling  glassware  and  lamp  goods,  and  during  his 
commercial  travels  took  a  particular  fancy  to  Xenia  and  to  Greene  county 
in  general;  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  in  1883  he  married  a  Greene  county 
young  woman.  In  1886  Mr.  Adair  bought  out  the  furniture  store  of  Wilson 
&  Lindsay  at  Xenia  and  in  association  with  his  wife's  brother  engaged  in 
business  in  that  city,  the  firm  doing  business  under  the  name  of  Xichols  & 
Adair.  Mr.  Nichols  died  within  a  year  and  Mr.  Adair  then  bought  the 
interest  held  by  his  deceased  partner  in  the  firm  and  has  ever  since  continued 
the  business.  In  1910  he  bought  the  building  in  which  his  store  is  located, 
at  22  North  Detroit  street,  and  remodeled  the  same.  In  addition  to  his  com- 
mercial interests,  Mr.  Adair  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Citi- 
zens National  Bank  of  Xenia,  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Home  Savings  and  Loan  Association,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Shawnee  Refrigerator  Company,  all  of  Xenia.  He  also  was  for  eigh- 
teen years  (1892-1910)  a  member  of  the  city  school  board,  during  that  period 
having  served  as  secretary  and  as  president  of  the  board  for  certain  terms. 

It  was  in  October,  1883,  that  Robert  D.  Adair  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Clarissa  Celia  Nichols,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Erastus 
and  Mary  Nichols,  both  now  deceased,  and  the  former  of  whom  was  for 
3'ears  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in  Xenia,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  born  three  sons,  Charles  Wallace,  James  Duncan  and  Robert  Nichols, 
the  two  fonner  of  whom  are  engaged  in  business  with  their  father  in  Xenia 
and  the  last-named  of  whom,  Robert  Nichols  Adair,  is  now  a  soldier  of  the 
National  Army,  having  enlisted  in  July,  19 17,  and  is  a  present  corporal  in 
the  Si.xty-second  .Artillery  Brigade,  which  was  trained  in  the  camp  at  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  for  service  abroad.  Previous  to  his  enlistment  Corporal 
Adair  had  been  working  in  the  Saxon  automobile  factory.  The  Adairs  reside 
on  North  Galloway  street.  They  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  and  Mr.  Adair  is  an  elder  in  the  same.  Mr.  Adair  also  is  a  Mason, 
affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  that  order  at  Xenia. 


JAMES  ELLIOTT  PAULLIN. 

James  Elliott  Paullin,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Ross  township  in  the 
spring  of  1888  and  whose  widow  is  now  living  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  was 
born  in  that  township  and  there  spent  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  a 
short  time  during  the  period  of  his  young  manhood,  when  he  was  attending 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  IO9 

college  in  Indiana.  He  was  born  on  December  25,  1846,  a  son  of  David  and 
Susan  (Smith)  Paullin,  who  were  married  on  December  6,  1827,  and  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  Ross  township. 

The  founders  of  the  Paullin  family  in  Greene  county  were  Uriah  and 
Rebeckah  Paullin,  natives  of  New  Jersey,  the  former  born  on  October  25, 
1765,  and  the  latter,  November  17,  1766,  who  were  married  on  April  13, 
1785,  and  who,  when  they  came  to  Greene  county  in  1807  had  seven  children, 
Jacob,  aged  nineteen  years ;  Mary,  seventeen ;  Joseph,  twelve ;  Enos,  ten ; 
Sarah,  eight;  Elizabeth,  four,  and  David,  an  infant  of  twelve  months.  One 
year  after  reaching  this  county  another  child,  Ruth,  was  born  and  four  years 
later,  Newcomb.  For  five  years  preceding  their  arrival  in  this  county  the 
Paullins  had  been  residents  of  Highland  county  and  during  the  five  years 
preceding  that  period  had  resided  at  Salt  Lick.  Uriah  Paullin  had  been 
offered  his  choice  of  two  tracts  of  land  of  one  thousand  acres  each,  for  one 
thousand  dollars,  one  near  Selma,  on  the  site  of  the  late  Robert  Tindall's 
estate,  and  the  other  in  Ross  township,  Greene  county.  He  chose  the  latter 
site  and  some  of  that  land  is  still  in  the  possession  of  his  descendants.  On 
that  place  he  and  his  wife  established  their  home  and  the  good  works  of 
"Granddaddy"  Paullin  are  still  matters  of  tradition  in  the  Jamestown  neigh- 
borhood, though  just  why  he  came  to  be  locally  known  as  "Granddaddy"  is 
not  so  apparent,  as  the  inscription  on  his  tombstone  shows  that  he  died  at  the 
age  of  forty-six  years  and  eleven  months.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
July  8,  1832,  she  then  being  seventy-two  years,  seven  months  and  twenty-one 
days  of  age,  according  to  the  inscription  on  her  tombstone.  The  descendants 
of  that  pioneer  pair  now  form  a  numerous  connection  in  Greene  county  and 
throughout  this  part  of  the  state.  As  noted  above,  David  Paullin  was  but  an 
infant  when  his  parents  came  to  this  county  and  he  was  but  six  or  seven  years 
of  age  when  his  father  died.  He  came  in  for  a  portion  of  his  father's  estate 
and  in  time  began  farming  on  his  own  account  in  that  same  township,  though 
he  had  sold  his  portion  of  the  land  to  his  brother  Newcomb.  After  his  mar- 
riage in  1827  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township  and  there 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 

James  Elliott  Paullin,  son  of  David  and  Susan,  grew  up  on  the  home 
farm  in  Ross  township  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood 
schools.  As  a  young  man  he  attended  college  in  Indiana,  but  presently  re- 
turned to  the  old  homestead  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1885 
established  his  home  there  and  there  spent  the  few  remaining  years  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  on  March  26,  1888.  He  was  a  Republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church  at  Jamestown. 

On  January  8,  1885,  in  Ross  township,  James  E.  Paullin  was  united  in 


no  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

marriage  to  Anna  Louisa  Cherry,  who  also  was  born  in  that  township,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Martha  (Saville)  Cherry,  the  former  of  whom, 
born  on  February  i6,  1816,  died  on  September  9,  1895,  and  the  latter,  born 
on  November  20,  181 5,  died  on  October  6,  1876.  William  Cherry  was  a  son 
of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Greenwood)  Cherry,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  May  12,  1789,  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Rachel 
(Wortman)  Cherry,  the  former  of  whom  came  from  Ireland  and  the  latter 
of  whom  was  of  Dutch  descent,  who  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  James, 
Green,  William,  Isaac  and  Margaret.  On  April  12,  181 5,  at  New  Castle,  in 
Rockbridge  county,-  Virginia,  James  Cherry  married  Elizabeth  Greenwood, 
who  was  born  on  April  25,  1796,  and  not  long  afterward  he  and  his  bride 
joined  a  party  coming  through  to  this  part  of  Ohio  and  rode  to  Greene 
county  horseback,  their  destination  being  the  David  Laughead  settlement  on 
Massies  creek.  In  that  neighborhood  James  Cherry  established  his  home 
and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  Hves.  his  death  oc- 
curring on  December  24,  1851,  and  hers.  May  14,  1883.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  William,  Mary  Ann,  Jane,  Rachel  Wortman, 
James  Laughead,  Robert  G.,  John,  Ben  Q.,  Andrew,  Isaac  N.  and  David  H. 
On  February  18,  1837,  William  Cherry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Saville  and  established  his  home  on  the  Darling  homestead  on  the  Jamestown 
and  Xenia  pike.  Alartha  Saville  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Ann  Saville, 
cousins,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  December  28,  1797.  and  died, 
March  22,  1857,  ^"^  the  latter,  born  on  June  30,  1792,  died  on  May  18, 
1872,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  Martha.  Joseph,  Margaret, 
Elizabeth,  Samuel  and  James  A.  To  \A^illiam  and  Martha  (Saville)  Cherry 
were  born  eleven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Paullin  was  the  last-born,  the  others 
being  Elizabeth  Ann,  James  A.,  Samuel  S..  Rachel  Euphemia.  John  W., 
Benjamin  F..  Martha  J.,  Robert  L.,  Melvina  M.  and  David  Brown. 

To  James  E.  and  Anna  Louisa  (Cherry)  Paullin  were  born  two  chil- 
dren, Lorena  D.  and  James  William,  both  of  whom  are  living,  still  making 
their  home  with  their  mother,  who  moved  from  the  home  farm  to  Xenia  in 
1 901.  Miss  Lorena  Paullin  was  graduated  from  a  business  college  at  Dayton 
and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  been  the  official  stenographer  in  the  Greene 
county  probate  court.  She  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Young 
Woman's  Christian  Association  at  Xenia.  James  W.  Paullin  completed  his 
schooling  in  the  Dayton  Business  College  and  for  the  past  six  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  office  of  the  wholesale  establishment  of  Eavey  &  Company 
at  Xenia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  Masons.  Mrs.  Paullin  and 
her  son  and  daughter  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Xenia. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  III 

CLARENCE  S.  FRAZER. 

Clarence  S.  Frazer,  proprietor  of  a  shoe  store  at  Xenia,  was  born  in 
Xenia,  on  July  ii,  1873,  son  of  Capt.  Andrew  S.  and  Jennie  (Mitchell) 
Frazer,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  in  Xenia,  well  past  eighty  years 
of  age,  and  of  whom  further  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  he 
having  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  he  was  twelve  years  of  age,  his 
father  having  moved  here  from  Brown  county  in  1848  and  established  him- 
self in  the  dry-goods  business  at  Cedarville. 

Capt.  Andrew  S.  Frazer,  as  reference  to  the  biographical  sketch  pre- 
sented under  his  name  elsewhere  in  this  volume  will  disclose,  is  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  War,  having  risen  from  the  ranks  to  the  command  of  Company  F, 
Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the  service  of  which 
he  enlisted  at  Cedarville  on  July  24,  x86i,  and  was  also  quartermaster  on 
the  staff  of  General  Piatt.  At  the  battle  of  Fayetteville  he  was  so  seriously 
wounded  that  his  recovery  was  a  matter  of  marvel  to  his  comrades,  and  in 
June,  1864,  at  Cincinnati,  he  was  miistered  out  on  account  of  disability. 
The  Captain  had  been  engaged  in  business  at  Cedarville  previous  to  his 
entrance  into  the  army,  but  upon  his  return  he  was  unable  for  two  or  three 
years  to  engage  in  active  pursuits  on  account  of  the  disability  from  which  he 
still  suffered  by  reason  of  his  wound.  In  1866  he  was  elected  auditor  of 
Greene  county  and  by  subsequent  re-elections  served  in  that  official  cajjacity 
for  about  eighteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  at  Xenia,  a'so  becoming  connected  with  various  other  bus- 
iness enterprises  there,  and  ?o  continued  for  many  years.  On  November  2, 
1870,  Captain  Frazer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jctmie  J'litchell,  of  Attica, 
Indiana,  who  died  in  October,  1885.  leaving  two  children,  the  subject  of 
this  biographical  sketch  having  a  sister,  Katie,  wife  of  William  A.  Cork, 
of  Toronto,  Canada,  and  the  mother  of  four  children,  Ruth.  John,  Helen 
I'razer  and  Stuart.  In  October,  1887,  the  Captain  married  Ruby  H.  Sexton, 
of  Rushville,  Indiana,  and  is  still  making  his  home  in  Xenia,  now  living 
practically  retired   from  active  business  pursuits. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  Clarence  S.  Frazer  received  his  early  schooling  there. 
After  two  years  in  the  Xenia  high  school  he  entered  DePauw  University  at 
Greencastle,  Indiana,  where  he  remained  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  in  1891,  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business.  A  3'ear  later,  in  1902,  he  decided  to  take  up  the  shoe  busi- 
ness and  with  that  end  in  view  became  a  clerk  in  a  local  shoe  store,  remain- 
ing thus  engaged  until  1899,  in  which  year  he  began  business  for  himself, 
opening  a  shoe  store  at  17  East  Main  street,  where  he  ever  since  has  been 
engaged  in  business.  Mr.  Frazer  is  a  member  of  the  Xenia  Business  Men's 
Club  and  for  the  past  three  years  or  more  has  been  treasurer  of  the  same. 


112  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  November  7,  19: i,  Clarence  S.  Frazer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Edith  Harsha,  of  Washington  Court  House,  county  seat  of  the  neighboring 
county  of  Fayette,  and  a  daughter  of  John  P.  and  Anna  (Beard)  Harsha, 
both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Knox  county  and  the 
latter  in  Highland  county,  who  were  married  in  1872  and  wno  are  now 
living  at  Washington  Court  House.  John  P.  Harsha  and  wife  are  the 
parents  of  three  daughters,  Mrs.  Frazer  having  two  sisters,  Ora,  wife  of 
J.  M.  Baker,  of  Washington  Court  House,  and  Jessie,  wife  of  Rex  Wells, 
of  Toledo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frazer  have  two  children,  Andrew  Harsha,  born 
on  March  3,  1914,  and  Janet,  December  30,  1915.  They  are  members  of 
the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  and  for  four  years  or  more  Mr.  Frazer 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same. 


FRANK  HENRY  McDONALD. 

Two  years  before  Ohio  was  admitted  to  statehood  and  among  the  very 
earliest  of  the  settlers  of  this  fair  section  of  the  beautiful  Miami  valley  which 
later  came  to  be  organized  as  Greene  county,  the  McDonald  family  had 
gained  a  foothold  here  and  ever  since  has  been  honorably  represented  in  this 
county.  It  was  in  the  year  1800  that  Isaiah  McDonald  and  his  wife  Edith 
settled  here,  taking  possession  of  what  later  came  to  be  known  as  the 
"Stone-Quarry  Farm,"  not  far  from  where  the  beautiful  city  of  Xenia  later 
sprang  up,  and  there  established  their  home.  One  of  their  grandsons,  Wil- 
fred McDonald,  in  June,  1831,  married  Martha  Lyon  and  made  his  home  on 
that  farm.  To  that  union  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  memorial  sketch  was  the  last-born.  Two  of  these  children  died  in  child- 
hood and  the  others  were  as  follows :  Hampton,  who  went  to  California  in 
the  days  of  his  young  manhood,  lived  there  for  fifty  years  and  died  while  on 
his  way  back  to  his  boyhood  home  in  this  county;  Emily,  who  married 
William  Rogers  and  spent  her  last  days  in  Xenia;  Columbus,  who  died  in 
California;  Willis,  a  farmer,  who  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  War  and  died  in  a  hospital  while  thus  serving  his  country's 
cause  ;•  America  Jane,  who  is  still  living  and  making  her  home  with  her 
sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Anna  E.  McDonald,  widow  of  the  late  Frank  Henry 
McDonald,  in  Xenia;  and  Melvin,  who  died  in  Montana. 

Frank  Henry  McDonald  was  born  on  the  old  "Stone-Quarry  Farm"  in 
Xenia  township  on  September  2,  1839,  and  was  there  reared  to  the  life  of 
a  farmer,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  was  living 
there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  August,  1862.  he  enlisted  as  a 
member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantry,  and  with  that  command  was  sent  to  Winchester,  the  regiment 


FRANK  H.  McDonald. 


.-*i^- 


«-4. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  II3 

being  attached  to  the  First  Brigade.  Second  Division,  Eighth  Corps,  Army 
of  the  Potomac;  later  being  detached  for  provost  guard  and  picket  duty  and 
later  assigned  to  the  Second  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Sixth  Army  Corps. 
Mr.  McDonald  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  was  present  at  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  Grand  Review  at  Washington  and  received  his  final  dis- 
charge at  Columbus  on  June  25,  1865.  During  this  period  of  service  he  took 
part  in  many  of  the  most  desperate  battles  and  engagements  of  the  war  and 
received  one  serious  wound,  a  shot  through  the  left  thigh,  which  sent  him 
to  the  hospital  for  some  time.  Among  the  battles  in  which  he  took  part 
were  those  at  Union  Mills,  Winchester,  Stevenson's  Depot,  Wapping 
Heights,  Brady  Station,  Mine  Run,  Locust  Grove,  the  Wilderness,  Spottsyl- 
vania,  Ny  River,  Cold  Harbor,  Petersburg,  Reams  Station,  Sailors  Creek 
and  Appomattox  Court  House,  besides  a  number  of  minor  engagements  and 
brushes  with  the  enemy. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  McDonald  returned 
home  and  resumed  farming  on  the  old  home  place  and  after  his  marriage  in 
1875  established  his  home  there  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  did 
well  in  his  operations  and  became  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-five 
acres  of  land,  continuing  actively  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  on  April  21,  1910.  Mr.  McDonald  was  a  Repub- 
lican, but  was  not  a  seeker  after  public  office.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Xenia  and  took  an 
earnest  interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  patriotic  organization.  He  also  was 
an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow,  and 
took  a  warm  interest  in  church  affairs. 

On  January  21,  1875,  in  Xenia  township,  Frank  Henry  McDonald  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Anna  E.  Heath,  who  was  bom  in  that  township,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  P.  and  Anna  (Hook)  Heath,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  the  former  bom  on  a  pio- 
neer farm  on  the  Wilmington  pike  and  the  latter,  on  the  old  Hook  home- 
stead place,  and  who  made  their  home  in  Xenia  township  all  their  lives. 
Mrs.  Anna  Heath  died  when  thirty-five  years  of  age.  Thomas  P.  Heath 
survived  his  wife  many  years,  living  to  the  age  of  seventy  years.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  McDonald  was  the  sixth  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Joseph,  deceased ;  Nelson,  de- 
ceased; Sarah,  who  married  Joseph  McDartiel  and  is  also  deceased;  Mary, 
who  married  Melvin  Davis  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  de- 
ceased; Charles,  who  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War  and  who  died  in  1864  while  serving  his  nation's  cause,  and  Cory- 
don,  who  is  still  living,  for  years  a  resident  of  Goshen.  Indiana. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  were  born  two  children,  Edith,  deceased, 

(7) 


114  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  Thomas  S.,  who  was  born  on  July  5.  1883,  and  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirty  years.  Thomas  S.  McDonald  received  his  schooling  in  the  home 
schools  and  at  Dayton  and  remained  at  home,  a  valued  assistant  to  his 
father  in  the  work  of  developing  and  improving  the  home  place,  until  his 
death.  He  was  one  of  the  most  promising  young  men  in  his  neighborhood 
and  his  early  passing  was  greatly  regretted  by  his  many  friends.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  For  some  time  after  her 
husband's  death  Mrs.  McDonald  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  old 
home  farm,  which  she  still  owns,  but  in  the  fall  of  1914  retired  from  the 
farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  she  is  now  living,  very  pleasantly  situated 
at  138  West  Third  street. 


JOSEPH  FRANKLIN   ANDERSON. 

Joseph  Franklin  Anderson,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  town- 
ship, now  living  retired  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township, 
November  23,  1856,  son  of  Joseph  and  Matilda  (Stanfield)  Anderson,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township,  members  of  pioneer  families, 
and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there. 

Joseph  Anderson  was  a  son  of  James  Anderson  and  wife,  who  were 
among  the  numerous  North  Carolinians  who  came  over  into  this  part  of 
Ohio  in  pioneer  days  and  settled  in  Greene  county,  they  making  their  home 
in  Spring  Valley  township.  On  the  pioneer  farm  which  his  father  devel- 
oped, Joseph  Anderson  grew  to  manhood  and  after  his  marriage  to  Matilda 
Stanfield  continued  to  make  his  home  there,  he  and  his  wife  spending  the 
rest  of  their  lives  there.  He  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Maple  Corner  Refonned  church  on  Caesars  creek.  They  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  ten  grew  to  maturity,  namely: 
James,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  moved  to  Indiana  and  then  to  Okla- 
homa, in  which  latter  state  his  last  days  were  spent;  Abijah,  who  was  a 
farmer  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  who  died  in  1907;  Felix,  who  is  a 
farmer  in  Delaware  county,  Indiana;  Milo,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  in 
Xenia:  Anna,  who  is  unmarried  and  who  also  lives  in  Xenia;  Joseph  F.,  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Mary  Jane,  who  is  unmarried  and  \vho 
is  living  in  Xenia:  Lewis  and  David,  twins,  the  latter  of  whom  is  deceased 
and  the  former  of  whom  is  a  retired  farmer,  living  in  Xenia,  and  Ruth 
Catherine,  wife  of  George  Heglar,  of  Spring  Valley  township. 

Joseph  F.  Anderson  received  his  scliooling  in  the  scliools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  remained  at  home 
until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  when  he  began   farm- 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  II5 

ing  on  his  own  account  and  for  two  years  was  tluis  engaged  in  Caesarscreek 
township.  He  then  moved  down  into  CHnton  county  and  was  engaged  in 
farming  there  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  this 
county  and  for  six  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  tanning  on  a  rented 
farm  in  Spring  Valley  township.  He  then  bought  one  hundred  acres,  a  part 
of  his  grandfather's  old  farm,  established  his  home  there  and  continued 
farming  there  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  February.  191 1,  when 
he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Xenia,  where  they  have  since  resided,  located  at 
680  South  Detroit  street.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views.  For  years,  in  addition  to  his  farming  operations,  he  gave  consid- 
erable attention  to  carpentering  and  numerous  houses  in  and  about  the 
neighborhood  of  his  old  home  were  erected  by  him. 

In  1883,  Joseph  F.  Anderson  was  united  in  marriage  to  .\manda  C. 
Peterson,  who  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  daughter  of  Archibald  and  Mary 
C.  (McNair)  Peterson,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  state,  the  former 
in  Clinton  county  and  the  latter  in  Greene  county,  and  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  Clinton  county.  Archibald  Peterson  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Han- 
nah Peterson,  who  had  come  over  into  this  part  of  Ohio  from  Virginia  and 
settled  at  Anderson  Forks,  in  Clinton  county,  where  they  got  land  and 
established  a  home.  Jacob  Peterson  and  his  wife  wer-e  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  nine  grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Abel,  who  for  some 
years  farmed  in  Clinton  county  and  then  became  a  resident  of  Greene 
county;  Aaron,  who  lived  in  Indiana  and  in  Iowa,  spending  his  last  days  in 
the  latter  state;  Jesse,  who  became  a  resident  of  Greene  county;  Archibald, 
father  of  Mrs.  Anderson;  Jacob,  who  made  his  home  in  Clinton  county; 
Abraham,  who  also  made  his  home  in  Clinton  county ;  Betsy  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried John  Nash  and  became  a  resident  of  Logan  county,  this  state;  Amy, 
,  who  married  J.  Bush  and  became  a  resident  of  Highland  county,  this  state, 
and  Hannah,  who  married  George  H.  Moore  and  went  to  Iowa,  where  her 
last  days  were  spent.  To  Archibald  Peterson  and  wife  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Anderson  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  William  A.,  who  died  in  Alabama;  Edwin,  a  car- 
penter, who  died  at  Wilmington,  this  state;  Ida,  who  married  Frank  Ell-s^ 
and  moved  to  California;  Lizzie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years; 
Horace,  who  died  in  infancy :  Florence,  wife  of  Frank  Tristoe,  of  Xenia,  a 
railway  mail  clerk ;  Darius,  who  was  a  glassblower  and  who  died  in  Indiana ; 
Delia,  wife  of  Calvin  Hansel,  a  blacksmith,  of  Lumberton,  this  state;  and 
Myrtle,  wife  of  John  Routsong,  of  Xenia. 

To  Joseph  F.  and  Amanda  C.  (Peterson)  .Anderson  have  been  born 
two  daughters,  Bessie  and  Cora,  who  completed  their  schooling  in  the  Xenia 
high  school,  from  which  the  latter  was  graduated  in   1905.     Bessie  .\nder- 


Il6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

son  married  Joseph  Hoyt,  now  living  in  Greene  county,  Iowa,  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Raymond.  Cora  Anderson  married  George  Boots,  a  fanner, 
of  Jasper  township,  this  county,  and  has  three  children,  Leonard  A.,  Frank- 
lin H.  and  Charlotte  M.  ^Irs.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 


REV.  JAMES  E.  OUINN. 

The  Rev.  James  E.  Ouinn,  pastor  of  St.  Brigid's  Catholic  church  at 
Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He 
■was  born  at  Aliddletown.  son  of  John  and  Anna  Ouinn,  the  former  of  whom 
is  still  living  at  Aliddletown  and  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  that  city  on  March 
19,  1916.  Both  John  Ouinn  and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Ireland,  the 
former  born  in  County  Galway  and  the  latter  in  County  ]\Iayo. 

Reared  at  Middletown,  James  E.  Ouinn  received  his  early  schooling  in 
the  Catholic  parochial  schools  of  that  place  and  early  devoted  his  life  to 
the  service  of  the  church.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  local  schools 
he  entered  St.  Xavier's  College  at  Cincinnati  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1899,  later  entering  Mt.  St.  Mar}''s  Seminary  at  Cincinnati, 
where  he  completed  his  theological  course  in  1904.  On  June  15,  1904, 
Father  Ouinn  was  ordained  to  holy  orders  and  was  assigned  as  assistant 
pastor  of  St.  Raphael's  church  at  Springfield,  a  relation  which  he  main- 
tained for  six  years  and  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  made 
pastor  in  charge  of  the  church  at  Eaton,  in  Preble  county,  where  he  filled  in 
an  interim  period  of  four  months.  He  then  was  appointed  pastor  of  St. 
Vincent  de  Paul  church  at  Cincinnati  and  continued  in  that  relation  for  two 
years  and  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  March  19,  1913,  he  was 
appointed  to  his  present  station,  pastor  in  charge  of  St.  Brigid's  parish  at 
Xenia.  and  has  ever  since  maintained  that  relation.  When  Father  Quinn 
took  charge  of  St.  Brigid's  the  parochial  school  adjoining  the  church,  on 
West  street,  was  in  process  of  erection  and  the  task  of  completing  the  same 
devolved  upon  him,  the  work  being  completed  and  the  handsome  building 
dedicated  to  parish  purposes  in  January,   1914. 

During  the  period  of  his  ministry  in  Xenia,  Father  Ouinn  has  made 
many  friends  hereabout  and  has  been  able  to  do  an  excellent  work  in  the  way 
of  extending  the  influence  of  his  parish.  He  came  to  the  parish  at  a  some- 
what difficult  time,  but  it  was  not  long  until  his  kindly  spirit  and  earnest 
manner  had  adjusted  whatever  difficulties  the  parish  had  been  facing  and 
progress  along  all  lines  of  parish  work  has  since  then  been  marked  and 
effective.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that  Father  Quinn  desires  no  applause 
for  the  labor  he  has  performed :  that  no  self-gratulation  awaits  upon  his  acts. 


REV.  JAMES  E.  QUINN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  11/ 

that  nothing  pains  him  more  than  the  language  of  praise  and  that  he  pre- 
fers to  do  the  work  of  his  Master  unobserved.  It  is  but  proper  to  say,  how- 
ever, that  the  earnest  young  clergyman  is  a  man  of  education  and  judgment, 
whose  opinions  have  come  to  carry  weight  in  his  parish  and  that  underneath 
his  quiet,  unassuming  manner  there  is  a  very  warm  friendliness  to  all,  his 
gentle  demeanor  commanding  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  In  the  historical  section  of  this  work,  in  the  chapter 
relating  to  the  churches  of  Greene  county,  there  is  set  out  at  length  a  com- 
prehensive review  of  the  history  of  St.  Brigid's  church  and  parish  and 
the  reader's  attention  is  respectfully  invited  to  the  same  in  this  connection. 


P.  H.  FLYNN. 


P.  H.  Flynn,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Xenia  Shoe  Manu- 
facturing Company,  is  a  native  of  the  Old  Bay  State,  born  at  Spencer,  in 
Worcester  county.  Massachusetts,  in  1861,  son  of  Richard  and  Catherine 
(Day)  Flynn,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  where  they  spent 
all  their  lives,  the  latter  dying  there  in  1902,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years, 
her  passing  having  been  the  first  break  by  death  in  her  immediate  family 
for  fifty-one  years.  The  Flynns  are  an  old  family  in  Massachusetts,  the 
progenitor  of  this  branch  of  the  family  having  located  there  upon  coming  to 
this  country  from  the  Emerald  Isle  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century ;  and  until  the  present  generation  the  family  had  remained  cen- 
tered in  Massachusetts,  mainly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  but  is 
now  pretty  well  scattered  over  the  country. 

Richard  Flynn  was  a  son  of  Richard  and  JMary  Flynn,  landowners, 
who  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  On  of  these  sons,  Capt.  James  Flynn, 
raised  a  company  in  Boston  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during 
the  Ci\il  War  and  served  at  the  head  of  that  company.  Another  son, 
John  Flynn,  served  as  a  private  in  another  regiment.  The  junior  Rich- 
ard Flynn  volunteered  for  service,  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  a  min- 
or physical  disability.  He  became  a  shoe  manufacturer  in  his  home 
to\vn  of  Spencer  and  was  superintendent  of  a  big  shoe  factory  there 
during  the  active  period  of  his  life.  There  he  spent  his  last  davs,  his 
death  occurring  in  1904,  he  then  being  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  As 
noted  above,  his  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  al)out  two  years. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Catherine  Day,  the  former  of  whom 
came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  following  his  graduation  from  the 
University  of  Dublin  and  became  engaged  as  a  school  teacher  in  Wor- 
chester  county,  Massachusetts,  continuing  thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his 


Il8  GREEXE    COUNTYj    OHIO 

active  life.  Prof.  Edward  Day  and  wife  had  six  children,  three  sons  and 
three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  save  one  of  the  daughters, 
Mrs.  Mary  Madden,  a  widow,  now  a  resident  of  San  Francisco,  Califor- 
nia. One  of  the  sons,  Edward  Day,  served  as  a  lieutenant  of  cavalry  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War. 

To  Richard  and  Catherine  (Day)  Flynn  were  born  seven  children, 
of  whom  P.  H.  Flvnn  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
Edward,  who  became  a  resident  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  who  at 
one  time  was  the  manager  of  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  of 
New  York.  James,  who  is  the  superintendent  of  the  factory  of  the  Belle- 
ville Shoe  Company,  at  Belleville,  Illinois ;  Thomas,  who  organized  the 
Independent  Packing  Company  at  St.  Louis  and  has  been  living  retired 
since  1914;  Mary,  wife  of  Jerome  Hines,  of  Spencer,  Massachusetts;  Cath- 
erine, W'ife  of  Peter  Cunningham,  an  officer  of  the  Warren  Steam  Pump 
Company,  at  Warren,  Massachusetts,  and  Elizabeth,  whd  is  now  living 
at  Ashbury,  ^s'ew  Hampshire,  widow  of  Thomas  Ash,  who  was  superin- 
tendent of  a  shoe  factory. 

Reared  at  Spencer,  Massachusetts,  P.  H.  Flynn  received  his  early  school- 
ing there  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  Poughkeepsie  Busi- 
ness College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  From  the  time  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age  he  had  been  given  instructions  in  the  practical  details  of 
the  manufacture  of  shoes,  under  his  father's  direction,  and  rounded  out 
his  early  knowledge  of  the  craftmanship  of  shoe-making  in  the  factory 
of  Isaac  Prouty  &  Company,  and  was  with  that  concern  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  when,  in  1882,  he  became  employed  as  fore- 
man of  the  cutting  room  in  the  shoe  factory  of  the  Ide  &  Wilson  Com- 
pany, wholesale  dealers  in  and  manufacturers  of  shoes  at  Columbus, 
Ohio.  A  year  later  that  concern  consolidated  with  the  Columbus  Boot 
and  Shoe  Company,  which  w-as  filling  its  contracts  with  the  aid  of  con- 
vict labor  at  the  Ohio  state  penitentiary.  Mr.  Flynn  declined  to  follow 
the  company's  operations  into  the  prison,  as  a  foreman  over  convicts, 
and  the  company  made  him  its  tra\eling  sales  representative,  his  ter- 
ritory covering  the  Southern  states,  and  he  was  thus  engaged  for  two 
years,  or  until  in  1885,  when  he  transferred  his  services  to  A\'.  F.  Thorne 
&  Company,  shoe  jobbers  in  Cincinnati,  and  was  given  charge  of  the  out- 
put of  that  concern's  factory,  a  position  he  occupied  for  two  years.  It 
was  during  this  latter  period  that  Mr.  Flynn  became  interested  in  a 
proposition  which  promised  to  land  him  on  the  high  tide  of  wealtli ; 
but  which,  like  many  another  "boom"  proposition,  led  to  disappoint- 
ment. While  traveling  through  Tennessee  he  had  gained  some  con- 
fidential   information   regarding   the   great   developments    that   at   that   time 


I 

L 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I IQ 

were  being  promised  for  the  town  of  Decatur,  Alabama,  and  before  tlie 
ill-fated  "boom"  in  values  at  that  point  had  started  he  made  some  land 
investments  there  and  thus  got  in  "on  the  ground  floor."  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Decatur  Land  and  Improvement  Company  Mr.  Flynn, 
who  was  the  chief  promoter,  was  elected  general  manager  of  tiie  same 
and  so  continued  to  the  end,  at  the  same  time  having  a  hand  in  numer- 
ous other  enterprises  projected  there,  and  felt  confidently  assured  of  be- 
ing possessed  of  a  good  thing ;  everything  looking  exceedingly  well  when 
yellow  fever  broke  out  in  the  town  and  the  "boom"  bursted  practically 
over  night.  At  that  inauspicious  time  Mr.  Flynn  was  at  Crab  Orchard 
Springs,  Kentucky,  recovering  from  a  severe  attack  of  malarial  fever 
and  when  he  returned  to  Decatur  after  an  absence  of  five  months  he 
found  the  place  nearly  depopulated,  his  former  business  associates  prac- 
tically bankrupt  and  the  town's  doom  sealed.  He  stuck  it  out  for  an- 
other year  and  then  returned  to  Cincinnati,  convinced  that  Decatur 
values  had  vanished  never  to  return. 

In  1890  Mr.  Flynn  became  connected  with  the  Xenia  Shoe  Manufactur- 
ing Company  as  that  concern's  sales  representative  in  Southern  territory  and 
a  year  later  bought  a  considerable  block  of  stock  in  the  company  and  was 
elected  president  and  general  manager  of  the  company,  a  position  he  ever 
since  has  occupied.  Mr.  Flynn  has  not  confined  himself  wholly  to  his  exten- 
sive manufacturing  interests  since  taking  up  his  residence  in  Xenia  in  1890. 
It  was  he  who  organized  the  Xenia  Gas  and  Electric  Company  and  for  five 
years  he  operated  the  same,  as  president  of  the  company.  He  then  sold 
the  plant  to  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company,  which  has  since  been 
operating  it.  In  1907  Mr.  Flynn  began  to  pay  considerable  attention  to 
agricultural  pursuits  and  since  then  he  has  built  up  an  extensive  dairy  on 
his  farm  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  at  Trebeins,  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, a  few  miles  northwest  of  Xenia,  During  the  summers  Mr.  Flynn  and 
his  family  reside  there,  occupying  their  city  residence  at  the  corner  of  Church 
and  North  Detroit  streets  in  Xenia  during  the  winters.  Mr.  Flynn's  eldest 
son,  Frederick  T.  Flynn,  who  i«  completing  a  course  in  scientific  agricul- 
ture at  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  is  now  managing  the  dairy  farm.  Mr. 
Flynn  is  a  Republican  and  for  four  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia 
school  board.  He  helped  to  organize  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  ■ 
Xenia  Business  Men's  Club.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Xenia. 

On  June  20,  1894,  about  four  years  after  taking  up  his  residence  at 
Xenia,  P.  H.  Flynn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  T.  Trebein,  who 
was  born  at  Trebeins  Station,  this  county,  daughter  of  Frederick  C.  and  Joan 
(Ankeney)  Trebein,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  this  state,  the  former  at 
Dayton  and  the  latter  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Ankeney  and 


I20  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

wife,  members  of  old  families  hereabout  and  fitting  reference  to  whom  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Frederick  Christian  Trebein,  father  of  Mrs.  Flynn,  was  born  at  Day- 
ton, this  state,  October  24,  1833,  last-born  of  the  two  children  bom  to  his 
parents,  William  and  Christina  Trebein,  who  had  not  long  before  that  date 
come  to  this  country  from  Germany  and  settled  in  Dayton,  their  other  child 
having  been  a  davighter,  Mary,  bom  in  Germany,  Frederick  C.  Trebein  grew 
to  manhood  in  Dayton,  rising  from  chore-boy  in  a  store  to  a  partnership  in 
the  business,  and  later  owned  and  conducted  a  dry-goods  store  on  Third  street 
in  Dayton.  Failing  health  determined  him  to  leave  the  store  and  in  1868 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  Dayton  and  came  over  into  Greene  county 
and  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  the  point  later  and  ever  since  known  as 
Trebeins,  or  Trebeins  Station,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  there  on  June  4,  1900.  In  addition  to  his  milling  business  Mr. 
Trebein  also  possessed  considerable  property  in  Xenia  and  was  identified 
with  several  of  that  city's  industries.  It  was  a  year  or  more  after  his  loca- 
tion in  this  county  that  Frederick  C.  Trebein  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Joan  Ankeney,  the  marriage  taking  place  on  November  16,  1869,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Flynn  having  a  sister.  Bertha  E.,  who 
continued  to  make  her  home  with  her  mother  after  her  father's  death,  the 
two  moving  to  Xenia  and  establishing  their  home  at  125  Detroit  street. 
Elizabeth  T.  Trebein  completed  the  course  in  the  Beavercreek  grade  schools 
and  then  took  a  course  of  preparatory  work  at  Cooper  Institute,  Dayton, 
and  then  spent  two  years  at  Bartholomew's  private  Female  Seminary,  thence 
to  Antioch  College,  after  which  she  entered  Wellesley  College,  in  Boston, 
from  which  institution  she  was  graduated  in  1893,  the  year  before  her  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Flynn.  In  her  senior  year  at  Wellesley  Mrs.  Flynn  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Eta  Alpha  Society,  one  of  the  highest  distinctions  that  can  come 
to  a  member  of  the  student  body  of  that  institution. 

To  P.  H.  and  Elizabeth  T.  (Trebein)  Flynn  have  been  born  six  children, 
namely:  Frederick  T.,  mentioned  above,  bom  in  1896  and  who  is  now 
managing  his  father's  dairy  farm;  Marjorie  E.,  who  was  graduated  from  the 
Xenia  high  school  and  is  now  in  her  second  year  in  Wellesley  College :  Doris, 
who  is  now  attending  preparatory  school  at  Science  Hill,  Shelbyville,  Ken- 
tucky, with  a  view  to  entering  Wellesley;  Henry,  born  in  1903,  who  is  now  a 
student  in  the  Xenia  high  school;  Edward,  1909,  and  Elizabeth,  1913. 


WILLIAM  McClelland. 

The  late  William  McClelland,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  former  land 
appraiser,  for  years  an  elder  in  the  Second  L^nited  Presbyterian  church  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  121 

Xenia  and  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Greene  County 
Agricultural  Association,  was  a  native  of  Greene  county  and  all  his  life  was 
spent  here.  He  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  Jan- 
uary 3,  1825,  a  son  of  Capt.  Robert  and  Martha  (McConnell)  McClelland, 
pioneers  of  the  Sugar  Creek  neighborhood,  about  four  miles  wesr  of  Xenia. 
Capt.  Robert  McClelland  was  a  son  of  a  soldier  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
and  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  born  at  the  forks  of  the  Yough, 
In  1802,  the  year  before  Greene  county  was  definitely  organized  as  a  county, 
he  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  on  Sugar  creek,  about  four 
miles  west  of  where  Xenia,  the  county  seat,  later  was  established.  There  he 
established  his  home  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  oc- 
curing  there  in  1847.  Captain  McClelland  was  commissioned  commander  of 
a  company  for  service  under  General  Harrison  during  the  Black  Hawk  war 
and  was  also  in  command  of  a  company  during  the  War  of  1812,  at  one  time 
during  that  period  of  service  being  in  command  of  Ft.  McArthur.  in  what 
is  now  Hardin  county,  this  state.  Upon  the  completion  of  that  term  of 
serA'ice  Captain  McClelland  was  ordered  to  report  to  St.  Mary's,  where  he 
was  stationed  for  a  time.  Captain  McClelland  was  a  stern  defender  of  the 
faith  of  the  Scotch  Seceders,  the  communion  which  later  came  to  be  merged 
into  what  for  many  years  has  been  known  as  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
and  for  years  served  as  an  elder  of  the  pioneer  church.  He  was  twice  mar- 
ried and  was  the  father  of  twenty-four  children,  each  of  his  wives  having 
borne  him  twelve  children. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  William  McClelland  grew 
up  a  farmer.  He  was  but  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
thereafter  the  responsibility  of  management  of  the  farm  was  assumed  by 
him.  During  the  Civil  War  he  became  a  member  of  the  organization  known 
as  the  "Scjuirrel  Hunters"  and  later  enlisted  for  service  as  a  member  of 
Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  with  the  same  until  his  honorable  discharge.  Upon 
the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  he  became  affiliated  with  the  same 
and  in  1890  was  appointed  land  appraiser  of  his  home  township,  which  he 
also  had  served  in  the  capacity  of  supervisor,  and  he  also  served  for  some 
time  as  director  of  schools  in  his  local  district.  Mr.  McClelland  was  for 
eight  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Greene  County  Agri- 
cultural Association,  but  when  the  race-track  privileges  began  to  include 
concessions  to  the  gambling  element  he  withdrew  from  the  association,  de- 
clining to  sanction  by  his  presence  on  the  board  any  such  method  of  stim- 
ulating the  "sport  of  kings,"  although  himself  a  great  lover  of  good  horses 
and  an  admirer  of  an  honest  contest  in  the  speed  ring.  He  was  for  thirty 
years  a  member  of  the  session  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at 


122  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO       . 

Xenia,  for  years  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school  of  the  same  and  also 
for  years  conducted  a  class  in  the  Sabbath  school.  He  died  on  March  lo, 
1910,  then  being  in  the  seventy-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

The  late  \Villiam  McClelland  was  twice  married.  In  1846,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  years,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jane  \\'att,  of  Beaver- 
creek  township,  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
that  neighborhood,  and  who  died  on  March  30,  1883,  without  issue.  On 
July  3,  1883,  Mr.  McCIelTand  married  Hannah  M.  Naughton,  of  Xenia,  who 
survives  him  and  who  is  making  her  home  at  Xenia.  Mrs.  McClelland  also 
is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Hamilton  county,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(Welch)  Naughton,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland.  Bereaved  of  her 
mother  when  but  a  child,  Mrs.  McClelland  was  reared  in  the  household  of 
David  Brown,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  Jamestown  neighborhood  in 
this  count)'  and  her  schooling  was  received  here.  Mrs.  McClelland  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  is  an  active 
member  of  Woman's  Relief  Corps  N^o.  29,  of  Xenia,  her  late  husband  hav- 
ing also  been  an  active  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 


JOHN  S.  BALES. 


John  S.  Bales,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  now  living 
retired  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper 
township,  this  county,  April  6,  1840,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Dorothy  fHick- 
man)  Bales,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  county,  whose  last 
days  were  spent  on  their  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township. 

Jacob  Bales  was  born  in  this  county,  son  of  Elisha  Bales  and  wife,  who 
came  over  here  from  Virginia  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Greene 
county  and  established  their  home  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper  township, 
wiiere  Elisha  Bales  eventually  became  the  owner  of  one  thousand  acres  of 
land.  He  started  in  there  living  in  a  log  cabin,  but  afterward  had  a  fine 
home.  He  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  there.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  Jacob  being  the  third  in  order  of  birth.  Of  the  other  sons, 
Jonathan  Bales  became  a  £armer  in  Caesarscreek  township;  John,  a  farmer 
in  New  Jasper  township,  and  Elisha,  a  farmer  in  New  Jasper  township. 
Jacob  Bales  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  was  given 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  acres  of  the  home  place  and  on  that 
tract  established  his  home,  he  and  his  wife  spending  the  rest  of  their  lives 
there.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last  born  and  is  now  the  only  survivor. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I23 

the  Others  having  been  the  following:  Cyrus,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Dela- 
ware county,  Indiana :  James,  a  farmer  in  that  same  county ;  Sarah,  who 
married  John  Jones,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county ; 
Rebecca,  who  married  John  Beal  and  lived  in  Indiana;  Elizabetli,  who  mar- 
ried Adam  Shirk  and  also  lived  in  Indiana;  Lewis,  who  was  a  farmer  in 
New  Jasper  township,  this  county;  Laban,  also  a  farmer  in  New  Jasper 
township ;  Amanda,  wife  of  William  C.  Spahr,  of  New  Jasper  township,  and 
Dorothy,  wife  of  James  C.  Harness,  of  that  same  township. 

John  S.  Bales  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  lived  there  until  his 
marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  when  he  started  farming  for  him- 
self, buying  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  partly-improved  land  in  New  Jasper 
township.  He  there  made  his  home  for  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  acres  three  miles  south- 
east of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township,  and  there  made  his  home  until  his  retire- 
ment from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia  in  1904,  since  which  time  he  has 
made  his  home  in  the  city.  He  sold  his  farm  in  1917'.  He  is  a  Democrat, 
but  has  not  been  included  in  the  office-seeking  class. 

Mr.  Bales  has  been  thrice  married.  When  twenty-three  years  of  age 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine  Spahr,  who  also  was  born  in  New 
Jasper  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Smith) 
Spahr,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children :  Oscar  Elliott  Bales,  who 
married  Frances  Dillingham  and  for  the  past  twenty-fi\'e  years  has  been  en- 
gaged as  a  locomotive  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  making  his 
home  in  Xenia,  where  his  wife  was  for  some  time  hostess  of  the  Frances 
Inn  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Alice 
Lucretia,  who  married  Daniel  D.  Beckett  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
and  William  Franklin  Bales,  a  farmer,  who  married  Nora  J.  Beal  and  was 
killed  by  a  horse  in  191.^.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1868  and 
in  May,  1869,  Mr.  Bales  married  Amanda  Jane  Brickel,  also  of  New  Jasper 
township,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Brickel,  who  came  to  tliis  county 
from  Virginia  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Jamestown,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  five  children,  namely :  Mary  Jeanette,  wife  of  Isaac  F. 
Stewart,  of  Bowersville.  this  county ;  Henry  Harrison,  who  married  Georgia 
Hook  and  is  farming  in  Xenia  township;  Charles  L.,  who  is  now  clerking 
in  a  hardware  store  in  Xenia;  Dallas  E..  who  was  an  engineer  on  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad  and  who  met  his  death  in  a  railway  accident  at  Richmond, 
Indiana,  in  1910,  and  Grover  Cleveland,  who  married  Anna  Fee  and  is  now 
engaged  at  truck  farming  in  Xenia.  The  mother  of  these  latter  children 
died  in  1905  and  in  April,  1908,  Mr.  Bales  married  Mrs.  Emma  Jane  John- 
son, widow  of  Charles  Johnson,  a  Greene  county  fanner,  who  died  in  1883. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bales  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


124  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

RANKIN  R.  GRIEVE. 

Rankin  R.  Grieve,  former  sheriff  of  Greene  county,  former  county 
treasurer,  former  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  formerly  and  for  many 
years  secretary  of  the  Greene  County  Fair  Board  and  at  present  and  for 
years  past  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  combining  the  same  with  that 
of  auctioneering,  and  who,  by  common  consent,  is  declared  to  be  the  best- 
known  man  in  Greene  county,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county  and  has  lived 
here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township  on  Novem- 
ber 14,  1858,  son  of  Robert  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Crawford)  Grieve,  the  former 
of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  Ireland,  and  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased,  the  latter  having  died  in  1888  and  the  former  in 
1905. 

Robert  S.  Grieve  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  within  two  miles  of  the 
city  of  Xenia  on  July  2^,  1831,  a  son  of  Archibald  and  Agnes  (Stephenson) 
Grieve,  natives  of  Scotland,  the  former  born  in  Selkirk  in  1775  and  the 
latter,  in  Roxboroughshire,  who  became  residents  of  Ohio  in  1814  and  here 
spent  their  last  days.  Archibald  Grieve  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
Scotland  ^nA  on  March  11,  181 1,  was  there  united  in  marriage  to  Agnes 
Stephenson,  daughter  of  John  and  Isabella  Stephenson.  A  year  later,  in 
1812,  he  and  his  wife  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  at  the  port  of 
New  York,  and  in  1814  left  that  city  and  came  to  Ohio,  presently  settling 
in  this  county  and  buying  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  in  the  vicinity  of 
Xenia,  where  they  established  their  home  and  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  old  Seceder  (Associate  Presby- 
terian) church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  They  were  nine 
of  these  children,  of  whom  five  lived  to  rear  families  of  their  own,  hence 
the  Grieve  connection  in  this  generation  is  a  no  inconsiderable  one  hereabout. 

Of  the  children  of  the  pioneer  Archibald  Grieve  here  referred  to,  Robert 
S.  Grieve  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  of  his  neighborhood 
and  from  boyhood  was-  a  helpful  factor  on  the  home  farm,  in  due  time 
taking  up  farming  on  his  own  account,  and  in  1867  bought  a  farm  upon 
which  he  long  resided,  a  tract  of  sixty  acres,  and  later  bought  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  acres  additional  on  the  line  between  Xenia  and  New  Jasper 
townsiiips,  and  continued  actively  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement, 
about  1899  '1''"^  removal  to  Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his  death 
occurring  there  in  1905,  he  then  being  seventy-four  years  of  age.  Robert 
S.  Grieve  was  twice  married.  In  1856  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza- 
beth Crawford,  daughter  of  Robert  Crawford,  of  Xenia,  and  who  died  in 
1888,  leaving  three  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest,  ha\ing 
two  brothers,  Archibald  Grieve,  who  lives  on  the  old  home  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township,  and  John,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  Xenia.     In  1892  Mr. 


RANKIN  R.  GRIEVE. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I25 

Grieve  married  Johanna  Kyle,  who  died  in  1895.  He  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Rankin  R.  Grieve  received  his  early  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a 
course  in  Smith  Seminary  at  Xenia,  meantime  taking  an  active  part  in  the 
labors  of  the  home  farm,  and  remained  there  until  1892,  in  which  year  he 
was  appointed  deputy  sherifY  of  Greene  county  and  made  his  headquarters 
at  Xenia,  where,  after  his  marriage  two  years  later,  he  established  his  home. 
In  1894  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and  in  1896  was  re-elected  to 
that  ofhce,  serving  until  1899.  Upon  the  completion  of  this  term  of  service 
Mr.  Grieve  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Xenia  and  later  was  ap- 
pointed station  and  express  agent  for  the  Dayton,  Xenia  &  Springfield  Trac- 
tion Company  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  election  in  1908  to  the  office 
of  county  treasurer.  In  1910  he  was  re-elected  to  that  office  and  thus 
served  in  the  treasurer's  office  until  1913,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  at  Xenia,  with  present  offices  in  the  Allen 
building.  As  long  ago  as  1905  i\'Ir.  Grieve  entered  the  ranks  of  auctioneers 
and  his  services  have  been  in  wide  demand  as  a  crier  of  public  sales  and  real- 
estate  sales  throughout  this  part  of  the  state.  For  many  years  Mr.  Grieve 
was  secretary  of  the  Greene  County  Fair  Board  and  in  this  capacity  acquired 
a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  the  county,  an  acquaintance  which  has  been 
enlarged  by  his  long  connection  with  the  court  house  and  his  wide  experi- 
ence as  a  crier  of  sales,  until  it  now  is  generally  agreed  that  no  man  in 
Greene  county  has  a  wider  acquaintance  than  he.  In  addition  to  his  other 
business  connections  Mr.  Grieve  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Commercial  and  Savings  Bank  Company  of  Xenia  and  formerly  served 
as  treasurer  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  as  treasurer  of  the  city  school  board. 
He  is  an  active  Republican,  for  sexeral  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
Republican  county  committee  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  conventions  innu- 
merable. For  some  time  after  taking  up  his  residence  in  Xenia  Mr.  Grieve 
made  his  home  at  the  corner  of  West  Main  and  Galloway  streets,  where  he 
built  a  house,  but  later  sold  that  place  and  bought  his  present  residence  at 
107  West  Market  street. 

On  October  11,  1894,  at  Xenia,  Rankin  R.  Grieve  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Bertha  J.  Richter,  who  was  born  at  Cincinnati.  Mrs.  Grieve's 
father  died  when  she  was  a  child  and  her  mother  later  married  Gustav  Sea- 
mon  and  when  her  daughter  was  about  eight  years  of  age  moved  from  Cin- 
cinnati to  Xenia,  where  Mr.  Seamon  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  busi- 
ness and  where  he  is  still  living,  since  the  deith  of  his  wife,  making  his  home 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grieve.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grieve  are  members  of  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Grieve  has  been  for  many  years  treas- 
urer of  the  church  organization. 


126  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

WILLIAM  H.  FINLEY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  William  H.  Finley,  of  Xenia,  physician  and  surgeon,  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  this  county,  February  2,  1857,  a  son  of  Robert 
and  Emma  (Channon)  Finley,  both  of  whom  was  of  European  birth,  the 
former  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  England,  who  came  to  this 
country  not  long  after  their  marriage  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  settling 
in  Greene  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Robert  Finley  was  born  in  County  Fermanagh,  Ireland,  and  there  grew 
to  manhood  and  married  Emma  Channon,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Lan- 
cashire, England,  but  who  had  gone  to  Ireland  to  serve  as  a  governess.  After 
a  daughter  had  been  born  to  this  union  Robert  Finley  emigrated  with  his 
family  to  the  United  States,  Ohio  being  his  destination,  and  settled  in  the 
Lamb  neighborhood  in  Sugarcreek  township,  this  county,  where  he  estab- 
lished his  home  along  the  banks  of  the  Little  ^liami  and  was  living  there 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
cause  of  his  adopted  country  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company 
E,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  commis- 
sioned captain  of  the  same  before  the  close  of  the  war.  Captain  Finley  was 
a  stonemason  and  contractor  and  followed  that  vocation  after  coming  to 
Greene  county.  In  1879  he  moved  from  his  place  along  the  river  to  the 
village  of  Bellbrook,  where  he  continued  his  contracting  business  and  where 
his  wife  died  in  1888.  In  1890  he  moved  to  Xenia  and  in  that  city  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1903.  Captain  Finley  and  his 
wife  were  Presbyterians  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There 
were  six  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketcn 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  John,  who  is  still  living  at 
Bellbrook,  where  he  lias  long  followed  the  business  of  a  building  con- 
tractor; a  daughter  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Emma,  wife  of  John 
Brown,  of  Bellbrook;  Airs.  Sarah  Linscott,  deceased,  and  Lavina,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

Reared  in  Sugarcreek  township,  William  H.  Finley  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  district  schools  of  that  township,  one  of  his  teachers  there 
having  been  the  Hon.  ]\I.  A.  Broadstone,  former  state  senator  from  this  dis- 
trict and  for  many  years  a  lawyer  at  Xenia,  whose  name  appears  on  the  title 
page  of  this  work.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  his  home  school  young 
Finley  attended  Xenia  College  for  a  time  and  then  for  three  years  taught 
school  in  this  county,  in  the  meantime  studying  medicine  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Doctor  Turnbull  at  Bellbrook.  Thus  equipped  by  preliminary  study 
he  matriculated  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College  and  was  graduated  from  that  in- 
stitution in  1 88 1.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Finley  returned  to 
Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  in  the  village  of  Spring  Valley,  where 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  12/ 

he  remained  until  1890,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  the  city  of  Xenia  and 
there  formed  a  partnership  with  Drs.  H.  R.  and  Ben  McCIellan,  an  arrange- 
ment which  continued  until  the  death  of  the  latter.  In  1901  Doctor  Finley 
formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  H.  R.  McCIellan  which  continued  until  June, 
1917,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  son,  Dr.  Kent  Finley,  who  not 
long  before  had  been  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College  and  had 
for  a  year  been  engaged  as  an  interne  in  the  Miami  Valley  Hospital  at  Dayton, 
and  this  arrangement  continues.  The  elder  Doctor  Finley  has  taken  several 
post-graduate  courses  in  surgery.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association  and  of  the  Congress  of  Surgeons.  The  Doctor  is  a  Repub- 
lican by  inclination,  but  party  bias  does  not  blind  him  to  the  need  of  fit  men 
for  public  office  and  on  local  measures  he  does  not  hesitate  to  vote  inde- 
pendently of  party  ties.  For  the  past  seven  years  or  more  he  has  been  servings 
as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  school  board. 

■  On  September  22,  1882,  Dr.  William  H.  Finley  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Ida  Kent,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  at  Bellbrook,  a  daughter  of 
George  and  Mary  Kent,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  being  now  in  die 
ninety-fifth  year  of  her  age.  George  Kent,  who  was  a  member  of  one  of 
Greene  county's  old  families,  studied  law  as  a  young  man,  but  after  a  while 
abandoned  the  thought  of  entering  the  legal  profession  and  became  a  tailor, 
which  vocation  he  followed  at  Bellbrook,  near  which  village  he  also  owned 
and  operated  a  farm.  To  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Finley  four  children  have  been 
bom,  namely :  Irma,  Ethel,  Kent  and  Martha.  The  Finleys  are  members  of 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia  and  the  Doctor  has  been  for 
years  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the  same. 

Miss  Irma  Finley,  who  is  now  engaged  in  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association  work,  was  graduated  from  Western  College  at  Oxford,  this 
state,  and  later  taught  for  some  time  in  the  high  school  at  Xenia,  resigning 
her  position  there  to  take  up  the  work  of  the  Young  Women's  Christian  As- 
sociation and  is  now  engaged  in  that  behalf  at  Atlanta,  Georgia.  Ethel 
Finley,  who  was  graduated  from  Western  College,  at  Oxford,  married 
Lawrence  Laudiger  and  is  now  living  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  her 
husband  is  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  manager  in  the  offices  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  there.  The  youngest  daughter,  Alartha 
Finley,  is  now  (1918)  a  student  in  the  Xenia  high  school. 

Dr.  Kent  Finley,  only  son  of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Finley,  was  graduated 
from  the  Xenia  high  school  and  then  entered  Wooster  University.  A  year 
later  he  entered  the  Ohio  State  University  and  after  a  two-years  course  there 
entered  Jefferson  Medical  College  at  Philadelphia,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  June,  1916.     Following  a  year  of  service  as  an  interne 


128  ■  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  the  Miami  Valley  Hospital  at  Dayton  he  returned  home  and  in  July,  1917, 
-\vas  taken  into  partnership  with  his  father  and  is  now  practicing  in  Xenia. 
During  his  college  course  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi 
fraternity.  On  June  23,  191 7,  Dr.  Kent  Finley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Florence  Ganiard,  of  Jackson,  Michigan. 


CHARLES  H.  HACKETT. 

Charles  H.  Hackett.  postmaster  at  Yellow  Springs  and  a  former  mer- 
chant at  that  place,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  this  county, 
February  22.  1873,  son  of  James  and  Ellen  (Cavenaugh)  Hackett,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Ireland,  who  were  married  at  Springfield,  this  state,  later 
coming  down  into  Greene  county  and  locating  on  a  farm  in  the  Cedarville 
neighborhood,  where  they  both  died,  the  latter  in  191 5  and  the  former  in 
October,  191 6. 

James  Hackett  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  Ireland  and  then  came 
to  this  country,  presently  coming  to  Ohio  and  engaging  in  railroad  work  at 
Springfield.  In  that  city  he  met  and  renewed  his  acquaintance  with  Ellen 
Cavenaugh,  whom  he  had  known  in  the  old  country  and  who  had  come  to 
this  country  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating  in  the  vicinity  of  Spring- 
field, and  the  couple  shortly  afterward  were  married.  Not  long  after  his 
marriage  James  Hackett  decided  to  give  up  railroad  work  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  with  this  end  in  view  came  down  into  Greene  county  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedarville,  where  he 
established  his  home  and  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  there,  as  noted  above,  in  the  fall  of  1916.  His  wife  died  in  1915. 
She  has  a  brother  still  living,  now  retired,  in  the  city  of  London,  Ohio.  To 
James  and  Ellen  (Cavenaugh)  Hackett  were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following:  Richard,  a  farmer  living  in  Xenia  township,  who  is  married  and 
has  two  children;  Thomas,  deceased,  as  also  is  his  wife,  the  two  having  left 
a  son,  John  Hackett,  who  is  now  (1918)  with  the  American  Expeditionary 
Army  in  France;  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Downey,  a  farmer  living  in  the 
vicinity  of  Yellow  Springs;  Edward,  a  blacksmith,  living  at  Yellow  Springs; 
Katherine,  who  married  Michael  Minnogue,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Spring- 
field, and  has  seven  children ;  John,  deceased ;  William,  now  a  resident  of 
Dayton,  who  is  married  and  has  seven  children;  Joseph,  living  on  the  old 
home  place  in  Miami  township,  who  is  married  and  has  four  children,  and 
Harry,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  also  is  married  and  has  four  children. 

Charles  H.  Hackett  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  but  early  decided 
.on  a  mercantile  career  and  upon  completing  his  schooling  in. the  high  school 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  1 29 

he  began  working  in  the  grocery  store  of  A.  H.  White  at  Clifton.  He  was 
then  nineteen  years  of  age  and  for  twelve  years  he  continued  that  employ- 
ment, in  that  time  gaining  a  very  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  grocery 
business.  Upon  the  completion  of  that  term  of  service  Mr.  Hackett  bought 
the  store  from  his  employer  and  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  that  store  and  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he 
bought  the  hardware  store  of  George  H.  Smith  and  continued  to  operate 
that  store  until  his  appointment,  two  years  later,  in  1913,  as  postmaster  of 
Yellow  Springs,  which  office  he  ever  since  has  occupied.  Mr.  Hackett  is  a 
Democrat  and  has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  party 
in  the  northern  part  of  this  county. 

In  the  winter  of  1902  Charles  H.  Hackett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clemmie  Gram,  daughter  of  David  L.  and  Katherine  (Taylor)  Gram,  of 
Springfield,  this  state,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Leo, 
born  on  August  12,  1905,  and  Kathleen,  March  27,  1913.  Mrs.  Hackett  has 
three  brothers,  John  E.,  Grover  and  Homer  Gram.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackett 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  take  an  interested  part  in  local 
parish  affairs. 


JAMES  S.  McCAMPBELL,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  James  S.  McCampbell,  dentist  at  Xenia  and  former  president  of 
the  Greene  County  Sabbath  School  Association,  has  lived  in  this  state  all 
his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Franklin  county,  January  i,  1853,  son  of  Joseph 
and  Mary  Ann  (Winget)  McCampbell.  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and 
the  latter  of  Maryland,  who  became  residents  of  Greene  county  in  1871  and 
here  spent  their  last  days. 

Joseph  ^McCampbell,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia, 
was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents,  \\^illiam  and  Elizabeth  McCampbell,  left 
that  state  with  their  family  and  came  over  into  Ohio,  locating  on  a  farm 
in  Sugarcreek  township,  this  county,  where  Joseph  McCampbell  grew  to 
manhood.  As  a  young  man  the  latter  became  employed  on  a  farm  south 
of  Marysville,  in  Union  county,  and  while  living  there  married  Mary  Ann 
Winget,  who  was  born  in  Maryland  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she  came 
with  her  parents  to  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  McCampbell  bought  a 
farm  in  Franklin  county  and  there  made  his  residence  until  1871,  in  which 
year  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there,  came  to  Greene  county  and  bought 
a  farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike  five  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Joseph  McCampbell  died  in  1888, 
at  the  age  of  seventy,  and  his  widow  survived  him  until  1892,  being  seventy 

(8) 


130  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  and  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  tlie  following :  WiUiam,  who  lives  on  a 
farm  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county;  Mrs.  Jane  Vanschoyk.  now  de- 
ceased, who  lived  in  Franklin  county;  the  Rev.  Luther  McCampbell,  a 
United  Presbyterian  clergyman,  now  living  in  Pennsylvania;  Elizabeth,  who 
died  in  1870;  Dr.  James  S.  McCampbell,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch :  John,  who  is  still  living  on  the  home  farm  in  Cedarville  township ; 
Martha  (deceased),  who  was  the  wife  of  Nathan  Ramsev;  and  Robert,  who 
died  on  his  farm  in  Cedarville  township. 

Dr.  James  S.  McCampbell's  boyhood  was  spent  on  the  home  farm  in 
Franklin  county  and  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  he  received  his 
early  schooling,  having  been  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Greene  county  in  187 1.  After  a  further  course  of  schooling, 
taken  at  Franklin  College  and  at  Wittenberg  College,  he  entered  the  Ohio 
Dental  College  at  Cincinnati  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1877,  in  which  year  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Xenia,  where  he  ever  since  has  been  thus  engaged,  with  present  offices 
at  28  North  Detroit  street.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republican  and  has  given 
public  service  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  school  board. 

On  April  24,  1879,  ^^-  James  S.  McCampbell  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Ella  M.  Herritt,  who'  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Martha 
Herritt,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  the  former  for  years  a  tobacconist  at  Xenia, 
and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Mary,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Robert 
C.  Peters,  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Patten,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Joseph  A.,  who  resides  on  and  operates  his  farm  in  Xenia  township  and 
who  married  Elsie  Harris,  of  Laporte  county,  Indiana,  and  has  four  chil- 
dren, Mary  K.,  James  Robert,  Ruth  Eleanor  and  John  William.  The 
McCampbells  are  members  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia  and  Doctor  McCampbell  for  some  years  was  a  member  of  the  session 
of  his  church,  for  twelve  years  was  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school, 
is  the  present  teacher  of  the  Bible  class  in  his  Sabbath  school  and  has  for 
years  taken  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  Greene  County  Sabbath  School 
Association,  having  served  both  as  president  and  as  secretary  of  that  body. 


WILLIAM  THEODORE  JACK. 

William  Theodore  Jack,  who  years  ago  was  well  known  in  the  build- 
ing trades  at  Xenia  and  who  died  at  his  home  in  that  city  in  the  fall  of  18S8, 
his  widow  still  making  her  home  there,  was  born  at  Waynesville,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Warren,  January   14,    1847,  a  son  of  Harrison  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I3I 

Elizabeth  (Hart)  Jack,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  that  county.  Harri- 
son Jack  was  a  farmer  and  landowner  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the 
others  being  as  follows :  Warren,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home  place  in 
Warren  county;  Hiram,  who  is  living  in  Florida;  Charles,  who  is  living  at 
Dayton ;  Bruce,  of  Key  West,  Florida ;  Wilbur,  deceased,  and  Amanda 
Frances,  wife  of  Henry  Dunham,  of  Lebanon,  this  state. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Warren  county,  William  T.  Jack  received 
his  schooling  in  the  Lebanon  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  began  working  at  the  carpenter  trade  with  the 
building  firm  of  Dreese  &  Thornhill  at  Xenia  and  continued  thus  engaged 
the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  at  his  home  in  that  city  in  October, 
1888,  he  then  being  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Jack  was  an 
active  worker  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow. 

On  October  ^i,  1868.  at  Xenia,  William  T.  Jack  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Emma  Thornhill,  who  was  born  at  Ripley,  Brown  county,  this 
state,  a  daughter  of  George  D.  and  Gertrude  (Thienas)  Thornhill,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  John 
Thornhill  and  wife,  the  former  a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1825  and  located  at  Cincinnati.  John  Thornhill  was  a  millwright 
and  after  he  had  located  in  Cincinnati  he  invented  a  new  process  for  a 
sugar-mill  and  went  to  KFew  Orleans  to  demonstrate  the  same.  While  there 
he  was  stricken  with  yellow  fever  and  died.  His  widow  spent  the  remainder 
of  her  life  at  Cincinnati.  John  Thornhill  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  George  D.,  the  only  son,  and  three  daughters,  Matilda,  Mary  and 
Gertrude. 

Having  been  bereft  of  a  father's  care  when  but  a  child,  George  D. 
Thornhill  was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  and  early  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  was  ever  afterward  engaged  in  that 
line.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  married  and  located  in  Cincinnati,  later 
returning  to  Brown  counter  and  moving  thence  after  a  while  to  Chillicothe, 
where  he  remained  until  1863,  in  which  year  he  located  in  Xenia,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Not  long  after  his  arrival  in  Xenia  in  1863  Mr. 
Thornhill  formed  a  partnership  with  Tobias  Dreese  and  engaged  in  general 
building  contracting,  under  the  firm  name  of  Dreese  &  Thornhill,  and  con- 
tinued thus  engaged  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1894,  he  then  being 
sixtj'-eight  years  of  age.  His  widow,  who  survived  him  until  19 15,  was 
born  in  Germany  and  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  her  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Thienas,  the  family  settling  in 
Lidiana,  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Madison.  Jacob  Thienas 
and  his  wife  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.    Of  their  ten  children, 


132  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Mrs.  Thornhill  was  the  youngest,  the  others  being  Jacob,  Peter,  Nicholas, 
Kate,  Susan,  Lena,  Anna,  Lizzie  and  Margaret.  Nicholas  Thienas  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War  and  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Stone's  River  while  fighting  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  his  adopted 
country. 

To  William  T.  and  Marv  Emma  (Thornhill)  Jack  were  born  five  sons, 
namely :  Harry  Jack,  storekeeper  for  the  Hooven  &  Allison  Company  at 
Xenia,  who  married  Elizabeth  Ferree  and  has  four  children,  Fern,  Gertrude, 
Theodore  and  Frances;  John,  a  bricklayer  at  Xenia.  who  married  Cora 
Heaton  and  has  eight  children,  Harrison  and  Walter  (twins),  Ruth,  Emma, 
May,  Gilbert,  Elsie  and  Helen;  Theodore,  superintendent  of  Charities  and 
Corrections  at  Cincinnati,  who  married  Harriet  Burton  and  has  one  child, 
a  son.  George  Early;  Oliver,  a  shoemaker,  living  at  Xenia,  who  married 
Cassie  McCabe  and  has  seven  children,  Ernest,  Fred,  Edna,  Ardis,  Nich- 
olas, Margaret  and  Sarah  Jane ;  and  Thornhill,  also  a  shoemaker,  who  makes 
his  home  with  his  mother  in  Xenia.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs. 
Jack  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia,  where  she  has  lived  since 
the  davs  of  her  girlhood. 


GEORGE  W.  SHEETS. 


George  W.  Sheets,  clerk  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  of  Greene 
county  and  one  of  the  best-known  young  men  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  was  born 
and  reared  in  \\'arren  county,  this  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Xenia 
for  nearlv  twenty  years.  He  was  born  on  November  14,  1885,  son  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Sarah  Masters  (Ferree)  Sheets,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Athens  county  and  the  latter  in  Clinton 
county,  who  are  now  living  in  Xenia,  where  they  have  made  their  home  for 
about  fifteen  years. 

Stephen  A.  Douglas  Sheets  was  born  on  February  6,  1861,  son  of 
George  and  Mary  Sheets,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and 
the  latter  in  Muskingum  county,  this  state.  George  Sheets  was  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  from  his  native  Virginia  and  located  at 
Chauncey,  in  Athens  county,  where  he  became  employed  in  the  salt  works. 
He  later  became  employed  on  the  Hocking  Valley  railroad  and  was  thus 
engaged  when  he  met  his  death  in  a  railway  accident  in  1869.  His  widow 
survixed  him  for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1903,  she  then  being 
seventy-two  years  of  age.  George  Sheets  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  of  whom  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born, 
the  others  being  John,  deceased;  William,  who  is  a  farmer  in  the  neighbor- 
ing county  of  Clinton,  and  Edward,  deceased. 


GEORGE  W.  SHEETS. 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  I33 

After  the  death  of  her  husband  in  1869  the  widow  of  George  Sheets 
moved  with  her  children  to  Midland  City,  in  Clinton  county,  and  there 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  Sheets  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Sarah  Masters 
Ferree,  who  was  born  in  that  county,  daughter  of  James  W.  and  Prudence 
(Garretson)  Ferree,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Maryland  and  the 
latter  in  Hamilton  county,  this  state,  not  far  from  the  city  of  Cincinnati. 
James  W.  Ferree  was  but  a  lad  when  he  went  from  Maryland  to  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  learned  the  cooper's  trade.  He  later  came  to  Ohio, 
where  he  was  married,  and  not  long  afterward  bought  a  farm  in  Vernon 
township,  Clinton  county,  and  became  a  substantial  farmer.  His  wife  died 
in  1895,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  and  he  survived  until  1898,  he  being  sev- 
enty-three years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Sheets  is  the  youngest,  the  others  being  James 
W.,  deceased,  and  Mrs.  C.  J.  Mishrow,  of  Summerfield,  Kansas.  After  his 
marriage  Stephen  A.  D.  Sheets  continued  working  as  a  farmer  in  Clinton 
and  Warren  counties  until  1903,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Xenia,  where 
he  has  since  been  employed  in  the  cordage  works  of  the  Hooven  &  Allison 
Company.  He  is  a  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  They  have  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  at  home  save  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Francis  Edward, 
Florence  E..  Jesse,  Bessie,  Harry,  Bertha,  Ralph  and  Everett. 

Reared  in  Warren  county,  George  W.  Sheets  received  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  county  and  afterward  went  to  work  for  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  Company  and  was  engaged  working  for  that  company  as  a  railroad 
brakeman  until  he  met  with  an  accident  which  deprived  him  of  both  of  his 
legs  four  years  later;  a  deprivation,  however,  which  does  not  prevent  him 
from  walking  about,  for  by  means  of  modern  appliances  he  is  able  to  walk 
with  about  as  much  apparent  ease  as  most  of  men.  After  he  was  able  to 
get  about  again  Mr.  Sheets  opened  a  barber  shop  in  Xenia  and  in  connec- 
tion with  the  same  also  started  a  retail  and  wholesale  cigar  and  tobacco 
business,  in  the  meantime  giving  such  leisure  as  he  could  command  to  study 
in  order  to  c(ualify  himself  for  clerical  labors.  Mr.  Sheets  is  a  man  of  en- 
gaging manners  and  a  "good  mixer"  and  in  1912  he  sought  the  Republican 
nomination  for  the  office  of  clerk  of  the  common  pleas  court.  He  put  up  a 
good  race,  but  was  defeated  in  the  primaries.  The  experience  gained  in  this 
initial  race  proved  valuable  in  the  succeeding  campaign  and  in  19 16  he  was 
nominated  and  elected  clerk  of  court,  his  four-year  term  of  otifice  to  begin 
in  August,  191 7.  On  February  5,  191 7,  however,  he  was  appointed  clerk 
of  court  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  J.  Carl  Marshall,  who  had  resigned  to 
enter  upon  his  duties  as  judge  of  the  probate  court,  and  has  since  then  been 
serving  as  clerk  of  court. 


134  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  June  24,  1908,  George  W.  Sheets  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara 
Denningham.  who  was  born  in  Xenia,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
three  children,  \\'inifred,  Marjorie  and  Paul.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sheets  have  a 
pleasant  home  in  Xenia. 


CHARLES  C.  HENRIE. 


Charles  C.  Henrie,  formerly  proprietor  of  a  tinshop  in  West  Main 
street,  Xenia,  now  operated  by  his  son,  Clement  B.  Henrie,  has  lived  in 
this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  practically  all  of  the  time  since  he 
was  nine  years  of  age,  he  having  been  sent  at  that  time  to  complete  his 
schooling  in  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  in  that  city,  his 
mother,  the  widow  of  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  having  died  in  1872.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fredericktown,  in  Knox  county, 
this  state,  October  29,  1863,  son  of  Samuel  and  Harriet  1  Baxter)  Henri, 
both  of  whom  were  born  near  Bellville,  in  that  same  county,  both  members 
of  old  families,  the  Baxters  in  particular  having  been  residents  there  since 
pioneer  days.  Samuel  Henrie  was  the  owner  of  a  small  farm.  During  the 
progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-first  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
Avith  that  command  until  he  met  a  soldier's  death,  being  killed  in  battle  near 
Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  when  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age.  His  widow  did 
not  remarry  and  died  in  1872,  leaving  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  a  brothei,  four  years  the  elder,  Waldon  Henrie,  who  is  now  a  clerk 
in  a  railroad  office  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

In  conformance  with  che  dying  request  of  his  mother,  Charles  C. 
Henrie,  then  nine  years  of  age,  was  sent  to  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors 
Home  at  Xenia,  following  his  mother's  death,  and  there  he  remained  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  completing  his  schooling  and  being  trained  to 
the  trade  of  a  tinsmith ;  receiving  instructions  there  for  which  he  ever  has 
acknowledged  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  that  admirable  institution.  In  1879, 
he  then  being  sixteen  years  of  age,  young  Henri  received  his  "honorable  dis- 
charge" from  the  state  school  and  returned  to  Fredericktown,  where  he  be- 
came employed  in  the  tinshop  of  Charles  Edwards.  Six  months  later  he 
went  to  Mansfield  and  was  there  employed  in  the  tinshop  of  Blymyer 
Brothers  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to 
Xenia  and  in  1882  became  employed  in  the  Flemming  tinshop.  Two  years 
later  that  concern  was  sold  to  Wolf  &  Peterson  and  Mr.  Henri  continued 
working  for  the  latter  firm  until  Tanuarv  i,  1888,  when  he  started  in  busi- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  135 

ness  for  himself,  opening  a  tinshop  of  his  own  in  Xenia  and  engaging  in  the 
general  sheet-metal  and  heating  business.  His  first  plant  was  on  South 
Detroit  street,  but  in  1895  he  moved  his  shop  and  plant  to  52  West  Main 
street,  where  it  ever  since  has  been  maintained,  and  there  he  carried  on 
his  business  until  in  April,  1916,  when  he  sold  the  plant  to  his  son,  Clement 
B.  Henrie,  and  retired  from  business.  Some  years  ago  Mr.  Henrie  bought 
and  remodeled  a  dwelling  house  at  25  West  Church  street  and  there  he  and 
his  wife  reside.  Since  Mr.  Henrie's  retirement  he  and  his  wife  have  trav- 
eled quite  a  bit  and  he  finds  relaxation  and  enjoyment  in  keeping  up  his 
own  with  his  cronies  of  the  redoubtable  quoits  team  with  which  he  has  long 
been  connected.  In  addition  to  his  long  established  business  connection  in 
West  Main  street  Mr.  Henrie  has  given  some  attention  to  other  local  busi- 
ness enterprises,  was  one  of  the  charter  stockholders  of  the  Shawnee  Re- 
frigeration Company  of  Xenia  and  was  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  same 
until  his  retirement  and  resignation  from  that  ofiice  in  1916.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  Knights  of  P3'thias  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star. 

On  December  15,  1884,  at  Mansfield,  this  state,  Charles  C.  Henrie  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  Johnston,  who  was  born  at  Mansfield,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frank  and  Almira  (Sloan)  Johnston,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was 
born  at  Mansfield  and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Frank  Johnston 
was  born  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  a  boy  when  the  scene 
of  his  activities  was  changed  to  Mansfield.  There  he  married  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  harness-maker  and  owned  a  shop  of  his  own. 
He  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years,  leaving  his  widow  with  two 
children,  Mrs.  Henrie  having  had  a  brother,  Frank  Johnston,  who  died  in 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  February,  191 7.  The  widow  Johnston  married 
Henry  Martin,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  who  is  still  living  in  that  city.  She  died 
on  January  22,  1910,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

To  Charles  C.  and  Minnie  (Johnston)  Henrie  three  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  Marguerite,  born  on  October  28,  1885,  who  married  Dr.  Ralph 
John,  now  living  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Henrie 
Edgar,  born  on  August  9,  1909;  Clement  B.,  September  9,  1887,  now  owner 
of  his  father's  old  business  in  West  Main  street,  having  bought  the  same  in 
1916,  and  who  married  Clara  Hudson  and  has  two  sons,  Charles,  born  on 
his  grandfather  Henrie's  birthday,  October  29,  1907,  and  Homer  Hudson, 
August  31,  1909;  and  Harriet,  August  2,  1890,  who  is  now  (1918)  taking 
the  course  in  the  Palmer  School  of  Chiropractic  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henrie  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 


136  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

RALPH  M.  NEELD. 

Ralph  'SI.  Neeld,  undertaker  and  funeral  director  at  Xenia,  is  a  native 
son  of  Greene  county  and  has  Hved  here  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since 
he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Spring  Valley, 
December  2^,  1881,  son  of  William  M.  and  Margaret  E.  (St.  John)  Neeld, 
both  members  of  old  families  in  this  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still 
living,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  1893. 

Williarti  M.  Neeld  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  on  August  10,  1849,  son 
of  Jason  M.  and  Susanna  (Allen)  Neeld,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on 
April  2,  1818,  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min and  Rebecca  (Campbell)  Allen,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the 
latter  of  South  CaroHna,  who  were  early  settlers  in  the  Spring  Valley  neigh- 
borhood. Jason  M.  Neeld  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  7, 
1818,  and  in  the  fall  of  1839  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  at  Spring  Valley, 
where  he  became  engaged  at  his  trade  as  a  shoemaker  and  where  he  pres- 
ently married  and  established  his  home,  continuing  thus  engaged  in  busi- 
ness there  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  for  some  time  filled 
the  office  of  township  treasurer.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  William  M.,  Benjamin  F.  and  Mary  E.,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
at  the  age  of  thirty  years. 

Reared  at  Spring  Valley,  William  M.  Neeld  grew  up  familiar  with 
the  details  of  his  father's  business  and  after  a  while  took  charge  of  the  shoe 
shop  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  continued  the  business  and  extended 
the  same  by  putting  in  a  general  stock  of  boots  and  shoes  and  remained  in 
that  business  at  Spring  Valley  until  1886,  when  he  sold  his  store  and  engaged 
in  the  undertaking  business  in  the  village.  In  1893  he  moved  his  establish- 
ment to  Xenia  and  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  that  city,  his  estab- 
lishment being  located  at  44  West  Main  street,  where  he  continued  in  busi- 
ness until  his  death  and  where  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  has  since 
carried  on  the  business.  William  M.  Neeld  was  a  Democrat  and  at  one 
time  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  mayor  of  Xenia.  On 
the  face  of  the  returns  his  party  claimed  his  election,  but  the  other  side 
secured  a  recount  and  he  was  thus  defeated  for  the  office.  Mr.  Neeld  made 
judicious  investments  outside  of  his  business  and  came  to  be  accounted  one 
of  the  substantial  business  men  of  Xenia.  He  died  on  September  23,  1916, 
and  his  widow. is  still  living  in  Xenia.  She  was  born,  Margaret  E.  St.  John, 
in  Csesarscreek  township,  this  county,  in  June,  1859,  daughter  of  William 
and  Martha  (Smith)  St.  John,  the  former  of  whom  was  the  son  of  Daniel 
and  Eliza  (Bone)  St.  John,  the  former  of  whom  was  the  eldest  of  the  nine 
children  born  to  John  and  Rhoda  (Wood)  St.  John,  John  St.  John  having 
been  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children  born  to  John  and  Anna 
(Lockwood)  St.  John,  who  were  married  in  Dutchess  county,  New  York,  in 


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RALPH  M.  XEELD. 


\ 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  I37 

1780  and  who  came  to  Ohio  about  1790  and  settled  in  Hamilton  county, 
coming  thence  in  1803  up  into  this  part  of  the  state  and  locating  in  the  Ft. 
Ancient  settlement  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren.  The  pioneer  John 
St.  John  was  of  French  parentage,  bom  in  New  York,  and  served  as  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution  and  as  nearly  all  of  his  ten  children  grew  to  maturity, 
married  and  had  children  of  their  own,  his  descendants  in  the  present  gen- 
eration form  a  numerous  connection  throughout  the  country,  one  of  these 
descendants  being  former  Governor  John  P.  St.  John,  of  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Neeld  was  orphaned  in  infancy,  her  mother  having  died  at  her  birth  and 
her  father  having  been  accidentally  drowned  not  long  afterward  and  she  was 
reared  by  kinsfolk  in  this  county.  To  her  union  with  William  M.  Neeld 
four  children  were  born,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first- 
born, the  others  being  Edith,  who  is  teaching  in  the  Xenia  public  schools; 
Paul  W.,  who  lives  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  is  a  traveling  salesman  for 
a  glove  house,  and  Charles  S.,  of  Xenia. 

As  noted  abovCj  Ralph  M.  Neeld  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  moved  from  Spring  Valley  to  Xenia.  Upon  leaving  the  high  school 
in  the  latter  city  he  took  a  course  in  a  business  college  at  Dayton  and  then 
became  engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  for  the  firm  of  Barnes  &  Smith,  some  time 
later  becoming  employed  as  the  order  clerk  for  the  Hooven  &  Allison  Com- 
pany, cordage  manufacturers  at  Xenia,  and  was  thus  employed  for  some- 
thing more  than  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged  with 
his  father  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Xenia  and  since  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1916  has  been  carrying  on  the  business  himself.  Mr.  Neeld  is  a 
graduate  embalmer,  having  taken  a  course  in  that  line  of  instruction  upon 
taking  up  the  business  in  association  with  his  father,  and  gives  special  atten- 
tion to  that  phase  of  the  business.  His  establishment  is  well  appointed, 
equipped  with  all  modern  appliances,  including  a  full  line  of  automobiles  for 
funeral  occasions.  Mr.  Neeld  is  independent  in  his  political  views,  reserving 
his  right  to  vote  for  the  best  man,  irrespective  of  party. 

On  April  15,  1909,  Ralph  M.  Neeld  was  united  in  marriage  to  Florence 
M.  Wright,  who  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of  P.  A.  Wright  and  wife, 
and  to  this,  union  three  children  have  been  born,  William  A.,  born  on  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1910;  Florence  Margaret,  August  29,  191 1,  and  Dorothy  Jane, 
July  19,  1914.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neeld  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 


JOHN  N.  WITHAM. 

John  N.  Witham,  a  former  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  city 
of  Xenia,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  48  East  Main  street^ 
is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life  with  the  excep- 


138  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tion  of  fifteen  years  of  his  boyhood,  which  were  spent  in  Indiana,  to  which 
state  his  parents  had  moved  when  he  was  but  a  small  child  and  where  they 
remained  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  they  returned  to  Ohio, 
where  their  last  days  were  spent.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Withamville,  in  Clermont  county,  November  21,  185 1,  J  on  of  Sam- 
uel L.  and  Rachel  (Nordyke)  Witham,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
Ohio. 

Samuel  L.  Witham  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  son  of  Nathaniel 
and  Jemima  (Lane)  Witham,  the  former  of  whom  came  to  this  country 
from  England  about  the  year  1812  and  secured  a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres 
of  land  in  Clermont  count}',  this  state,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
also  started  a  store,  around  which  center  grew  up  the  village  of  Witham- 
ville, so  named  for  him.  Nathaniel  Witham  and  wife  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children  and  the  descendants  of  that  pioneer  pair  in  this  generation 
now  form  a  numerous  connection.  Samuel  L.  Witham  grew  to  manhood 
in  Clermont  county  and  early  became  a  school  teacher,  as  well  as  a  farmer. 
In  Cincinnati  he  married  Rachel  Nordyke,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  of 
Scotch-Irish  stock,  and  who  had  a  brother,  Sylvester,  and  a  sister,  Caroline. 
In  January,  1852,  hardly  two  months  after  the  birth  of  their  first-born  child, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Samuel  L.  Witham  and  his  wife  moved  to  Indi- 
anapolis and  there  made  their  home  for  about  eighteen  years,  Mr.  Witham 
being  there  engaged  in  school  teaching  and  for  some  time  in  the  mercantile 
business,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio,  later  becoming  residents  of  Xenia, 
where  their  last  days  were  spent.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  following :  Jemima,  widow 
of  Levi  Ludlow,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Clermont  county  and  who  has 
three  children,  Fred,  Ernest  and  George :  Mary,  now  living  in  the  vicinity 
of  Columbus,  Indiana,  who  married  Albert  Thomas  ?nd  has  a  large  fam- 
ily :  Grace,  a  widow,  who  lives  in  New  York  City  and  who  has  three  chil- 
<fren,  two  sons  and  a  daughter;  and  Jefiferson  C,  of  Xenia,  who  married 
Carrie  Ridenour,  who  is  now  deceased. 

As  noted  above,  John  N.  Witham  was  eighteen  vears  of  age  when  his 
parents  returned  to  Ohio  from  Indiana.  He  early  had  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade  and  continued  to  work  at  the  same  for  six  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  took  employment  with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 
and  after  his  marriage  in  1872  took  up  his  residence  in  Cincinnati,  where 
he  remained  until  1884,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Xenia,  continuing,  how- 
ever, his  employment  with  the  railroad,  and  was  thus  engaged  there  until 
1893,  in  which  year  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Xenia.  In  1895  his  father  died  and  he  then  continued  the  busi- 
ness alone  until   1907,  in  which  year  he  returned  to  Clermont  county,  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  1 39 

place  of  his  birth,  and  there  bought  a  tract  of  twenty  acres  of  ground  and 
erected  a  house  on  the  same,  expecting  to  make  his  permanent  home  there, 
but  after  a  residence  of  two  years  at  that  place  sold  his  interests  there  and 
returned  to  Xenia,  where,  in  1908,  he  bought  the  William  Harner  grocery 
store  at  48  East  Main  street  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  business  at 
that  number.  Mr.  Witham  is  a  Democrat  and  in  191 1  was  elected  to  rep- 
resent the  first  ward  as  a  member  of  the  city  common  council  and  served  in 
that  capacity  for  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  Free  and 
Accepted   Masons. 

In  1872,  in  Clermont  county,  this  state,  John  N.  Witham  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Belle  Witham,  who  also  was  born  in  that  county,  a  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Parmelia  (Anderson)  Witham,  who  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  Though  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Witham 
were  born  to  the  same  name  they  are  not  related  by  ties  of  consanguinity. 
To  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Lois,  who  married  Edward 
Kline,  now  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  has  three  children,  Loverna,  Irma  and 
Leona,  and  Ellen,  who  married  Theron  White,  of  Xenia,  and  has  one  child. 
a  son,  Donald.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Witham  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  Mr.  Witham  has  been  an  office  bearer  in  the  same. 


WILLL^M   E.   FLETCHER. 

William  E.  Fletcher,  proprietor  of  a  saloon  in  Xenia,  was  born  at 
Cedarville  on  August  18,  1872.  son  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (O'Connell) 
Fletcher,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland,  but  who  were  married  in 
Greene  county.  Joseph  Fletcher  was  about  twenty-four  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  this  country,  coming  in  at  the  port  of  New  Orleans.  Margaret 
O'Connell  came  here  during  the  days  of  her  young  womanhood  to  join  her 
brother,  who  had  become  a  resident  of  Greene  county,  and  it  was  here  that 
she  met  and  married  Joseph  Fletcher.  To  that  union  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  John,  now  deceased,  who 
was  engaged  in  the  railroad  service;  Joseph,  a  grocer,  who  was  a  member  of 
the  volunteer  fire  department  in  Xenia  and  who  v.'as  killed  while  in  the  per- 
formance of  his  duties  at  a  fire  in  1907;  James,  who  is  married  and  lives  in 
Xenia,  and  Mary,  deceased. 

William  E.  Fletcher  completed  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Xenia 
and  in  1895  was  married  in  that  city.  Some  time  later  he  became  engaged 
in  business  at  the  corner  of  West  Main  and  King  streets,  in  association  with 
his  brother-in-law,  and  two  years  later,  in  1903,  went  to  Dayton,  where  he 
lemained  for  about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in   1906,  he  re- 


140  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

turned  to  Xenia,  resumed  business  in  that  city  and  has  ever  since  been  thus 
engaged  there. 

On  June  6,  1895,  at  Xenia,  William  E.  Fletcher  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Ellen  Comford,  of  that  city,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Dunn) 
Comford,  Greene  county  folk,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born,  Virginia,  who  is  at  home ;  Mary,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Jacobson 
Business  College  at  Dayton,  and  Louise.  The  Fletchers  are  members  of  St. 
Bridgid's  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Fletcher  is  a  Democrat  and  by  fraternal 
afifiliation  is  connected  with  the  local  aerie  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles. 


REV.  GEORGE  J.  STEINKAMP. 

The  Rev.  George  J.  Steinkamp.  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  Catholic  church  at 
Yellow  Springs  and  one  of  the  most  progressive  young  clergj'men  in  Greene 
county,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  born  at  Cincinnati  on  ]\Iarch  19,  1884,  son 
of  Bernard  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Ahrens)  Steinkamp,  the  fonner  of  whom  was 
born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati. 

Bernard  J.  Steinkamp  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
this  country  with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  at  Cincinnati,  where  he 
finished  his  schooling  and  presently  learned  the  carpenter  trade.  He  mar- 
ried in  Cincinnati  and  after  a  while  became  engaged  as  k  building  contractor 
on  his  own  account,  an  architect  as  well  as  a  builder,  and  several  of  the 
finest  flats  and  buildings  in  Cincinnati  were  erected  under  his  direction. 
Bernard  J.  Steinkamp  died  in  1889.  He  was  a  Catholic,  as  is  his  widow, 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  twelve  of  these 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born  and  all  of 
whom  are  living  save  John,  Mary  and  Frank,  the  others  being  Joseph, 
Katherine,  Elizabeth,  Anna,  Mary,  Bernard,  Rosie  and  Cecelia. 

George  J.  Steinkamp  was  reared  in  Cincinnati  and  his  early  schooling 
was  obtained  in  the  parochial  schools  of  that  city.  He  evinced  much  apti- 
tude for  study  and  was  graduated  from  St.  Mary's  parochial  school  when 
thirteen  years  of  age.  Having  early  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  the 
church  he  then  entered  the  Jesuit  College  of  St.  Xavier  at  Cincinnati  and 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1904,  after  which  he  pursued  his 
philosophical  and  theological  studies  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's  Seminary  and  upon 
completing  the  course  there  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  June,  1908, 
the  ceremony  of  ordination  being  performed  by  Archbishop  Miller  at  Cin- 
cinnati. 

Thus  elevated  to  the  holy  office  of  priest.  Father  Steinkamp  was  in  the 
following  August  assigned  as  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Mary's  parish  at  Day- 
ton and  at  once  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office,  remaining  there  until 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^^^K-    '' ' 

liH 

^^^H    ^                  n^l 

■ 

^^m    \a      ^^^I 

^B 

REV.  GEOItGE  J.  STEIXKAMI'. 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I4I 

appointed  pastor  of  St.  Paul's  parish  at  Yellow  Springs  on  April  19,  191 7. 
By  training  and  experience  Father  Steinkamp  is  admirably  qualified  for  the 
performance  of  the  duties  that  have  fallen  upon  him  in  his  new  field  and 
since  taking  charge  there  has  made  many  friends  who  welcome  his  assistance, 
in  the  general  uplift  movements  of  the  community.  His  parish  consists  of 
eighty  families,  comprising  three  hundred  and  fifty  souls,  and  all  departments 
of  the  work  being  carried  on  in  the  same  are  reported  to  be  in  flourishing 
condition,  a  general  impetus  having  been  given  to  all  the  work  of  the  parish 
since  the  present  earnest  young  pastor  took  charge.  Father  Steinkamp  is  a 
close  student,  not  only  of  books,  but  of  men  and  affairs ;  is  a  fluent  and  con- 
vincing speaker,  either  in  the  pulpit  or  on  the  forum,  and  his  engaging  qual- 
ities as  a  mingler  among  his  fellow  men  have  created  in  his  behalf  many 
warm  friendships  during  the  comparatively  short  time  he  has  been  sta- 
tioned at  Yellow  Springs. 


GEORGE  M.  STILES. 


George  M.  Stiles,  formerly  and  for  years  superintendent  of  the  cordage 
plant  of  the  Hooven-Allison  Company  at  Xenia  and  now  engaged  in  the 
■coal  and  general  building-supplies  business  in  that  city,  formerly  and  for 
years  a  member  of  the  city  council,  is  a  Hoosier  by  birth,  but  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio  since  the  days  of  his  early  childhood  and  of  Xenia  since  he  was 
but  a  lad.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  August  31, 
1861,  son  of  Aaron  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Stiles,  the  former  a  native  of  New 
Jersey  and  the  latter  of  Indiana,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  at 
Xenia,  now  past  seventy-six  years  of  age. 

Aaron  Stiles  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  with  his  parents  from  New 
Jersey  to  Ohio  in  the  early  '30s,  the  family  locating  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Waynesville,  in  Warren  county,  where  he  grew  to  m.anhood  and  where  he 
married  Sarah  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Vigo  county,  Indiana.  He  later 
went  over  into  Indiana  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  farming  for  a 
kinsman  in  the  vicinity  of  Terre  Haute,  in  Vigo  county,  and  was  living 
there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  service,  but  was  re- 
jected on  account  of  physical  disability.  He,  however,  was  accepted  for 
the  Home  Guards  and  while  serving  in  that  capacity  helped  to  repel  Mor- 
gan's raiders  during  the  time  of  their  invasion  of  southern  Indiana.  Finding 
that  life  on  the  farm  was  not  suitable  he  returned  with  his  family  to  Ohio 
and  located  at  Corwin,  where  he  was  engaged  as  station  agent  for  the  Little 
Miami  (Pennsylvania)  Railroad  for  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
was  stationed  at  Xenia,  as  night  baggage-master  for  that  road  at  that  place 
and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1877,  he  then 


142  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

being  fortv-six  years  of  age.  He  left  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being  as  follows:  William,  who  is 
now  working  in  a  cordage  plant  at  Bradford,  Canada;  Mary,  who  married 
•Harvey  C.  Huppman  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years:  Bertha,  who 
married  Robert  Daughitt  and  is  also  now  deceased,  and  Fred,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  the  plant  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  at  Dayton.  Mrs. 
Stiles,  the  mother  of  these  children,  later  married  Andrew  McCarty,  who 
is  now  deceased.  She  continues  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia,  residing  at  the 
corner  of  Second  and  Mechanic  streets  with  William  Stiles.  Her  parents, 
Ezra  and  Sarah  Smith,  were  Quakers  and  were  early  settlers  in  Warren 
county,  whence  they  had  moved  over  from  Clinton  county,  in  which  latter 
county  they  had  lived  for  a  while  after  coming  to  this  state  from  Pennsyl- 
vania. Though  reared  a  Quaker,  Mrs.  McCarty  has  long  been  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  with  which  she  became  affiliated  after  taking  up 
her  residence  in  Xenia. 

George  M.  Stiles  was  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  returned 
from  Indiana  to  Ohio  and  he  was  about  nine  years  of  age  when  they  moved 
from  Corwin  to  Xenia,  his  schooling  therefore  having  been  completed  in 
the  schools  of  the  latter  city.  When  twelve  years  of  age  he  became  a  wage 
earner,  starting  to  work  at  the  Bradley  bagging-mill,  which  then  was  being 
operated  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Detroit  streets,  and  was  thus  engaged 
for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  employed  at  the  glass 
works.  A  year  later  he  took  employment  at  the  Rader  brick  yards  and 
while  thus  employed  helped  to  make  the  brick  that  entered  into  the  addi- 
tion that  was  built  to  the  old  court  house  in  Xenia.  He  worked  there  one 
summer  and  then,  in  the  fall  of  1875,  entered  the  employ  of  the  company 
that  then  was  operating  the  cordage-mill,  now  under  the  control  of  the 
Hooven-Allison  Company,  his  first  work  there  being  as  the  wheel  boy  for  a 
hand  wheel  for  spinning.  For  thirty-seven  years  Mr.  Stiles  remained 
connected  with  the  cordage-mill,  working  his  way  up  until  in  1897 
he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  plant,  a  position  he  occupied  for  fifteen 
years,  or  until  191 2,  when  he  transferred  his  services  to  the  John  T.  Bailey 
Cordage  Company  at  Philadelphia  and  for  two  years  was  superintendent 
of  the  plant  in  that  city.  He  then  was  engaged  by  the  state  of  North  Dakota 
to  take  charge  of  the  cordage  plant  in  the  state  penitentiary  at  Bismarck,  but 
conditions  there  were  naturally  enough  not  to  his  liking  and  at  the  end  of 
ten  months  of  such  service  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  in  July,  191 5,  Ixiught 
the  coal  yard  of  W.  O.  Maddox,  the  oldest  coal  yard  in  the  city,  and  has 
since  then  been  engaged  in  the  general  coal  business,  handling  at  the  same 
time  a  general  line  of  building  supplies.  Mr.  Stiles  is  a  Republican  and 
when  the  city  commission  form  of  government  was  adopted  by  the  people 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I43 

of  Xenia  in  the  summer  of  191 7  he  announced  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  city  commissioner,  but  failed  of  election.  He  had  previously- 
given  similar  service  to  the  city,  having  for  eight  years  served  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council  from  his  ward.  For  some  time  he  served  as  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Republican  central  committee.  He  is  a 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow.  In  addition  to  his  other  interests  Mr.  Stiles  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Home  Building  and  Savings  Com- 
pany of  Xenia. 

In  September,  1884,  George  M.  Stiles  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa 
Scheeibold,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  London,  county  seat  of  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Madison,  but  who  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Xenia,  her  parents  Charles  and  Barbara  Scheeibold  having  moved 
from  London  to  Xenia,  in  which  latter  city  Mr.  Scheeibold,  who  was  en- 
gaged there  in  the  retail  meat  business,  died  in  1910.  INIrs.  Scheeibold  is 
still  living  in  Xenia.  To  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Stiles  six  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  Harry,  who  is  engaged  in  the  tailoring  business  at  Dayton ;  Lester, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  shoe  business  at  Xenia;  Edward,  who  was  killed  in  a 
railway  accident  on  May  24,  191 5:  Paul,  who  is  living  at  Tvliddletown,  this 
state,  where  he  is  engaged  as  circulation  manager  for  the  Middfctozcn 
Journal;  Katrina,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents,  and  Raymond,  also  at 
home,  who  is  employed  as  a  clerk  in  Sayre  &  Hemphill's  drug  store.  The 
Stiles  reside  at  221  Cincinnati  avenue.  They  are  members  of  the  First 
Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Stiles  was  for  three  years  chairman  of  the  congre- 
gation and  also  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  official  board  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church. 


WALTER  ELMER  PRATT. 

Walter  Elmer  Pratt,  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store  and  a  barber  shop 
in  Cincinnati  avenue,  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Warren  in  1869,  a  son  of  John  and  Melissa  Pratt,  who  were  the  parents 
of  three  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Belle,  who 
married  James  Kasperson  and  is  now  deceased,  and  Mrs.  Ada  Dakin,  wife 
of  a  farmer  in  the  neighborhood  of  Waynesville. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Warren  county,  W'alter  E.  Pratt  received 
his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  remained  in  that  county 
until  about  1892,  when  his  parents  moved  to  Greene  county.  He  later 
went  to  Dayton,  where  he  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  the  factory  of  the 
National  Cash  Register  Company.  He  then  returned  to  this  county  and 
became  employed  at  one  of  the  cordage  mills  in  Xenia  and  continued  thus 
engaged  for  twelve  or  thirteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  opened 


L 


144  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  barber  shop  on  Cincinnati  avenue,  and  thus  continued  in  business  there  for 
eleven  years,  or  until  1912,  when  he  added  to  his  establishment  a  stock  of 
groceries  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  both  the  grocery  business  and  in 
the  barber  business  at  that  location. 

On  March  6,  1895,  Walter  E.  Pratt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hannah 
Milburn.  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Jordan  and  Mary  (Shir- 
ley) Milburn,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Greene  county  and  the  former 
of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Xenia.  Jordan  Milburn  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Pratt  being  John  and 
Canter,  both  of  whom  are  married;  Trone,  unmarried;  Clay,  a  widower; 
Cliff,  who  is  now  living  at  Portland,  Oregon,  and  Belle,  who  died  in  the 
days  of  her  girlhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  have  four  children,  namely : 
Helen,  who  married  Fred  Wilson,  of  Xenia,  and  has  a  son,  Charles  Fred- 
erick; Elmer,  who  is  in  high  school,  and  Carl  and  Pauline,  who  are  also  in 
school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are  members  of  the  Friends  church.  Politically, 
Mr.  Pratt  is  "independent." 


JACOB  KANY. 

Jacob  Kany,  president  of  the  school  board  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  for 
many  years  engaged  in  the  merchant-tailoring  business  in  that  city,  is  of 
European  birth,  a  native  Bavarian,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  country 
since  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  and  of  Xenia  since  the  year  1883,  he  having 
come  up  here  from  Cincinnati  in  that  year,  the  year  of  his  marriage.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Kleinkarlbach,  in  Rheinish  Bavaria,  March  11, 
1863,  son  and  only  child  of  Jacob  and  Barbara  Kany,  also  native  Bavarians. 

Reared  at  Kleinkarlbach.  the  younger  Jacob  Kany  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  town.  Not  desiring  to  follow  the  milling  business, 
in  which  his  father  was  engaged,  he  became  apprenticed,  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  to  a  tailor  and  after  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years  became  a 
qualified  tailor.  After  working  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  in  his  home 
country  for  awhile  he  decided  to  come  to  the  United  States  and  when  twenty 
years  of  age  arri\ed  in  this  country  and  proceeded  to  Cincinnati,  where  he 
had  friends.  That  was  in  1883.  He  secured  employment  at  his  trade  in 
Cincinnati  and  in  September  of  that  same  year  married  there  a  girl  whom 
he  had  known  in  his  home  town  and  who  had  not  long  before  come  to  this 
country  with  an  uncle,  the  family  locating  in  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Kany  worked 
for  a  month  at  Cincinnati  and  th^n  came  up  to  Xenia,  where  he  established 
his  home  and  where  he  ever  since  has  made  his  residence.  For  five  years 
after  his  arrival  in  Xenia  Mr.  Kany  was  engaged  as  a  tailor  in  the  shop  of 
Charles  H.  Oonk.    In  1888  he  opened  an  establishment  of  his  own  at  No.  10 


I 


JACOB  KAX"i 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  145 

North  Detroit  street  and  has  ever  since  been  doing-  business  at  that  place. 
He  started  in  a  modest  way,  but  the  recommendations  of  pleased  customers 
soon  brought  him  additional  business  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  became 
recognized  as  one,  of  the  leading  tailors  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Kany 
now  employs  five  tailors  and  his  establishment  is  well  equipped. 

Mr.  Kany  has  for  the  past  eighteen  years  or  more  served  as  a  member 
of  the  Xenia  school  board,  for  the  past  five  years  president  of  that  body ;  and 
has  thus  helped  to  oversee  the  construction  of  all  the  new  school  buildings 
in  the  city.  Mr.  Kany  is  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the 
Masons,  the  Elks,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  local  council, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia. 

It  was  on  September  30,  1883,  at  Cincinnati,  that  Jacob  Kany  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Magdalena  Schneider,  who  also,  as  noted  above,  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  and  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  an  uncle  and  aunt. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kany  have  one  child,  a  son,  Arthur  S.  Kany,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Dayton,  where  he  owns  a  store  devoted  to  the  sale  of  automobile  parts 
and  accessories.  Arthur  S.  Kany  married  Mabel  Ledbetter,  of  Xenia,  and 
has  two  children,  Howard  and  John.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Kany  live  at  665 
South  Detroit  street. 


HENRY  GROTTENDICK. 

Henry  Grottendick,  who  for  more  than  forty  years  was  engaged  in  the 
bakery  business  in  Xenia  and  who  is  now  living  retired  in  that  city,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  continuously  since  1869,  is  a  Hanoverian  by  birth,  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  country  since  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  He 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Altendorf,  nine  miles  east  of  Neuhaus,  in  what 
then  was  the  kingdom  of  Hanover,  but  now  a  Prussian  province,  January 
29,  183 1,  a  son  of  William  and  Catherine  (Von  Felder)  Grottendick,  also 
Hanoverians,  the  former  a  butcher  by  trade,  who  spent  all  their  lives  in  their 
native  country.  William  Grottendick  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  five  sisters,  three  of  whom 
also  came  to  America,  namely :  Catherine,  who  located  in  Cincinnati,  where 
her  last  days  were  spent,  and  Mellis  and  Lena,  who  are  living  at  Ludlow, 
Kentucky. 

It  was  in  1865  that  Henry  Grottendick  came  to  the  United  States,  he 

then  being  fourteen  years  of    age.     He    located    at  Cincinnati    and    there 

learned  the  baker's  trade,  four  years  later,  in   1869,  moving  up  to  Xenia, 

\Yhere  he  became  engaged  as  foreman  in  George  Grauer's  "Eagle"  bakery, 

^9) 


146  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  was  thus  eng-aged  when  Mr.  Grauer  died  in  1877.  He  continued  oper- 
ating the  bakery  for  Mr.  Grauer's  widow  and  when  the  latter  died  in  1886 
he  bought  the  bakery,  meanwhile  having  married  a  niece  of  Mr.  Grauer.  and 
continued  to  conduct  the  same  until  his  retirement  from  business  in  191 3, 
when  he  sold  the  bakery  plant  and  settled  down  to  "take"  things  easy,"  after 
a  continuous  service  as  baker  to  the  people  of  Xenia  for  more  than  forty 
years.  During  that  time  Mr.  Grottendick  built  up  a  splendid  business  and 
his  famous  "King"  butter-cracker  attained  a  reputation  that  created  for  it 
a  demand  from  coast  to  coast.  For  fifteen  years  during  the  latter  period  of 
Mr.  Grottendick's  connection  with  the  business  his  son,  George  Grottendick, 
acted  as  manager  of  the  establishment.  Mr.  Grottendick  and  his  wife  still 
own  the  building  in  which  the  bakery  is  situated  in  East  Main  street,  besides 
several  other  bits  of  realty  in  the  city.  In  19 14  they  erected  a  new  residence 
at  215  West  Second  street  and  are  now  living  there. 

In  1879  Henry  Grottendick  was  united  in  marriage  to  Judith  Brinder, 
who  had  been  reared  in  the  household  of  her  uncle,  George  Grauer.  at  Xenia. 
To  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  William,  George,  Fannie  and 
Elsie  May,  all  of  whom  received  their  schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools  and  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  at  home  with  her  parents.  William  Grottendick  is 
now  a  traveling  representative  of  the  Time  Lock  and  Safe  Company  of  Cin- 
cinnati. He  married  May  Fisher  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Freda. 
George  Grottendick,  who  continues  as  manager  of  the  bakery  his  father 
sold  in  191 3,  married  Rosa  Carroll  and  has  two  children,  George  and 
Francis.  Fannie  Grottendick  married  John  Osterly,  who  is  now  conducting 
a  restaurant  in  Colusa  county,  California,  and  has  two  children.  William 
and  Judith.  Mr.  Grottendick  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  local  encampment,  Patriarchs 
Militant,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men.  Mrs.  Grottendick  and  her  children  are  members  of  the  Cath- 
olic church. 


BERNHARD   SCHLESINGER. 

Bernhard  Schlesinger,  for  the  past  thirty-six  years  or  more  clerk  of 
the  Xenia  school  board,  is  of  European  birth,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
country  since  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age  and  of  Xenia  since  the  year 
1865.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Koenigswalde,  in  the  province  of 
Brandenburg,  November  11,  1846,  son  of  Nathan  and  Marianne  (Fleischer) 
Schlesinger,  who  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  had  three  brotliers  and  one  sister.  Nathan  Sclilesinger,  who  was  a 
horse  buyer  for  the  government,  died  in  his  native  land  and  his  widow  mqr- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  147 

ried  Herman  Neuman  and  in  1872  came  to  the  United  States  with  the  latter, 
settling  in  Madison,  Indiarja,  w^here  both  spent  their  last  days.  To  that 
union  was  born  one  child,  k  >dn,  Paul  Neuman,  who  later  became  a  clerk 
in  the  store  of  his  half-brother,  Bernhard  Schlesinger,  at  Xenia. 

Bernhard  Schlesinger  received  his  early  schooling  in  his  native  town 
and  remained  there  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  joined  his  elder  brother,  Harry  Schlesinger,  who  had 
become  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  trunks  and  handbags  at  Newark, 
New  Jersey.  It  was  in  May,  1860,  that  Bernhard  Schlesinger  came  to  this 
country  and  during  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  engaged  at  Newark 
in  the  manufacture  of  knapsacks  for  the  government.  In  1865  he  came  to 
Ohio  and  became  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  clothing  store  at  Springfield,  but 
did  not  remain  there  long,  coming  down  to  Xenia  in  May  of  that  year  to  take 
charge  of  a  store  the  Frankels  had  started  in  that  city,  and  he  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  in  1872,  when  he  and  William  Brady  bought  the  stock  of  a  store 
that  then  was  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  Gazette  office  on  Detroit 
street,  and  continued  in  business  there,  under  the  firm  name  of  Schlesinger 
&  Brady,  until  1885,  when  they  sold  out.  Mr.  Schlesinger  then  opened  a 
store  on  the  present  site  of  the  Howard  building  on  East  Main  street  and 
continued  there  in  the  clothing  business  until  he  closed  out  the  business  in 
1895, 'Since  which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at 
Xenia.  Though  a  Democrat  in  a  Republican  town  Mr.  Schlesinger  has 
been  serving,  with  the  exception  of  four  years,  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  Xenia  for  the, last  thirty-six  years  or  more,  or  ever  since  his  first 
election  to  that  office  in  1881,  and  during  all  this  long  period  of  service  has 
been  retained  as  clerk  of  the  board.  It  was  not  long  after  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Xenia  that  Mr.  Schlesinger  came  under  the  influence  of  the 
companionship  of  Col.  Coates  Kinney,  who  inspired  in  him  a  love  of  learn- 
ing and  a  desire  to  advance  the  cause  of  education.  Colonel  Kinney  was 
able  to  set  the  young  "foreigner's"  feet  on  the  right  path  in  the  way  of  per- 
fecting himself  in  the  use  of  the  English  language,  which  had  been  pre- 
senting numerous  difficulties,  and  in  turn  young  Schlesinger  was  able  to 
help  the  Colonel  out  in  the  matter  of  the  latter's  none  too  brilliant  linguistic 
performance  in  the  Teutonic  tongue.  This  love  of  learning  Mr.  Schlesinger 
was  able  to  impart  to  his  children,  to  all  of  whom  he  gave  the  opportunity 
to  acquire  a  liberal  education.  At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  Orange 
Hill  school  house  in  Xenia  township  Mr.  Schlesinger  delivered  an  address 
on  "The  History  of  Education  in  Greene  County,"  which  is  said  to  have 
been  a  thorough  and  comprehensive  delivery  on  that  subject.  Mr.  Schles- 
inger is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a 
Red  Man.     He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of 


148  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Pythias  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge  of  that  order  for  the 
state  of  Ohio.  He  also  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  state  grand  lodge  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  great 
council  of  the  United  States  of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  for  the 
past  eleven  years  and  has  served  as  the  great  sachem  of  that  order  for  the 
state  of  Ohio. 

In  1873  Bernhard  Schlesinger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Kate  Feurle, 
who  also  is  of  European  birth,  born  in  the  town  of  Bregenz,  in  the  Austrian 
Tyrol,  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  pa- 
rents, George  and  Rosina  Feurle,  who  settled  in  Xenia,  where  they  pres- 
ently opened  a  boarding  house  and  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  To  Bernhard  and  Kate  (Feurle)  Schlesinger  have  been  born  five 
children,  namely :  Olga,  who  married  E.  C.  Spitler,  a  London,  Ohio,  dry- 
goods  merchant,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased ;  Marione, 
who  is  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Dayton ;  Hugo,  who  was  graduated 
from  Ohio  State  University  and  is  now  practicing  law  at  Columbus,  this 
state,  where  he  is  serving  as  assistant  prosecuting  attorney  of  Franklin 
county;  George  F.,  who  was  graduated  from  the  civil  engineering  depart- 
ment of  Ohio  State  University,  married  Frances  Kendall,  of  Xenia,  and  is 
now  living  at  Columbus,  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  his  alma  mater,  and 
Arthur  Meier,  who  also  was  graduated  from  Ohio  State  University,  later 
received  his  master  degree  from  Columbia  University  at  New  York  City 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  Ohio  State  University,  holding  there 
the  chair  of  American  history. 


JOHN  B.  LUCAS. 

In  the  memorial  annals  of  Greene  county  there  are  few  names  held  in 
better  remembrance  than  that  of  the  late  John  B.  Lucas,  who  died  at  his 
home  on  beautiful  "Lucas  Hill"  on  the  Dayton  pike  just  west  of  Xenia  in 
1916  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  occupying  the  substantial  old 
brick  house  in  which  Mr.  Lucas  was  born  and  in  which  he  died  and  which 
was  erected  on  that  charming  site  overlooking  the  delightful  valley  of  the 
Little  Miami  by  his  mother's  family  nearly  one  hundred  years  ago.  As  the 
inheritor  of  large  landed  interests  Mr.  Lucas  had  for  years  occupied  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  and  influence  in  the  community  in  which  all  his  life  was 
spent  and  there  were  few  movements  having  to  do  with  the  extension  of  the 
best  interests  of  this  county  that  had  not  profited  by  some  act  of  promo- 
tion on  his  part.  For  at  least  thirty  years  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Greene  County  Agricultural  Society  and  was  for  about  twenty-five  years  the 
president   of   that  body,    relinquishing   his   service   in   that   connection   only 


/'^^, 


■/L^cUi^^ 


ii 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I49 

about  five  years  before  his  death.  For  fifteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
old  county  infirmary  board  and  in  other  ways  gave  of  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  pubHc  service.  Generous  to  a  fault  and  ever  liberal  with  the  consid- 
erable means  at  his  disposal,  there  were  not  many  calls  either  of  a  private 
or  semi-public  character  that  did  not  find  him  ready  with  instant  assistance. 
As  an  instance  of  the  public-spiritedness  of  his  responses  along  this  line,  it 
may  be  recalled  that  it  was  he  \yho  financed  the  famous  old  "John  B.  Lucas 
Band."  a  musical  organization  that  reflected  much  credit  on  Xenia  back  in 
the  '70s.  An  interesting  sidelight  on  the  thoughtful  kindliness  that  actuated 
Mr.  Lucas's  movements  may  be  gleaned  from  the  following  paragraph  taken 
from  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  him  published  by  the  Xenia  Gazette 
following  his  death :  "For  years  there  was  no  snow  storm  which  did  not 
bring  out  Mr.  Lucas  and  his  horse  and  snow  plow,  and  early  in  the  morning 
workers  starting  out  to  their  daily  toil  found  the  paths  cleared  for  them  by 
this  kindly  man,  whose  generous  forethought  brought  him  from  his  country 
home  to  help  make  Xenians  comfortable.  Many  a  blessing  has  been 
showered  upon  him  by  those  who,  because  of  his  forethought,  did  not  have 
to  wade  through  snow  that  often  amounted  to  deep  drifts."  A  small  thing, 
perhaps  the  reader  will  say;  but  indicative  of  a  spirit  all  too  grudgingly  man- 
ifested in  this  age.  On  the  large  farm  inherited  by  Mr.  Lucas  from  his 
parents  is  situated  the  famous  Kil  Kare  Park,  formerly  "Lucas  Grove,"  along 
the  river  at  Trebeins,  now  operated  by  the  traction  company  that  has  a  line 
through  the  farm. 

John  Bassett  Lucas  was  born  on  July  22,  1841,  son  of  Thornton  and 
Mary  (Blessing)  Lucas,  both  of  whom  were  bom  in  Shenandoah  county, 
Virginia,  the  former  in  1802  and  the  latter  on  June  5,  1797,  daughter  of 
Lewis  and  Elizabeth  (Beardsherer)  Blessing,  who  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  those  besides  Mary  having  been  John,  born  on  December  25,  1793; 
Elizabeth,  February  18,  1806,  who  remained  a  spinster,  and  Jacob.  The 
Blessings  had  a  good  property  in  Virginia,  but  a  growing  hatred  for  the 
institution  of  slavery  which  had  fastened  itself  on  the  Old  Dominion 
prompted  them  to  seek  a  new  home  in  a  free  state  and  it  was  decided  to  move 
to  Ohio.  Consequently  in  1816  the  elder  son,  John  Blessing,  then  twenty- 
three  years  of  age  and  who  had  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2,  was 
provided  by  his  father  with  a  liberal  supply  of  money  for  investment  pur- 
poses and  was  sent  West  to  pick  out  a  place  of  settlement,  his  objective  point 
being  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  in  this  county,  excellent  reports  of  which 
section  had  been  going  back  to  Virginia.  In  order  to  minimize  the  danger 
of  robbery,  in  those  days  a  no  inconsiderable  one,  John  Blessing  traveled  as 
a  person  of  no  consequence,  carrying  with  him  a  quite  wonderful  musical 
clock,  a  sort  of  a  music-box,  exhibitions  of  which  along  the  way  invariably 


150  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

secured  for  him  welcome  hospitality  and  he  came  through  without  molesta- 
tion. Upon  his  arrival  here  he  bought  six  hundred  acres  of  land  along  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Xenia  and  began  to  pre- 
pare there  a  place  for  the  later  coming  of  the  rest  of  the  family.  In  the 
meantime  his  father,  Lewis  Blessing,  was  closing  out  his  interests  in  Vir- 
ginia and  in  1824  came  to  this  county  with  the  other  members  of  the  family 
and  settled  on  the  tract  that  had  been  selected  by  his  son  John,  and  in  that 
same  year  began  the  erection  of  the  brick  house  which  still  stands  there  over- 
looking the  river  and  which  is  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Lucas.  The  year  fol- 
lowing the  arrival  of  the  family  here  Lewis  Blessing  and  his  younger  son 
Jacob  died  of  what  then  was  called  "immigrant  fever."  As  an  instance  of 
the  comparative  cost  of  funerals  in  those  days  and  now,  it  may  be  interest- 
ing to  note  that  their  funerals  were  conducted  at  a  cost  of  eight  dollars  each. 
A  granite  monument  in  Woodland  cemetery  marks  the  last  resting  place  of 
this  pioneer.  John  Blessing,  the  "pathfinder"  of  the  family,  continued  to 
develop  the  place  on  which  the  family  had  settled  and  there  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  December  2,  1864,  he  then  being  in  the 
seventy-second  year  of  his  age,  and  he  also  lies  in  Woodland.  He  had 
retained  his  uniform  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2  and  Mrs.  Lucas  still 
possesses  the  old  "Lafayette"  chapeau  which  was  the  distinguishing  feattu'e 
of  that  uniform,  now  a  relic  of  inestimable  value. 

Thornton  Lucas,  then  just  past  his  majority,  came  to  Ohio  with  the 
Blessings  in  1824  to  assist  them  in  the  labors  of  establishing  a  new  home  and 
he  remained  on  the  place,  an  invaluable  aid  to  John  Blessing  in  getting  the 
tract  under  cultivation.  Some  years  later  Thornton  Lucas's  brother,  Basil 
Lucas,  also  came  out  here  from  Virginia  and  established  his  home  in  this 
county.  In  1838  Thornton  Lucas,  married  Mary  Blessing  and  they  continued 
to  make  their  home  on  the  home  place,  spending  there  the  rest  of  their 
lives,  his  death  occurring  on  December  4,  1874,  and  hers,  October  31,  1877. 
Thornton  Lucas  was  reared  a  Democrat,  but  upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
War  threw  in  his  forces  with  those  of  the  administration.  He  and  his  wife 
were  Baptists.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  those  besides  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  been  one  who  died  in  infancy  and 
Lewis  Morton,  who  died  in  1861  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  All  these 
are  resting  in  Woodland  cemetery. 

John  B.  Lucas  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  was  early 
trained  in  the  ways  of  practical  farming.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  a 
private  school  and  on  August  18,  1864,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice 
Quinn,  one  of  Greene  county's  most  accomplished  school  teachers.  After  his 
marriage  he  established  his  home  on  the  home  place,  the  general  manage- 
ment of  which  by  this  time  had  largely  fallen  upon  his  shoulders,  and  when, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I5I 

upon  the  death  of  his  parents  ten  or  twelve  years  later;  he  inherited  the  farm 
he  continued  to  make  his  residence  there  and  so  remained  until  his  death. 
Mr.  Lucas  was  a  stanch  Republican.  In  addition  to  his  farming  interests 
he  also  had  interests  in  other  lines  and  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  at  Xenia  in  association  with  his  brother-in-law,  Elias 
Ouinn,  under  the  firm  name  of  Quinn  &  Lucas.  His  Hfelong  activities  in 
the  general  afifairs  of  the  community  have  been  referred  to  above,  but  it  is 
not  too  much  to  say  that  he  gave  a  stimulating  touch  to  all  the  forms  of 
endeavor  with  which  he  thus  became  connected.  After  his  marriage  he 
became  afifiliated  with  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  of 
which  his  widow  has  been  a  member  since  the  days  of  her  girlhood,  and  was 
ever  after  a  consistent  supporter  of  the  same.  To  John  B.  and  Alice  (Ouinn) 
Lucas  one  child  was  born,  a  son,  Thornton,  named  in  honor  of  his  grand- 
father, who  died  in  1889  in  his  twenty-fifth  year.  In  1913  Mr.  Lucas  suf- 
fered a  stroke  of  paralysis  and  was  thereafter  an  invalid,  for  nine  months 
or  more  before  his  death  being  unable  to  walk  without  assistance.  He  died 
on  the  night  of  December  20,  1916,  and  is  buried  in  Woodland  cemetery. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Lucas  has  continued  to  make  her 
home  at  "Lucas  Hill,"  the  operations  of  the  farm  now  being  carried  on  by 
one  of  her  nephews.  Though  long  past  four  score  years  of  age,  she  retains 
the  liveliest  interest  in  current  affairs  and  maintains  her  church  and  other 
associations  with  much  of  the  zest  of  other  days.  During  the  days  of  her 
young  womanhood  she  was  for  nine  or  ten  years  engaged  as  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  of  this  county  and  she  has  never  lost  her  interest  in  movements 
looking  to  the  promotion  of  the  cultural  life  of  the  community,  in  the  devel- 
opment of  which  she  has  been  a  helpful  participant  for  more  than  eighty 
years,  for  she  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer 
families,  and  has  lived  here  all  her  life.  She  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  Goes  Station  on  February  16,  1831,  daughter  of  Amos 
and  Jane  (Goe)  Ouinn,  both  members  of  pioneer  families,  whose  last  days 
were  spent  here,  the  former  dying  in  1837,  after  which  his  widow  married 
George  Andrew,  of  Xenia  township,  and  became  the  mother  of  Samuel  G. 
and  John  C.  Andrew. 

The  Hon.  Amos  Ouinn,  who  was  serving  as  representative  from  this 
district  in  the  Ohio  General  Assembly  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1837,  v/as 
the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  nine  children  born  to  Matthew  and  Mary 
Quinn,  who  came  to  this  county  with  their  family  from  Kentucky  in  1803, 
members  of  the  considerable  colony  of  Scotch  Seceders  which  settled  here 
about  that  time,  and  further  mention  of  which  family  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  work.  Amos  Quinn  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  his  father  having 
moved  from  that  state  to  Kentucky,  and  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  with 


152  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  family  to  Greene  county,  the  family  locating  on  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Routzong  farm  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  His 
father  was  a  man  of  superior  education  and  he  thus  received  a  degree  of 
schooling  much  in  advance  of  that  common  to  the  time  and  place  and  as  a 
young  man  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  this  county, 
older  chronicles  referring  to  him  in  this  connection  as  "a  gentleman  of  genial 
temperament,  not  to  be  crossed  by  any  amount  of  rebelliousness  on  the  part 
of  his  pupils."  He  early  took  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  served  for 
years  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  township  and  was  everywhere 
known  throughout  the  county  as  "Squire"  Quinn.  From  1830  to  the  time 
of  his  death  he  served  as  sheriff  of  Greene  county  and,  as  noted  above, 
was  elected  representative  to  the  state  Legislature  from  this  district  in  1835 
and  was  thus  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  old  Associate  church,  now  the  Second  United  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Xenia,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  Associate  graveyard  in 
that  city.  Amos  Quinn  left  a  widow  and  three  children,  Mrs.  Lucas  having 
had  a  brother,  Elias,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia^on  April  15,  1900,  and 
a  sister,  Sarah,  who  remained  unmarried  and  who  spent  her  life  with  her 
sister,  Mrs.  Lucas,  living  to  a  ripe  old  age.  As  noted  above,  Amos  Quinn's 
widow  married  again  and  lived  for  years  afterward.  Elias  Quinn,  who 
was  born  on  January  8,  1827,  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War,  going  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Anny  of  the  Republic  at  Xenia.  For 
many  years  he  was  identified  with  industrial  and  commercial  circles  in  Xenia 
as  one  of  the  leading  lumber  dealers  of  that  city,  and  continued  thus  suc- 
cessfully engaged  until  his  retirement  eight  or  ten  years  prior  to  his  death. 
On  April  26,  1859,  Elias  Quinn  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  Andrews, 
who  survived  him  for  more  than  three  years,  her  death  occurring  on  Novem- 
ber 19,  1903.  To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Leila,  who 
for  years  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  Xenia  city  schools  and  is  now  teaching 
in  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans'  Home  there ;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  John  Cooper,  living  just  west  of  Xenia;  Willa  Mary,  who  died  in 
191 5,  and  Ralph  E.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  railway  service  at  Xenia. 

Jane  Goe  Quinn,  mother  of  Mrs.  Lucas,  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Alice  (Van  Horn)  Goe,  and  was  but 
nine  years  of  age  when  her  parents  came  with  their  family  to  Ohio,  floating 
down  the  river  in  flatboats  to  Walnut  Hills,  where  they  stopped  and  where 
they  remained  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  181 1,  they  came 
up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  and  settled  on  a. tract  of  land 
where  the  village  of  Goes,  north  of  Xenia,  later  became  established.    Samuel 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  153 

Goe  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
old  Seceder  congregation  on  Massias  creek,  both  being  buried  in  the  Massies- 
creek  cemetery.  It  was  there  on  that  pioneer  farm,  now  the  site  of  Goes 
Station,  that  Jane  Goe  grew  to  womanhood  and  it  was  there  in  1826  that 
she  married  Amos  Ouinn.  Samuel  Goe  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  Mrs.  Quinn  having  had  four  brothers,  Isaac,  John,  Thomas  and 
James,  and  a  sister,  Sarah. 


AUSTIN  McDowell  Patterson,  Ph.  d. 

Though  born  in  the  ancient  city  of  Damascus,  in  far-away  Syria,  Dr. 
Austin  McDowell  Patterson  has  always  regarded  Xenia  as  his  established 
home.  The  son  of  missionary  parents,  he  was  brought  by  them  to  their 
home  in  Xenia  when  but  an  infant  and  it  is  here  that  he  continues  to  prefer 
to  make  his  home.  He  was  born  on  May  31,  1876,  son  and  only  child  of 
Dr.  J.  F.  and  Charlotte  Isabella  (McDowell)  Patterson,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Logan  county  and  the  latter  in  Xenia,  and  who 
were  at  that  time  serving  as  missionaries  in  the  Syrian  field  in  behalf  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions.  Dr.  J.  F.  Patterson  was  born  on 
May  27,  1842,  a  son  of  John  and  Eliza  Ann  (Hutchinson)  Patterson,  who 
had  come  to  Ohio  after  their  marriage  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  settled  in  Logan  county,  later  moving  to  Warsaw,  Indiana,  where  their 
last  days  were  spent.  Reared  in  Logan  county,  J.  F.  Patterson  early  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine  and  in  1865  was  graduated  from  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  shortly  afterward 
opening  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  village  of  Clifton, 
in  this  county,  and  was  there  thus  engaged  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  entered  Xenia  Theological  Seminary  and  after  a  preliminary 
course  there  entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary  and  from  that  insti- 
tution was  graduated  in  1872  and  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  with  a  view  to  service  in  the  missionary  field.  On 
October  22  of  that  same  year,  at  Xenia,  Doctor  Patterson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Charlotte  Isabella  McDowell,  of  that  city,  and  straightway 
after  their  marriage  he  and  his  bride  departed  for  the  foreign  mission  field, 
in  due  time  entering  ujxjn  their  service  in  the  city  of  Damascus  and  were 
there  thus  engaged  when  the  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  born 
Jn  1876.  The  arduous  character  of  Doctor  Patterson's  labors  in  the  foreign 
field  presently  began  to  undermine  his  health  and  in  1877  he  returned  with 
his  family  to  Xenia,  where  his  death  occurred  less  than  five  years  later, 
March  22,  1882.  Doctor  Patterson's  widow  survived  him  for  many  jtars, 
living  to  render  a  notable  service  to  the  community  and  to  the  missionary 


154  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

cause  to  which  her  heart  ever  continued  devoted,  her  death  occurring  on 
October  14.  1909.  She  was  the  founder  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Maga- 
zine,  now  the  official  missionary  organ  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  in 
the  United  States,  and  for  years  was  engaged  in  the  editorial  management 
of  that  journal.  She  also  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Xenia  Library 
Association,  the  forerunner  of  the  present  Greene  County  Library 
Association.  Mrs.  Patterson  was  born  at  Xenia  on  September  2,  1845, 
daughter  of  Capt.  Austin  and  Susan  A.  (Finney)  McDowell,  who  were  mar- 
ried at  Xenia  on  March  22,  1842,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  that 
city,  the  house  in  which  they  lived  occupying  the  site  of  the  house  in  North 
King  street  in  whicli  their  grandson.  Dr.  Austin  McDowell  Patterson,  now 
resides. 

Capt.  Austin  McDowell  was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  27,  181 5,  a  son  of  William  and  Charlotte  (Finney)  McDowell,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter,  of  the  state  of  Maryland. 
William  McDowell's  father,  John  McDowell,  was  the  owner  of  a  consider- 
able tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh  and  of  an  addi- 
tional tract  now  covered  by  the  city  of  McKeesport.  Austin  McDowell  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  a  log  school  house  in  the  vicinity  of  his  father's 
farm  and  early  was  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter.  After  working  thus  for  two 
years  in  the  country  he  went  to  Pittsburgh  and  there  finished  his  trade  in 
1836,  under  the  direction  of  Andrew  Millen.  For  a  year  thereafter  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  carpenter  there,  and  then  in  the  fall  of  1837,  came 
out  to  Ohio  on  a  visit  to  his  uncle  John  Finney  and  wife,  at  Xenia,  and  wao 
so  favorably  impressed  with  conditions  here  that  he  decided  to  remain. 
Upon  locating  here  Austin  McDowell  began  working  at  his  trade  and  one 
of  the  first  houses  he  built  in  Greene  county  is  still  standing.  That  house 
was  built  for  George  Gordon  on  the  farm  in  the  Massies  creek  neighbor- 
hood now  owned  by  Mrs.  Julia  McGervey.  Not  long  after  taking  up  his 
residence  here  Austin  McDowell  formed  a  partnership  with  James  Laug- 
head  and  became  engaged  as  a  building  contractor,  one  of  that  firm's  con- 
tracts having  been  the  erection  of  the  first  Associate  Reformed  church  in 
Xenia,  ^low  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church,  the  edifice  which  they 
erected  serving  until  supplanted  by  the  present  edifice  on  East  Market  street. 
In  1844  Mr.  McDowell  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  the  local  com- 
pany of  the  old  Ohio  State  Militia  and  was  thus  serving  when  the  Mexican 
War  broke  out.  During  the  progress  of  that  war  his  command  was  or-. 
dered  to  the  front  and  was  at  Cincinnati  preparing  for  further  action  when 
the  war  came  to  an  end,  but  the  experience  thus  gained  was  of  value  when, 
later,  during  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War,  he  earned  his  title  of  captain. 

On  March   22,   1842,  at  Xenia,  Austin  McDowell  was  united  in  mar- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  155 

riage  to  his  cousin,  Susan  A.  Finney,  and  the  two  started  liousekeeping  in 
a  small  house  he  had  built  on  East  Main  street.  In  1849  he  traded  his  town 
property  for  a  farm  three  miles  southeast  of  Xenia  and  moved  to  the  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  1857,  when  he  returned  to  town  and  there  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business,  in  partnership  with  James  McHenr)',  under  the  firm 
name  of  McHenry  &  McDowell.  It  was  in  that  same  year  that  he  bought 
the  lot  on  North  King  street  mentioned  above  as  the  site  of  the  present 
residence  of  Doctor  Patterson,  and  in  the  fall  of  1858  he  built  a  house  there, 
he  and  his  family  entering  upon  the  occupancy  of  the  same  in  March,  1859, 
that  old  house  now  forming  a  part  of  the  residence  now  standing  there,  the 
same  long  ago  having  been  added  to  and  remodeled.  In  the  fall  of  1861 
when  Company  D  of  the  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, was  recruited  at  Xenia,  Austin  McDowell  was  elected  captain  of  the 
same  and  on  December  28,  1861,  was  commissioned  to  lead  t!ie  company 
in  action.  On  February  24,  1862,  Captain  McDowell  reported  with  his 
command  at  Camp  Chase  and  remained  there  until  ordered  to  the  front  on 
April  20  following.  On  September  i,  1862.  this  command  was  attached 
to  Buell's  brigade  and  Captain  McDowell  was  assigned  to  recruiting  service. 
While  serving  in  this  capacity  at  Franklin,  Kentucky,  he  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  enemy  and  was  held  at  Hartsville,  Tennessee,  until  presently  paroled, 
after  which  he  reported  to  Governor  Wood  at  Columbus  and  was  granted 
permission  to  remain  a  few  days  at  home,  later  returning  to  Columbus, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  exchanged,  after  which  he  reported  to  his 
regiment  then  doing  service  in  Tennessee.  In  the  meantime  an  injury  which 
Captain  McDowell  had  received  while  building  a  stockade  at  Franklin  in 
August,  1862,  continued  to  give  him  growing  uneasiness  and  on  February 
10,  186.^,  he  was  compelled  to  resign  on  account  of  this  disability  and  return 
home.  On  December  25,  1863,  he  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company 
I,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  ordered  with  that  command  to  guard  duty  at  Johnson's  Island, 
where  he  was  in  service  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Captain  McDowell  returned 
to  Xenia  and  resumed  his  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  lumber  firm 
with  which  he  was  connected.  In  the  spring  of  1866  the  firm  established  a 
branch  at  Wilmington  and  Captain  McDowell  took  charge  of  the  same,  mov- 
ing with  his  family  to  that  city,  and  there  remained  until  the  sumraer  of 
1869,  when  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  bought  his  partner's  interest  in  the 
lumber  business.  In  1872  the  Captain  bought  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
the  McDowell  &  Torrence  Lumber  Company  at  the  corner  of  South  Detroit 
and  Third  streets  and  moved  his  plant  there.  On  March  i,  1873,  he  sold 
an  interest  in  the  business  to  Findley  D.   Torrence  and  the  concern  was 


156  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

thereafter  operated  under  the  firm  name  of  McDowell  &  Torrence,  which 
name  the  company  still  bears,  though  the  two  principals  are  now  deceased, 
Doctor  Patterson  holding  the  interest  in  the  concern  which  he  inherited 
from  his  grandfather.  Captain  McDowell.  Early  in  life  Captain  McDowell 
had  become  affiliated  with  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  in  the  faith  of 
which  communion  he  had  been  reared,  and  by  1847  had  become  a  trustee  of 
the  local  congregation  at  Xenia.  After  the.  "union"  of  1858  he  continued 
his  interest  in  church  work  as  a  member  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian 
church.  He  died  on  May  31,  1892,  and  when  his  will  was  read  it  was 
found  that  he  had  made  provision  for  the  perpetuation  of  the  interest  he  had 
taken  in  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia  by  reserving 
a  fund  for  the  creation  of  an  artificial  lake  in  the  grounds  of  the  Home  and 
beautiful  McDowell  Lake  is  a  constant  memorial  of  his  interest  in  the  chil- 
dren for  whose  enjoyment  it  was  created. 

Austin  McDowell  Patterson  was  but  a  babe  in  arms  when  his  parents 
returned  from  Damascus,  the  place  of  his  birth,  to  Xenia,  and  he  was  but 
six  years  of  age  when  his  father  died.  He  grew  up  at  Xenia  and  was  pre- 
pared for  college  by  attendance  at  Miss  McCracken's  Preparatory  College 
in  that  city,  after  which  he  entered  Princeton  University,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1897  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He 
then  entered  Johns  Hopkins  University,  specializing  there  in  chemistry  from 
1897  to  1900,  and  in  the  latter  year  received  from  that  institution  his  Doctor 
of  Philosophy  degree.  While  in  Princeton  he  was  elected  to  Phi  Beta 
Kappa.  Upon  leaving  Johns  Hopkins  in  1900  he  accepted  the  chair  of 
chemistry  in  Centre  College  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  and  a  year  later  tr^n-s- 
ferred  his  services  to  Rose  Polytechnic  Institute  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana, 
remaining  there  as  instructor  in  chemistry  for  two  years,  or  until  1903, 
when  his  services  were  secured  by  the  G.  &  C.  Merriam  Company,  publishers 
of  "Webster's  New  International  Dictionary,"  and  for  four  years  there- 
after, or  until  1907,  he  was  engaged  as  editor  of  the  department  of  chem- 
ical and  allied  terms  in  that  work,  a  service  which  brought  him  recognition 
as  one  of  the  few  unquestioned  authorities  on  chemistry  and  kindred  sub- 
jects in  the  United  States.  Upon  the  completion  of  this  monumental  task 
Doctor  Patterson  returned  home  and  spent  the  summer  of  1908  at  Xenia, 
where  he  took  part  in  the  preparations  then  being  made  for  the  centennial 
"home-coming"  celebration  of  that  year,  rendering  service  in  that  connec- 
tion as  chairman  of  the  committee  which  had  in  hand  the  pul)lication  of  the 
souvenir  edition  of  a  history  of  Greene  county,  personally  taking  many  of 
the  photographs  that  were  used  in  illustrating  the  book  and  also  acting  as 
editor-in-chief. 

In   1909  Doctor   Patterson  became  associate  editor  of  the  publication 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I57 

Chemical  Abstracts,  a  technical  journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society 
then  published  at  the  University  of  Illinois,  and  a  year  later  became  editor 
of  the  same,  at  the  same  time  transferring  the  office  of  publication  to  Ohio 
State  University  at  Columbus,  and  continued  as  editor  of  that  publication 
until  1914.  In  the  meantime,  in  191 1,  he  had  bought  the  Xenia  Republican, 
a  once-a-week  newspaper  that  was  being  then  published  at  Xenia,  and  in 
March,  191 2,  changed  it  from  a  weekly  to  a  daily  publication  and  continued 
as  editor,  owner  and  publisher  of  the  same  until  1914,  when  by  reason  of  ill- 
health  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  discontinue  his  labors  and  seek  a 
change  of  climate.  During  the  period  of  his  labors  as  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Daily  Republican,  Doctor  Patterson  also  had  been  keeping  up  his 
technical  labors  as  editor  of  Chemical  Abstracts  and  these  two-fold  duties, 
together  with  his  various  activities  in  behalf  of  certain  local  political  and 
social-service  movements,  proved  too  much  for  him  and  he  found  that  he  had 
overtaxed  his  physical  powers.  Selling  his  newspaper  to  the  Gazette,  the 
Doctor  left  Xenia  and  went  to  El  Paso,  Texas,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  physically  restored,  he  returned  to  his  estab- 
lished home  at  Xenia  and  has  since  been  living  there,  chiefly  engaged  in  his 
continued  labors  in  behalf  of  the  American  Chemical  Society  and  in  writing 
on  technical  subjects,  having  in  February,  19 17,  published  a  German-English 
dictionary  of  chemical  terms  which  has  already  gone  through  its  third  print- 
ing. As  secretary  of  the  McDowell-Torrence  Lumber  Company  he  is  also 
interested  in  the  general  business  and  industrial  affairs  of  the  city.  The 
Doctor  is  an  independent  Republican  and  has  rendered  service  as  a  member 
of  the  local  school  board  and  as  a  member  of  the  city  health  board.  He 
helped  to  organize  and  was  the  first  president  of  the  Greene  County  Im- 
provement Association  and  was  a  member  of  the  charter  committee  chosen 
to  get  under  way  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a  commis- 
sion form  of  government  by  the  city  of  Xenia  in  the  fall  of  1917,  serving 
afterward  as  vice-president  of  the  commission  of  fifteen  which  framed  the 
new  charter.  The  Doctor  is  a  fellow  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Ad- 
vancement of  Science  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  honorary  scientific 
fraternity  Sigma  Xi.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  World  War,  Doctor 
Patterson  offered  his  services  to  the  government,  and  on  April  i,  19 18,  was 
called  to  Washington,  D.  C,  to  assist  in  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Mines 
as  a  volunteer  non-salaried  investigator.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

On  May  31,  191 1,  Dr.  y\.ustin  McDowell  Patterson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Anna  Elizabeth  Bailey,  who  was  born  at  Cadiz,  Ohio,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  and  Luella  C.  (Stewart)  Bailey,  the  latter  of  whom  is 
still  living,  a  resident  of  Xenia.     Mrs.  Bailey  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 


158  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

vicinity  of  Clifton,  this  county,  August  12,  185 1,  daughter  and  only  child 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Elder)  Stewart,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  the  former  on  April  6,  1827,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  died  in  1853,  her  Httle  daughter  Luella  then  being  but  two  years  of 
age.  The  latter  was  reared  by  her  father's  sister,  Mrs.  Harvey  Jobe,  and 
received  her  schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools,  being  graduated  from  the  high 
school  in  that  city  in  1870,  and  was  living  there  when  in  1878  she  was  united 
in  marriage  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Bailey,  who  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  September  18,  1848,  son  of  Matthew  and  Ann 
(Smiley)  Bailey,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  latter 
on  June  9,  18 12.  Matthew  Bailey  was  a  farmer  and  he  and  his  wife,  who 
were  married  on  March  27,  1834,  spent  their  last  days  in  their  home  county, 
the  former  dying  in  1878  and  the  latter,  December  11,  1889.  Originally 
members  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  they  became  affiliated  with  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  after  the  "union"  and  their  children  were  reared 
in  that  faith.  There  were  eight  of  these  children,  namely :  the  Rev.  John  A. 
Bailey,  a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  who  married  Isabella 
Porter,  of  Lawrence  county,  Pennsylvania,  held  pastoral  charges  at  Sidney, 
Ohio,  and  at  Sharon,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  died  at  Mt.  Jackson,  in  the 
latter  state;  William  S.  Bailey,  former  county  commissioner  of  W^ashington 
county;  Pennsylvania,  now  deceased;  Mrs.  Sarah  Andrews,  a  widow,  now 
living  at  McDonald,  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania ;  Alexander  Bailey, 
a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Xenia ;  James  P.  Bailey,  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania; Margaret,  of  McDonald,  Pennsylvania;  the  Rev.  Samuel  M. 
Bailey,  Mrs.  Patterson's  late  father,  and  M.  Carlisle  Bailey,  a  retired  farmer, 
now  living  in  East  Market  street,  Xenia. 

Upon  completing  his  preparatory  studies  at  Westminster,  Pennsylvania, 
Samuel  M.  Bailey  began  the  study  of  theology  and  philosophy  at  Allegheny, 
Pennsylvania,  and  later  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Xenia.  where 
he  completed  his  studies  and  on  April  12,  1877,  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  The  next  year  he  was  married 
at  Xenia  and  thus  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  ministerial  labors  had  a 
competent  helpmate  in  the  various  fields  to  which  these  labors  called  him, 
among  these  various  charges  having  been  those  at  Shilo,  Indiana;  Cadiz, 
Ohio;  Clifton,  Ohio;  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  other  points.  After  twenty- 
five  years  of  active  ministerial  labor  Mr.  Bailey  found  his  health  Ijroken  and 
upon  his  retirement  in  1902  he  returned  to  Xenia,  established  his  home  there 
and  there  spent  his  last  days;  continuing,  however,  so  long  as  his  strength 
remained,  to  supply  vacancies  in  pulpits  not  too  remote  from  his  home,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  Jime  2,  1908.  To  the  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Bailey  and 
wife  were   born   two   children,    Mrs.    Patterson   halving   a  brother,    Hervey 


i 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I59 

Smiley  Bailey,  who  also  was  born  at  Cadiz,  this  state,  and  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  while  the  family  home  was  established  at  Buffalo, 
New  York.  He  then  entered  Westminster  College  at  New  Wilmington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  afterward  took  a  course  in  mechanical  engineering  at  Cor- 
nell College  and  was  employed  as  a  mechanical  engineer  by  different  firms. 
In  January,  191 8,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Harriet  Culbert,  of  Eliza- 
beth, Pennsylvania.  They  are  living  on  their  farm  one  mile  east  of  Cedar- 
ville  in  this  county.  Mrs.  Patterson,  the  second  child  and  only  daughter  of 
her  parents,  completed  her  high-school  work  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  and 
later  entered  the  Western  College  for  Women  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  from  which 
she  was  graduated  in  1906. 


JOHN  R.  PATTERSON. 

John  R,  Patterson,  superintendent  of  the  city  schools  at  Xenia,  is  a 
native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  nearly  all  his  life,  actively  en- 
gaged in  school  work  since  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at 
Bridgeport,  in  Belmont  county,  January  15,  1886,  son  of  John  and  Laura 
Belle  (Cost)  Patterson,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county  and 
the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living.  He  was  but  a  babe  in  arms  when  his 
parents  went  from  Ohio  to  Kansas  and  he  was  about  six  years  of  age  when 
they  returned  to  their  old  home  in  Belmont  county,  this  state,  where  he  grew 
to  manhood.  He  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Bridgeport 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years  began  teaching  school,  for  two  years  being 
thus  engaged  in  the  rural  schools  in  his  home  county.  He  then  was  made 
a  township  supervising  teacher  and  after  two  years  of  service  in  that  capacity 
was  made  principal  of  the  South  School  at  Martins  Ferry,  Ohio.  After  two 
years  there  he  was  made  superintendent  of  schools  at  New  Washington,  in 
Crawford  county.  In  the  meantime,  by  attending  summer  courses,  Mr. 
Patterson  had  attained  junior  rank  in  Wooster  University  and  his  teaching 
abilities  having  attracted  the  attention  of  the  university  authorities  he  was 
made  instructor  in  science  in  the  academic  department  of  the  university.  By 
this  form  of  service  he  was  enabled  to  finance  his  further  progress  through 
the,  university  and  he  was  graduated  from  that  institution,  cum  laiidcy  in 
1914,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy ;  meanwhile  having  taught 
for  fifteen  hours  a  week  during  his  senior  year.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma 
Mr.  Patterson  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  at  Amherst,  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  that  position  in  the  fall  of  19 14  and  continuing  thus  en- 
gaged until  in  July.  1916,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  superin- 
tendent of  the  schools  at  Xenia,  which  position  he  now  occupies.  Since 
leaving  the  university  he  has  taken  two  summer  courses  in  school  adminis- 


l60  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tration  at  Columbia  University,  New  York.  Mr.  Patterson  is  an  able  speaker 
and  during  his  college  days  was  able  to  supplement  the  slender'  fund  at  his 
disposal  by  delivering  high-school  commencement  addresses.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ohio  State  Teachers  Association  and  of  the  National  Education 
Association.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masons  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  August  14,  1909,  John  R.  Patterson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Bertha  B.  Bunker,  who  was  born  at  Kent,  this  state,  daughter  of  Richard  R. 
and  Josephine  (Shannon)  Bunker,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one 
child,  a  son,  James  Earl,  born  on  August  15,  igi'o.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Patterson  is  a  member  of 
the  Xenia  Business  Men's  Association. 


ROBERT  S.  JACOBY. 

The  late  Robert  S.  Jacoby,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  years  a 
well-known  farmer  and  miller,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  township 
in  1910,  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  spent  his  last  days,  and  where  his  widow  is  now  making  her  home, 
November  22,  1842,  son  of  Matthew  Corry  and  Phoebe  A.  (Jackson)  Jacoby, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Gen.  Robert  Jackson,  a  cousin  of 
Andrew  Jackson,  seventh  President  of  the  United  States,  and  further  men- 
tion of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work,  he  having  been  one  of  the  early 
and  influential  settlers  of  this  county,  for  some  time  commander  of  local 
militia  and  for  a  time  representative  from  this  district  in  the  state  Legisla- 
ture. 

Matthew  Corry  Jacoby  was  a  native  of  New  York  state.  Upon  coming 
to  Greene  county  he  located  on  the  place  on  which  the  widow  of  his  son 
Robert  is  now  living,  in  Xenia  township,  cleared  and  improved  the  same, 
built  a  mill  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  1846.  His  widow  married  John  Dawson  and  after  the  latter's 
death  married  a  Reed.  Her  last  days  were  spent  in  Chicago,  where  she  was 
making  her  home  with  a  daughter  at  the  time  of  her  death.  By  her  mar- 
riage with  Matthew  Corry  Jacoby  she  was  the  mother  of  three  sons,  Robert 
S.,  Corry  and  Reuben  J.,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  By  her  second 
marriage  she  was  the  mother  of  three  daughters,  Minerva  Alice,  who  mar- 
ried Wilson  Hopkins ;  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  married  Fred  Best,  of  New  York, 
and  Catherine,  who  married  W.  J.  Fleming,  of  Chicago. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  Robert  S.  Jacoby  received 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  as  a  boy  was  a  valued  help  to 
his  father  in  the  operations  of  the  mill  and  the  home  farm.     Though  but 


ALEXANDER  TURNBULL. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  l6l 

eighteen  years  of  age  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  his  services 
in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company 
D,  Seventy- fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command 
he  served  for  four  years  or  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at 
Camp  Denison  in  1865  with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  He  had  been  offered 
a  captaincy,  but  had  declined.  During  that  term  of  service  Mr.  Jacoby 
participated  in  many  of  the  great  battles  of  the  Civil  War,  was  with  Sherman 
on  the  march  to  the  sea  and  did  not  miss  a  single  day  of  service,  taking  part 
in  all  the  encounters  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  military  service  Mr.  Jacoby  returned  to  the  home  farm,  but 
presently  entered  a  business  college  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  a 
course  of  instruction  in  that  institution  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  various 
business  pursuits,  for  a  time  being  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Xenia, 
after  which  he  returned  to  the  home  fami  and  lived  with  his  uncle,  John 
Jacoby,  taking  care  of  the  latter  in  his  old  age.  He  then  bought  the  old 
Jacoby  homestead  of  two  hundred  and  ten  acres,  including  the  old  Jacoby 
mill,  and  there  continued  engaged  in  farming  and  milling  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  January  11,  1910,  although  in  the  later  years  of  his 
life  he  had  practically  retired  from  active  labors,  though  continuing  his 
general  direction  of  affairs.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  and  milling 
he  also  had  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  had 
done  very  well.  Mr.  Jacoby  was  a  Republican,  a  charter  member  of  the 
local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Yellow  Springs  and  an 
active  member  of  the  Yellow  Springs  United  Presbyterian  church,  ever  taking 
an  earnest  interest  in  political  affairs  and  in  the  work  of  his  post  and  church, 
remaining  to  the  end,  as  it  was  written  of  him,  "as  true  to  his  duties  of 
citizenship  as  when  he  followed  the  starry  banner  of  the  nation  upon  Southern 
battle  fields." 

On  December  28,  1871,  Robert  S.  Jacoby  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  Catherine  Humphreys,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia  township  and  who 
survived  him,  continuing  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm,  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Turnbull,  widow  of  Alexander  Turnbull,  making  her  home  with 
her.  Mrs.  Jacoby  and  Mrs.  Turnbull,  who  are  the  last  surviving  members 
of  their  family,  are  daughters  of  Joseph  and  Martha  (Ferguson)  Humphreys, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  the  latter  in  the  Steele 
Creek  settlement  in  North  Carolina,  she  having  been  but  a  girl  when  her 
widowed  mother  came  to  this  county  with  her  family  and  settled  in  Xenia 
township.  Joseph  Humphreys  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  here  from  New 
York  with  his  two  uncles.  Francis  and  Edward  Humphreys,  and  his  unmar- 
ried aunt,  Nancy  Humphreys,  the  family  settling  in  the  northern  part  of 
Xenia  township,  where  thev  developed  fine  bits  of  farm  property.  There  Joseph 

(10) 


l62  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Humphreys  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Martha  Ferguson,  the  two  estab- 
lishing their  home  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  where  they  spent  their 
last  days,  the  former  dying  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years  and  the  latter  at 
the  age  of  sixty-three  years.  To  Joseph  and  Martha  (Ferguson)  Humph- 
reys were  born  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Turnbull  was  the  first-born  and 
Mrs.  Jacoby  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Francis  Edward 
Humphreys,  who  enlisted  for  service  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War,  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Seventy-fourth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  while  serving  with  that  command 
died  of  measles  at  Nashville,  Tennessee ;  the  Rev.  William  Ferguson  Humph- 
reys, a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  who  died  at  his  father's 
home  in  Xenia  township  at  the  age  of  thirty  years ;  Elizabeth  Ann,  who  died 
unmarried,  and  Martha  Josephine,  who  also  died  unmarried.  Sarah  J.  Humph- 
reys, first-born  of  the  above  children  of  Joseph  Humphreys,  was  united  in 
marriage  in  1861  to  Albert  G.  Barber,  who  died  in  1893.  To  that  union 
was  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Fannie,  who  married  H.  C.  Dean  and  who, 
as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased.  To  H.  C.  Dean  and  wife  two 
children  were  born,  the  Rev.  James  Humphreys  Dean,  who  married  Myra 
Logan  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  South  Argyle, 
New  York,  and  Mary  Catherine,  who  married  William  Wilson,  of  Spring- 
field, this  state,  and  has  two  daughters,  Frances  and  Martha  Jane.  In  April, 
1895,  Mrs.  Barber  married  Alexander  Turnbull,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War, 
a  member  of  Company  D,  Twelfth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  who 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro  and  who  after  his  military  service 
was  over  had  located  on  a  fami  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedarville.  Alexander 
Turnbull  died  on  April  6,  19 15,  since  which  time  Mrs.  Turnbull  has  been 
making  her  home  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Jacoby.  The  two  sisters  continue  to 
take  an  active  interest  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  community  and  in  current 
events.  They  have  been  witnesses  to  many  amazing  changes  in  local  condi- 
tions and  in  the  manner  of  living  since  the  days  of  their  childhood  and  can 
tell  many  interesting  stories  of  a  generation  now  gone  by.  Mrs.  Jacoby  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Yellow  Springs  and  Mrs.  Turn- 
bull  is  a  member  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  both 
ladies  taking  a  warm  interest  in  church  affairs  and  in  the  general  good  works 
of  the  county  in  which  they  have  lived  all  their  lives,  and  in  which  they  have 
many  warm  friends. 


EDWIN  C.  RADER. 


Edwin  C.  Rader,  building  contractor  at  Xenia,  was  born  at  171  Colum- 
bus avenue,  Xenia,  January  12,  1855,  son  of  Adam  and  Susan  V. 
(McKnight)   Rader,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  the  old  Ke}?tone 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  1 63 

State  and  the  latter  of  the  Old  Dominion,  who  became  residents  of  Greene 
county  in  the  days  of  their  childhood,  their  respective  parents  having  been 
pioneers  here,  and  here  spent  their  last  days. 

Adam  Rader  was  born  in  Fredericksburg,  Pennsylvania,  November  15, 
181 8,  and  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  in 
1 82 1,  driving  through,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike  in 
Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  where  they  established  their  home  and 
where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  They  had  five  sons,  John,  David, 
William,  Adam  and  Levi,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Xenia.  The  junior  Adam  Rader  grew  up  on  the  paternal  farm  in  Beaver- 
creek township  and  early  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  brick,  he 
and  one  of  his  brothers  presently  establishing  brick  yards  in  the  east  end  of 
Xenia,  and  he  continued  engaged  in  the  brick  business  the  rest  of  his  life, 
living  at  Xenia  with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  at  Jamestown,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming.  On  December  13,  1849,  ^^  ^7^  Columbus  ave- 
nue, Xenia,  Adam  Rader  was  united  in  marriage  to  Susan  V.  McKnight, 
daughter  of  Josiah  McKnight  and  wife,  who  had  come  here  from  Virginia 
about  1830  and  had  settled  in  Xenia,  where  Josiah  McKnight  became  con- 
nected with  the  city's  business  affairs.  In  that  house  Adam  Rader  and  his 
wife  made  their  home  after  their  marriage  and  there  both  died,  the  latter 
dying  on  May  15,  1894.  Adam  Rader  died  on  January  30,  T907,  he  then 
being  eighty-nine  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Reformed  church  and  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely :  Emma, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Edwin  C.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch;  Henry  Willard  and  Mariella,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  now 
living  at  Dayton  and  the  latter  of  whom  married  William  Dean,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  vohime;  arrd  is  now  living  at 
Columbus,  Indiana ;  Martha,  who  is  still  living  at  Xenia,  widow  of  Dr.  H.  R. 
McClelland,  and  Ada  Virginia,  wife  of  Dr.  C.  F.  Oglesbee,  of  Xenia. 

Edwin  C.  Rader  grew  up  at  Xenia,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools 
of  that  city,  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  instructed  by  his  father 
in  the  details  of  the  brick  business.  Under  the  direction  of  his  uncles,  John, 
David  and  William  Rader,  he  also  became  a  skilled  bricklayer.  He  married 
when  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  for  three  years  thereafter  was  engaged 
in  the  bricklaying  business  at  Jamestown,  after  which  he  became  engaged 
in  farming  in  Cedarville  township  and  was  thus  engaged  for  five  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  there  started  the  general 
contracting  business  in  which  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged,  some  of  the 
contracts  that  have  been  handled  by  him  having  been  the  office  building  of 
the  R.  A.  Kelly  Company  in  West  Market  street,  the  new  Reformed  Presr 
byterian  church,  the  Greene  County  Children's  Home,  the  great  brick  smoke- 


164  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Stack  of  the  Hooven  &  Allison  plant,  the  building  occupied  by  the  Eavey 
Wholesale  Company,  the  new  consolidated  school  building  at  Bowersville, 
the  Caesarscreek  township  high-school  building,  the  Arnett  building  and 
Mitchell  Hall  at  Wilberforce  University,  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church 
at  Cedarville  and  many  other  buildings  that  have  been  constructed  through- 
out Greene  county  in  recent  years.  In  1894  Mr.  Rader  erected  the  hou.se  in 
which  he  now  lives  at  the  corner  of  South  Columbus  and  Orient  streets  and 
has  since  resided  there. 

On  January  16,  1879,  Edwin  C.  Rader  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie 
B.  Carruthers,  who  was  born  om  a  farm  on  the  Federal  pike  in  Cedarville 
township,  this  county,  December  25,  1861,  daughter  of  Robert  M.  and  Mary 
Ann  (McQuiston)  Carruthers,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  1866.  The 
widow  of  Robert  M.  Carruthers  survived  him  for  many  years  and  her  last 
days  were  spent  in  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Rader,  at  Xenia,  her 
death  occurring  there  in  April,  1914.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rader  are  members  of 
the  Reformed  church  at  Xenia,  with  the  congregation  of  which  Mr.  Rader 
has  been  affiliated  since  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  and  of  the  diaconate  of 
v.'hich  he  has  been  a  member  for  many  years.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  has 
not  been  an  office  seeker. 


PROF.  GEORGE  J.  GRAHAM. 

There  are  few  men  in  Ohio  who  have  held  a  longer  connection  with  the 
schools  of  this  state  than  has  Prof.  George  J.  Graham,  who  for  more  than 
twenty-five  and  one-half  years  was  principal  of  the  Xenia  high  school  and 
later  superintendent  of  the  Xenia  city  schools,  a  position  he  occupied  for  more 
than  four  and  one-half  years,  or  until  his  resignation  to  accept  his  present 
position  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  George  Dodds  &  Sons  Granite  Com- 
pany. For  seven  years  prior  to  his  entrance  upon  the  duties  of  principal 
of  the  high  school  at  Xenia  Professor  Graham  had  occupied  the  dual  position 
of  superintendent  of  schools  and  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Waynes- 
ville,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  and  prior  to  that  period  of  service 
had  been  for  years  engaged  as  a  teacher  at  other  points,  so  that  when  he 
resigned  his  position  as  superintendent  of  schools  at  Xenia  in  the  summer 
of  1916  he  had  rendered  a  sen-ice  of  thirty  years  in  behalf  of  the  Xenia 
schools  and  had  been  actively  and  continuously  engaged  in  school  work  for 
fifty  years,  a  period  of  service  equalled  by  few,  if  any,  of  the  educators 
in  the  state  of  Ohio.  Professor  Graham  successfully  passed  the  examination 
for  license  to  teach  school  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  began  teaching 
when  he  was  nineteen  and  in  1886  received  a  life  license  as  a  high-school 
teacher.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Teachers  Association,  the  West- 


GEORGE  J.  GltAHAM. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  l6S 

ern  Ohio  Superintendents  Round  Table,  the  Central  Ohio  Teachers  Associa- 
tion, the  Miami  Valley  Schoolmasters  Club  and  of  the  department  of 
superintendents  of  the  National  Educational  Association,  and  there  are  few 
educators  in  the  state  who  have  a  wider  acquaintance  than  he. 

George  J.  Graham  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  resided  in  this  state 
all  his  life  save  for  a  few  years  during  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  when 
he  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Illinois.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  Plymouth  (now  known  as  Bartlett),  in  Washington  county,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1847,  son  of  Wilson  and  Sarah  (Dickson)  Graham,  natives  of  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  who  were  married  in  that  county  and  in 
1846  came  over  into  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Plymouth  (now 
Bartlett)  neighborhood  in  Washington  county,  where  they  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  Professor  Graham's  grandparents  on  both  sides  lived 
and  died  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  save  grandmother  Graham, 
who  late  in  life  made  her  home  with  her  son  Wilson  and  there  spent  her 
last  days.  Wilson  Graham  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were 
five  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  Professor  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  Thomas,  wlio  died  at  tlie  age  of  thirteen  years; 
Dickson,  a  farmer,  of  Washington  county,  who  died  in  1914;  Martha  Ann, 
who  married  George  Goddard  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now 
deceased,  and  Margaret,  who  married  William  Goddard,  a  brother  of  George, 
and  is  living  at  Belpre,  in  Washington  county,  this  state. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  J.  Graham  received  his  early  school- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  district  school  and  supplemented  the  same  by  atten- 
dance at  Bartlett  Academy.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  received  a  certirt- 
cate  to  teach  school  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  but  did  not  begin  teaching  until 
he  was  nineteen,  his  first  examination  for  license  having  been  merely  a 
tentative  step  taken  to  test  his  scliolarship.  For  two  terms  Professor  Graham 
taught  in  his  home  district  and  then  he  went  to  Sangamon  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  teaching  for  four  years  in  the  fall  and  winters,  spending 
the  summers  on  the  farm  in  Ohio,  at  the  end  of  wliich  time,  on  accotmt  of  his 
father's  failing  health,  he  returned  home  and  for  two  winters  again  had  charge 
of  the  home  school,  and  then  for  three  years  taught  at  Plymouth.  In  1877 
Professor  Graham  married  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  National  Normal 
University  at  Lebanon,  this  state,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1879.  Upon  thus  qualifying  for  high-school  work  the  Professor  was 
employed  as  principal  of  the  high  school  and  as  superintendent  of  schools  in 
the  village  of  Waynesville,  in  Warren  county,  and  he  held  that  dual  position 
for  seven  years,  or  until  1886,  when  he  was  engaged  as  principal  of  tlie 
Xenia  high  school  and  moved  to  that  city,  where  he  ever  since  has  resided. 


l66  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

For  twenty-five  and  one-half  years  Professor  Graham  continued  to  serve 
as  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Xenia  and  he  then  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  city  schools,  a  position  he  occupied  for 
four  years  and  six  months,  or  until  in  August,  191 6,  when  he  resigned  to 
accept  the  position  he  is  now  filling  as  a  salesman  for  the  George  Dodds  & 
Sons  Granite  Company  at  Xenia.  Professor  Graham  is  a  member  of  the 
Xenia  Business  Men's  Association. 

On  December  26,  1877,  Prof.  George  J.  Graham  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Elizabeth  Hosom,  who  also  was  bom  in  Washington  county,  this 
state,  daughter  of  Benjamin  A.  and  Mary  Ann  (Becket)  Hosom,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county  and  the  former,  in  Morgan  county, 
this  state,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Fern, 
wife  of  L.  K.  Sone,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in  New  York 
City;  Mabel,  wife  of  Silas  O.  Hale,  former  county  clerk  and  present  deputy 
auditor  of  Greene  county,  and  George  I.  Graham,  proprietor  of  the  Aldine 
Publishing  House  at  Xenia.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Graham  reside  at  131 
West  Church  street.  They  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  the  Professor  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of  the  same. 
He  also  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 


STEPHEN  CALVIN  WRIGHT 

Stephen  Calvin  Wright,  deputy  judge  of  the  Greene  county  probate 
court,  former  editor  of  the  Ccdannlle  Record,  former  postmaster  of  Cedar- 
ville,  president  of  the  Gedarville  Community  Club,  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  Gedarville  College  and  former  head  of  the  normal  department 
of  that  institution,  is  a  native  of  the  Hoosier  state,  but  has  been  a  resident 
of  Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  ever  since  he  came  to  enter  Gedarville  College 
in  the  days  of  his  youth  and  is  thus  as  well  known  herealx)ut  as  though 
"native  and  to  the  manner  born."  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  village  of  Idaville,  in  White  county,  Indiana,  February  22, 
1873,  son  of  John  B.  and  Agnes  Isabel  (Bailey)  Wright,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  county,  members  of  pioneer  families  in  the  Idaville 
neighborhood,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living. 

John  B.  Wright,  a  retired  farmer  and  banker,  now  living  at  Idaville, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  ever  since  retiring  from  the  farm  years  ago, 
was  born  in  1847.  son  of  Stephen  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Billingsley),  Wright, 
who  were  pioneers  of  the  Idaville  neighborhood,  and  all  his  life  has  been 
spent  there.  He  married  Agnes  Isabel  Bailey,  who  also  was  born  in  that 
community,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Agnes  (Morrison)  Bailey,  early  set- 
tlers  thereabout,   and   after  his  marriage   established  his   home   on   a    farm 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  .  167 

nearby  the  village.  Not  long  after  his  election  to  the  office  of  trustee  of  his 
home  township  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Idaville,  where  he 
since  has  made  his  home.  For  two  terms  he  served  as  township  trustee  and 
meantime  founded  the  Idaville  State  Bank,  of  which  he  still  is  president. 
He  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  his  home  farm  and  owns 
besides  another  farm  and  has  other  property  interests.  Mrs.  Wright  died  in 
July,  1916,  she  then  being  seventy  years  and  seven  days  of  age.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  as  is  her  husband,  and  their 
children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  seven  of  these  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  the  fol- 
lowing :  Luella,  unmarried,  who  continues  to  make  her  home  with  her  father 
at  Idaville;  Mary  Elsie,  wife  of  Elliot  Crowell,  of  Idaville;  Glenson,  who  is 
now  engaged  in  farming  in  the  neighborhood  of  Creston,  Nebraska ;  Oda 
May,  who  died  on  October  6,  1906,  the  year  following  her  marriage  to 
Harvey  Downs,  of  Idaville ;  Laura  Belle,  wife  of  Prof.  F.  D.  Francis,  super- 
intendent of  schools  at  Gilman,  Iowa,  and  who  is  her  husband's  assistant  in 
that  office,  and  Fannie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Stephen  Calvin  Wright,  who  is  better  known 
to  the  friends  of  his  boyhood  as  "Cal"  Wright,  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  Idaville  schools  and  suppdemented  the  same  by  a  course  of  preparatory 
work  at  Wabash  College  at  Crawfordsville,  Indiana,  after  which  he  entered 
Cedarville  College,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1903,  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Wright  had  married 
and  upon  leaving  college  he  decided  to  establish  his  home  at  Cedarville,  a 
decision  he  never  has  had  cause  to  regret.  Seeking  an  outlet  for  his  energies 
he  turned  to  the  "fourth  estate"  and  in  that  same  year,  1903,  started  the 
Cedarville  Record,  continuing  as  editor  and  publisher  of  that  newspaper  until 
he  sold  it  in  191 1  in  order  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  the  duties  incumbent 
upon  the  postmaster  of  Cedarville,  he  having  received  the  appointment  to 
that  office  in  1910.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  term  of  service  as  postmaster 
in  1914  Mr.  Wright  was  elected  financial  secretary  of  Cedarville  College  and 
has  ever  since  been  officially  connected  with  his  alma  mater.  It  was  in  that 
year  that  the  normal  department  of  the  college  was  created,  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  new  law,  and  upon  the  establishment  of  that  department  Mr. 
Wright  was  made  head  of  the  same,  continuing  to  serve  in  that  capacity  until 
his  resignation  in  August,  1917,  to  accept  the  appointment  as  deputy  probate 
judge  of  Greene  county,  under  Judge  Marshall,  which  position  he  now  occu- 
pies, continuing,  however,  to  make  his  home  at  Cedarville.  Mr.  Wright  is  a 
Republican,  as  is  his  father.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Cedarville  College  and  for  ten  years  also  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the 
local  school  Ixiard  at  Cedarville.     He  also  served  for  years  as  clerk  of  the 


lOO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

village.  For  the  past  two  years  or  more  Mr.  Wright  has  been  the  president 
of  the  Cedarville  Community  Club,  an  association  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
of  the  business  men  and  farmers  of  Cedarville  and  vicinity,  formerly  known 
as  the  Cedarville  Board  of  Trade. 

On  October  26,  1896,  at  Idaville.  Indiana,  Stephen  Calvin  Wright  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Eva  Emma  Johnsonbaugh,  who  also  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  village,  daughter  of  John  and  Nancy  (Marvin)  Johnson- 
baugh, both  members  of  pioneer  families  thereabout,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  born  four  children,  namely :  Naomi  I.,  who  was  graduated  from  Cedar- 
ville College  in  1917;  John  Calvin,  who  in  December,  1917,  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  Marine  Corps  and  is  now  in  service ;  Harry  D.,  who  is  now  a 
student  at  Cedarville  College,  and  Marjorie,  who  is  attending  high  school  at 
Cedarville.  The  Wrights  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church 
at  Cedarville. 


JAMES  PARKER  CHEW. 

James  Parker  Chew, .  senior  member  of  the  Chew  Publishing  Company 
and  editor  of  the  Xenia  Daily  Gazette  and  Republican,  is  probably  the  oldest 
newspaper  editor  in  point  of  service  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  having  owned  and 
edited  a  newspaper  for  more  than  sixty-five  years,  continuously  thus  engaged 
in  Xenia  since  1877,  his  previous  experience  in  the  newspaper  field  having 
been  gained  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  Indiana.  He  was  born  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania,  April  10,  1832;  received  a  common-school  education  at  Carlisle 
that  state,  and  learned  the  trade  of  printer  in  the  office  of  the  Carlisle  Herald. 
In  1851  he  came  West  and  in  1852,  six  months  before  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  he  bought  the  Lamrenccburg  (Indiana)  Press.  For  twenty-five 
years  Mr.  Chew  continued  to  make  his  home  at  Lawrenceburg  and  during 
all  that  period  continued  as  publisher  and  editor  of  the  Press.  During  the 
most  of  this  period  he  also  carried  on  other  business  of  one  kind  and 
another  and  for  seven  years  was  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the 
Lawrenceburg  district. 

On  November  i,  1877,  Mr.  Chew  bought  the  Xenia  Gacettc,  then  a  weekly 
newspaper.  On  November  2y,  1881,  he  established  the  daily  .edition  of  the 
Gazette  and  changed  the  weekly  into  a  semi-weekly  publication.  In  August, 
1888,  he  bought  the  Xenia  Torchlight  and  consolidated  that  paper  with  the 
Gazette.  A  furtlier  consolidation  of  the  newspaper  interests  of  Xenia  was  made 
in  191 5,  when  the  Gazette  absorbed  the  Republican  and  both  are  now  published 
by  the  Chew  Publishing  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Chew  is  the  senior  mem1:)er. 
Although  now  past  eighty-five  years  of  age,  the  venerable  editor  spends  a  part 


I 


< 


JAMES  1'.  CHEW. 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I69 

of  each  day  at  his  desk  in  the  Gazette  office  and  retains  an  active  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  the  company. 

James  Parker  Chew  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  23,  1853,  at 
Lawrenceburg,  Indiana,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Harriet  Loui.sa  Brown, 
of  that  city,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children,  W.  B.  Chew,  who 
for  years  has  been  associated  witii  his  father  in  the  pubHshing  business  and 
whose  son,  J.  A.  Chew,  is  now  general  manager  of  the  Chew  papers,  three 
generations  of  the  family  thus  serving  actively  on  the  staff  of  the  publica- 
tions ;  Mrs.  J.  O.  McCormick  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Hopton,  of  Syracuse,  New  York. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  December  5,  1900.  In  1902,  Mr. 
Chew  married  Mrs.  Sarah  McGervey  Meyers. 


DAVID  WALTER  FERGUSON. 

David  Walter  Ferguson,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Oldtown-Clifton 
pike  in  Xenia  township,  six  miles  northeast  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  5  out  of  that  city,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived,  there 
all  his  life.  He  is  a  son  of  Isaac  Alexander  and  Lydia  M.  (Kyle)  Ferguson, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township,  members  of  pioneer  fami- 
lies, and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  making  her  home  in  Xenia. 

Isaac  Alexander  Ferguson  was  born  on  June  4,  1841,  son  of  William 
and  Nancy  (Lackey)  Ferguson,  the  former  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion 
and  the  latter  of  the  state  of  South  Carolina,  who  had  come  here  with  their 
respective  parents  in  the  days  of  their  youth  and  were  married  here.  William 
Ferguson  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  grew  to  manhood  in 
Greene  county  and  after  his  marriage  settled  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  old  Massies  Creek  Seceder  churcli 
and  later  of  the  LTnited  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton,  in  which  he  was  for 
years  an  elder,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  four 
of  these  children,  of  whom  Isaac  A.  was  the  first-born,  the  otliers  liein;^^ 
William,  who  is  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs;  Elvira,  now  living  with  her 
brother  Albert  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  and  Alljert,  who 
married  Etta  Barnett  and  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Isaac  A.  Ferguson  became  a  practical  farmer  and 
upon  starting  out  for  himself  bought  the  old  Moses  Collins  farm  of  ninety 
acres  in  Xenia  township.  To  this  he  gradually  added  until  he  became  tne 
owner  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  Republican, 
held  at  one  time  and  another  various  township  offices  and  for  years  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  and  his  family  were  members  of  the 
Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.     On  October  20,   1864.  Isaac 


170  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

A.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lydia  M.  Kyle,  who  was  born  in  that 
same  township,  daughter  of  David  M.  and  Eleanor  (Collins)  Kyle,  the 
former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.  David  M.  Kyle,  a  member  of  the  pioneer  Kyle  family  of 
this  county,  had  a  farm  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike.  He  was  a  Republican 
and  he  and  his  family  were  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Xenia.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
Ruth,  who  married  James  Collins  and  is  now  deceased ;  Lydia  M.,  widow  of 
the  late  Isaac  A.  Ferguson ;  Elizabeth,  who  is  now  living  in  Iowa,  widow  of 
the  late  Samuel  Raney;  Mary,  wife  of  James  Bratton,  of  Xenia;  William, 
who  lives  in  Montana,  and  Samuel,  who  also  is  living  in  Montana.  To  Isaac 
A.  and  Lydia  M.  (Kyle)  Ferguson  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  Jesse,  wife  of  Charles  Turnbull,  of  Cedarville  township,  this  county; 
William  Neal  Ferguson,  now  living  at  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico ;  Lillian, 
wife  of  Dr.  Delos  Heague,  of  Springfield,  this  state,  and  Prof.  James  Fulton 
Ferguson,  now  an  instructor  in  Bryn  Mawr  College  at  Bryn  Mawr,  Penn- 
sylvania. Isaac  A.  Ferguson  died  on  August  28,  191 1,  and  his  widow,  as 
noted  above,  is  now  living  at  Xenia. 

David  W.  Ferguson  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  early 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  home  neighborhood.  He  supplemented  the 
same  by  attendance  at  the  Xenia  high  school  and  at  Antioch  College,  after 
which  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  home  farm  and  for  some  years  before  his 
marriage  was  in  practical  charge  of  his  father's  farming  interests.  After 
his  marriage  in  1894  he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  forty-nine  acres 
of  his  father's  land,  the  tract  including  the  old  home  place,  and  there  estab- 
lished his  home.  He  has  since  then  remodeled  the  house,  the  improvements 
including  the  installation  of  electric-lighting  equipment,  and  has  also  made 
other  improvements  on  the  farm.  For  years  Mr.  Ferguson  has  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Angus  cattle  arxd  for  six  years 
.was  a  successful  exhibitor  at  coitnty  fairs.  He  now  has  a  herd  of  thirty  and 
sells  quite  a  few  for  stock  purposes.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Angus 
Breeders  Association.     By  political  persuasion  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  August  23,  1894,  David  W.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Julia  A.  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  a  daugliter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Tindall)  Anderson,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  three  sons,  Lawrence,  born  in  1896,  who  is  now  (1918)  a  senior  in 
Muskingum  College;  Warren,  1898,  a  sophomore  in  that  institution,  and 
Bruce,  1904.  The  Fergusons  are  memljers  of  the  Second  United  Pre.sby- 
terian  church  at  Xenia  and  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  member  of  the  session  of  the 
same,  liaving  been  elected  a  ruling  elder  several  years  ago. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I7I 

CHARLES  F.  TAYLOR. 

Charles  F.  Taylor,  proprietor  of  "The  Arcade"  cigar  store  and  billiard 
parlor  at  28  South  Detroit  street,  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek 
township,  this  county,  December  26,  1876,  son  of  O.  C.  and  Lucinda 
( McConnell)  Taylor,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county  and  the 
former  of  whom  is  still  living. 

O.  C.  Taylor,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  now  living  retired  at  James- 
town, this  county,  grew  up  on  a  farm  in  Greene  county  and  in  due  time 
became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account.  He  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War  and  upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  resumed 
his  agricultural  vocation  in  this  county,  presently  going  to  Iowa,  where  he 
spent  three  years,  but  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  in  this  county. 
During  the  latter  "/Os  he  moved  with  his  family  down  into  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clinton  and  there  remained  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  here  continued  engaged  in  farming 
until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Jamestown,  where  he  is  now  living.  His 
wife  died  on  October  14,  1908.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  two  sisters,  Elma,  who  is  living 
with  her  father  in  Jamestown,  and  Rosa,  who  married  Thomas  A.  Spahr, 
also  of  Jamestown,  and  has  two  children,  Oakie  and  Goldie. 

Charles  F.  Taylor  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  returned 
from  Clinton  county  to  this  county  and  he  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in 
Silvercreek  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools. 
He  married  in  the  fall  of  1896  and  in  1900  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  was 
for  eighteen  months  engaged  in  the  employ  of  the  Rapid  Transit  Company. 
He  then  became  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real-estate  business  in  that 
city  and  was  thus  engaged  there  for  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  the  business  he  had  established  and  returned  to  the  farm.  Three  years 
later  he  definitely  gave  up  farming  and  returned  to  Xenia,  where,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  brother-in-law,  Roy  Hayward,  he  bought  the  cigar  store  and 
billiard  room  known  as  "The  Arcade,"  at  28  South  Detroit  street,  and  has 
ever  since  been  engaged  in  business  at  that  point.  Following  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Hayward  to  the  office  of  city  auditor  in  the  fall  of  191 7  Mr. 
Taylor  bought  his  brother-in-law's  interest  in  the  business  and  has  since 
been  operating  it  alone. 

On  October  21,  1896,  at  Xenia,  Charles  F.  Taylor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Hannah  Conklin,  daughter  of  H.  H.  and  Mary  J.  (Hook)  Conklin, 
the  former  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Xenia.  H.  H.  Conklin  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Mrs.  Taylor  having  a  brother,  Clyde 
Conklin,  who  married  Grace  Ireland,  and  is  living  at  Xenia,  and  three  sisters, 
Cora,  wife  of  J.  A.  Bales,  of  Xenia;  Laura,  wife  of  D.  E.  Adsit,  of  James- 


172  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

town,  and  Harriet,  wife  of  Roy  C.  Hayward,  Mr.  Taylor's  former  business 
partner,  who  was  appointed  city  auditor  at  the  first  meeting  held  by  die  city 
commission  in  Xenia  under  the  operation  of  the  new  city  charter  of  191 7. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  Willard,  born  on  May  2^,  1902,  who  is  now  (1918)  a  sopho- 
more in  the  Xenia  high  school.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Republican.  Fraternally, 
he  is  afifiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and 
with  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans. 


J.   A.  CHEW. 

J.  A.  Chew,  general  manager  of  The  Chew  Publishing  Company  of 
Xenia,  publishers  of  the  Evening  Daily  Gazette  and  the  Morning  Daily  Repub- 
lican, was  born  at  Xenia  on  July  10,  1882,  son  of  William  Brown  and  Anna 
V.  (McBurney)  Chew,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at  Xenia,  where  for 
many  years  William  Brown  Chew  has  been  associated  with  his  father,  the 
venerable  James  Parker  Chew,  in  the  newspaper  and  publishing  business, 
both  members  of  the  Chew  Publishing  Company,  further  reference  to  which 
and  to  the  growth  and  development  of  the  Xenia  Gazette  is  set  out  in  a 
biographical  sketch  relating  to  the  elder  Chew  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  J.  A.  Chew  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that 
city  and  in  the  Ohio  Military  Institute  at  Cincinnati,  after  which  he  began 
work  for  his  father  in  the  job-printing  and  publishing  business,  consolidated 
under  the  firm  name  of  The  Aldine  Publishing  House.  In  1906  he  became  a 
partner  of  his  father  in  the  business,  and  successfully  managed  the  affairs 
of  the  company  until  1912,  when  he  assumed  the  general  managership  of  the 
Daily  Gazette.  In  August,  191 5,  Mr.  Chew  organized  the  Chew  Publish- 
ing Companv  with  seventy  thousand  dollars  capital  and  purchased  both  the 
Daily  Gazette  and  the  opposition  paper,  the  Daily  Republican,  both  of  which 
are  published  separately  by  this  company  under  the  titles  of  the  Evening 
Gazette  and  the  Morning  Republican.  Mr.  Chew  is  president  and  treasurer 
of  the  company.  His  venerable  grandfather  continues  as  editor  of  both 
papers. 

On  October  26,  1904,  J.  A.  Chew  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jessie 
R.  Baker,  who  also  was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  of  W.  R.  Baker,  further 
mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  two 
children  have  been  born,  Florence  B.,  born  on  May  19,  1907,  and  Anna 
Katherine,  April  22,  19 15. 


J.    A.    CHEW. 


i 

r. 

I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  173 

HARRY  E.  RICE. 

Harry  E.  Rice,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Xenia  Herald  and  Democrat- 
News  and  for  more  than  two  years  postmaster  at  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of 
Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of 
South  Vienna,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  January  20,  1869,  son  of 
James  S.  and  Angle  (Busbey)  Rice,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at  South 
Vienna,  the  former  now  being  past  seventy-eight  years  of  age  and  the  latter, 
past  seventy-three. 

James  S.  Rice,  who  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  also  was  born  in 
Clark  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  part  of  the 
state,  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the  Elev- 
entli  Ohio  Cavalry  in  which  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  During  the 
greater  portion  of  this  period  of  service  he  was  stationed  with  his  command 
at  Ft.  Laramie,  Wyoming,  and  while  there  had  many  brushes  and  engage- 
ments with  the  Indians.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Clark  county  and  became  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness at  South  Vienna  and  was  thus  engaged  at  that  place  until  his  retirement 
from  active  labors.  Mr.  Rice  also  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  lying  adjacent 
to  South  Vienna.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  His  parents,  Asahel  and  Orassa  (Sprague)  Rice,  were  New 
Englanders  who  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Clark  county,  settling  six  miles 
east  of  Springfield.  Asahel  Rice  was  a  building  contractor  and  many  of  the 
fine  old  brick  houses  which  still  stand  in  Clark  county  were  erected  by  him. 
He  had  a  country  place  east  of  Springfield.  To  James  S.  Rice  and  wife 
were  born  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  brother,  Charles 
S.,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Carlton  Henry,  of  Platts- 
burg,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  Rice,  mother  of  Postmaster  Rice,  is  a  member  of  the  noted  Busbey 
family  of  Clark  county,  eighth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  eleven  children  born 
to  Thomas  C.  and  Ann  (Botkin)  Busbey,  who  came  to  Ohio  from  New 
England  and  located  at  South  Vienna,  in  Clark  county,  where  for  years 
Thomas  C.  Busbey  was  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  and  his  wife  also 
for  some  time  conducted  a  hotel  at  South  Vienna.  Two  of  the  eleven  chil- 
dren born  to  him  and  his  wife  died  in  youth  and  eight  of  the  surviving  chil- 
dren followed  their  father's  footsteps  and  made  their  start  in  life  by  teach- 
ing school.  Of  the  five  sons  who  lived  all  became  journalists.  The  eldest 
of  these  sons,  the  late  William  H.  Busbey,  taught  school  for  a  while  and 
began  his  journalistic  career  as  a  reporter  on  the  Ohio  State  Journal  at 
Columbus,  in  1865.     From  there  he  went  to  Toledo  and  after  some  further 


174  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

newspaper  experience  in  that  city  went  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  engaged 
as  an  editorial  writer  for  the  Inter  Ocean,  later  becoming  managing  editor 
of  that  paper  and  later  editor-in-chief,  serving  with  the  Inter  Ocean  until  his 
death,  a  period  of  service  covering  thirty-five  years.  The  next  son,  Hamil- 
ton Busbey,  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  after 
receiving  his  discharge  from  the  army  began  working  in  the  editorial  de- 
pa;rtment  of  the  Louisz'iUe  Courier,  and  while  there  became  thoroughly 
qualified  as  a  writer  on  matters  relating  to  horses  and  the  turf  in  general, 
later  going  to  New  York  City,  where  he  became  a  part  owner  and  publisher 
of  Turf,  Field  and  Farm.  During  this  period  of  his  editorial  activities  Ham- 
ilton Busbey  wrote  a  number  of  books  and  came  to  be  recognized  as  an 
authority  on  the  light-harness  horse.  Hamilton  Busbey  married  a  daughter 
of  Governor  Robinson,  war  governor  of  'Kentucky,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
funeral  of  Abraham  Lincoln  he  represented  Kentucky  in  that  solemn  cortege. 
The  next  son,  L.  White  Busbey,  now  an  editorial  writer  on  the  Washing- 
ton Herald,  is  best  known  throughout  the  country  as  the  private  secretary  to 
"Uncle  Joe"  Cannon  during  the  latter's  incumbency  as  speaker  of  the 
national  House  of  Representatives  and  as  House  parliamentarian  during 
that  incumbency.  He  began  his  career  as  a  journalist  on  the  Chicago  Inter 
Ocean,  later  was  made  that  paper's  correspondent  at  Washington  and  while 
thus  engaged  became  employed  as  Congressman  Cannon's  secretary,  after 
which  term  of  service  he  resumed  newspaper  work  at  the  capital  and  has 
since  been  thus  engaged  there.  Charles  Sumner  Busbey,  the  next  son,  also 
went  to  Chicago  and  was  for  years  there  engaged  as  associate  editor  of  the 
Railway  Reviezv.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  local  improvements 
of  that  city,  with  headquarters  in  the  city  hall.  The  Hon.  Thomas  Addison 
Busbey,  present  senator  from  the  eleventh  Ohio  senatorial  district  and  now 
liviivg  retired  at  South  Vienna  after  twenty-five  years  of  continuous  con- 
nection with  the  Railway  Age  at  Chicago,  went  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of 
1883  and  there  secured  employment  on  the  editorial  staff  of  the  Raikcay 
Age.  He  gradually  advanced  until  he  became  the  managing  editor  of  the 
journal,  becoming  recognized  throughout  the  country  as  an  authority  on 
subjects  relating  to  transportation,  legislation  affecting  the  same  and  labor 
questions.  Daniel  Webster  Busbey,  the  sixth  son  of  this  family,  went  to  the 
front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  at  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  while  acting  as  provost  marshal  of  that  city.  Henry  Clay  Busbey, 
the  next  son,  died  in  infancy.  The  eldest  daughter  of  the  Busbey  family 
is  Mr.  Rice's  mother.  The  next  daughter,  Mrs.  Lou  M.  Neer,  is  deceased; 
Mrs.  Theodore  Postle  is  hving  at  Columbus,  this  state,  and  Miss  Hattie 
Busbey  is  living  at  the  old  home. 

Harry  E.  Rice  was  reared  in  a  "bookish"  atmosphere  and  the  schooling 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  175 

received  in  the  South  Vienna  schools  was  supplemented  by  the  instructions 
he  received  at  home.  As  a  hoy  he  took  part  in  the  local  Hterary  societies  and 
debating  contests  carried  on  in  connection  with  the  village  school  and  when 
fourteen  years  of  age  successfully  passed  the  examination  entitling  him  to  a 
license  to  teach  school,  but  he  was  so  small  the  school  trustee  would  not  hire 
him.  For  three  years  he  worked  alxjut  his  father's  saw-mill  and  then,  stim- 
ulated by  the  course  his  uncles  had  taken,  decided  to  "break  into  the  news- 
paper game."  With  this  end  in  view  he  secured  a  position  on  the  Springfield 
Republic,  three  months  later  going  from  that  paper  to  the  Springfield  Daily 
Gasette  aad  thence,  after  a  ^vhile,  to  the  Champion  City  Times  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  latter  paper  when  the  Springfield  Daily  Democrat  was 
launched  in  1888.  He  accepted  a  position  as  a  reporter  on  the  new  paper  and 
gradually  advanced  his  connection  with  that  paper,  becoming  successively 
city  editor,  managing  editor  and  then  owner  of  the  paper,  and  continued  its 
publication  until  he  sold  the  same  in  1905  to. James  M.  Cox,  now  governor 
of  the  state  of  Ohio.  During  his  connection  with  the  Democrat  Mr.  Rice 
organized  and  for  some  time  operated  the  Rice  News  Bureau.  He  was  for' 
years  a  member  of  the  Clark  county  Democratic  executive  committee  and 
while  at  Springfield  also  served  for  six  years  as  a  member  of  the  city  board 
of  health.  During  his  residence  at  South  Vienna  he  served  for  some  time  as 
captain  of  Harry  Whittaker  Camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  was  also 
captain  of  a  military  company  organized  by  that  camp. 

In  1906,  not  long  after  he  sold  the  Springfield  Democrat,  Mr.  Rice 
bought  the  Xoiia  Herald  and  Democrat-News,  a  once-a-week  paper  of  gen- 
eral circulation  throughout  the  sixth  congressional  district,  and  has  ever  since 
been  directing  the  destinies  of  that  newspaper,  the  Herald's  editorial  col- 
umns maintaining  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  During  the  first 
Wilson  administration  it  was  generally  understood  in  informed  political 
circles  that  Mr.  -Rice  was' "shrted"  for  appointment  to  the  post  of  United 
States  minister  to  Portugal,  but  President  Wilson  had  another  appointee  in 
mind  and  the  Xenia  editor's  friends  were  disappointed  in  their  expectations 
regarding  Mr.  Rice's  reward  for  his  long  and  unselfish  labors  in  behalf  of  the 
party.  A  measure  of  reward  came  later,  however,  for  on  January  12,  191 6, 
Mr.  Rice  received  his  commission  as  postmaster  at  Xenia  and  he  has  since 
occupied  that  iX)sition.  Besides  being  a  writer  of  forceful  newspaper  Eng- 
lish, Mr.  Rice  has  written  considerable  along  more  enduring  hues,  his  notable 
book,  "Eve  and  the  Evangelist,"  published  in  1908,  having  attracted  wide 
attention  and  extensive  newspaper  comment.  Mr.  Rice  also  is  possessed  of 
a  fine  artistic  taste  and  in  other  days  did  considerable  toward  developing  his 
marked  artistic  taJents.  some,-of  the  oil  pairitijigs  of  bits  of  familiar  scenery 
executed  by  him  during  the  days  of  his  boyhood  displaying  a  promise  of 


176  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ability  alon^  that  line  which  his  friends  regret  he  did  not  further  cultivate. 
When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  delighted  his  family  and  friends  by  writing 
frequent  bits  of  poetry  and  numerous  short  stories  came  from  his  ready  pen 
in  the  days  of  his  voung  manhood.  He  has  an  unpublished  novel  which  his 
friends  would  like  to  see  come  out  some  day.  In  1902  Mr.  Rice  undertook 
the  ambitious  project  of  writing  a  book  under  the  title  of  "World  Peace," 
in  which  he  sought  to  set  out  the  expressions  of  every  ruler  in  the  world 
along  that  line,  but  inquiries  to  that  end  failed  to  elicit  any  response  from 
either  the  kaiser  or  the  czar  and  he  perforce  was  compelled  to  abandon  the 
undertaking.  In  addition  to  his  newspaper  and  other  interests  Mr.  Rice  is 
vice-president  of  the  Springfield  Theater  Company,  proprietors  of  the  Colum- 
bia Theater  at  Springfield.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protec- 
tive Order  of  Elks. 

On  June  10,  1895,  Harry  E.  Rice  was  united  in  marriage  to  May  King, 
who  was  born  at  Plymouth,  this  state,  daughter  of  David  B.  and  Nora 
(Hoffman)  King,  the  former  of  whom,  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  is  still  living, 
proprietor  of  a  general  store  at  Plymouth,  and  to  this  union  three  sons  have 
been  born,  namely:  Robert  K..  a  former  midshipman  in  the  United  States 
navy  and  now  a  quartermaster  in  the  Naval  Reserv-es;  Harry  E.,  Jr.,  who 
after  his  graduation  from  the  Springfield  high  school  .spent  a  year  in  Witten- 
berg College  and  in  June,  191 7.  entered  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  as 
the  "middy"  appointee  from  this  district,  and  David  Busbey,  who  is  a  student 
in  the  Springfield  high  school.  Mrs.  Rice  was  graduated  from  Harcourt 
Place  at  Gambier,  this  state,  and  completed  her  schooling  in  Germany,  where 
she  took  art  and  languages. 


I 


MARY  H.  BANKERD. 


Miss  Mary  H.  Bankerd,  superintendent  of  the  Greene  County  Children's 
Home  and  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  eleemosynary  work  in  this  part  of 
Ohio,  was  born  in  this  county,  has  lived  here  all  her  life  and  is  thus  thoroughly 
familiar  with  conditions  hereabout,  particularly  in  so  far  as  these  conditions 
relate  to  the  noble  humanitarian  labors  in  which  she  has  been  engaged  for 
years,  her  service  in  that  connection  having  been  begun  during  the  time  her 
late  father  was  serving  as  superintendent  of  the  county  infirmary.  Miss 
Bankerd  was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  of  Henry  C.  and  Catherine  (Manor) 
Bankerd,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  old  families, 
is  still  living. 

The  late  Henry  C.  Bankerd,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  many 
years  one  of  Greene  county's  best-known  and  most  useful  citizens,  was  a  native 
of  Maryland,  born  in  the  city  of  Baltimore  on  September  17,  1846,  son  of 


HENRY  C.  BANKERD. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    0HI8  I77 

Peter  and  Hannah  (Greiner)  Bankerd,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Morgan  county,  Virginia,  in  1816,  and  the  latter  in  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
in  18 18.  Peter  Bankerd  was  a  glass  blower,  and  his  son,  Henry  C,  was 
trained  in  the  same  art.  When  the  latter  was  but  a  boy  the  Bankerds  moved 
from  Baltimore  to  Lenox,  Massachusetts,  and  there  remained  until  1863, 
when  the  elder  Bankerd  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  East  and  came  with 
his  family  to  Ohio,  buying  a  farm  one  mile  northwest  of  Xenia  with  the 
expectation  of  turning  his  attention  permanently  to  farming,  but  a  year  later 
he  returned  to  Lenox,  where  he  resumed  his  vocation  as  a  glass  blower 
and  where  he  remained  until  1866,  in  which  year  he  accepted  the  position  of 
manager  of  the  DePauw  glass  works  at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and  removed 
to  that  city.  A  year  later,  however,  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  re-estab- 
lished his  home  on  his  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  that  city  and  there  he  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both  living  to  ripe  old  age. 
Peter  Bankerd  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  the  late  Henry 
C.  Bankerd  having  had  three  sisters,  Margaret,  who  married  D.  S.  Heath 
and  is  now  living  in  Missouri;  Mary,  wife  of  John  C.  Andrew  of  Xenia, 
and  Georgia,  wife  of  Joseph  S.  Wade,  of  Xenia  township. 

Having  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  from  Baltimore  to 
Lenox,  Henry  C.  Bankerd  received  his  schooling  in  the  latter  city  and  under 
the  direction  of  his  father  became  a  skilled  glass  blower.  He  was  not  yet 
seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene  county  in 
1863,  but  in  the  following  February,  he  then  still  being  under  eighteen  years 
of  age,  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served,  principally  engaged  in 
garrison  duty  in  towns  taken  by  the  Union  forces  in  Georgia,  until  the  termi- 
nation of  his  term  of  enlistment  and  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  in  February,  1865.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military 
service  Mr.  Bankerd  rejoined  his  parents  in  Lenox  and  with  them  presently 
moved  to  New  Albany,  Indiana,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  glass  works 
until  the  family  returned  to  this  county,  when  he  became  associated  with  his 
father  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Xenia, 
after  his  marriage  in  1867  establishing  his  home  there.  In  1896  Mr.  Bankerd 
was  appointed  to  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  Greene  county  infirmary 
and  for  years  rendered  useful  service  in  that  connection.  After  his  retire- 
ment he  continued  to  make  his  home  in  this  county  and  here  he  spent  his 
last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  December  27,  1914,  he  then  being  sixty- 
eight  years  of  age.  Mr.  Bankerd  was  a  Republican.  He  was  an  active 
member  of  Lewis  Post  No.  347,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  had  filled 
all  the  offices  in  that  patriotic  organization.     He  also  had  filled  all  the  offices 

(II) 


178  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  local 
encampment  of  the  Patriarchs  ]\Iilitant.  As  noted  above,  Mr.  Bankerd  was 
married  in  1867.  To  hirn  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children,  namely :  Rosa, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years;  Esther,  who  is  still  living  at  Xenia, 
widow  of  Parker  J.  Wilson:  Alary  H.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical review;  Peter  C,  who  married  Belle  AlcCarty  and  is  still  residing 
on  the  home  place  in  Xenia  township,  and  Alyrtle,  wife  of  Charles  Faulkner, 
of  Columbus,  this  state.  The  mother  of  these  children  is  still  living.  She 
was  born  in  Xenia,  Catherine  Manor,  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Margaret 
A.  (Scott)  Manor,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter 
of  James  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Shannon)  Scott,  who  were  married  in  Penn- 
sylvania and  who  in  181 5  established  their  home  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  town- 
ship, this  county,  remaining  there  until  1827,  when  they  took  up  their  resi- 
dence in  Xenia,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  James  A.  Scott 
dying  there  on  August  12,  1881,  and  his  widow,  October  24,  of  that  same 
year. 

John  \V.  Manor  was  a  Virginian,  bom  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of 
Winchester,  in  Frederick  county,  August  24,  1824,  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Catherine  (Marsh)  Manor,  both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in  the  Old 
Dominion  and  who  in  1828  drove  through  to  Ohio  with  their  family  of  eight 
sons  and  three  daughters  and  located  in  a  house  on  Main  street  in  Xenia, 
where  they  remained  until  March  of  the  next  year,  when  they  established 
their  home  on  a  farm  just  east  of  town  on  the  Dayton  pike.  There  Benjamin 
Manor  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  the  former  dying  in  i860, 
he  then  being  seventy-two  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  four- 
teen years,  her  death  occurring  in  1874,  she  then  being  eighty-six  years  of 
ago.  Another  child  was  born  to  them  after  they  took  up  their  residence  in 
this  county  and  they  thus  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  eight 
grew  to  maturity  and  reared  families  of  their  own,  the  Manor  connection 
in  the  present  generation  hence  being  a  numerous  one.  John  W.  Manor 
was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  this  county  and  here  he 
grew  to  manhood.  He  early  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  in  time 
became  one  of  the  leading  building  contractors  in  the  county,  making  his 
home  in  Xenia.  He  was  a  Republican,  for  some  time  served  as  chairman 
of  the  Greene  county  Republican  central  committee,  served  a  term  as  cor- 
oner of  Greene  county,  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  county  infirmary  and  for  nearly  ten  years  served  as  superintendent 
of  the  infirmarj'.  Mr.  Manor  was  a  memljer  of  the  Refomied  church  and, 
fraternally,  was  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
with  the  encampment  of  that  order.  On  June  12,  1844,  John  W.  Manor 
married  Margaret  A.  Scott,  mention  of  whose  parentage  is  made  above.     1 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  179 

that  union  were  born  nine  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  those 
besides  Mrs.  Bankerd  being  David  T.,  William  A.,  Samuel  H.,  Asbury  L., 
Nettie,  Benjamin  L.,  James  S.  and  John  E.  The  father  of  these  children 
died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  on  December  12,  1897,  and  his  widow  survived  him 
until  August,  1906. 

Mary  H.  Bankerd  received  her  schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools  and  upon 
leaving  school  became  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  commercial  establishment 
in  that  city.  During  the  period  of  her  father's  connection  with  the  county 
infirmary  as  superintendent  of  that  institution  she  acted  as  housekeeper  for 
the  institution  and  in  this  manner  early  became  familiar  with  the  details 
of  institutional  administration  and  at  the  same  time  developed  a  strong  sym- 
pathetic interest  in  behalf  of  the  less  helpful  of  the  county's  charges.  When 
Miss  Bankerd  later  was  made  matron  of  the  Greene  County  Children's 
Home  this  sympathetic  interest  was  displayed  in  countless  helpful  ways  in 
behalf  of  the  little  charges  who  thus  came  under  her  care  and  she  did  much 
to  elevate  the  standard  of  administrative  efficiency  that  marked  the  manage- 
ment of  that  institution.  She  did  much  tO'  promote  the  plans  for  the  erection 
of  the  new  and  beautiful  home  for  children  just  west  of  the  city,  and  on 
September  16,  191 2.  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Home,  a  position  she 
has  since  filled,  her  thoughtful  and  intelligent  attention  being  given  to  the 
w'elfare  of  the  youthful  charges  under  her  sympathetic  care.  Greene  county 
is  fortunate  in  having  one  of  the  best  and  most  prudently  managed  Children's 
Homes  in  the  state  and  it  is  a  source  of  much  satisfaction  to  the  people  of  the 
county  to  know  that  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Home  is  in 
such  capable  and  experienced  hands.  Miss  Bankerd  having  for  years  devoted 
her  energies  unceasingly  and  tirelessly  to  the  important  administrative  duties 
that  thus  became  incumbent  upon  her.  Miss  Bankerd  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  a  member  of  the  local  corps  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps,  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Daughters  of  Rebekah,  and 
a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  Veterans. 


FREDERICK  HEILMAN,  D.  C. 

Dr.  Frederick  Heilman,  chiropractor,  with  offices  at  Xenia  and  James- 
town, was  born  in  the  city  of  Dayton,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, June  20,  1879,  son  of  John  and  Sophia  ( Heffner)  Heilman,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  city  and  both  of  whom  are  still  living 
there. 

John  Heilman  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1S52,  but  was  only  si.x 
months  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  this  country  with  their  family,  locat- 
ing near  the  city  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  on 


l8o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  farm  and  learned  the  trade  of  miller.  In  the  days  of  his  young  manhood- 
he  tame  to  Ohio  and  became  engaged  in  a  mill  at  Dayton,  later  becoming 
bookkeeper  for  the  Bimm  Grocery  Company,  a  position  which  he  occupied 
for  twenty  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged  in  the  mill- 
ing business  on  his  own  account.  At  present  Mr.  Heilman  is  serving  as  sec- 
retary of  the  Adam  Schantz  estate  and  as  superintendent  of  the  buildings 
belonging  to  that  estate.  Some  time  after  locating  at  Dayton,  John  Heilman 
married  Sophia  Heffner.  who  was  born  in  that  city  in  1858,  and  to  this  union 
were  born  three  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Heilman  is  the  eldest,  the  others 
being  Walter  Heilman,  who  is  married  and  is  living  at  Dayton,  and  Grace 
-May,  widow  of  Asa  F.  Hague. 

Frederick  Heilman  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Dayton  and 
early  became  engaged  with  his  father  in  business  in  that  city,  later,  about 
1902,  taking  employment  with  the  Davis  Sewing  Machine  Company  in  that 
city,  with  which  concern  he  remained  for  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  transferred  his  services  to  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  at  Dayton 
and  w^as  thus  engaged  for  four  years,  or  until  1916,  when  he  entered  the 
Universal  Chiropractic  College  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  on  July  12,  191 7.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor 
Heilman  returned  to  Ohio  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  the  Kingsbury  building  on  Detroit  street,  Xenia.  In  addition  to 
this  office.  Doctor  Heilman  maintains  an  office  at  Jamestown  and  divides 
his  time  between  the  two  offices,  the  only  doctor  of  chiropractic  in  Greene 
county.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and  fraternally 
is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics.    By  poHtical  inclination  he  is  an  independent  voter. 


JOHN  R.  NASH. 

Though  now  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age,  John  R.  Nash,  one  of 
the  real  "old-timers"  of  Greene  county  and  a  substantial  retired  farmer  living 
on  his  old  home  place  in  Xenia  township,  on  rural  route  X^o.  8  out  of 
Xenia,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for  nearly  sixty  years,  is  a  remarkably 
well  preserved  old  gentleman,  retaining  his  faculties  in  an  astonishing  degree 
for  one  of  his  years,  his  memory  clear  and  distinct,  his  sight  so  clear  that 
he  is  still  able  to  read  without  glasses  and  his  hearing  practically  unimpaired. 
Mr.  X^ash  was  born  in  Greene  county  and  during  the  long  period  that  has 
elapsed  since  he  began  to  retain  a  recollection  of  events  he  has  been  a  wit- 
ness to  some  amazing  developments  in  the  manner  of  living  and  is  able  to 
tell  many  interesting  stories  of  the  days  of  the  earlier  settlers  in  the  county. 

John  R.  X^ash  was  born  in  a  little  log  stable  on  a  farm  two  miles  south 


JOHN  R.  NASH. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  l8l 

of  Cedarville,  in  this  county,  May  25,  1828,  and  was  cradeled  in  a  sugar 
trough  hewed  out  of  a  log.  His  parents,  Hugh  and  Rebecca  (Graham)  Nash, 
were  members  of  two  of  the  early  families  to  settle  in  this  part  of  the  county. 
Hugh  Nash  having  been  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Polly  (Ward)  Nash,  who  drove 
through  with  their  family  from  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  set- 
tled in  Greene  county  about  the  time  the  county  became  organized  as  a  civic 
unit  and  here  established  their  home.  They  later  moved  to  Licking  county 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Newark,  where  they  spent  the  remain- 
der of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  William,  James, 
Thomas,  Hugh,  John,  Nathan,  Sarah,  Margaret,  Nancy  and  Maria.  The 
family  was  very  poor  in  world's  goods  and  it  is  a  matter  of  tradition  in  the 
family  that  it  was  not  uncommon  for  the  children  to  have  to  go  barefooted 
even  after  snow  had  fallen.  Hugh  Nash  grew  up  in  this  county  and  lived 
here  continuously  save  for  a  couple  of  years  spent  in  Warren  county,  Illinois. 
Upon  his  return  from  there  he  settled  in  Xenia  township  and  there  spent 
his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  widow 
survived  him  for  years,  she  having  been  eighty-there  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  members  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church, 
but  after  the  union  of  that  church  and  the  Associate  church  became  afifiliated 
with  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  Hugh  Nash  was  originally  a  Whig, 
but  upon  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party  became  affiliated  with  the 
latter  party.  He  and  his  wife  had  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  a  sister,  Mary,  widow  of  John  Miller,  of  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  John  R.  Nash  received  but  limited  schooling  in  the 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  the  most  of  that  was  received  during  the  period  of 
two  years  the  family  lived  in  Illinois,  he  retaining  distinct  recollections  of 
the  little  old  log  school  house  with  its  puncheon  floor  and  with  its  greased 
paper  for  window  "lights."  Being  the  only  son,  he  was  from  early  boyhood 
a  valued  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  and  he  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage  when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
located  on  a  farm  on  the  Columbus  pike  in  Xenia  township,  in  the  immedi- 
ate vicinity  of  the  present  site  of  Wilberforce,  and  there  lived  for  eight  years, 
or  until  1859,  in  which  year  he  bought  and  entered  upon  possession  of  the 
farm  of  ninety-four  and  a  half  acres  in  that  same  township,  on  what  is  now 
rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Xenia,  where  he  now  lives  and  where  he  ever 
since  has  made  his  home.  When  he  took  possession  of  that  farm  there  was 
standing  on  the  same  a  house  that  was  erected  in  1840.  He  remodeled  the 
house  and  made  other  improvements  to  the  place  and  has  for  many  years 
had  a  well-kept  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Nash  gave 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  did  well.  He  con- 
tinued actively  engaged  in  farming  until  191 2,  since  which  time  he  has  been 


1 82  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

content  to  "take  things  easy."  Mr.  Nash  is  a  Republican  and  for  three 
years  served  as  supervisor  in  his  district,  was  land  appraiser  in  his  town- 
ship during  the  year  1900  and  in  that  same  year  ser\'ed  as  one  of  the  local 
census  enumerators  for  the  federal  census.  He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  session 
of  the  same  for  the  past  forty  years. 

It  was  in  1850  that  John  R.  Nash  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hilary  Jack- 
son, who  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow  Springs,  this  county, 
January  28,  1832,  daughter  of  Gen.  Robert  and  Minerva  (Eddy)  Jackson,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Belmont  county,  this  state,  and  the  latter 
in  the  South.  Gen.  Robert  Jackson,  who  gained  his  title  by  right  of  his  com- 
mission in  the  old  Ohio  state  militia,  and  further  and  extended  references  to 
whom  is  made  elsewhere,  was  a  farmer  and  miller  who  moved  from  the 
Yellow  Springs  neighborhood  to  Xenia,  where  he  operated  a  mill  for  some 
time  and  later  bought  a  farm  two  miles  east  of  that  city,  where  he  spent  his, 
last  days.  His  widow  died  in  Yellow  Springs.  Mrs.  Mary  Nash  died  on 
September  28,  1904,  survived  by  her  husband  and  two  sons,  Robert  Harvey 
and  Hugh  Leander.  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living.  Robert  H.  Nash,  who 
died  on  November  25,  1917,  was  a  former  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  of  Greene  county  and  a  well-to-do  farmer  who  lived  two 
miles  east  of  Xenia.  He  married  on  November  28,  1876,  Agnes  G.  \\'att,  a 
daughter  of  William  Watt,  a  former  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, and  had  four  sons,  Herbert  W.,  Walter  L.,  Charles  E.  and  William 
H.,  further  reference  to  which  family  is  made  elsewhere.  Hugh  L.  Nash  is 
farming  the  old  home  place  east  of  Xenia,  his  father  continuing  to  make  his 
home  with  him  there.  He  married  Mary  Ellsworth  Frazier  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  John  F.  John  R.  Nash  has  se\en  great-grandchildren,  in  whose 
companionship  he  takes  great  delight. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  BRETNEY. 

The  late  William  Henry  Bretney,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died 
at  his  farm  home  in  Cedarville  township  on  November  5,  1912,  and  whose 
widow  is  now  living  at  Xenia,  occupant  of  the  house  in  North  Detroit  street 
built  by  her  father,  Alexander  McWhirk,  many  years  ago,  was  a  native  son 
of  Ohio,  born  in  the  city  of  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark, 
October  23,  1846,  son  of  Tobias  and  Emma  (Gant)  Bretney,  the  former  of 
whom  also  was  born  at  Springfield  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Springfield,  both  dying  there  on  the  same  day 
during  the  cholera  scourge  of  1849. 

Tobias  Bretney  was  a  son  of  Henry  Bretney,  whose  father  was  one  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  183 

the  earliest  settlers  in  Springtiekl.  Henry  Bretney  was  a  tanner  at  Spring- 
field and  Tobias  Bretney  grew  up  familiar  with  the  details  of  the  tanning 
business  and  in  turn  became  proprietor  of  a  tannery  of  his  own  in  Spring- 
field and  was  in  business  there  when  stricken  with  cholera  in  1849,  t>oth  he 
and  his  wife  dying  on  the  same  day.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  sons, 
the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  had  a  brother,  Foster  Bretney, 
who  died  at  Dayton  in  1893. 

William  Henry  Bretney  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
died  and  he  was  reared  in  the  household  of  his  paternal  grandfather,  Henry 
Bretney.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  Springfield  schools  jsnd  it  was 
his  youthful  desire  to  enter  one  of  the  newspaper  offices  with  a  view  to  be- 
coming qualified  for  the  journalistic  profession,  but  this  ambition  was  dis- 
couraged by  his  grandfather,  who,  instead,  required  him  to  learn  the  details 
of  the  tanning  business  and  he  was  working  in  his  grandfather's  tannery  at 
Springfield  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Though  then  not  fifteen  years 
of  age,  young  "Billie"  Bretney  not  long  after  the  President's  first  call  for 
volunteers  was  able  to  get  into  the  service  of  the  Union  army  as  a  bugler  and 
in  that  capacity  was  attached  to  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  with  which 
command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  present  with  Sherman  on 
the  march  to  the  sea  and  in  the  later  Grand  Review  at  Washington.  The 
young  bugler  was  much  of  the  time  right  close  to  General  Sherman.  During 
one  of  the  numerous  desperate  engagements  in  which  he  participated  his 
horse  was  shot  from  under  him.  While  he  was  standing  disconsolate  beside 
the  body  of  his  fallen  steed,  he  was  approached  by  the  General,  who  said : 
"Never  mind,  Billie:  let  it  go — here  is  another  horse,"  and  the  boy  bugler 
was  quickly  remounted  and  again  in  action. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service,  William  H.  Bretney  re- 
turned to  Springfield,  but  instead  of  resuming  his  place  in  the  tannery  began 
working  in  a  drug  store  and  was  thus  engaged  in  his  home  town  for  a  few 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  W'est  "to  see  the  country."  During 
this  "prospecting"  period  he  secured  intermittent  employment  in  drug  stores 
in  various  towns  and  cities  along  the  lines  of  his  travels  and  while  thus  em- 
ployed got  as  far  south  as  the  Indian  Territory.  There  he  became  employed 
in  a  government  clerkship  and  was  thus  employed  until  1884,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  for  a  time  made  his  home  on  the  farm  of  an  uncle  in 
Xenia  township,  this  county.  He  was  married  the  next  year,  1885,  and  after 
his  marriage  became  associated  with  his  wife's  brother,  William  Henry 
McWhirk,  in  the  operation  of  the  affairs  of  the  Xenia  Twine  and  Cordage 
Company,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  they  sold  the  mill  several  years  later. 
Upon  retiring  from  the  cordage  business  Mr.  Bretney  bought  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  on  the  Kyle  road    in    Cedarville    township    and 


184  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

there  established  his  home,  continuing  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death  in 
1912.  Mr.  Bretney  was  a  Republican  and  was  a  member  of  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  as  is  his  widow. 

On  March  16,  1885,  William  H.  Bretney  was  united  in  marriage,  at 
Xenia,  to  Lilla  McWhirk,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Matilda  (Mitchell) 
McWhirk,  then  living  retired  in  Xenia,  where  Mr.  McWhirk  had  erected  a 
handsome  residence  at  212  North  Detroit  street.  Both  Alexander  McWhirk 
and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Scotland,  the  former  born  in  the  city  of  Glas- 
gow and  the  latter  in  the  city  of  Edinburgh.  They  first  met  on  the  vessel 
which  was  bringing  them  to  the  shores  of  America  and  upon  their  arrival 
here  were  married  in  Boston.  Alexander  McWhirk  had  been  trained  as  a 
tailor  and  cloth-finisher  and  for  some  time  after  his  arrival  in  this  country 
was  employed  at  his  trade  in  Boston  and  at  Dedham,  Massachusetts.  He 
then  moved  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business, 
continuing  thus  engaged  in  that  city  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to 
Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Alexander 
McWhirk  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Bretney  alone  survives.  Her  last  surviving  brother,  Alexander  McWhirk,  a 
retired  banker  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  died  on  February  20,  191 8.  After 
the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Bretney  left  the  old  home  farm  in  Cedarville 
township  and  returned  to  Xenia,  where  she  has  since  made  her  home  in  the 
house  formerly  occupied  by  her  parents  in  North  Detroit  street. 


JOHN  THORBURN  CHARTERS. 

John  Thorburn  Charters,  president  of  the  Xenia  city  commission  and 
for  years  one  of  the  leading  jewelers  in  this  part  of  Ohio,  was  born  at  Xenia 
and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  March  4,  1873,  son 
of  George  and  Janet  (Moodie)  Charters,  the  former  of  whom  also  was 
born  at  Xenia  and  there  spent  all  his  life,  establishing  in  that  city  in  1854  the 
business  which  is  now  being  carried  on  by  his  son,  whose  connection  with  the 
same  began  in  1891  and  who  has  been  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  establish- 
ment since  his  father's  death  in  1910.  For  thirty  years  the  Charters  jewelry 
store  was  conducted  in  the  room  at  114  East  Main  street,  but  in  March,  191 5, 
Mr.  Charters  moved  to  his  present  location  at  44  East  Main  street,  where 
the  business  has  expanded  and  increased  steadily. 

George  Charters,  the  veteran  jeweler,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia 
on  April  17,  1910,  was  born  in  that  city,  then  a  mere  village,  July  12,  1835, 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Monroe)  Charters,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
native  of  Scotland,  born  in  the  parish  of  Arisdale,  Annandale  county,  and 
who  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents.     John 


GEORGE   CHAUTEK8. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  185 

Charters  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York,  the  son  of  a  piano-maker, 
who  later  came  to  Ohio  and  who,  in  association  with  his  son  John,  made  the 
first  pianos  manufactured  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  one  of  these  quaint  mstrumerits 
still  being  in  possession  of  the  pioneer  manufacturer's  great-grandson,  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  review.  It  was  in  1825  that  John  Charters  came 
to  Ohio  from  New  York  and  it  was  on  April  15,  1829,  that  he  married  Mar- 
garet Monroe,  who  had  come  here  with  her  parents  from  Scotland  in 
1816.  To  that  union  were  born  ten  children,  four  sons  and  six  daughters, 
who  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Associate  ( Seceder)  church,  the  family 
becoming  one  of  the  influential  families  in  and  about  Xenia.  John  Charters 
died  on  January  6.  1870,  aged  sixty-eight,  and  was  buried  in  Woodlawn 
cemetery.  George  Charters,  one  of  the  ten  children  here  referred  to,  grew 
up  at  Xenia  and  early  became  skilled  as  a  jeweler  and  watchmaker,  presently 
engaging  in  business  in  that  line  in  his  home  town  and  so  continued  the 
rest  of  his  life,  one  of  the  best-established  merchants  in  the  city  of  Xenia, 
his  death  occurring,  as  noted  above,  in  the  spring  of  19 10.  he  then  being 
in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age.  In  1864  George  Charters  married  Janet 
Moodie,  who  was  born  at  Jackson  Center,  in  Shelby  county,  this  state,  Jan- 
uary 21,  1842,  daughter  of  Robert  Moodie,  a  member  of  one  of  Ohio's 
pioneer  families,  and  to  this  union  were  born  three  children,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Robert  Moodie  Charters,  now  a  resident  of 
Cleveland,  this  state,  and  a  sister,  Margaret  Isabella,  wife  of  A.  R.  Collins, 
of  Kenaston,  Saskatchewan,  Canada.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
at  Xenia  on  August  25,  1905,  she  then  being  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
her  age. 

John  Thorburn  Charters  was  reared  at  Xenia,  the  place  of  his  birth, 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  and  in  1891,  he  then  being 
but  eighteen  years  of  age,  became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  jewelry 
business  in  X«Hia,- a- business  he  harf-followed  ever  since,  sole  proprietor  of 
the  old-established  concern  since  the  death  of  his  father  in  1910.  Upon 
the  adoption  of  the  new  city  charter  in  191 7,  the  same  providing  for  a  change 
of  local  administration  from  the  old  common-council  system  of  government 
to  a  commission  form  of  government,  Mr.  Charters  permitted  the  use  of  his 
name  as  a  candidate  for  membership  in  the  first  city  commission  and  in  the 
ensuing  election  received  the  highest  number  of  votes  cast  in  that  l>ehalf,  this 
very  gratifying  honor  making  him,  under  the  provisions  of  the  charter,  presi- 
dent of  the  commission  when  the  same  in  due  time  came  to  be  organized, 
and  he  is  now  serving  in  that  capacity,  the  only  public  office  he  has  ever  held. 
Mr.  Charters  is  a  32'^  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  Valley  of  Dayton;  is  past  master  of  Xenia  Lodge  No.  49,  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons ;  past  high  priest  of  Xenia  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons, 


I  Ob  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  past  thrice  illustrious  master  of  Wright  Council,  Royal  and  Select 
Masters.  He  and  his  family  are  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

On  January  i,  1896,  at  Xenia,  John  Thorburn  Charters  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Harriet  Pearl  Stull,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  May  22, 
1877,  daughter  of  John  and  Harriet  (Fries)  Stull,  the  latter  of  whom  also 
w-as  -horn  at  Xenia_  JohiL  Stull  was  born  at  Fredericksburg,  Mar\'land.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  sons,  Charles,  residing  near  Waynes- 
ville,  Ohio;  Ralph,  a  farmer  near  Xenia,  and  Edward,  of  Dayton,  and  four 
daughters,  Mrs.  Charters,  Carrie  B.  (deceased),  Mabel  (deceased),  and  Alice 
May.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charters  have  two  daughters,  Anna  Marguerite,  born  on 
October  18,  1896,  and  Ruth  Janet,  August  5,  1905.  They  have  a  ver\r  pleasant 
home  at  126  East  Second  street. 


LEROY  TATE  AJARSHALL. 

Leroy  Tate  ^Marshall,  former  clerk  of  courts  for  Greene  county  and  a 
practicing  lawyer  at  Xenia,  is  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer 
families,  the  Marshalls  having  been  here  since  the  year  in  which  this  county 
was  erected  as  a  separate  civic  unit  of  the  then  new  state  of  Ohio.  His 
great-grandfather  John  IMarshall,  who  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Lexington,  in  Kentucky,  in  1784,  was  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  up  into  the  valley  of  the  little  Miami  and  settled  here 
in  1803.  He  became  the  owner  of  a  considerable  tract  of  land  in  Sugar- 
creek  township  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  there,  all  of 
which  is  set  out  at  length  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  further 
details  of  the  history  of  the  Marshall  family  in  this  county.  John  Marshall, 
the  pioneer,  was  the  father  of  six  children,  the  youngest  of  whom,  Jesse 
Marshall,  married  and  continued  farming  in  Sugarcreek  township.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  se\-en  children,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  are  still  living.  Willis  Marshall,  the  eldest  of  these  sons  and  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  now  living  on  a  farm  over  the  line 
in  Clinton  county,  not  far  from  the  village  of  New  Burlington.  He  has 
been  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  who  was  Emma  Tate  and  who  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families,  the  Tates 
having'  been  here  since  the  second  decade  of  the  past  century,  having  died  in 
1884,  leaving  two  sons,  J.  Carl  and  Leroy  Tate,  the  former  of  whom  is 
now  judge  of  probate  for  Greene  county  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom 
is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Willis  Marshall  later  married  Laura 
Holland,  of  Spring  Valley. 

Leroy  Tate  Marshall  was  born  on  the  old  Marshall  home  farm  in 
Sugarcreek  township  on  November  8,  1883,  and  was  but  an  infant  when  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ,187 

mother  died.  He  supplemented  tlie  schooling  he  received  in  the  neighbor- 
hood district  school  by  attendance  at  a  normal  training  school  at  Dayton  and 
by  a  course  in  the  township  high  school  at  Bellbrook  and  then  began  to 
teach  school,  being  thus  engaged  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  entered  Cedarville  College  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1907.  Upon  leaving  college  he  was  selected  as  principal  of  the  Cedarville 
high  school  and  was  thus  engaged  when  in  the  fall  he  was  elected  county 
clerk,  having  been  made  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for  that  office 
in  the  preceding  campaign.  Mr.  Marshall  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the 
office  of  county  clerk  in  1909  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  four  years. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  been  devoting  such  leisure  as  he  could  command  to 
the  study  of  law  and  in  December,  191 1,  passed  the  examination  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  public  office  in 
1913  Mr.  Marshall  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  and 
for  the  sale  of  securities  in  Xenia  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged.  Mr. 
Marshall  is  a  Republican  and  for  four  years,  1912-16,  rendered  service  in 
behalf  of  his  party  as  chairman  of  the  Greene  county  Republican  executive 
committee. 

On  June  4,  1908,  at  Cedarville,  Leroy  Tate  Marshall  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Nelle  Catherine  Turnbull,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Jennie 
(Smith)  Turnbull,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at  Cedarville,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  two  children.  Maxwell  Edward,  bom  on  March  10, 
1909,  and  Emma  Jean,  August  21,  1912.  The  Turnbulls  also  are  an  old 
family  in  Greene  county,  having  been  represented  here  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  Edward  Turnbull  and  his  wife  have  three  children,  Mrs. 
Marshall  having  two  brothers,  Howard  Edward  Turnbull,  a  farmer  living 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Cedarville,  who  married  Letta  Baumgartner 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Wanda,  and  Paul  Beveridge  Turnbull,  who 
married  Miriam  Fudge  and  is  now  (1918)  a  member  of  the  National  Army, 
in  camp  at  Camp  Sherman,  in  preparation  for  service  in  the  war  against 
Germany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshall  are  members  of  the  First  United  Presby- 
terian church  at  Xenia. 


WILLIAM  SCOTT  CHALMERS. 

Willj^m  Scott  Chalmers,  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  living  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  9  out  of  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  two  sisters  are  pleasantly 
situated,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township  this  county,  June 
2,  1862,  son  of  William  D.  and  Jane  (Crawford)  Chalmers,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  South  Carolina  and  the  latter  in  Ireland,  she  having  been 
six  years  of  age  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  the  family 
settling  in  this  county. 


IO<5  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

William  D.  Chalmers  was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents,  James  Chal- 
mers and  wife,  came  to  this  state  from  South  Caroline  and  settled  in  Greene 
county,  making  their  home  on  the  place  upon  which  their  grandson,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  now  makes  his  home,  in  Xenia  township.  When 
James  Chalmers  bought  the  place  it  was  partly  cleared  and  there  was  a  log 
cabin  on  it.  He  proceeded  to  clear  and  improve  the  place  and  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  there.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  Joseph,  Jane,  Charlotte  and  William  D.,  the  latter  of  whom  grew 
up  en  tliat  farm  and  after  his  marriage  to  Jane  Crawford  for  a  time  made 
his  home  in  New  Jasper  township,  but  later  returned  to  the  home  farm, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  His  wife  had  long  prede- 
ceased him,  her  death  having  occurred  when  she  was  fifty-one  years  of  age. 
They  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  nine  of  these  children,  three  of  whom 
died  in  early  youth,  the  others  being  James,  who  is  now  living  at  Indianapolis, 
where  he  is  engaged  as  foreman  in  a  lumber  yard;  William  Scott,  whose 
name  forms  the  caption  for  this  biographical  sketch ;  John,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  eighteen  years;  David,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Jane, 
unmarried,  who  is  making  her  home  on  the  old  home  place  with  her  brother 
William  and  her  younger  sister,  and  Margaret  E.,  also  unmarried,  who  is 
making  her  home  with  her  brother  and  sister  on  the  home  place. 

William  Scott  Chalmers  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  the  schooling  he 
received  in  the  neighborhood  schools  was  supplemented  by  two  years  of 
attendance  at  school  in  Xenia.  He  and  his  sisters  have  always  remained 
on  the  home  farm  and  were  in  charge  of  the  same  when  their  father  died. 
Their  old  house  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1902,  but  they  rebuilt  in  the 
same  year  and  now  have  a  very  comfortable  home.  They  are  members  of 
the  First- United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  Mr.  Chalmers  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Short- 
horn cattle  and  Duroc-Jersey  hogs.  He  and  his  sisters  own  the  home  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  three  acres. 


WALTER  M.  LAURENS. 

Walter  M.  Laurens,  who  is  operating  the  David  S.  Harner  farm  in 
Xenia  township  and  residing  on  the  place,  rural  mail  route  No.  fo  out  of 
Xenia,  was  born  in  that  township,  on  a  place  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of 
the  city  of  Xenia,  February  27,  1872,  son  of  A.  P.  F.  and  Josephine  (Grisel) 
Laurens,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  the  southern 
part  of  Xenia  township,  in  April,  1851,  and  who  is  still  living  here,  a  resi- 
dent of  Xenia.     Her  widowed  mother  was  for  years  the  keeper  of  the  toll 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  189 

gate  on  the  Cincinnati  pike  south  of  Xenia.  Mrs.  Laurens  was  the  youngest 
of  the  three  children  of  this  widow. 

A.  P.  F.  Laurens  was  bom  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  in  Virginia  on 
January  6,  1846,  a  son  of  Martin  Laurens  and  wife,  and  was  about  twelve 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Greene  county.  Martin  Laurens  was 
born  in  France  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his 
parents,  the  family  locating  in  Virginia,  where  he  grew  up  and  was  trained 
to  the  trade  of  miller.  After  his  marriage  he  continued  working  as  a  miller 
in  Virginia  for  some  time  and  then  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  to  take 
charge  of  a  mill  in  Clermont  county,  later  coming  up  here  to  take  charge  of 
the  Jacoby  mill  on  the  Little  Miami  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Goes  Station. 
That  was  in  the  late  '50s  and  he  continued  in  charge  of  that  mill  during  the 
Civil  War  period,  later  taking  charge  of  a  mill  on  Buck  creek  at  Springfield. 
He  and  his  wife  were  Methodists  and  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  A.  P.  F.  Laurens  was  about  twelve  years  of 
age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene  county  and  when  he  was  six- 
teen he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Ohio  Cavalry,  with  which  command  he  ser\'ed 
until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military 
service  he  took  up  farming,  after  his  marriage  establishing  his  home  on  a 
farm,  and  continued  thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
on  October  19,  1898.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  the 
following:  Alice,  who  married  John  Skelly  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years ;  William,  a  resident  of  Xenia  township ;  Etta,  wife  of  William  Betts, 
of  Miami  county,  this  state ;  Margaret,  wife  of  William  Lackey,  of  the  Cedar- 
ville  neighborhood;  James,  of  Caesarscreek  township;  Clara,  wife  of  John 
Turner,  of  Cedarville  township;  Jessie,  wife  of  Harry  Bausman,  of  Miami 
county ;  Lee,  now  living  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton ;  Edward,  also 
a  resident  of  Clinton  county ;  Clifford,  who  is  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
Big  Four  Railroad,  making  his  home  at  Miamisburg,  and  Olive,  unmarried, 
who  is  making  her  home  witii  her  mother  at  Xenia. 

Walter  M.  Laurens  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  neighborhood  schools.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  rented  a  farm 
and  has  ever  since  been  actively  engaged  in  farming.  After  his  marriage 
in  1890  he  rented  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Selma,  later  renting  the  T.  B. 
Stevenson  farm  and  on  this  latter  place  remained  until  1901,  when  he  took 
charge  of  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  belonging  to  his 
father-in-law,  David  S.  Harner,  in  Xenia  township,  and  has  since  made 
his  home  there.     Mr.  Laurens  is  a  Democrat,  as  was  his  father.     His  wife  is 


190  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  member  of  the  First  Reformed  church  at  Xenia  and  his  mother  is  a  member 
of  the  Friends  church. 

On  December  3,  1890,  Walter  M.  Laurens  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  Harner,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  is  now  Hving,  daugh- 
ter of  David  S.  and  Lavina  f  Wall)  Harner,  now  living  at  Xenia,  and  to  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Gussa,  born  on  June  8,  1892, 
who  was  killed  in  a  grade-crossing  accident  on  the  Springfield  pike  in  1908, 
and  Freda,  born  on  September  13,  1905. 

David  S.  Harner,  father  of  Mrs.  Laurens,  was  born  in  Beavercreek 
township,  this  county,  June  2-j,  1838,  son  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Snyder) 
Harner,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township,  members  of  pioneer 
families.  Daniel  Harner  was  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Koogler)  Harner, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Germany,  but  who  had  come  to  this  country  with 
their  respective  parents  when  mere  children,  both  the  Harner  and  Koogler 
families  settling  in  Pennsylvania,  where  John  and  Sarah  grew  up  and  were 
married.  It  was  in  1805  that  John  Harner  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and 
located  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  settling  on  a  timber  tract  which 
they  proceeded  to  develop.  John  Harner  and  his  brothers  for  some  time 
operated  a  distillery  there,  marketing  their  product  in  Cincinnati.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Jacob,  Simon,  John,  Daniel, 
George,  Mrs.  Kate  Showers,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Augwell  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Miller. 
Daniel  Harner  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  after  his 
marriage  to  Elizabeth  Snyder  established  his  home  on  that  portion  of  the 
place  that  had  come  to  him  and  later  added  to  the  same  until  he  had  an  ex- 
cellent farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-five  acres.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Byron  and  he  was  a  Republican.  They 
had  four  children,  of  whom  David  S.  was  the  first-born,  the  others  l^eing 
Margaret,  wife  of  Mathias  Routzong,  of  Xenia  township;  Jonathan,  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Civil  War,  now  deceased,  who  spent  all  his  life  on  the  home  place, 
and  Sarah  who  married  Warren  Steele  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Beaver- 
creek township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  David  S.  Harner  was  living  there  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union,  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  a  disability  due  to  having  broken  one  of  his 
legs  some  time  before.  He  therefore  was  compelled  to  stay  at  home,  "doing 
his  bit"  not  only  by  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the  home  farm,  but  by 
harvesting  the  crops  of  several  of  his  neighbors  who  were  at  the  front,  on 
one  occasion  driving  a  reaper  for  eleven  days  continuously,  hands  bringing 
on  fresh  horses  to  keep  the  old  reaper  going  in  order  that  the  harvest  might 
not  be  interrupted.  After  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1865,  Mr.  Harner 
bought  the  farm  that  is  now  being  operated  by  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Laurens, 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  I9I 

part  of  which  hes  in  Beavercreek  township  and  part  in  Xenia  township,  and 
there  he  made  his  home  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1909  and  re- 
moval to  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living,  Mr.  Harner  having 
built  a  house  on  the  Fairground  road  just  at  the  edge  of  the  city.  Mr. 
Harner  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed 
church  at  Xenia.  Mrs.  Harner  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Clifton,  in  Miami  township,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Long) 
Wall,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  in  Vir- 
ginia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harner  have  three  children,  Mrs.  Laurens  having  a 
brother,  Kasper,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  and  a  sister, 
Mary,  wife  of  P.  C.  James,  a  grocer  in  Xenia. 


JOHN  W.  ANDERSON. 

John  W.  Anderson,  retired  farmer  and  building  contractor  living  at 
Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Xenia  on  May  2y,  1852,  a 
son  of  Thomas  Maxey  and  Mary  Jane  (Stansfield)  Anderson,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  this  county.  Thomas  Maxey  Anderson  was  a  son 
of  Daniel  Anderson  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Dinsmore,  who  came 
to  Greene  county  from  Virginia  and  settled  in  Xenia  township,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born,  in  Xenia  township,  south  of  town,  Thomas  M.  Anderson  after  his 
marriage  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  caring  for  his 
parents  in  their  declining  years.  He  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  time 
director  of  his  local  school  district.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-two  years 
and  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  Charles,  deceased ;  Clara,  deceased ;  Florence,  who  is  living 
in  Delaware  county,  Lidiana,  and  who  has  been  twice  married,  her  first 
husband  having  been  Henry  Jones  and  her  second,  John  Childers;  Sarah 
Catherine,  wife  of  James  R.  Stafford,  also  of  Delaware  county,  Lidiana; 
Amos  Edgar,  who  is  living  on  and  farming  a  part  of  the  old  home  place 
south  of  Xenia:  Ida.  wife  of  Byron  Adams,  a  farmer  of  the  Spring  Valley 
neighborhood ;  Horace,  who  is  living  on'  and  farming  a  part  of  the  old 
home  place,  and  Harvey,  who  is  engaged  in  the  oil  business  at  Cedarville. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Xenia,  John  \\\  Anderson  received 
his  schooling  in  the  district  school  of  that  neighborhood  and  early  learned 
the  carpenter  trade,  in  time  becoming  a  building  contractor,  a  vocation  he 
followed  for  twenty  years.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  thirty  years 
of  age,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  his  own  and  for  five  years  was  engaged 


192  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  farming,  but  later  rented  the  farm,  giving  his  attention  to  his  building 
operations.  Some  years  ago  he  sold  his  farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where 
he  has  since  lived  practically  retired,  though  still  occasionally  accepting  a 
contract  for  building. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  thrice  married.  His  first  wife  was  Anna 
Buchanan,  of  Clermont  county,  this  state,  who  died  without  issue.  Mr. 
Anderson  later  married  Mary  R.  Sanders,  who  was  born  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  Jesse  Sanders  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  an  Allen,  and 
to  that  union  was  born  one  child,  who,  as  well  as  the  mother  is  now  dead, 
the  latter  having  died  on  January  21,  1917.  On  January  22,  1918,  at  Nor- 
wood, Ohio,  Mr.  Anderson  married  Mrs.  Valura  (Schooley)  English,  a 
widow,  who  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Eli  and  Susan 
Jane  Schooley,  both  now  deceased.  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church. 


LYMAN  MORSE  GARFIELD. 

Lyman  Morse  Garfield,  who  for  forty-four  years  was  actively  con- 
nected with  the  operations  of  the  great  powder  mills  at  Goes  Station,  in  this 
county,  and  from  1875  to  191 8  superintendent  of  the  mills  and  still  connected 
with  the  company  as  a  stockholder,  but  who  is  now  living  retired  at  his 
home  near  Xenia,  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  since  1873.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Concord, 
Massachusetts,  July  25,  1849,  son  of  Moses  B.  and  Lydia  (Morse)  Garfield, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  state,  members  of  old  Colonial  fami- 
lies, and  the  latter  of  whom  spent  her  last  days  in  Xenia. 

Moses  B.  Garfield  was  born  in  Concord,  Massachusetts,  in  1818,  son  of 
Daniel  Garfield  and  wife.  Tiie  Garfields  are  an  old  family  in  Massachusetts, 
the  first  of  the  name  there  having  settled  in  Weston  back  in  Colonial  days. 
Moses  B.  Garfield  was  early  trained  to  the  trade  of  harness  making,  but  when 
thirty  years  of  age  he  took  up  sign  painting  and  thereafter  followed  that 
vocation,  making  his  home  in  various  towns  in  Massachusetts.  He  died  in 
June,  1895,  and  his  widow  afterward  made  her  home  with  her  son  at  Xenia, 
where  she  died  in  1912,  she  then  being  eiglity-six  years  of  age.  She  was 
born,  Lydia  Morse,  at  Marlboro,  Massachusetts,  a  daughter  of  Lyman  and 
Lydia  (Brigham)  Morse,  the  former  of  whom  died  of  cholera  during  the 
great  scourge  of  1849.  The  Morses  also  are  an  old  family  in  New  England 
and  had  their  origin  there  in  three  brothers  who  came  over  from  Ireland  in 
Colonial  days,  establishing  a  family  connection  which  has  been  widely  influen- 
tial on  tliis  side,  one  of  the  notable  descendants  of  this  line  having  been 
Samuel  F.  B.  Morse,  the  inventor  of  the  electric  telegraph.  Mrs.  Garfield  was 
a  member  of  the  Christian  Union  church.     She  and  her  husband  were  the 


lA'MAX    M.   (;AKF1KI.1) 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  I93 

parents  of  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  brother,  Moses 
Howell  Garfield,  born  in  1846,  who  was  for  years  superintendent  of  the  mills 
of  the  American  Powder  Company  in  Massachusetts  and  who  died  'n  1906. 

Lyman  M.  Garfield  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  from  Con- 
cord to  Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the 
schools  of  the  latter  city.  When  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was  placed  to 
learn  the  trade  of  shoemaker  and  was  thus  engaged  for  two  years.  In 
the  meantime  the  Civil  War  had  broken  out  and  he  presently,  in  1864,  secured 
a  position,  though  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  in  the  commissary  department 
and  during  the  years  1864  and  1865  was  stationed  in  that  service  at  Camp 
Douglas,  near  Chicago,  where  Confederate  prisoners  were  interned.  Upon 
the  completion  of  this  service  he  returned  home  and  his  father  by  that  time 
having  moved  to  Boston,  he  became  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  latter's 
sign-painting  establishment  in  Union  street  in  that  city.  While  in  Boston 
Mr.  Garfield  learned  the  art  of  telegraphy  and  in  1873,  about  two  years  after 
his  marriage,  came  to  Greene  county  with  A.  O.  Fay,  proprietor  of  the  plant 
of  the  Miami  Powder  Company  at  Goes,  and  was  installed  as  telegrapher 
for  the  company  at  that  point.  Two  years  later,  in  1875,  he  was  made  super- 
intendent of  the  powder-mills,  and  when  the  Miami  Powder  Company  sold 
the  plant  to  the  Aetna  Explosives  Company  in  December,  1914,  was  retained 
in  that  position,  continuing  his  service  as  superintendent  of  the  plant  until 
his  retirement  in  January,  1918.  Not  long  after  becoming  thus  connected 
with  the  powder  plant  Mr.  Garfield  became  a  stockholder  in  the  concern  and 
has  ever  since  retained  that  interest.  Years  ago  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  company  and  for  many  years  was  one  of  the 
most  forceful  figures  in  the  operation  of  the  great  plant  which  has  grown  up 
at  Goes  and  which  is  the  practical  support  and  stay  of  that  village.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  there  is  but  one  other  person  still  connected  with  the 
powder-mills  who  was  there  when  Mr.  Garfield  became  connected  with  the 
works  in  1873.  Mr.  Garfield  has  a  pleasant  home  on  the  Springfield  pike,  just 
out  of  Xenia.  and  he  and  his  wife  are  very  comfortably  situated  there  in  the 
days  of  their  retirement.  They  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Xenia  and  for  fifteen  years  Mr.  Garfield  has  been  serving  as  treas- 
urer of  the  congregation.  He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

On  December  14,  1871,  at  Boston,  Lyman  M.  Garfield  v.'as  united  in 
marriage  to  Maria  Louise  Hawes,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  daughter  of 
E.  W.  W.  and  Diantha  (Smith)  Hawes,  the  former  of  whom,  a  stairbuilder, 
died  in  1875;  ^^  latter  surviving  him  for  many  years,  her  death  occurring 
in  1905.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garfield  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Adelaide  Isabel,  wife  of  Clarence  Whitmer,  of  Chicago;   Ella  C,   wife  of 

(12) 


194  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Walter  Curry,  of  Xenia ;  Lillian  Marie,  who  married  Fred  Moore  and  is  also 
living  at  Xenia;  Fannie  Gertrude,  wife  of  E.  S.  Davidson,  of  Xenia;  Arthur 
L.,  also  of  Xenia,  secretary  of  the  Bartlett-King  Company;  Ethel,  who  died 
in  1884,  and  Howell,  who  died  on  April  13,  1909.  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years. 


FRANK  W.  WALKER. 


Frank  W.  Walker,  former  director  of  public  safety  for  the  city  of 
Xenia,  former  township  treasurer  and  formerly  and  for  years  connected 
with  the  passenger  department  of  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton  Rail- 
road Company  and  now  and  for  nearly  twenty  years  past  engaged  in  the 
coal  business  at  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this 
county,  on  August  21,  1867,  son  of  Mordecai  and  De"borah  (Painter)  \\'alker, 
both  now  deceased. 

Mordecai  Walker  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  and 
was  but  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  up  into  Greene 
county,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Here  he  married  Deborah 
Painter,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  after  his  marriage 
established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  that  township  and  continued  to  reside 
there  until  his  death  in  June,  1888.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Alpheus  D. 
Walker,  born  in  1872,  now  living  at  Jamestown,  a  traveling  salesman,  who 
married  Belle  Ireland  and  has  three  children,  Clarence,  Mabel  and  Hazel, 
and  a  sister,  Grace,  who  married  Clyde  Lemmons,  a  Clinton  county  farmer, 
and  has  three  children. 

Frank  W.  Walker  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship, receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  became  employed  as  a 
traveling  passenger  agent  for  tlie  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railroad 
Companv.  He  married  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  continued  his 
connection  with  the  railroad  company  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  or  until 
1900,  when  he  became  engaged  in  the  coal  business  at  Xenia.  In  connection 
with  this  business  Mr.  Walker  two  years  ago  established  a  local  motor 
transfer  line.  He  is  a  Republican  and  for  six  years  or  more  prior  to  the  re- 
cent change  in  city  government  occupied  the  position  of  director  of  public 
safety  for  the  city  of  Xenia.  He  also  was  for  six  years  a  member  of  the  local 
board  of  control,  for  six  years  served  as  treasurer  of  Xenia  township,  his  term 
of  office  in  this  latter  department  of  public  activity  expiring  on  January  i, 
1918,  and  also  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  workhouse  board  and  of 
the  local  board  of  health. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  105 

On  September  2,  1888,  Frank  W.  Walker  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ella  St.  John,  who  also  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  borrt  four  children,  namely :  Reva,  Lora  and  Karl  at  home, 
the  latter  being  engaged  in  business  with  his  father,  and  Paul,  who  is  now 
a  resident  of  Daytona,  Florida.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walker  are  members  of  the 
First  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Walker  for  the  past  seven  years  or  more 
has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church.  He  is  a  Scottish 
Rite  Mason  and  a  noble  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge  at  Xenia  and  with  the  consistory  and 
the  temple  at  Dayton.  He  also  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Xenia. 


EUGENE  D.  SMITH. 


Eugene  D.  Smith,  yardmaster  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
at  Xenia,  was  born  at  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  December  25,  1880,  a  son  of 
James  and  Frances  (Lowe)  Smith,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  and  reared  at  Xenia  and  the  latter  at  Marshall,  Illinois.  James 
Smith  was  a  son  of  Adam  L.  and  Sarah  (Gano)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county,  her  mother, 
Mary  (Williams)  Gano,  having  been  the  first  female  white  child  born  within 
what  is  now  the  precincts  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  was  cradled  in  a  maple-log 
trough  in  an  old  log  house  that  stood  on  what  is  now  the  Roberts  place  on 
the  north  edge  of  the  city.  Mary  Williams  was  a  daughter  of  Remem- 
brance Williams,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  historical  section  of  this 
work.  Adam  L.  Smith  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  and  reared  at  Edin- 
burgh, who  came  to  this  country  as  a  youn^  man  of  nineteen  and  presently 
set  up  a  carriage  shop  at  Xenia.  He  spent  his  last  days  in  Xenia  and  lived 
to  be  seventy-two  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  a 
considerable  family  of  children,  among  those  still  living  being  Ed  M.  Smith, 
former  chief  of  police  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  now  living  on  Church  street 
in  that  city,  and  George  H.  Smith,  also  of  Xenia.  who  lives  on  South  Detroit 
street. 

James  Smith  was  born  and  reared  in  Xenia  and  early  entered  the  rail- 
road service,  presently  becoming  a  fireman  and  then  a  locomotive  engineer 
on  the  old  Terre  Haute  &  Indianapolis  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania system,  during  that  period  of  service  being  located  at  Terre  Haute. 
He  later  became  connected  with  the  Wabash  Railroad  and  during  that  period 
of  service  made  his  home  at  East  St.  Louis,  where  he  later  became  engaged 
in  the  hotel  and  restaurant  business.  James  Smith  was  twice  married  and 
by  his  first  wife  was  the  father  of  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having 


196  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

had  a  brother,  Albert  Smith,  now  deceased,  who  also  became  engaged  in  the 
railroad  service  and  was  thus  engaged  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Following 
the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Frances  Lowe,  Mr.  Smith  married  Sarah  Capoe 
and  by  that  union  was  the  father  of  one  child,  a  daughter.  Edna. 

Eugene  D.  Smith  was  but  a  child  when  his  mother  died  and  he  was 
reared  by  his  grandmother  Smith  at  Xenia,  in  the  schools  of  which  city  he 
received  his  schooling.  He  then  rejoined  his  father  at  East  St.  Louis 
and  tliere  became  employed  as  a  messenger  boy  for  the  Wabash  Railroad, 
later  becoming  a  yard  clerk  and  then  a  locomotive  fireman.  In  1902  he 
returned  to  Xenia  and  there  became  employed  as  a  pipe-fitter  and  plumber 
and  was  thus  engaged  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned 
to  railroad  service  and  Ijecame  a  brakeman  in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
yards  at  Xenia,  presently  being  promoted  to  the  position  of  yard  conductor 
and  served  in  the  latter  capacity  for  one  year,  or  until  1906,  when  he  was 
made  night  yardmaster.  In  191 3  Mr.  Smith  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  day  yardmaster  in  the  Xenia  yards  of  the  Pennsylvania  Company  and 
still  occupies  that  position. 

On  January  6,  1906,  Eugene  D.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cora 
C.  Weddele,  who  was  born  at  Dayton,  this  state,  daughter  of  George  and 
Mary  Weddele,  the  former  of  whom  is  now  engineer  at  the  Ohio  Soldiers 
and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia.  Mr.  Smith  was  reared  in  the  faith 
of  the  Episcopal  church. 


SAMUEL  B.  HARNER. 


Samuel  B.  Harner,  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  one  of  the  best-known 
residents  of  the  Oldtown  neighborhood  and  the  patentee  of  the  celebrated 
"Harner"  milker  which  is  attracting  much  attention  among  dairymen 
througliout  the  country,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living 
and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  November  16,  1865,  a  son 
of  Charles  and  Mary  Ann  (Morgan)  Harner,  both  now  deceased,  who  spent 
their  last  days  on  that  old  home  farm,  their  youngest  son,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  caring  for  them  in  their  declining  years. 

Charles  Harner  was  born  in  this  county  on  February  19,  181 7,  a  member 
of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  Greene  county,  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Anna 
Maria  (Hefly)  Harner,  having  come  up  here  from  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati 
and  made  their  home  in  Beavercreek  township  at  an  early  day  in  the  settlement 
of  the  county.  On  Marcli  19,  1840,  Charles  Harner  married  Mary  Ann 
Morgan,  who  was  born  on  March  11,  1823,  and  established  his  home  on 
the  place  on  which  his  son  Samuel  is  now  living.  He  died  on  August  14, 
1908.    His  wife's  death  occurred  on  January  i,  1907.    They  were  the  parents 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ig7 

of  eleven  children,  of  whom,  as  noted  above,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  last  born,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Martin,  who  married  Mrs.  Jolly 
and  lives  in  the  New  England  states ;  Mary,  who  is  living  at  Oldtown,  widow 
of  James  H.  Jacoby;  David  J.,  who  died  on  February  ig,  191 1 ;  Isabella,  v/ho 
is  living  at  Xenia,  widow  of  Andrew  Hutchinson ;  Morgan,  who  is  married 
and  is  farming  in  Xenia  township;  Rose  Ann,  who  is  living  at  Oldtown, 
widow  of  Samuel  Clark;  Martha  C,  wife  of  George  Oglesljee,  of  Xenia; 
Charles  A.,  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township;  Franklin  J.,  who  also  is  farming 
in  Xenia  township,  and  James  H.,  the  owner  of  a  farm  on  the  Bellbrook 
pike,  south  of  Xenia. 

Samuel  B.  Harner  has  always  made  his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he 
is  now  living  and  which  he  now  owns,  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres. 
He  acquired  his  schooling  at  Oldtown,  at  Xenia  and  at  Yellow  Springs  and 
in  time  came  into  the  management  of  the  home  place,  after  his  father's 
retirement  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  and  has  been  operating  the  farm 
'?ince  then.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  As  a  practical  dairyman  Mr. 
Harner  became  interested  in  milking  devices  and  discerned  so  much  in  the 
way  of  improvements  that  might  be  applied  to  such  devices  that  he  worked 
out  a  model  of  an  improved  milker  and  on  January  2,  1917,  secured  a  patent 
on  the  same.  This  machine,  the  "Harner"  milker,  is  now  being  manufactured 
by  the  Harner-Jones  Company  at  Springfield,  this  state,  and  is  attracting 
much  attention,  it  being  declared  that  Mr.  Harner's  machine  is  "almost 
human"  in  its  operation,  besides  being  simple,  gentle,  durable,  harmless,  noise- 
less, economical,  insuring  better  milk  and  all  the  milk,  easy  to  clean,  of  unlim- 
ited capacity  and  positively  sanitary.  The  "Harner"  milker  has  been  found 
to  eliminate  "all  the  objectionable  features  possessed  by  machines  of  the 
experimental  period;  easily  trebles  the  number  of  cows  a  hand  can  care  for; 
gets  more  and  better  milk  per  cow  with  less  fretting  and  no  harm  to  the  ani- 
mal ;  increases  profits  and  reduces  labor,  and  transforms  the  dairy  business 
from  a  hard,  slavish  one  to  an  easy,  pleasant  and  profitable  occupation." 
This  machine  is  the  product  of  3'ears  of  study  and  experiment  on  Mr. 
Harner's  part  and  in  three  years  of  constant  use  has  proved  itself  wholly 
free  from  fault  in  design,  construction  and  operation. 

On  June  14,  191 1,  Samuel  B.  Harner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Isabel 
Fernstenmacher,  who  was  born  near  Kutztown,  in  Berks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, daughter  of  Henry  and  Isabel  (Deitrich)  Fernstenmacher,  of  Long 
Swamp  township,  that  county,  the  former  of  whom  died  on  June  23,  1907, 
and  the  latter,  August  23.  19 14.  Henry  Fernstenmacher  and  his  wife  had 
two  children,  Mrs.  Harner  having  a  brother,  Edwin  R.  Fernstenmacher,  who 
is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Harner's  schooling- 
was  completed  in  the  Normal  School  at  Kutztown,  in  the  neighborhood  of 


198  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

her  home,  and  she  Hved  at  home  until  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Harner.  To  that 
union  four  children  have  been  born,  Clara  Belle,  Wilbur  Henry,  Orville  David 
and  Paul  Samuel.    Mrs.  Harner  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 


JAMES  ANDREW  McDONALD. 

The  late  James  Andrew  McDonald,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia 
township  in  1894  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  on  the  old  McDonald  home 
farm  there,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  there  spent  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  August  6,  1856,  son  of  John  Nelson  McDonald  and  wife,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  place,  son  of  Isaiah  McDonald,  a  Virginian 
and  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  part  of  Greene  county,  the  house  in  which 
Mrs.  McDonald  is  now  living  having  been  erected  there  by  Isaiah  McDonald 
more  than  one  hundred  years  ago.  It  was  in  the  year  1802  that  Isaiah 
McDonald  and  his  wife  Edith  came  here  from  North  Carolina  and  estab- 
lished their  home  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship. Their  son,  Leavitt  McDonald,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  181 2, 
married  Susan  Strong  and  had  ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  Of 
these  children,  John  N.  McI>onald,  who  was  born  on  January  13,  1808, 
married  Elizabeth  Saville  and  after  a  continuous  residence)  of  sixty-five 
years  on  the  old  McDonald  farm  moved  to  an  adjoining  farm,  where  he  died 
three  years  later,  June  8,  1887.  John  N.  McDonald  was  the  owner  of  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  memorial 
sketch  having  had  a  brother,  Charles  W.  McDonald,  a  former  farmer  in 
Xenia  township,  who  is  now  making  his  home  in  Florida,  and  a  sister,  Mil- 
dred, who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  James  A.  McDonald  com- 
pleted his  schooling  in  a  business  college  at  Painsville  and  after  his  marriage 
in  the  fall  of  1877  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place,  which  had 
been  settled  by  his  grandfather,  and  became  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two  acres  of  the  same,  continuing  engaged  in  farming  there  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  November  2,  1894.  In  addition  to  his 
general  farming  Mr.  McDonald  also  for  years  operated  a  threshing-machine 
in  his  neighborhood.  He  was  a  Republican  and  at  one  time  and  another  had 
held  various  township  offices.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  member  of 
the   Reformed   church. 

On  September  12,  1877,  James  A.  McDonald  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Amy  E.  Ford,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  who  survives 
him,  continuing  to  make  her  home  on  her  farm.  Mrs.  McDonald  also  is  a 
member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Greene  county.     Her  father.  James  M. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  199 

Ford,  grew  up  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  after  his  marriage  lived  for 
some  time  on  the  Jacob  Peterson  farm,  in  that  township,  later  buying  a  farm 
in  that  same  neighborhood,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  from  the 
farm  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 
James  M.  Ford  was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  wife,  Mary  Peterson, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Jacob  Peterson,  was  the 
father  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  McDonald  was  the  first-bom,  the  others 
being  Charles,  deceased ;  Chauncey,  who  is  farming  in  New  Jasper  township ; 
Hettie,  who  married  Lawson  Shambaugh  and  is  now  living  at  New  Burling- 
ton; Bena,  wife  of  Milton  Linkhart,  of  -Wilmington,  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clinton,  and  a  daughter  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years,  after  which  Mr.  Ford  married  a 
widow,  Mrs.  Alton,  who  died  at  Xenia  in  1916. 

To  James  A.  and  Amy  E.  (Ford)  McDonald  were  born  nine  children, 
namely :  Orville,  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  who  married  Lena  Middleton 
and  has  two  children,  Paul  and  Edith ;  Leavitt,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek 
township,  who  married  Minnie  Peterson  and  has  two  children,  Mildred  and 
Rosella;  Ford  H.,  who  married  Dessie  Bayless  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five  years,  leaving  three  children,  Ella  May,  Helen  and  Kenneth  (deceased)  ; 
Emma  Pearl,  who  married  Ray  Huston,  a  merchant  at  Xenia,  and  has  two 
children,  Velma  and  Elizabeth ;  Mayme  Edith,  who  married  Ray  Sutton,  of 
New  Jasper  township,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Cleo;  Lucy,  who  mar- 
ried Volney  Harness,  of  Xenia,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mabel ;  Mary, 
who  married  Glenn  Bartlett,  a  farmer  of  New  Jasper  township  and  has  two 
children,  Elma  and  Donald ;  James  Ray,  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  who 
married  Elsie  Fudge  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Wilford,  and  Melvin,  who  is 
unmarried  and  who  continues  to  make  his  home  with  his  mother,  farming 
the  home  place,  sixty  acres  of  which  Mrs.  McDonald  continues  to  retain. 
Mrs.  McDonald  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


GEORGE  \V.  WHITMER. 

George  W.  Whitmer,  assistant  trainmaster  of  the  Cincinnati  division 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Lines,  with  headquarters  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  Preble 
county,  this  state,  and  has  lived  in  Ohio  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  most 
of  the  time  during  the  past  thirty  years  or  more,  he  having  been  train  dis- 
patcher for  the  Pennsylvania  Company  for  some  time  before  entering  upon 
the  duties  of  his  present  position  with  that  company. 

Mr.  Whitmer  is  a  son  of  the  Rev.  David  and  Amanda  Catherine  (Gard- 
ner) Whitmer,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Ohio, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this  state.     The  Rev.  David  Whitmer  was  born 


200  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  March  lo,  1823,  and  was  but  an 
infant  when  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Eve  Whitmer,  came  to  Ohio  and  settled 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tremont  in  Clark  county.  Jacob  Whitmer  was  a  tanner 
by  trade  and  for  some  time  followed  that  occupation  in  Ohio,  but  later  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Of  the  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  five  grew  to 
maturity,  the  one  son,  David,  and  four  daughters,  one  of  whom,  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Stevenson,  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Indianapolis.  David  Whitmer 
grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county  and  became  by  self -study  a  well 
educated  man.  For  some  time  he  taught  school,  in  the  meantime  pursuing 
his  studies  with  a  view  to  entering  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  in  due  time  was  licensed  to  preach.  During  his  long  service  in 
the  ministry  the  Rev.  David  Whitmer  was  located  at  numerous  points 
throughout  southwestern  Ohio,  his  itinerary  moving  him  about  after  the 
manner  of  the  Methodist  system,  but  the  last  six  years  of  his  active  ministry 
were  spent  in  Greene  county,  at  New  Burlington  and  Spring  Valley.  In 
September,  1884,  he  retired  from  the  ministry  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he 
died  on  June  23,  1887.  He  was  an  active  worker  in  the  temperance  cause 
and  had  a  wide  acquaintance  throughout  this  section  of  the  state. 

The  Rev.  David  W^hitmer  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Hannah 
I.  Fox,  who  was  born  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  he  had  two  sons,  William  C, 
now  deceased,  who  was  for  years  chief  train  dispatcher  and  later  trainmaster 
for  the  New  York  division  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  and  Charles 
W.,  a  lawyer  at  Xenia,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  His  second  wife.  Amanda  Catherine  Gardner,  was  bom  at  Clarks- 
ville,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  October  9,  1833.  and  died  at  her 
home  in  Xenia  on  March  28,  1906.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John  and 
Sarah  (Roland)  Gardner,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ohio  and  the  latter 
of  whom  died  when  her  daughter  Amanda  Catherine  was  a  child.  The 
mother  of  Dr.  John  Gardner  was  a  sister  of  Governor  Tiffin,  the  first  gover- 
nor of  Ohio,  and  the  name  "Tiffin"  appears  in  every  generation  since  as  a 
given  name.  The  Tiffins  came  from  Carlisle,  England.  Dr.  John  Gardner 
was  a  physician  at  Clarksville  and  continued  in  active  practice  there  to  the 
very  hour  of  his  death,  his  death  occurring  at  the  home  of  a  patient  while  he 
was  making  a  professional  call,  he  then  having  been  seventy-four  years  of 
age.  He  had  been  thrice  married,  and  by  his  first  wife  had  one  child,  a  son ; 
bv  his  second,  three  children,  Mr.  Whitmer's  mother  having  had  a  brother 
and  a  sister,  and  by  his  third  marriage  had  one  child,  a  daughter.  To  the 
Rev.  David  and  Amanda  Catherine  (Gardner)  Whitmer  were  born  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others 
being  Carrie,  wife  of  E.  H.  Hart,  of  Xenia:  Clarence,  who  is  quite  success- 
fullv  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Chicago ;  Hattie  W.,  who  is  un- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  20I 

married  and  who  makes  her  home  with  her  brother  George  at  520  South 
Detroit  street  in  Xenia,  where  they  have  a  very  pleasant  home;  Edward 
Tiffin,  now  deceased ;  John  Harrison,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking 
business  at  Xenia;  Mary,  wife  of  Marshall  Lupton,  of  Indianapolis,  and 
Florence,  wife  of  W.  B.  Fulghum,  of  Richmond,  Indiana. 

George  W.  Whitmer  early  turned  his  attention  to  railroading  and  in  his 
boyhood  became  a  telegraph  operator,  working  at  various  stations  along  the 
lines  that  now  form  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System,  and  finally 
was  made  station  agent  at  Wilmington,  the  county  seat  of  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clinton.  A  few  years  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
train  dispatcher  and  for  fifteen  years  was  thus  engaged,  his  duties  being 
divided  between  the  oflices  at  Cincinnati  and  at  Xenia.  In  1904  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  trainmaster  of  the  Cincinnati  division  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Lines,  with  headquarters  at  Xenia,  and  has  ever  since  been  stationed  there. 
Mr.  Whitmer  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge  at  Xenia 
and  with  the  consistory  at  Cincinnati,  and  is  a  noble  of  the  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  affiliated  with  Syrian  Temple  at  Cin- 
cinnati. 


ISAAC  EVANS. 


Isaac  Evans,  now  living  retired  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  since  191 2,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this 
county,  on  December  8,  1835,  son  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Coppock)  Evans, 
who  had  come  over  here  from  South  Carolina  some  years  before,  and  had 
established  their  home  in  Spring  Valley  township,  where  they  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives. 

Robert  Evans  was  born  in  the  Newberry  district  of  South  Carolina, 
November  9,  1797,  a  son  of  Moses  Evans  and  wife,  Quakers.  Mcses  E\ans 
died  and  his  widow  married  Samuel  Speer  and  in  1826  came  with  him  and 
other  members  of  their  family  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  the  southern  part  of 
Greene  county,  on  the  place  now  owned  and  long  occupied  by  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Robert  Evans  married  Sarah  Coppock.  who  also  was  born  in 
South  Carolina,  March  13,  1799,  and  several  years  after  his  mother  and  his 
stepfather  had  settled  in  Greene  county  he  and  his  wife  also  came  over  here, 
arriving  on  October  24,  1829.  During  the  succeeding  winter  he  and  his  wife 
made  their  home  with  the  Speers  and  in  the  next  spring  (1830)  he  bought  a 
farm  of  four  hundred  acres  lying  along  the  banks  of  the  Miami,  in  Spring 
Valley  township,  and  there  established  his  home,  erecting  a  house  facing  the 
highway  to  Cincinnati.  Robert  Evans  had  been  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness in  South  Carolina  and  upon  coming  here  built  a  grist-  and  saw-mill  on 


202  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

his  place,  operating  the  same  by  water  power;  which  mills  continued  to  be 
operated  until  about  1875,  when  they  were  abandoned.  In  addition  to  carry- 
ing on  his  milling  industry,  Robert  Evans  also  cleared  and  developed  his 
farm.  He  died  on  November  9,  1868,  and  his  widow  died  on  June  17,  1871. 
Robert  Evans  had  been  reared  a  Whig,  but  upon  the  creation  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  aligned  himself  with  that  party.  He  and  his  wife  were  birthright 
Quakers  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  simple  faith.  They  had  fif- 
teen children,  of  whom  nine  grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Rebecca,  who  died 
unmarried;  Moses,  who  died  in  1868;  Esther  P.,  who  married  Lewis  Hard- 
sock,  of  this  county,  and  later  went  to  Kansas,  where  she  and  her  husband 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives;  Lydia  H.,  who  married  William  Stans- 
field  and  also  went  to  Kansas,  where  she  died;  Mary,  who  married  Isaac  M. 
Barrett,  of  Spring  Valley,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased ; 
Sophia,  who  married  Cal  Whitney  and  went  to  Nebraska,  where  she  and  her 
husband  spent  their  last  days;  Isaac,  the  subject  of  this  sketch:  Nancy  J.,  who 
married  Martin  Peterson  and  continued  to  make  her  home  in  this  county  until 
her  death  some  years  ago,  and  Margaret  E.,  widow  of  Aaron  Crites,  who 
died  in  191 5.  She  had  made  her  home  on  the  old  Evans  farm  in  Spring 
Valley  township. 

Reared  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  Isaac  Evans 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  supple- 
mented the  same  by  attendance  at  Bacon's  Commercial  College  at  Cincinnati, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1857.  He  then  became  a  partner 
in  his  father's  milling  operations  and  continued  thus  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  until  they  sold  the  mills  in  1864,  after  which  he  became  the  owner 
of  the  old  Speer  farm,  which  had  been  settled  by  his  stepgrandfather,  Samuel 
Speer,  in  1829,  and  there  he  continued  to  make  his  home  for  forty-eight 
years,  or  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia  in  191 2. 
Mr.  Evans  still  owns  his  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  and 
has  added  to  that  one  hundred  and  si.xty  acres  adjoining,  and  enjoys  an  occa- 
sional trip  to  the  same.  He  also  owns  property  in  the  city.  Mr.  Evans  is  a 
Republican  and  for  some  years  served  the  people  of  Spring  Valley  township 
as  trustee.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Friends  church,  as  have  Ijeen  the  members 
of  his  family  for  generations.  He  was  made  a  Mason  at  Waynesville  many 
years  ago,  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  New  Burlington  and 
•  is  also  a  member  of  Xenia  Chapter  No.  36,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of  the 
Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  (32°)  at  Dayton. 

Isaac  Evans  has  been  twice  married.  On  January  31,  i860,  when  twen- 
ty-four 3'«ars  of  age,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Matilda  C.  Stump,  \\'ho 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Prudence  ( Smalley) 
Stump,  pioneers  of  Greene  county,  and  of  the  children  born  to  this  union  si.x 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2O3 

are  now  living,  namely:  Frank  S.,  who  married  Catherine  Eberley  and  is 
living  on  a  part-of  the  old  home  farm;  Minnie  B.,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  widow 
of  Joseph  G.  Gest;  Lou,  wife  of  Robert  J.  Lacey,  of  Wilmington,  this  state; 
Alta  M.,  wife  of  John  L.  Shipp,  of  Columbus,  Ohio;  William  J.,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  livery  business  at  Xenia,  and  Charles  R.,  who  married  Stella 
Lucas  and  is  also  engaged  in  the  livery  business  at  Xenia,  in  association  with 
his  brother.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  September  17,  1897,  she 
then  being  at  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  and  on  May  16,  1900,  Mr.  Evans 
married  Frances  Adams,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery.  She 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  E.  B.  and 
Priscilla  Adams,  both  of  whom  are  deceased.  In  1878  the  Adams  family  left 
Pennsyh'ania  and  located  in  Dayton,  Ohio.  E.  B.  Adams  was  a  miller  by 
trade.     There  Mrs.  Evans  attended  public  school  as  a  girl  and  grew  up. 


PROF.  CHARLES  A.  NOSKER,  A.  M. 

Prof.  Charles  A.  Nosker,  A.  M.,  member  of  the  faculty  of  Antioch  Col- 
lege and  since  1907  occupant  of  the  chair  of  biology  and  geology  in  that  insti- 
tution, is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Coshocton  county  on  January  3,  1876,  son  of  Benjamin  F. 
and  Clarinda  (Talmage)  Nosker,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  state, 
the  former  at  Canal  Dover,  in  Tuscarawas  county,  in  1835,  and  the  latter  in 
Coshocton  county. 

Benjamin  F.  Nosker,  who  died  in  1897,  was  twice  married  and  by  his 
marriage  to  Clarinda  Talmage  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  v/as  the  last  born,  the  others  being  as  follow :  Evalyn, 
deceased ;  George,  who  is  married  and  is  living  at  Columbus,  this  state,  where 
he  is  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman;  Sherman,  who  is  living  in  northern 
Ohio;  Ida  Jane,  wife  of  Henry  Veigel,  a  farmer  of  Coshocton  county; 
Frances,  deceased;  Benjamin  F.,  who  is  living  in  Coshocton  county,  and 
William  Henry,  who  also  continues  to  make  his  home  in  that  county.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  1884  and  Benjamin  F.  Nosker  later  married 
Mary  J.  Hummer,  to  which  union  two  daughters  were  born.  Hazel  and  Ber- 
nice,  who  are  living  with  their  mother  at  Coshocton. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Coshocton  county.  Charles  A.  Nosker 
received  his  elementary  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  district  schools  and 
then  took  a  course  in  the  Roscoe  high  school,  going  thence  to  the  Roscoe 
Normal  School  and  in  1901  to  Poland  Seminary.  In  January,  r90J,  he  en- 
tered Antioch  College  at  ''^'ellow  Springs  and  in  1907  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  During  the  summer 
of  that  year  he  pursued  a  special  course  in  the  Ohio  State  School  at  Cedar 


204  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Point  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  entered  upon  his  duties  as  instructor  in 
biology  and  geology  at  Antioch  College  and  has  since  been  thus  connected 
with  that  institution,  which  in  191 2  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  Professor  Nosker  is  a  close  student  and  in  the  summer  of  1910  pur- 
sued a  special  course  in  the  branches  in  which  he  is  particularly  interested 
under  Doctor  Coulter  at  Chicago  University. 

On  June  19,  1908,  at  Yellow  Springs,  Professor  Nosker  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Carrie  E.  Zehner,  who  was  born  in  Hardin  county,  this  state, 
daughter  of  William  Zehner  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom,  now  deceased,  was 
Lucretia  Dixon.  For  some  time  previous  to  her  marriage  Mrs.  Nosker  had 
been  making  her  home  in  the  household  of  President  Fess  at  Yellow  Springs 
and  was  living  there  when  married  to  Professor  Nosker.  To  this  union  two 
sons  have  been  born,  Paul  William,  born  on  June  i,  191 1,  and  Charles  Robert, 
August  26,  1914.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Nosker  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  The  Professor  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Yellow  Springs. 


REED  MADDEN,  M.  D. 


Dr.  Reed  Madden,  a  Xenia  physician  and  a  specialist  in  the  treatment  of 
diseases  of  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Missouri, 
but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  boy- 
hood. He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Adair  county,  Missouri,  August  11,  1870, 
son  of  Dr.  W'illiam  P.  and  Zeruiah  J.  (Laybourne)  Madden,  the  former  a 
native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  Ohio,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this 
county,  the  elder  Doctor  T^Iadden  having  for  years  before  his  death  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and  in  the  drug  business  at  Xenia. 

The  late  Dr.  William  P.  Madden,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
in  County  Gal  way,  Ireland,  March  14,  1842,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Joanna 
(Flemming)  Madden,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county.  In 
1844  Michael  Madden,  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  distillery  business  in 
Galway.  decided  to  make  a  change  of  base  and  to  try  his  fortunes  over  on 
this  side  of  the  water.  Leaving  his  family  in  Ireland  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  landing  at  the  port  of  New  Orleans.  After  a  short  stop  there  he  pro- 
ceeded on  up  the  rivers  to  Cincinnati  and  after  prospecting  there  a  bit  came 
on  up  into  this  part  of  Ohio  and  bought  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield. 
He  there  made  preparations  for  the  reception  of  his  family  and  in  the  fall  of 
1847  sent  for  his  wife  and  two  small  sons,  who  in  due  time  joined  him  and 
the  family  home  became  established  on  the  farm  near  Springfield,  where  two 
more  children  were  born.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1859.  Of 
these  children,  the  late  Dr.  William  P.  Madden  was  the  first-born.     Thomas, 


REED  MADDEN,   M.  D. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  205 

the  next  in  order  of  birth,  died  in  childhood.  Michael,  the  third  son,  grew 
up  in  Clark  county  and  later  made  his  home  at  Marion,  this  state.  Anna,  the 
only  daughter,  married  William  Laybourne,  of  Springfield. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Springfield,  William  P.  Mad- 
den, who  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  he  was  brought  to  this  country  by 
his  mother,  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  October  9, 
1861.  he  then  being  nineteen  years  of  age.  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf 
of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Forty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  orig- 
inal term  of  service  he  re-enlisted  in  that  same  regiment,  but  was  transferred 
to  the  Eighth  Ohio  Cavalry  and  was  serving  with  that  command  when  on  June 
18,  1864,  at  the  battle  of  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy 
and  was  confined  in  Andersonville  prison,  where  he  remained  nearly  a  year, 
suffering  all  the  horrors  and  deprivations  common  to  the  sufferings  of  the 
men  thus  confined. 

William  P.  Madden  first  saw  the  smoke  of  battle  during  service  at 
Floyd  Mountain,  West  Virginia.  He  later  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Lewis- 
burg,  Somerset  and  Knoxville,  under  General  Burnside,  and  at  Strawberry 
Plains,  Stanton  and  Lynchburg,  Virginia,  it  being  during  the  latter  engage- 
ment, as  noted  above,  that  he  was  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to  Andersonville. 
On  April  i,  1865,  he  was  exchanged  and  with  many  others  who  were  thus 
released  from  the  cruel  stockade  later  became  one  of  the  two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  thirty-four  exchanged  prisoners  who  boarded  the  ill-fated  steamer 
"Sultana"  bound  for  Cairo,  Illinois,  and  when  that  vessel  enroute  was  sunk 
by  reason  of  the  explosion  of  its  boiler  was  one  of  the  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  who  were  able  to  make  their  escape  and  reach  shore,  he  having  been 
on  deck  and  able  to  leap  into  the  water  free  from  the  wreckage  at  the  time 
of  the  explosion.  In  due  time  he  was  able  to  report  to  his  command  and  on 
May  30,  1865,  was  mustered  out  by  special  order  of  the  war  department,  as 
one  of  the  survivors  of  the  "Sultana."  Upon  receiving  his  discharge  he 
resumed  his  work  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county  and  in  that  neighborhood 
early  in  1868  was  married,  later  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Adair 
county,  Missouri.  In  1873,  at  Kirksville,  Missouri,  he  took  up  the  study  of 
medicine,  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  J.  H.  Wesher,  and  later  entered  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1875.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma.  Doctor  Madden  opened  an  office  at  Cedar- 
ville,  in  this  county,  and  there  continued  in  practice  until  1885,  when  he 
moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  was  engaged  in  practice  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  1908.  For  two  years  after  taking  up  his  residence 
in  Xenia  he  also  conducted  a  drug  store  there. 

Dr.  William  P.  Madden  was  twice  married.    On  Januar\'  28.  1868.  near 


206  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Springfield,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Zeruiah  J.  Laybourne,  daughter  of 
Reed  and  Mary  (Skillens)  Laybourne,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  having  been  Anna  B.,  born  on  January  28,  i86g,  who  died 
on  August  17  following,  and  Whitelaw  L.,  May  21,  1877,  who  died  on  Jan- 
uary 29,  1878.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  January  28.  1883,  and 
on  May  6,  1885,  Doctor  Madden  married  Hattie  Brown,  daughter  of  Nixon 
G.  and  Hannah  (Wilson)  Brown,  which  union  was  without  issue. 

Having  been  but  a  small  child  when  his  parents  moved  from  Missouri 
to  Cedarville,  Reed  Madden  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of 
that  village  and  after  the  removal  of  the  family  to  Xenia  attended  and  was 
graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school.  He  then  took  a  year  of  further  instruc- 
tion at  the  Ohio  State  University  at  Columbus  and  then  entered  the  Eclectic 
Institute  at  Cincinnati,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1894,  with  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Madden  returned 
to  Xenia  and  became  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  there  in 
association  with  his  father.  In  1895  he  took  a  special  post-graduate  course 
in  the  study  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  eye,  nose  and  throat  and  has  ever  since 
then  devoted  iiis  practice  to  those  particular  lines.  In  191 2  he  went  to 
Europe  and  at  Paris,  Berlin  and  Vienna  took  a  further  course  of  instruction 
in  his  specialty.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical 
Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  and  is  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and 
Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Shawnee  Refrigerator  Company  of  Xenia.  His  offices  are  in  the  Allen 
building. 

In  1898  Dr.  Reed  Madden  was  united  in  marriage  to  Grace  Wolf,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  D.  K.  and  Margaret  Ann  Wolf,  now  both 
deceased.  The  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Madden  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Politically,  the  Doctor  is  a  Republican,  with  "independent"  lean- 
ings. He  is  a  Roval  Arch  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  local  council.  Royal 
and  Select  Masters. 


HUGH  M.  MCRDOCK. 


On  another  page  in  this  volume,  in  a  personal  sketch  relating  to  Silas 
M.  Murdock,  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  there  is  set  out  at  consid- 
erable length  something  of  the  history  and  the  genealogy  of  the  Murdock 
family  in  this  county  and  of  the  coming  to  Ohio  in  1835  of  Robert  Murdock 
and  his  wife,  who  settled  in  Clinton  county  and  later  came  up  into  Greene 
county  and  established  their  home  in  Cedarville  township.     Robert  Murdock 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  20/ 

was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  son  of  John  Murdock  and  wife,  who 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  all  of  whom  came  to  the  United  States 
save  two.  As  a  young  man  Robert  Murdock  came  to  this  country  and  located 
in  Philadelphia,  where  in  1835  he  married  Elizabeth  Richards,  who  had  come 
to  this  country  the  year  previous  with  her  parents  from  Ireland,  she  also 
having  been  born  in  County  Antrim.  After  their  marriage  Robert  Murdock 
and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county, 
where  he  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  and  where 
he  made  his  home  until  1857.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  into  Greene 
county,  buying  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  south  of  Cedar- 
ville,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Ce- 
darville,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1876,  he 
then  being  past  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in  January,  1895,  she  then  being  eighty-two 
years  of  age.  Rol^ert  Murdock  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There 
were  six  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  John,  now  deceased,  who  was  for 
years  tb.e  owner  of  the  old  Judge  Kyle  homestead  farm  south  of  Cedarville, 
now  owned  by  Silas  M.  Murdock;  the  Rev.  David  Murdock,  a  minister  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  now  living  retired  at  Howard  Lake,  Min- 
nesota; Mary  Murdock,  of  Cedarville:  Martha,  now  deceased,  who  was  the 
wife  of  James  McMillan,  of  Cedarville  township,  and  Silas  M.,  who  is  re- 
ferred to  above. 

Hugh  M.  Murdock  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Centervnlle, 
in  Clinton  county,  this  state,  January  17,  1846,  and  was  eleven  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  moved  with  their  family  up  into  Greene  county  and  located 
in  Cedarville  township,  his  schooling  thus  having  been  completed  in  the 
schools  of  this  county.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  has  taken  a  great 
interest  in  the  raising  of  sheep  and  when  he  reached  his  majority  he  left  home 
and  went  to  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  where  for  two  years  he  was  engaged 
in  herding  sheep  on  the  open  prairie.  With  the  money  thus  earned  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio  and  in  Crawford  county  invested  in  a  flock  of  sheep  which  he 
drove  through  to  Arkansas,  the  trip  requiring  five  months.  He  was  there 
engaged  for  more  than  two  years  in  pasturing  this  flock,  hopeful  of  profitable 
returns  on  the  venture,  but  a  series  of  "hard  luck"  circumstances  intervened 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  Cedarville  without  having  realized 
his  expectations.  He  still,  however,  pinned  his  faith  to  sheep  and  kept  at  the 
business,  buying  flocks  successively  in  Madison,  Delaware  and  Marion  coun- 
ties, renting  pasture  lands,  feeding  and  disposing  of  his  products  with  varying 
degrees  of  success,  and  was  thus  engaged,  traveling  about,  boarding,  hiring 


208  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

pasture  and  buying  feed  for  the  flock,  for  nineteen  years,  in  several  different 
states.  In  1902  Mr.  Murdock  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  tract 
of  ninety-three  acres  two  miles  north  of  Cedarville,  in  the  township  of  that 
name,  built  a  house  on  the  same,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there,  now 
living  practically  retired,  though  still  keeping  a  flock  of  two  hundred  or 
more  sheep  and  expecting  to  start  his  son  in  the  sheep  business  on  a  somewhat 
more  adequate  scale  presently.  Reared  a  Republican,  he  later  became  a  Dem- 
ocrat and  is  now  a  Prohibitionist. 

On  April  27,  1887,  Hugh  M.  Murdock  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Starr,  who  was  born  in  Ritchie  county.  West  Virginia,  daughter  of 
James  and  Hannah  Eliza  (Ayers)  Starr,  both  of  whom  spent  all  their  lives 
in  that  state,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  a  son  and  a 
daughter,  James   Howard  and  Mabel   Ruth,  both  of   whom  are   at   home. 

Mr.  Murdock  is  now  planning  to  engage  in  the  sheep  business  on  a  larger 
scale  in  the  southern  part  of  Mississippi,  Alabama  or  Georgia  in  the  near 
future,  and  if  he  settles  in  either  Mississippi  or  Georgia  it  will  make  the  sev- 
enth state  in  which  he  has  lived  and  raised  sheep. 


JOSEPH  MITCHELL  FAWCETT,  C.  E. 

Joseph  Mitchell  Fawcett,  official  surveyor  for  Greene  county  and  a 
resident  of  the  pleasant  village  of  Yellow  Springs  since  1901,  is  a  native  son 
of  Ohio  and  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  this  state,  although  his 
duties  as  an  engineer  have  taken  him  pretty  much  all  over  this  country  and 
even  into  faraway  Burmah.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Carrollton,  in  Carroll  county,  February  21,  i860,  son  of  John 
and  Roseann  (Crozier)  Fawcett,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same 
county,  of  Irish  descent. 

John  Fawcett  grew  up  to  farming  in  his  home  county  and  in  1845  mar- 
ried there  Roseann  Crozier  and  established  his  home  on  a  farm  on  the  out- 
skirts of  Carrollton,  spending  there  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  1905.  He  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife  was  the  father  of  four 
children,  namely:  Robert  C,  deceased;  Charles  G.,  who  is  still  living  in 
Carroll  county  and  who  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners 
of  that  county;  Margery,  who  married  Frederick  Brandt  and  is  now  living 
at  Kilgore,  Carroll  county,  and  Joseph  M.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
review.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  i860  and  in  1861  John  Fawcett 
married  Jane  Patterson,  of  Harrison  county.  To  that  union  were  born  four 
children,  James  A.,  who  is  living  at  Carrollton ;  Henrj'  Ross,  who  died  in  1892 ; 
John  F.,  who  died  in  1902,  and  Roseann,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  M.  Fawcett  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Car- 


JOSEPH  SI.   FAWCETT. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2O9 

roUton  and  after  completing  the  course  in  the  Union  school  there  began 
teaching  school.  He  presently  entered  the  Ohio  State  University  and  after 
a  four-years  course  in  civil  engineering  there  took  a  year  of  further  study 
in  the  same  line  at  the  University  of  Iowa  at  Iowa  City,  leaving  there  in 
1886  to  become  engaged  in  practical  work  in  connection  with  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Fremont,  Elkhorn  &  Missouri  Valley  railroad  (now  the  North- 
western) in  Nebraska.  In  the  fall  of  that  same  year  Mr.  Fawcett  transferred 
his  services  to  the  Santa  Fe  railroad  and  was  engaged  in  railway  construc- 
tion work  for  that  company  in  Kansas,  a  year  later  going  to  Oklahoma  Terri- 
tory, in  that  same  employ,  where  he  worked  in  and  about  Guthrie  and 
Oklahoma  City  until  the  fall  of  1887,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  became 
connected  with  the  construction  department  of  the  Wheeling  &  Lake  Erie 
railroad.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  went  from  that  employ  to  the  Clarksburg, 
Western  &  Midland  (now  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio)  and  was  engaged  with 
that  company  at  Qarksburg  until  in  May  of  1890,  when  he  accepted  the 
position  of  assistant  chief  in  the  construction  department  of  the  Kansas 
City,  Watkins  &  Gulf  railroad  and  in  that  capacity  was  engaged,  with  head- 
qtiarters  at  Lake  Charles,  Louisiana,  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  took  service  with  a  railway  construction  company  in  Florida. 
Not  long  afterward,  however,  the  conditions  of  employment  there  not  prov- 
ing satisfactory,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  in  1892,  and  for  a  year  thereafter 
was  engaged  in  railway  construction  work  in  this  state.  In  1893  he  returned 
to  West  Virginia  and  was  there  engaged  in  service  for  the  United  States 
Coal  and  Iron  Manufacturing  Company  until  1895,  when  he  resumed  his 
service  with  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  railroad,  remaining  in  that  state  in  this 
employ  until  1896,  when  he  returned  to  Louisiana  and  became  there  engaged 
in  construction  work  for  the  Kansas  City  Southern  railroad,  later  return- 
ing to  West  Virginia  to  accept  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  engi- 
neering department  of  the  Clark  Coal  and  Coke  Company.  In  1897  Mr. 
Fawcett  became  connected  with  the  surveying  department  of  the  Boone 
Black  Diamond  Railroad  Company,  making  surveys  from  Ripley  to  Columbus, 
and  in  1899  became  connected  with  the  Short  Line's  engineering  depart- 
ment, continuing  in  that  service  for  about  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  became  engaged  with  the  National  Transit  Company  in  making  pipe- 
line surveys  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  and  two  years  later,  in  1901,  was 
made  assistant  engineer  of  a  small  railroad  in  eastern  Tennessee.  In  the 
fall  of  1901  Mr.  Fawcett  married  and  established  his  permanent  home  at 
Yellow  Springs,  this  county.  In  the  winter  of  1902  he  accepted  service  with 
tho  Burmah  Oil  Company  and  in  behalf  of  that  company's  operations  made 
a  trip  to  Burmah,  where  he  remained  for  several  months,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  returned  home  and  resumed  his  service  with  the  Standard  Oil  Com- 
(13) 


2IO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

pany,  making  sun-eys  for  oil  and  pipe  lines,  but  shortly  afterward  went 
over  to  the  Wabash  Railroad  Company  and  was  for  a  year  thereafter  engaged 
in  construction  work  for  that  company  in  West  Virginia.  In  1904  Mr. 
Fawcett  was  engaged  in  street-improvement  work  in  Xenia  and  in  1905 
took  part  in  the  construction  of  the  Virginia  railroad  built  by  H.  H.  Rogers, 
of  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  in  West  Virginia.  In  1907  he  became  employed 
by  the  federal  government  on  public  works  in  Alabama  and  went  thence  to 
Evansville,  Indiana,  where  he  was  for  a  time  employed  at  working  out  a 
railroad  proposition.  In  1908  Mr.  Fawcett  was  appointed  deputy  surveyor  of 
Greene  county  and  occupied  that  position  until  1912,  in  which  year  he  was 
appointed  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  in  the  office  of  the  county  surveyor.  Iti 
the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  elected,  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party, 
to  succeed  himself  in  that  office  and  in  19 14  was  re-elected.  He  was  re-elected 
again  in  19 16  and  is  still  holding  the  office. 

It  was  on  October  8,  1901,  that  Joseph  M.  Fawcett  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Linna  Belle  Musselman,  of  Yellow  Springs,  daughter  and  only  child 
of  Michael  and  Catherine  (Kolp)  Musselman,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fawcett  have  a  pleasant 
home  at  Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  Fawcett  is  past  master  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Yellow  Springs.  During  his  college  days 
he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Greek-letter  fraternity,  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  and 
continues  to  take  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of  that  organization.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  During  his  long  period  of  incumbency  in  the  surveyor's 
office  Mr.  Fawcett  has  done  much  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the  county's 
engineering  department  and  is  widely  recognized  throughout  this  part  of 
the  state  as  a  painstaking  officer. 


SAMUEL  NORTON  ADAMS. 

The  late  Samuel  Norton  Adams,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  many 
years  recorder  of  Greene  county,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  November, 
1907,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  in  that  city,  was  a  native  of  the  old  Key- 
stone state,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  since  the 
davs  of  his  boyhood,  his  parents  having  settled  here  in  1847.  He  was  born 
in  Bedford  county,  Pennsylvania.  December  15,  1836,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Nancy  Ann  (Burnston)  Adams,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the 
latter  of  Maryland,  who  became  residents  of  Greene  county  in  1847  and  here 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Samuel  .Adams  was  born  at  Leesburg,  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  and 
as  a  young  man  went  to  Maryland,  where  he  married  Nancy  Ann  Burnston, 
of  Baltimore.     He  was  a  finisher  in  a  woolen  factory  and  in  following  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  211 

vocation  resided  at  various  places  in  Maryland  and  in  Pennsylvania  until 
1847,  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  located  at  Spring  Valley, 
becoming  a  farmer  in  Greene  county,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  on  October  14,  1871.  His  widow  died  in  1882.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  and  of  whom  out  one,  James  E.  Adams,  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birth,  is  now  living,  he  now  making  his  home  in  Oregon, 
the  others  having  been  Mrs.  Amelia  Kirkpatrick,  Mrs.  Kate  Kauffman,  Mrs. 
Eliza  Bunting,  Mrs.  Virginia  Hepford,  William  and  Nelson  G. 

Samuel  N.  Adams  was  but  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to 
this  county  and  located  at  Spring  Valley  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood, 
early  learning  the  carpenter  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  various  towns 
hereabout,  and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted 
for  service  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  Keifer's  regiment, 
and  with  that  command  served  for  three  years  and  five  months,  being  mus- 
tered, out  in  September,  1865.  The  last  five  months  of  that  period  were  spent 
by  Mr.  Adams  in  a  hospital  recovering  from  a  wound  received  at  the  assault 
on  Petersburg,  Virginia,  April  2,  1865,  from  the  effects  of  which  he  suffered 
the  loss  of  his  right  leg  and  the  crippling  injury  of  his  left  leg.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Adams  returned  to  Spring  Valley 
hopelessly  crippled  and  not  long  afterward  was  appointed  to  the  position  of 
United  States  storekeeper  at  Beaver  Station,  now  Trebeins,  and  served  there 
in  that  capacity  for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  transferred  to 
a  like  post  at  Mt.  Holly,  remaining  thus  in  the  government  employ  until  1871, 
in  which  year  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Spring  Valley. 
He  received  the  appointment  of  postmaster  while  thus  engaged,  serving  dur- 
ing the  second  Grant  administration,  and  at  the  same  time  for  two  years 
held  the  post  of  government  storekeeper  at  O.'^born.  In  September,  1881,  Mr. 
Adams  was  elected  to  fill  an  unexpired  term  in  the  office  of  county  recorder 
and  moved  to  Xenia.  He  was  retained  in  this  office,  by  successive  re-elec- 
tions, for  more  than  ten  years.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  this  long  period  of 
public  service  Mr.  Adams  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Xenia  and  there 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

On  March  11,  1867,  at  Spring  Valley,  Samuel  N.  Adams  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Amanda  A.  Riddell,  who  was  born  at  that  place  on  July  6, 
1842,  daughter  of  Silas  and  Jane  (Wilson)  Riddell,  Pennsylvanians,  who  had 
located  at  Columbus,  this  state,  after  their  marriage  and  after  a  sometime 
residence  in  that  city  had  come  over  into  Greene  county  and  settled  at  Spring 
Valley,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  Silas  Riddell  being 


212  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

there  engaged  at  his  trade  of  shoemaker.  Though  birthright  Quakers,  Silas 
Riddell  and  his  wife  became  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Spring  Valley.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Adams 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Levi,  now  deceased,  who 
married  Mary  Bechtol  and  was  for  many  years  surveyor  of  Greene  county; 
Robert,  a  shoemaker,  who  married  Lydia  Spear  and  died  on  January  8,  19 18, 
at  Alma,  Arkansas ;  Humphrey,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  and 
Letitia,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Daniel  Gust,  of  Spring  Valley.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  were  born  two  daughters,  Rilla,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years,  and  Gertrude,  wife  of  Thornton  A.  Zill,  of  Xenia,  and  the 
mother  of  two  children,  Dorothy  and  Charles  Daniel.  Since  the  death  of  her 
bushand  Mrs.  Adams  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Xenia. 


HOWARD  C.  BROWN. 


Howard  C.  Brown,  landscape  architect  at  Yellow  Springs  and  proprietor 
of  a  greenhouse  there,  one  of  the  most  successful  florists  in  this  part  of  the 
state,  and  who  also  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  clerk  of  his  home  town, 
was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  July  '3,  1882,  son  of 
Capt.  William  H.  and  Jennie  (Mitchell)  Brown,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  state,  the  former  at  Dayton  and  the  latter  at  Montezuma. 

Capt.  William  H.  Brown,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Miami  township  in 
January,  1914,  had  spent  all  his  Hfe  in  this  county  and  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Montgomery,  his  young  manhood  having  been  spent  at  Dayton, 
where  his  father  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hats.  He  was  early 
trained  to  the  hat  business  and  was  a  traveling  salesman  for  his  father's 
factory  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  at  once  enlisted  his  services  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  cause,  helped  recruit  the  Ninety-third  Regiment,  Ohio 
\'ohinteer  Infantry,  and  went  to  the  front  as  captain  of  Company  B,  of  that 
regiment.  During  the  battle  at  Chattanooga  Captain  Brown's  company  was 
in  the  thick  of  the  engagement  that  raged  about  Missionar}-  Ridge  and  there 
he  was  severely  wounded,  being  laid  up  for  some  time  as  a  result  of  his 
wound.  Upon  regaining  his  strength  he  rejoined  his  command  and  was  later 
captured  and  confined  in  Libby  Prison,  from  which  he  made  two  ineffectual 
attempts  to  escape.  Nothing  daunted  by  the  failure  of  these  attempts  the 
Ca]3tain  persisted  and  finally  was  successful  in  eluding  his  captors  and  mak- 
ing his  way  back  to  the  Union  lines,  in  due  time  joining  his  regiment,  with 
which  command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Captain  Brown  returned 
to   Dayton  and  presently  became  engaged  there  in   the  dairy  business,   his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  213 

dairy  farm  occupying  the  site  now  covered  by  the  plant  of  the  National 
Cash  Register  Company.  He  later  came  over  to  the  Yellow  Springs  neigh- 
borhood, in  this  county,  and  bought  a  farm  in  Miami  township  and  after  his 
marriage  established  his  home  on  the  latter  place  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there,  as  noted  above,  in  January,  1914.  His 
widow  is  still  living,  continuing  to  make  her  home  on  the  old  home  place. 
To  Captain  Brown  and  his  wife  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  George  W.,  now  local 
manager  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company's  interests  at  Portland,  Oregon,  who 
is  married  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Howard  William;  Thomas  P.,  who  is 
engaged  in  the  barber  business  at  Yellow  Springs  and  who  is  married  and 
has  three  children,  George,  Thomas  and  Lynn;  Bernard,  representative  of 
the  Delco  company  at  the  Buick  factory  at  Flint,  Michigan,  who  is  married 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Helen;  Mabel,  who  formerly  was  engaged 
as  physical  director  in  the  schools  of  Tippecanoe  City  and  who  married  Carl 
Hirtzinger,  superintendent  of  schools  in  Clark  county;  and  Edgar,  unmarried, 
who  is  managing  the  home  place  in  Miami  township. 

Howard  C.  Brown  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Miami  township 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Yellow  Springs,  being  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  there  in  1901.  He  then  took  a  two-years  course 
in  Nelson's  Commercial  College  at  Springfield  and  not  long  afterward  became 
engaged  as  order  clerk  for  the  George  H.  Mellon  Floral  Company  at  Spring- 
field, later  becoming  bookkeeper  for  the  Springfield  Floral  Company,  which 
latter  position  he  occupied  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was 
installed  as  manager  of  the  Gustav  Schneider  Floral  Company  in  that  same 
city.  A  year  later  Mr.  Brown  determined  to  engage  in  the  florist  business 
on  his  own  account  and  with  that  end  in  view,  in  19 12,  etsablished  a  green 
house  at  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  Mr. 
Brown's  business  has  had  a  most  encouraging  growth  from  the  very  start  and 
the  products  of  his  green  house  are  in  wide  demand,  he  having  created  a 
ready  market  in  Dayton,  Cincinnati  and  other  cities  within  easy  shipping 
distance.  Mr.  Brown  also  for  years  has  given  special  attention  to  the 
subject  of  landscape  gardening  and  there  is  a  wide  demand  for  his  services 
as  a  landscape  architect,  his  specialty  being  the  laying  out  of  the  grounds 
surrounding  private  homes,  and  he  has  done  some  admirable  work  in  this 
connection  in  Cincinnati,  Dayton  and  others  of  the  larger  cities  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Brown  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  city  clerk  of  Yellow  Springs, 
having  been  elected  to  that  office  in  191 5  and  re-elected  in  191 7  for  a  two- 
year  term.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  with  independent  leanings. 

Mr.  Brown  has  been  twice  married.  In  1905,  while  living  at  Springfield, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Addie  Phillips,  who  died  at  her  home  in  Yellow 


214  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Springs  in  1910,  without  issue.  On  August  26,  .i9i4.Mr.  Brown  married- 
Mary  Metzner,  of  Mechanicsburg,  this  state,  and  to  this  union  has  been 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Virginia,  bom  in  June,  191 5.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
are  members  of  the  Presb}i:erian  church. 


WILLIAM  JOHN  TARBOX. 

William  John  Tarbox,  secretary-treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the 
Tarbox  Lumber  Company  at  Cedarville,  this  county,  and  secretary-treasurer 
and  general  manager  of  the  Cedarville  Realty  Company,  was  born  in  Cedar- 
ville and  has  lived  there  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  three  years  during 
the  days  of  his  young  manhood,  when  he  was  engaged  working  at  the  car- 
penter trade  at  Chicago.  He  was  born  on  November  25,  i860,  son  of  John 
M.  and  Rachel  (Nichol)  Tarbox,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  190;  and  the 
former  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Cedarville,  being  now  past  eighty-eight  years 
of  age. 

John  M.  Tarbox  was  born  at  Buxton,  Maine,  December  3,  i8_'9.  a  son 
of  John  and  Lucy  (Merrill)  Tarbox,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  spent  all 
their  lives  in  that  same  vicinity,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
two  sons  and  four  daughters,  of  whom  John  M.  Tarbox  is  now  the  only 
survivor.  The  latter  grew  up  in  his  home  town  of  Buxton  and  there  learned 
the  carpenter  trade.  In  1849  his  brother,  Samuel  Tarbox,  a  surveyor  rnd 
stonemason,  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Cedarville.  in  this  county.  A  year 
later,  in  1850,  John  M.  Tarbox  joined  his  brother  here  and  the  two  became 
engaged  in  business  together,  general  building  contractors  and  stonemasons, 
during  that  period  of  their  activities  building  several  of  the  stone-arch  bridges 
that  are  still  in  use  along  the  Hne  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  through  this 
section  of  the  state.  The  Tarbox  brothers  bought  the  old  Nichol  saw-mill  on 
Massies  creek  and  for  years  successfully  operated  the  same.  Not  long  after 
coming  to  Ohio  John  M.  Tarbox  had  married  and  he  established  his  home 
at  Cedarville,  where  he  was  living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted 
for  service  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  first 
sergeant  of  Fiat's  Zouaves,  attached  to  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment.  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  with  that  command  served  for  three  years,  most  of 
the  time  in  West  Virginia,  and  during  that  service  was  shot  through  the  wrist. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  resumed  his  operations  in 
Cedarville  and  in  1885  he  and  his  elder  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  aban- 
doned the  old  water-power  mill  and  erected  at  Cedarville  a  steam  saw-  and 
planing-mill  and  established  the  present  lumber  yards  there.  John  M.  Tarbox 
continued  actively  connected  with  the  affairs  of  that  concern  until  his  retire- 
ment in   191 5,  he  thenbemg  eigiity-sik  years  of  age,  and  is  still  Ihing  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  215 

Cedarville.  His  wife  died  in  1905.  She  was  born,  Rachel  Nichol,  in  Bel- 
mont county,  this  state,  in  182.^,  daughter  of  John  Nichol  and  wife,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  a  McMechan,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  her  parents 
settled  in  Cedarville  township  in  1835.  John  Nichol  was  born  in  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  not  long  after  his  parents,  who  were  of  Scottish 
descent,  had  settled  there  following  their  immigration  from  Ireland.  They 
later  moved  to  Belmont  county,  Ohio.  Upon  coming  to  Greene  county  in 
1835  John  Nichol  bought  about  five  hundred  acres  of  unimproved  land  west 
of  the  village  of  Cedarville  and  proceeded  to  develop  the  same.  He  was  a 
practical  miller  and  soon  after  locating  there  erected  on  Massies  creek  an 
"up-and-down"  water-power  saw-mill,  which  he  continued  to  operate  until  it 
was  taken  over  by  the  Tarbox  brothers  in  the  '50s.  John  Nichol  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  old  Associate  Reformed  church  on  Massies  creek,  and 
upon  the  "union"  in  1858  they  and  their  family  became  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church, at  that  time  organized  at  Cedarville  and  remained  con- 
nected with  that  congregation  ever  afterward,  Mrs.  Tarbox  at  the  time  of 
her  death  in  1905  being  the  last  surviving  charter  member  of  that  congre- 
gation. John  Nichol  and'his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and  two 
daughters,  all  of  whom  save  Mrs.  Tarbox  went  West.  To  John  M.  and 
Rachel  (Nichol)  Tarbox  were  born  six  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  the  others  being  Lucy,  wife  of  W.  H.  Barber,  of  the  Tarbox  Lumber 
Company  at  Cedarville;  Maria,  wife  of  S.  K.  Williamson,  of  Cedarville 
township,  a  biograpliical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  William  J.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and 
Thomas,  who  also  is  connected  with  the  Tarbox  Lumber  Company  at  Cedar- 
ville. 

William  J.  Tarbox  grew  up  at  Cedarville  and  upon  completing  his 
studies  in  the  high  school  there. took  a  supplemental  course  in  the  Miami 
Business  College.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  was  an  assistant  in  the 
labors  connected  with  his  father's  mill  and  lumber  business.  Upon  leaving 
school  he  went  to  Chicago  and  was  for  three  years  engaged  there,  working  as 
a  carpenter.  He  then  returned  home  and  in  1885  was  made  a  partner  in  his 
father's  milling  and  lumber  business  at  Cedarville  and  has  since  been  con- 
nected with  that  concern.  In  1903  this  concern  was  reorganized  and  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  the  state  and  has  since  been  doing  business  as  the 
Tarbox  Lumber  Company,  the  present  officiary  being  as  follows :  President, 
W.  H.  Barber;  vice-president,  B.  W.  Anderson,  and  secretary-treasurer  and 
general  manager,  W.  J.  Tarbox.  William  J.  Tarbox,  general  manager  of  the 
company,  is  also  the  secretary-treasurer  and  general  manager  of  the  Cedar- 
ville Realty  Company,  owners  of  an  important  subdivision  of  the  village  of 
Cedarville. 


2l6  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

On  March  19,  1885,  William  J.  Tarbox  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
A.  Harbison,  who  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clifton,  in  Miami  town- 
ship, this  county,  and  who  is  now  the  only  survivor  of  the  family  of  six  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents,  Robert  B.  and  Janet  Harbison,  both  also  deceased, 
and  to  this  union  have  been  born  four  children :  Janet,  wife  of  H.  A.  Waddele, 
of  Springfield,  Ohio ;  Robert  Merrell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five ;  Rachel,  who 
is  teaching  in  the  Ross  township  high  school,  and  Ellen,  who  is  now  a  student 
in  Cedarville  College.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tarbox  and  their  daughters  are  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  Mr.  Tarbox  is  a  ruling  elder  in 
the  local  congregation  of  that  communion  at  Cedarville.  Politically,  Jie  is  a 
Republican. 


REV.  HUGH  PARKS  JACKSON. 

In  the  reading  of  this  work  relating  to  the  history  of  Greene  county 
the  reader  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  repeated  references  to  the  Jackson  family, 
which  has  been  represented  in  this  county  for  more  than  a  hundred  years 
and  the  present  dean  of  which  is  the  venerable  Rev.  Hugh  Parks  Jackson, 
for  manv  years  one  of  the  best-known  figures  in  the  United  Presbyterian  com- 
munion in  the  United  States,  now  living  retired  at  his  pleasant  home  in 
Cedarville. 

The  Jacksons  had  their  beginning  in  this  county  in  the  year  1814  with 
the  coming  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle)  Jackson  and  their  family 
and  the  settlement  of  this  family  on  a  farm  along  Clarks  run,  \yhere  their 
heme  was  established.  Robert  Jackson  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  of  Scottish 
descent  and  of  Presbyterian  stock,  a  son  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Reed) 
Jackson,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  by  a  second  marriage  of  Dr.  Joseph 
Jackson,  a  physician  of  Newtown,  Limavady,  county  Derry.  Dr.  Joseph 
Jackson  was  the  grandfather  of  Andrew  Jackson,  "Old  Hickory,"  and  Rob- 
ert Jackson,  the  Greene  county  pioneer,  was  thus  a  full  cousin  of  the  seventh 
I'resident  of  the  United  States  and  it  is  a  matter  of  tradition  in  the  family 
that  there  existed  a  striking  physical  resemblance  between  the  two.  Dr.  Joseph 
Jackson  had  three  brothers  who  also  were  physicians  in  the  north  of  Ireland. 
He  first  located  at  Carrickfergus  and  afterward  at  Limavady.  He  was  thrice 
married  and  his  last  wife  was  the  Lady  Mary  Carr,  a  sister  of  Lord  James 
Carr.  By  his  first  wife  Dr.  Joseph  Jackson  had  a  son,  Andrew,  who  took 
part  in  the  revolutionary  movement  directed  by  the  "United  Men"  and  was 
compelled  to  flee  the  country  in  1765.  With  his  wife  and  two  small  sons, 
Hugh  and  Robert,  he  came  to  the  American  colonies  and  located  in  the  Wax- 
haw  settlement  in  North  Carolina.  There  on  March  15,  1767,  was  born 
another  son,  Andrew,  who  became  the  seventh  President  of  the  United  States. 


REV.  HUGH  P.  JACKSON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  217 

Andrew  Jackson,  the  political  refugee,  died  a  few  days  before  the  birth  of 
the  son  who  was  destined  to  attain  such  illustrious  distinction,  and  the  widow 
was  left  with  her  three  small  children  in  dire  poverty,  the  refugee  father 
having  been  compelled  to  flee  in  secret  and  unable  to  realize  on  his  property, 
which  the  government  confiscated  after  his  flight. 

By  his  second  wife,  Dr.  Joseph  Jackson  had  three  sons,  Hugh,  Robert 
and  David,  all  three  of  whom  also  came  to  the  American  colonies,  but 
voluntarily  and  not  perforce  as  did  their  elder  brother  Andrew.  The  last- 
born  of  these  sons,  David  Jackson,  was  born  about  the  year  1730  and  about 
the  year  1753  married  Elizabeth  Reed.  To  that  union  were  born  four 
children,  Mary,  Hugh,  Robert  and  James.  With  this  little  family  David 
Jackson  came  to  the  American  colonies  in  1762,  landing  at  the  port  of 
Philadelphia  in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  He  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Eden- 
ton  neighborhood  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  but  later  moved  to  a 
farm  in  Colraine  township,  Lancaster  county,  where  his  last  days  were  spent. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Revolutionary  War  David  Jackson  served  as  a 
soldier  in  the  patriot  army  and  lost  a  hand  at  the  battle  of  Trenton  when  a 
cannon  ball  came  along,  killed  one  of  his  comrades  with  whom  he  was  talk- 
ing at  the  time  and  struck  the  gun  which  he  was  holding,  cutting  his  hand 
nearly  off.  He  wrapped  his  lacerated  wrist  with  his  handkerchief,  walked 
to  an  ox-cart  loaded  with  wounded  men,  mounted  it  and  with  one  hand  drove 
it  three  miles  to  a  place  of  safety.  This  circumstance  ended  his  soldier  career, 
but  he  often  in  later  life  held  up  the  stump  wrist  to  his  grandsons  with  the 
injunction:  "Boys,  never  disgiace  the  flag  of  your  country!"  David  and 
Elizabeth  (Reed)  Jackson  were  both  buried  at  Oxford,  Pennsylvania. 

Robert  Jackson,  third  child  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Jackson,  was 
born  at  Newton,  Limavady,  County  Derry,  Ireland,  in  1758,  and  was  there- 
fore but  four  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  this  country 
in  1762  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  the  American  colonists  announced 
their  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
resultant  War  of  the  Revolution  and  in  one  battle,  in  which  the  company 
to  which  he  was  attached  was  engaged,  had  a  narrow  escape  from 
British  bullets  which  splintered  the  rail  fence  behind  which  he  and 
his  comrades  were  answering  the  fire  of  their  opponents.  In  the  spring 
of  1786  Robert  Jackson  married  Elizabeth  McCorkle,  an  orphan,  whose  father 
had  been  killed  while  serving  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  whose  mother 
had  died  not  long  afterward,  she  later  being  cared  for  by  a  Quaker  family 
in  Lancaster  county,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  married.  In  1789, 
three  years  after  their  marriage,  Robert  Jackson  and  his  wife  moved  from 
Lancaster  county,  going  with  what  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  wagon  train 
drawn  by  oxen  that  ever  crossed  the  mountains  westward,  and  located  on  a 


2l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

farm  at  the  forks  of  the  Yough  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  they  put  in  their  lot  with  the  congregation  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
faith  that  had  effected  a  settlement  at  Yough.  There  they  remained  until 
1799,  in  which  year  they  sold  their  farm  there  and  came. over  into  the  Terri- 
tory of  Ohio,  settling  on  a  farm  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Mt.  Pleasant 
in  Jefferson  county,  where  they  remained  until  they  came  to  Greene  county  in 
1814,  the  object  of  the  move  being  to  seek  better  church  privileges  and  a 
better  farm.  They  also  were  tired  of  the  hills.  Robert  Jackson  and  his  wife 
and  daughters  came  down  in  a  boat  with  the  household  goods  to  Cincinnati 
and  thence  up  here  by  wagon  train,  while  the  two  sons,  David  and  Robert, 
drove  a  six-horse  team  through  loaded  with  farming  utensils  and  the  like, 
the  distance  from  Mt.  Pleasant  to  Clarks  run  being  at  least  two  hundred  miles, 
and  it  was  thus  that  the  Jackson  family  came  to  Greene  county  and  became 
a  continuing  force  for  good  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood.  Elizabeth 
(McCorkle)  Jackson  died  there  on  September  28,  1822,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Massiescreek  (Stevenson)  burying  ground.  Robert  Jackson  survived  his 
wife  for  more  than  six  years,  his  death  occurring  at  the  home  of  his  son 
David,  one  mile  west  of  Cedarville,  September  26,  1828,  he  then  being  seventy 
years  of  age,  and  he  was  laid  beside  his  wife  in  the  Massiescreek  graveyard. 
Before  coming  to  this  county  he  had  served  as  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Associate 
Reformed  congregation  of  "Short  Creek,"  in  the  log  church  two  miles  south- 
east of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and  after  coming  liere  was  made  an  elder  in  the  con- 
gregation of  the  Associate  Reform  church,  now  the  First  United  Presbyterian 
church,  at  Xenia.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy;  Jane,  who  married  Thomas  Henderson  (to 
which  union  thirteen  children  were  born),  and  in  1840  moved  to  Iowa;  Eliza- 
beth, who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  twenty  years ;  Mary,  who  was  twice 
married,  her  first  husband  having  been  Joseph  Caldwell  and  her  second,  John 
Pollock,  and  who  was  the  mother  of  fifteen  children,  eight  by  her  first  mar- 
riage and  seven  by  the  second ;  David,  who  was  the  father  of  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  of  whom  more  anon;  Rachel,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Judge  Samuel  Kyle,  for  thirty  years  associate  judge  of  the  court  of 
Greene  county,  to  which  union  there  were  born  fifteen  children ;  Gen.  Robert 
Jackson,  who  became  one  of  Greene  county's  foremost  public  men  and  who 
married  Minerva  Eddy  and  had  twelve  children ;  Eleanor,  who  married  Will- 
iam Kendall  and  had  six  children;  Martha,  who  married  William  Lawhead, 
who  moved  to  Logan  county,  and  had  seven  children,  and  Nancy,  who  mar- 
ried William  Bull  and  moved  West,  her  last  days  being  spent  in  Texas. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  Of  the  eighty-four  grandchildren 
of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle)  Jackson,  the  majority,  of  course,  in 
the  normal  course  of  well-ordered   families,   married   and   had   children   of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2ig 

tlieir  own,  hence  it  is  apparent  that  the  Jackson  connection  in  the  present  gene- 
ration is  one  of  the  most  numerous  of  any  of  the  old  families  of  Greene 
county.  In  1890  the  Rev.  Hugh  Parks  Jackson  worked  out  a  quite  compre- 
hensive genealogical  narrative  relating  to  this  family,  the  same  making  a 
book  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  pages,  and  an  amplification  of  that 
volume  to  cover  the  numbers  that  have  been  added  to  the  great  family  since 
that  time  truly  would  make  an  interesting  volume. 

David  Jackson,  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children  born  to  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle)  Jackson,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, March  3,  1794,  and  grew  to  be  a  stalwart  man  of  a  height  of  six 
feet  two  inches  and  of  a  weight  of  two  hundred  pounds.  Though  but  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  when  the  War  of  18 12  broke  out,  he  renderfd  service 
as  a  soldier  and  for  three  months  served  as  adjutant  of  his  company  in 
northern  Ohio.  He  was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  the  family 
to  Greene  county  and  was  nearly  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when,  on  Febru- 
ary 25,  1819,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nancy  Niehol,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Ann  (Woodburn)  Niehol,  residents  of  the  Bridgeport  neighbor- 
hood in  Belmont  county,  this  state.  Following  their  marriage  David  Jackson 
and  his  wife  went  to  housekeeping  in  a  house  just  south  of  the  Jackson 
home  on  Clarks  run  and  there  lived  for  nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  Mr.  Jackson  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  acres 
one  mile  west  of  the  village  of  Cedarville,  paying  for  the  same  three  dollars 
an  acre,  and  in  March,  1828,  moved  onto  that  farm,  which  in  time  he 
.developed  into  an  excellent  piece  of  prope'rty  and  on  which  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  July  17,  1863.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  thirteen  years,  her  death  occurring  on 
September  12,  1876,  she  then  being  past  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  and  she 
was  buried  beside  the  body  of  her  husband  in  the  Massies  creek  grave- 
yard. They  were  among  .the  .charter  members  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
(now  United  Presbyterian)  church  at  Cedarville  and  their  house  was  one 
of  the  chief  stopping  places  of  the  preachers  who  came  to  supply  the  pulpit 
of  that  church.  It  has  been  written  of  this  earnest  couple  that  "meals  were 
not  more  regvilar  in  their  home  than  family  worship  morning  and  evening, 
and  their  children  were  early  indoctrinated  in  the  principles  of  Christianity 
and  sound  morality."  There  were  eight  of  these  children,  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  review  was  the 
last-born,  the  others  being  the  following :  Eliza  Ann,  born  on  December 
24,  1819,  who  married  John  F.  Wright  and  had  one  child,  a  son,  Andrew 
J.,  who  died  in  childhood;  Martha,  December  11,  1820,  who  died  unmar- 
ried in  1841;  George,  March  19,  1823,  who  married  Minerva  Towasley 
and   had   two   daughters,    Martha   Joanna,    who   married    Judge    James    P. 


220  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Rodgers,  and  Frances  Ladora,  who  married  R.  Finley  Kerr;  Ruth  L.,  Janu- 
ary 3,  1826,  who  married  Samuel  N.  Tarbox  and  had  seven  children,  John 
J.,  Thomas  F.,  Theodore  H.,  Harry  L.,  David  N.,  Lida,  O.  and  C.  Waldo; 
John  Ross,  February  3,  1828,  who  in  1859  started  on  a  tour  of  exploration 
in  the  Southwest  and  died  in  the  fall  of  that  year  in  New  Mexico ;  Mary, 
October  22,  1830,  who  married  David  S.  Barber  and  had  seven  children, 
Martha  D.,  Estella  Mary,  Robert  Benton,  Lydia  L.,  David  Wallace,  George 
Hall  and  one  who  died  in  infancy;  and  Robert  McCorkle,  June  11,  1834, 
who  married  Kate  Ann  Williamson  and  made  his  home  on  a  farm  two  miles 
west  of  Cedarville.  Robert  McCorkle  Jackson  was  a  music  teacher  and  a 
violinist  of  skill  and  for  years  was  chorister  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  member  of  the 
local  militia  company  and  was  thus  one  of  the  "squirrel  hunters"  who  were 
called  to  Cincinnati  in  1862  to  repel  Kirby  Smith's  threatened  invasion. 

Hugh  Parks  Jackson,  the  last-born  and  now  the  only  survivor  of  the  eight 
children  bom  to  David  and  Nancy  (Nichol)  Jackson,  was  born  on  the  home 
farm  west  of  Cedarville  on  April  18,  1836,  and  like  his  father  and  his  grand- 
father, grew  to  be  a  stalwart  man,  six  feet  and  four  inches  in  height  and 
of  a  weight  of  two  hundred  pounds.  He  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  when  six- 
teen years  of  age  entered  Cedarville  Academy,  in  which  he  was  prepared  for 
college,  and  later  entered  Miami  University  at  Oxford,  Ohio,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  June,  1859.  He  then  taught  a  couple  of 
terms  of  school  and  in  the  fall  of  i860  entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Xenia,  with  a  view  to  preparatiqn  for  the  ministry  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church.  His  studies  at  the  seminary  were  interrupted  by  the  breaking' 
out  of  the.  Civil  War,  his  service  with  the  "squirrel  hunters"  taking  him  za 
Cincinnati  in  1862.  During  the  spring  of  1864  he  served  for  three  months 
in  the  Christian  Commission  and  had  charge  of  the  office  of  that  commis- 
sion at  Huntsville,  Alabama,  rendering  also  other  service  at  Nashville, 
Columbia  and  Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  In  the  meantime  he  had  continued 
his  studies  in  the  Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  in  which  he  got  three  years 
of  study,  taught  another  term  of  school  in  his  old  home  district  and  in  the 
winter  of  1864-65  attended  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Allegheny  City. 
On  March  28,  1865,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Xenia  presbytery  and  in  the 
summer  of  that  year  was  engaged  in  preaching  in  Pennsylvania  and  West 
Virginia,  presently  accepting  a  call  extended  to  him  by  the  congregation 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Waterford,  in  Erie  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, being  installed  there,  his  first  pastorate,  December  19,  1865.  Two 
months  later  he  married  and  established  his  home  at  Waterford,  continuing 
his  pastorate  there  until  his  resignation  in  September,  1869,  on  account  of 
failing  health.     Upon  leaving  Waterford  Mr.  Jackson  returned  to  his  home 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  221 

county  and  the  following  winter  was  spent  at  Xenia.  In  the  spring  he  returned 
to  his  home  farm  near  Cedarville  and  there  resumed  his  residence  with  his 
widowed  mother,  in  the  afterward  happily  realized  belief  that  the  life  of 
the  farm  would  restore  him  to  his  normal  physical  state.  For  four  years 
thereafter  Mr.  Jackson  supplied  vacancies  in  pulpits  not  too  remote  from  his 
home,  taught  school  and  for  some  time  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Cedar- 
ville schools.  In  the  spi'ing  of  1875,  finding  his  health  restored,  he  accepted 
a  call  from  the  congregation  of  the  Carmel  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Hanover,  overlooking  the  Ohio  river,  in  Jefiferson  county,  Indiana,  and  with 
his  family  moved  to  that  place,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1889,  when 
he  demitted  his  charge  of  Carmel  and  moved  with  his  family  to  Greenfield, 
in  Highland  county,  this  state,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church  in  that  town,  and  there  remained  until  his  return  in  19 14  to 
Cedarville,  his  old  home,  where  he  has  since  lived  retired  from  the  active 
ministry.  As  noted  in  the  introduction  to  this  sketch,  the  Rev.  Hugh  Parks 
Jackson  has  for  years  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  figures  in  the 
communion  which  he  has  so  faithfully  served  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 
For  thirteen  years  he  was  stated  clerk  of  the  Indiana  United  Presbyterian 
presbytery  and  in  1881  was  moderator  of  the  second  synod  of  the  West. 
Mr.  Jackson  has  for  many  years  been  deeply  interested  in  the  history  of 
this  section  of  Ohio,  has  written  vohiminously  for  the  local  press  on  subjects 
of  a  historical  character  relating  to  the  development  of  this  region  and  on 
the  occasion  of  Cedarville's  centennial  celebration  wrote  a  most  illuminating 
monograph  on  the  history  of  that  fine  old  village. 

On  February  14,  1866,  the  Rev.  Hugh  Parks  Jackson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  (Frazier)  Dunlap,  widow  of  William  M. 
Dunlap,  of  Cincinnati,  and  daughter  of  J.  F.  Frazier,  a  Cedarville  dry- 
goods  merchant,  and  who  by  her  first  marriage  was  the  mother  of  one  child, 
a  son,  William  M.  Dunlap,  born  on  February  17,  1862,  who  was  educated 
at  Hanover  College,  became  editor  of  the  Western  World  at  Sea  Haven, 
Washington,  and  died  on  November  26,  1902.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackson  five 
children  were  born,  namely:  Lilla  Corinne,  born  on  December  23,  1866. 
who  was  educated  at  Hanover  College,  married  Hugh  P.  Morrow,  of  Hills- 
boro,  Ohio,  in  1893,  and  died  on  August  15,  1895;  Robert  Stuart,  July  5, 
1868,  who  also  was  educated  at  Hanover  and  who  is  now  living  at  Columbus, 
Ohio;  George  Whitney,  March  28,  1870,  who  was  graduated  from  Mon- 
mouth College  in  1891  and  died  on  August  14,  1904;  Mabel  Snow,  March 
29,  1872,  who  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Greenfield  in  1892  and 
in  1894  married  Walter  R.  Whiteman.  now  auditor  in  the  New  York  office  of 
Swift  &  Company,  and  has  two  children,  Margaret  and  Walter  Hugh;  and 
Bertha  Rogers,  December  24,  1873,  who  also  completed  her  schooling  at 
Greenfield. 


222  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

JOHN  ALEXANDER  HARBISON. 

The  late  John  Alexander  Harbison,  for  years  one  of  Cedarville  town- 
ship's farmers  and  dairymen,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  on  Clarks  run  in 
the  fall  of  1 9 14  and  whose  widow  is  now  living  at  Cedarville,  was  born  on 
that  farm  and  there  spent  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  four 
years  spent  at  Findlay,  where  he  was  engaged  during  that  time  in  the  lime 
and  crushed-stone  business.  He  was  born  on  March  31,  1857,  son  and  only 
child  of  James  and  Margaret  (King)  Harbison,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Helen  (Aird)  King,  and  both  of 
whom  spent  their  last  days  on  their  place  on  Clarks  run. 

James  Harbison  was  born  in  the  Chester  district  of  South  Carolina  and 
was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  John  and  Jane  (Bingham)  Harbi- 
son, earnest  Covenanters,  came  out  here  in  the  fall  of  1826  and  established 
their  home  on  Clarks  run,  having  been  attracted  to  this  settlement,  as  were 
numerous  others  of  the  Chester  district  folk,  on  account  of  the  congenial 
church  fellowship  assured  them  here.  John  Harbison,  the  pioneer,  also  was 
born  in  South  Carolina,  February  2^,  1782,  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth 
(McElroy)  Harbison,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scottish 
descent,  and  the  latter,  in  the  colony  of  Virginia.  Both  spent  their  last  days 
in  South  Carolina.  John  Harbison  became  a  substantial  farmer  on  Clarks 
riui  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  in  April,  1861,  he  then 
being  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more  than 
three  years,  her  death  occurring  on  August  17,  1864.  Her  father  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  was  wounded  during  service.  James  Harbison 
grew  to  manhood  on  that  pioneer  farm  on  Clarks  rvm  and  in  turn  became  a 
farmer  on  his  own  account,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-six  acres,  on  which  he  erected  a  dwelling  house  facing  the  Clifton 
and  Xenia  pike  and  there  lived  the  rest  of  his  life.  James  Harbison  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Sarah  Miller,  died  leaving  one  child  who  died 
a  few  months  later.  In  1852  he  married  Margaret  King,  who  was  born  in 
this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Helen  (Aird)  King,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  son  of  Mark  King,  of  Jedbury,  Scotland;  and  to  that  union  was  born 
one  son,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch.  They  also  reared  to  woman- 
hood, Maud  Imboden,  whom  they  had  taken  into  their  household  when  she 
was  five  years  of  age. 

John  .A.lexander  Harbison  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  Clarks  run 
on  which  he  was  born,  eventually  inherited  the  same  and  there  spent  his  last 
days.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  from  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  was  a  valued' aid  to  his  father,  the  management  of  the  home  farm 
long  before  his   father's  deatli  being  turned  over  to  him.     After  his  mar- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  223 

riage  he  established  his  home  there  and  with  the  exception  of  four  years 
which,  as  noted  above,  were  spent  in  the  Hme  and  crushed-stone  business  at 
Findlay,  he  spent  all  his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  on  September  5,  191 4. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Harbison  also  for  some  years  was 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business,  keeping  a  herd  of  Guernseys.  Though  reared 
a  Democrat,  Mr.  Harbison  early  espoused  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  and  served  for  two  terms  as  township  trustee.  In  his  views  on  religion 
he  ever  maintained  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  (Covenanter)  cliurch  at  CedarviUe  and  for  years  served  as  a 
member  of  its  board  of  trustees.  The  old  family  Bible,  brought  from  Ireland 
by  his  great-grandfather,  came  down  to  him  and  is  still  sacredly  cherished  in 
the  family. 

Mr.  Harbison  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  died  on  December  8, 
1887,  without  issue.  She  was  Ella  Reid,  daughter  of  John  and  Hanna  Reid, 
the  former  of  whom  lost  his  life  while  serving  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War.  On  November  18,  1890,  Mr.  Harbison  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Cooper,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Weir)  Cooper,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  CedarviUe  township  and  the  latter  in  Xenia 
township,  and  who  established  their  home  on  a  farm  on  the  lower  Bellbrook 
pike  in  Xenia  township,  where  Mary  Elizabeth  (Cooper)  Harbison  was  born. 

Both  the  Coopers  and  the  Weirs  are  old  families  in  Greene  county,  the 
progenitors  of  the  respective  families  here  having  been  among  the  Chester 
district  folk  who  came  over  here  from  South  Carolina  in  the  early  days  of  the 
settlement  and  helped  establish  that  sterling  old  Covenanter  community  that 
has  for  a  century  and  more  been  the  dominant  social  factor  in  the  CedarviUe 
neighborhood.  Ebenezer  Cooper  was  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Agnes  (King) 
Cooper,  Covenanters,  who  settled  in  the  Stormont  neighborhood  in  CedarviUe 
township.  There  Ebenezer  Cooper  grew  to  manhood.  He  married  Elizabeth 
Weir,  daughter  of  Alexander  Weir  and  wife,  also  Chester  district  folk  and 
Covenanters,  who  had  settled  in  Xenia  township,  and  after  his  marriage  made 
his  home  on  the  Weir  place  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike.  To  that  union  were 
born  two  children,  Mrs.  Harbison  and  her  brother,  John  Cooper,  the  latter 
of  whom  lives  just  on  the  western  edge  of  Xenia  on  the  Dayton  pike.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  in  1861  and  Ebenezer  Cooper  later  married 
Sarah  Polen  and  moved  to  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  and  there  spent  his  last 
days,  but  he  was  brought  back  and  buried  in  Massies  creek  cemetery  at  Cedar- 
viUe. By  his  second  marriage  he  was  the  father  of  three  children,  namely: 
Harry  L.  Cooper,  who  is  living  at  Jeffersonville,"  Illinois ;  Mrs.  Irene  McCon- 
nell,  of  Indianapolis,  and  Albert  Cooper,  of  Robinson,  Illinois. 


224  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

To  John  A.  and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Cooper)  Harbison  were  born  two 
daughters,  Reba  Irene,  now  a  student  in  Cedarville  College  and  living  with 
her  widowed  mother  in  Cedarville,  and  Pauline,  who  died  in  1903,  she  then 
being  seven  years  of  age.  For  some  time  after  her  husband's  death  Mrs. 
Harbison  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  home  farm  and  then  gave  up 
that  place  of  residence,  rented  her  farm  and  moved  to  Cedarville,  where  she 
and  her  daughter  have  since  made  their  home. 


PERRY  M.  STEWART. 


Perrj'  M.  Stewart,  president  of  the  Miami  Deposit  Bank  of  Yellow 
Springs,  this  county,  and  former  treasurer  of  Clark  county,  is  a  native  son 
of  the  Buckeye  state  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Selma,  in  Greene  township,  in  the  neighbor- 
ing county  of  Clark,  July  6,  1866,  son  of  the  Hon.  Perry  and  Rhoda  (Wheeler) 
Stewart,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  that  county,  the  former  on  June 
6,  181 8,  and  the  latter,  December  30,  1824,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  at 
Springfield,  county  seat  of  their  home  county. 

The  Hon.  Perry  Stewart,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  a  former  member 
of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  his  home  county  and  a  one-time 
representative  in  the  state  Legislature  from  that  district,  spent  all  his  life 
in  his  home  county.  He  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Greene  township 
and  there  grew  to  manhood,  becoming  in  time  a  substantial  farmer  on  his 
own  account.  On  October  15,  1844,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rhoda 
Wheeler,  who  also  was  born  in  that  county,  and  after  his  marriage  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  old  home  farm,  where  he  was  living  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  He  helped  to  raise  a  company  and  went  to  the  front  in 
1862  as  captain  of  Company  A,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  with  that  company  served  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Captain  Stewart  returned  home 
and  resumed  his  farming  operations,  in  which  he  became  quite  successful. 
He  was  an  active  Republican  and  took  an  interested  part  in  local  public  affairs, 
for  six  years  representing  his  district  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners.  He  later  was  elected  to  represent  his  legislative  district 
in  the  lower  house  of  the  Ohio  General  Assembly  and  so  satisfactory  was  his 
service  in  that  connection  that  he  was  re-elected  and  thus  served  for  two 
terms  in  that  important  office.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  active  duties 
of  the  farm  Captain  Stewart  moved  to  Springfield,  where  both  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  her  death  occurring  there  in  July. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  225 

1904,  and  his,  in  1907.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely: 
Henrietta  E.,  wife  of  James  Hatfield,  of  Greene  township,  Clark  county; 
Julia  A.,  now  living  in  California,  widow  of  Robert  N.  Elder;  David  W., 
who  married  Amanda  McClintock  and  is  living  in  Clark  county;  John  T., 
who  married  Anna  M.  Keifer  and  is  now  living  in  Houston,  Texas;  Mary  E., 
who  married  Samuel  H.  Kerr  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now 
deceased;  Charles  F.,  a  member  of  the  present  toard  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  Clark  county,  who  married  Clara  Garlough  and  is  living  at  Spring- 
field ;  Jane,  who  married  George  Nicholson  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
is  now  deceased;  Jessie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Perry  M.,  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  E.  Wheeler,  who  married  Nettie 
Shobe  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old  home  in 
Greene  township. 

Perry  M.  Stewart  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county  and 
upon  completing  the  course  in  the  local  common  school  entered  Antioch  Col- 
lege and  there  studied  for  two  years.  For  a  few  years  thereafter  he  con- 
tinued his  place  on  the  farm,  taking  the  active  management  of  the  same 
for  his  father  and  then  gave  up  farming  and  became  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  the  neighboring  village  of  Selma,  employed  there  in  a  grocery 
and  general  merchandise  store,  and  was  thus  engaged  there  for  two  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  accepted  a  position  as  deputy  in  the  office  of  the  county 
auditor  at  Springfield,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  1893-95,  later  accept- 
ing a  position  as  deputy  county  treasurer  and  thus  continued  in  the  court 
house  for  another  four  years.  In  1900  Mr.  Stewart  was  elected  county 
treasurer,  his  term  of  office  beginning  in  1901.  and  this  gave  him  another 
four-years  tenure  in  the  court  house  at  Springfield.  Upon  the  completion 
of  that  term  of  service,  in  1905,  he  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  helped  to 
organize  there  the  Miami  Deposit  Bank  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in 
the  banking  business  at  that  place.  The  Miami  Deposit  Bank  was  organized 
with  a  capital  stock  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  has  done  well,  as 
will  be  noted  in  a  review  of  that  sound  financial  institution  presented  in  the 
historical  section  of  this  work.  Mr.  Stewart  is  a  thirty-second-degree  (Scot- 
tish Rite)  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  consistory  at  Dayton,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican. 

On  October  16,  1901,  Perry  M.  Stewart  was  united  in  marriage  to  Irene 
B.  Black,  daughter  of  Charles  R.  and  Mary  A.  Black,  of  Linden,  Ross  county, 
Ohio,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  Mildred,  born  in 
1903;  Russell  B.,  1905,  and  Mary  E.,  1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

(14) 


226  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ANDREW  WINTER,  M.  D. 

Andrew  Winter  was  a  practicing  physician  in  the  town  of  Cedarville 
from  1864  until  his  death  in  1891,  a  period  of  thirty-seven  years.  Born  in 
Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  on  August  18,  1820,  he  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  state,  practiced  medicine  in  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  until  1861,  but 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  immediately  left  the  state  and  went 
to  Tennessee  where  he  joined  the  Union  army  and  served  until  1864,  coming 
in  the  latter  year  to  Cedarville  where  he  made  his  home  until  his  death.  Such, 
in  brief,  is  the  main  thread  of  the  life  history  of  Dr.  Andrew  Winter. 

Doctor  Winter  was-a  son  of  Andr:ew._and:  Hannah  (Baxter)  Winter, 
his  mother  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  great  reformer.  The  senior 
Andrew  was  a  merchant  and  a  man  of  means,  dying  about  1833  in  Fayette- 
ville at  the  age  of  eighty  odd  years,  being  over  seventy  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  the  birth  of  his  son  Andrew.  The  senior  Andrew  was  married  twice, 
his  second  wife,  Hannah  Baxter,  being  younger  than  his  son  by  the  first  mar- 
riage. The  second  marriage  resulted  in  six  children,  four  daughters  and  two 
sons,  but  all  were  deceased  by  i860  except  Doctor  Winter. 

Doctor  Winter  received  his  elementary  education  at  Pendleton.  South 
Carolina,  his  collegiate  education  at  Erskine  College  in  that  state,  and  his 
medical  education  in  the  Charleston  Medical  College.  He  was  a  very  stu- 
dious youth  and  when  still  a  mere  lad  was  being  tutored  by  a  French  physi- 
cian in  his  home  town.  He  was  only  twenty-one  when  he  graduated  from 
the  medical  college,  the  year  1841  finding  him  settled  in  the  county  seat  of 
the  northwestern  county  of  South  Carolina  for  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
About  1 85 1  he  removed  to  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  where  he  practiced 
and  at  the  same  time  became  heavily  interested  with  a  partner  in  an  iron 
foundry  in  the  city. 

Doctor  Winter  was  as  stanch  an. Abolitionist  as  his  father  before  him. 
He  never  owned  any  slaves,  although  on  one  occasion  he  bought  some  slaves 
and  immediately  gave  them  their  freedom,  having  purchased  them  in  order 
to  keep  a  few  Negro  families  from  being  separated.  The  fact  that  he  hated 
slavery  the  way  he  did  accounts  for  the  fact  tliat  at  midnight  of  the  day  that 
South  Carolina  seceded  from  the  Union  he  left  the  state  never  to  return.  He 
went  direct  to  Tennessee,  intending  to  go  to  the  North  and  volunteer  in  the 
Union  army.  When  he  reached  Tennessee  he  found  a  Union  regiment  being 
recruited,  the  first  in  the  state,  and  he  at  once  enlisted  in  Company  A,  First 
Regiment.  It  should  be  said  in  passing  that  he  would  have  been  killed  if  he 
had  dared  to  remain  in  South  Carolina,  and  as  it  was,  he  had  no  sooner  left 
the  state,  than  the  Confederates  confiscated  his  iron  foundry  and  were  soon 
making  rifles  and  other  munitions  of  war  in  it. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  227 

Doctor  Winter  was  at  first  only  a  private  in  the  ranks,  serving  as  such 
for  a  few  months.  He  was  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and,  with  a  small 
group  of  soldiers,  was  shortly  after  captured  while  detailed  to  burn  some 
bridges  and  placed  in  a  Confederate  prison.  He  soon  escaped  and  rejoined 
the  Union  army  at  Mill  Spring,  Kentucky,  in  time  to  participate  in  the  san- 
guinary engagement  at  that  place.  After  the  battle  he  was  assisting  with 
the  wounded,  still  in  the  capacity  of  a  private  soldier,  when  one  of  the.,sur- 
geons  said  to  him,  "You  must  have  had  experience  before  in  this  profession." 
He  then  told  the  surgeon  that  he  had  practiced  for  more  than  twenty  years, 
and  within  a  few  days  he  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon  with  the  rank  of 
first  lieutenant.  Two  months  later  he  was  promoted  and  made  surgeon  of 
the  Fourth  East  Tennessee  Infantry,  a  position  which  he  held  until  after  the 
Union  forces  retreated  from  Cumberland  Gap  under  General  George  Mor- 
gan. About  this  time  his  health  began  to  fail,  and  he  became  so  ill  at  Galli- 
polis,  Ohio,  that  he  was  transferred  to  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  His 
health  not  improving  he  was  forced  to  resign  on  August  28,  1864. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  army  Doctor  Winter  went  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  where  he  intended  to  locate  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  In  that 
city  he  met  some  men  from  Cedarville  who  persuaded  him  to  locate  in  that 
town,  assuring  him  that  it  offered  a  splendid  opening  for  a  good  physician. 
He  reached  the  town  on  October  4,  1864,  and  made  that  town  his  home  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  Four  years  after  coming  to  the  town  he  was  married 
to  Nancy  Turnbull,  their  marriage  occurring  in  April,  1868.  To  this  union 
were  born  three  children:  Elizabeth  B.,  Isabelle  and  Andrew.  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried C.  E.  Nisbit,  and  lives  in  Loveland,  Ohio,  where  her  husband  is  a  postal 
clerk  and  also  interested  in  a  seed  and  feed  store.  Isabelle  is  unmarried  and 
is  now  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Painesville,  Ohio.  The  one  son,  Andrew, 
the  third  of  the  family  to  carry  the  name,  is  single.  He  lives  with  his  widowed 
mother  in  Cedarville  and  operates  his  mother's  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  acres  near  the  town.  Doctor  Winter  was  a  Republican  and  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

The  wife  of  Doctor  Winter  was  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth 
(Kyle)  Turnbull,  and  was  born  in  April,  1841,  on  her  father's  farm  three 
miles  from  Cedarville.  She  attended  the  district  school  until  she  was  four- 
teen years  of  age,  when  her  parents  moved  to  Cedarville,  after  which  she  at- 
tended the  famous  Grove  school,  a  private  institution.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in  1806  and  died  in  Cedarville  township  on  May  i, 
1843.  Her  mother,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Kyle,  was  born  on  February  16, 
1807,  on  the  old  Kyle  homestead,  now  owned  by  Silas  Murdock,  and  died  in 
Cedarville  on  February  8,   1885. 

Thomas  Turnbull,  the  father  of  the  wife  of  Doctor  Winter,  was  a  son 


228  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  William  Turnbull,  the  latter  a  native  of  Scotland,  who  lived  there  until 
he  was  about  forty  years  of  age.  He  was  a  shepherd  in  his  native  country, 
following  that  occupation  until  he  came  to  America  about  1795  and  settled 
near  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He  was  not  married  until  after  he  came  to  this 
country.  He  lived  in  Tennessee  until  1810  and  in  that  year  came  by  wagon 
to  Cedarville  township  and  located  on  the  Xenia-Columbus  pike  at  the  corner 
where  the  East  Point  school  house  is  now  located,  about  three  miles  south- 
west of  Cedarville.  William  Turnbull  built  the  large  solid  stone  house  at 
the  forks  of  the  road  in  1821,  the  date  being  on  the  house.  It  is  now  owned 
by  the  Fowler  family.  William  Turnbull  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children:  Alexander,  Thomas  (father  of  Mrs.  Winter),  Gilbert,  John  (mar- 
ried Margaret  Kyle  and  settled  in  Cedarville  township),  James,  David,  Betsy 
(married  Joseph  Sterratt),  Isabell  (married  John  Chalmers).  About  1833 
William  Turnbull  and  three  of  his  sons — Alexander,  Gilbert  and  David — went 
West  and  settled  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  where  their  descendants  are  still 
living. 

Thomas  Turnbull,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Winter,  was  four  years  of  age  when 
his  parents  came  to  Greene  county  from  Tennessee.  He  grew  up  on  the  farm 
and  after  marriage  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  the  township  on 
the  Federal  pike.  He  died  on  the  farm  at  the  age  of  thirty-se\-en.  May  i, 
1843,  leaving  his  widow  with  four  children:  Catherine,  who  married  Dr. 
Greer,  both  now  being  deceased;  Isabell,  who  died  unmarried  in  1902;  Mrs. 
Winter,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Winter;  Thomas  H..  who  died  in  infancy  in  1843. 
After  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Turnbull  moved  into  Cedarville  where  she 
lived  until  her  death  on  February  8,  1885,  having  been  a  widow  for  forty- 
two  years. 


WILLIAM  ALBERT  GALLOWAY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  William  Albert  Galloway,  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that  city  and  has 
lived  there  all  his  life,  a  member  of  one  of  the  very  oldest  families  in  tliis 
county,  the  Galloways  having  been  prominently  represented  here  since  the 
days  of  the  very  beginning  of  the  Xenia  settlement,  or  from  the  time  that 
James  Galloway, -Sr.,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  an  Indian  fighter,  com- 
panion of  Daniel  Boone,  came  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  with  his 
family  from  Kentucky  in  1797  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian  village, 
or  Chillicothe,  now  and  for  many  years  known  as  Oldtown,  just  north  of 
the  city  of  Xenia. 

James  Galloway,  Sr.,  the  pioneer,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  Cumberland  county  on  May  i,  1750,  a  son  of  George  and  Rebecca  (Jun- 
kin)  Galloway,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  were  among  the  influential  members 


GEOItOK   (iAI.UtWAY 
17.S4-1.S57 


.TAMKS   (iAI.T.OWAV 

17.:>0-1,^:!,\ 


wn.LiA:\i  r.YDX  cai.i.uway 

isiir,- 


JAMKS  COLLINS   (lALLOWAY  WILLIAM  A.   tJALLOWAY.   M.   l>. 

I.si7-ls'.;!i  isdii 

Five  <;eiieriitkiiis  of  the  Galloway  Family  in  Greene  Coimty.  Ohio 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  229 

of  the  Scottish  community  in  that  section  of  the  then  colony  of  Pennsylvania 
and  comprised  within  the  bounds  of  Cumberland  county.  George  Galloway 
was  one  of  a  family  of  seven  brothers,  the  others  having  been  Samuel,  John, 
William,  James,  Peter  and  Thomas,  who  made  a  settlement  in  the  vicinity 
of  what  came  to  be  known  as  the  spring  of  the  great  Indian  chief,  Logan, 
in  what  is  now  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania.  There  George  Galloway 
spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  August  3,  1783.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  sons  and  four  daughters,  William, 
Joseph,  John,  Samuel,  James,  Jane,  Margaret,  Martha  and  Sarah.  Of  this 
number  James  Galloway,  the  Greene  county  pioneer,  came  to  this  section 
of  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  in  1797,  as  noted  above  and  as  set  out  at 
length  elsewhere .  in  this  work,  and  here  established  his  home,  settling  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Little  Miami,  in  the  Oldtown  vicinity,  about  five  miles 
north  of  where  Xenia  later  came  to  be  established.  About  1776,  after  his 
service  in  the  Revolution,  he  removed  from  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  Lexington,  Kentucky,  remaining  a  citizen  of  that  territory  till 
1797.  It  was  during  this  period  that  he  took  part  in  the  expeditions  of 
Kentucky  troops  against  the  Shawnee  Indians  at  Old  Chillicothe,  in  1782 
and  1784,  and  determined,  whenever  peace  was  declared  with  them,  to  found 
the  family  home  near  Old  Chillicothe.  When  Greene  county  was  organized 
in  1803  he  was  elected  first  treasurer  of  the  county,  an  office  he  filled  for 
more  than  fifteen  years.  It  has  been  written  of  him  that  "he  was  a  man  of 
deep  religious  convictions,  and  those  convictions  he  carried  out  in  life  by 
doing  acts  of  kindness  to  his  neighbors  and  in  working  for  the  good  of 
humanity.  To  him  is  the  psalm-singing'  portion  of  the  community  under 
obligation  for  his  untiring  efforts  in  bringing  first  to  the  county  the  Rev. 
Robert  Armstrong  [see  history  of  United  Presbyterian  churches  in  Greene 
county]  and  other  preachers  of  that  faith,  and  making  his  home  theirs.  Dur- 
ing his  long  and  useful  life  he  was  ever  ready  to  help  those  deserving  of  help. 
James  Galloway  died  on  August  6,  1838,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-eight 
years,  and  was  buried  in  the  Massiescreek  burying  ground.  He  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  wife.  Rel^ecca  Junkin,  who  was  of  the  family  from 
which  his  mother  also  came,  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  eight  sons  and 
two  daughters,  George,  James,  Joseph,  William,  Samuel,  Andrew,  Anthony, 
John,  Reliecca  and  Ann.  Rebecca  Junkin  Galloway  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  October  2,  1759.  was  married  to  James  Galloway 
on  November  23,  1778,  died  in  Greene  county  on  August  31,  1812,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Massiescreek  burying  ground.  On  April  13,  1817,  James  Gallo- 
way married,  secondly.  Tamar  Wilson,  of  this  county,  who  died  without 
issue.  Rebecca  Galloway,  elder  of  the  two  daughters  born  to  James  and 
Rebecca  (Junkin)  Galloway,  was  born  in  the  old  block  house  in  the  vicinitv 


230  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  October  7,  1791,  and  was  about  six  years  of  age 
when  she  came  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  with  her  parents  in  1797. 
Here  she.grew  to  womanhood  and  married  her  cousin,  George  Galloway,  who 
was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  4,  1784,  son  of  Joseph 
Galloway,  brother  of  James  Galloway  and  the  father  of  eleven  children, 
namely :  George,  John,  William,  Jane,  Isabel,  Joseph,  James,  Sophia,  Ann 
Eliza,  Agnes  and  Elizabeth.  George  Galloway  and  his  wife  established 
their  home  in  Xenia  township,  five  miles  east  of  Xenia.  His  death  occurred 
there  on  January  29,  1857,  and  hers,  February  25,  1876.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  James  Collins,  Madison,  William,  Ann,  Martha  and 
Eleanor. 

James  Collins  Galloway,  eldest  of  the  six  children  born  to  George  and 
Rebecca  (Galloway)  Galloway,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia, 
June  30,  1817,  and  was  there  reared  to  manhood.  From  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  he  gave  particular  attention  to  his  studies  and  in  after  life  became 
one  of  the  strongest  factors  in  the  work  of  elevating  the  educational  stand- 
ards of  this  region,  his  efforts  having  done  much  toward  promoting  the 
work  of  organizing  a  common-school  system  hereabout.  Reared  a  Seceder, 
he  was  a  man  of  pronounced  religious  convictions,  an  earnest  and  active 
Abolitionist,  and  organized  the  first  Sabbath  school  for  freedmen  in  this 
county.  Reared  a  Whig,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  upon 
the  organization  of  the  same  and  ever  afterward  was  an  ardent  adherent  of 
the  principles  of  that  party.  On  November  18,  1841,  James  Collins  Galloway 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Ann  Kendall,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia 
township,  May  12,  1822,  daughter  of  William  and  Eleanor  (Jackson)  Ken- 
dall, the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle) 
Jackson,  pioneers  of  Greene  county,  and  further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  a  quite  comprehensive 
genealogical  statement  relative  to  the  Jackson  family  in  this  county.  Will- 
iam Kendall  was  born  at  Stony  Creek,  Kentucky,  in  1795.  son  of  Robert  and 
Nancy  (Wilson)  Kendall,  Pennsylvanians,  the  former  born  in  1752  and  the 
latter,  in  1770,  who  had  settled  in  Kentucky.  Robert  Kendall  died  on  Octo- 
ber 12,  1843,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  ten  years,  her  death 
occurring  on  February  18,  1852.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
William,  John,  James,  Francis,  Milton,  Newton,  Martha,  Ann,  Isabel  and 
Nancy,  and  descendants  of  this  family,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Galloways, 
the  Jacksons,  the  Wilsons  and  the  Junkinses  form  a  numerous  connection 
throughout  this  section  of  Ohio  in  the  present  generation.  William  Kendall 
was  a  tanner  by  trade  and  upon  establishing  his  home  in  this  county,  he 
having  at  one  time  been  the  owner  of  the  tract  now  covered  by  Wilberforce 
University,  carried  on  quite  an  extensive  tannery  business  in  addition  to  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  23I 

farming.  His  wife,  Eleanor  Jackson,  was  born  in  what  is  now  Jefiferson 
county,  this  state,  March  15,  1800,  and  died  at  her  home  in  the  Xenia 
neighborhood  on  June  6,  1888.  He  had  preceded  her  to  the  grave  some 
years,  his  death  having  occurred  on  August  6,  1879.  They  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  the  Rev.  Clark  Kendall,  Robert,  Henry,  Mary  Ann,  Eliza 
and  Caroline.  James  Collins  Galloway  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  on  Novem- 
ber 28,  1899.     His  wife's  death  occurred  on  September  10,   1892. 

To  James  Collins  and  Mary  Ann  (Kendall)  Galloway  were  born  four 
children,  of  whom  Doctor  Galloway,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographi- 
cal review,  was  the  last-born,  the  others  having  been :  Clark  Madison,  born 
on  April  20,  1843;  Alethia  Ellen,  March  27,  1846,  and  Rebecca  Alice,  Decem- 
ber 28,  185 1.  The  late  Dr.  Clark  Madison  Galloway,  a  veteran  of  the  Civit 
War  and  for  years  one  of  the  leading  physicians  and  men  of  affairs  in 
Xenia,  who  died  at  his  home  in  that  city  in  191 3,  was  but  eighteen  years  of 
age  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  enlisted  for 
the  hundred-days  service  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  upon  the  completion 
of  that  service  re-enlisted  and  returned  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company 
G,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-first  Ohio,  with  which  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war  and  while  thus  serving  was  present  when  Johnston  sur- 
rendered to  General  Sherman  at  Raleigh.  Upon  his  return  home  he  com- 
pleted his  local  schooling  in  the  old  Xenia  College  and  in  1869  entered  Miami 
University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1871.  For  four  years  there- 
after he  was  engaged  as  professor  of  Greek,  Latin  and  mathematics  at  Xenia 
College  and  in  1875  entered  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  having  meanwhile 
given  his  serious  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine  and  surgery,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1877,  immediately  afterward  oi^ening  an 
office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia  and  was  thus  engaged  in 
that  city  the  rest  of  his  life,  from  the  year  1890  having  as  an  associate  in 
his  practice  his  younger  brother,  Dr.  W.  A.  Galloway.  For  eight  years  the 
elder  Doctor  Galloway  was  coroner  of  Greene  county,  for  more  thah  twenty 
years  a  member  of  the  local  board  of  pension  examiners,  for  twelve  years 
a  member  of  the  city  board  of  education,  for  three  years  physician  and 
surgeon  to  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home,  for  two 
years  a  member  of  the  local  board  of  health,  for  two  years  a  member  of 
the  city  council  and  for  two  years,  1891-92,  was  medical  director  of  the 
Department  of  Ohio,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  an  active  member  of 
Lewis  Post  No.  347,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  of  Nathaniel  Greene 
Chapter,  Sons  of  the  Revolution.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  Presby- 
terian; politically,  was  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order  as  well  as  an  active  and  influential  affiliant  of  the  Greene 


232  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

County  Medical  Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  Alethia 
Ellen  Galloway  was  graduated  from  Xenia  College  in  1864  and  in  that  same 
year  was  married  to  William  J.  Parrett,  of  Lyndon,  this  state.  Her  two 
children,  Carrie  Dell  and  Clark  Sherman,  were  graduated  from  Wooster 
University.  Rebecca  Alice  Galloway,  who  on  Februar}-  6,  1896,  was  mar- 
ried to  Henry  Harrison  Eavey,  of  Xenia,  was  graduated  from  Xenia  College 
in  1873,  later  attended  Antioch  College  and  until  her  marriage  was  engaged 
as  a  teacher  in  the  Xenia  schools.  She  is  a  past  regent  of  Catherine  Greene 
Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  and  past  Ohio  state 
federation  secretary  of  the  General  Federation  of  Woman's  Clubs. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  the  city  of  his  birth,  William  Albert  Galloway  supple- 
mented the  schooling  received  at  Oldtown  Run  district  school  by  attendance 
at  Antioch  College,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Science.  He  then  entered  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and 
in  March,  1890,  was  graduated  from  that  institution-,  immediately  there- 
after becoming  associated  with  his  brother.  Dr.  C.  M.  Galloway,  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Xeriia,  and  continuing  thus  associated  until  the  death 
of  his  brother  in  1913,  since  which  time  he  has  carried  on  his  practice  alone. 
For  years  Dr.  W.  A.  Galloway  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  general 
affairs  of  his  home  community  and  when  the  draft  board  was  created  in 
this  county  in  the  spring  of  1917  in  connection  with  this  nation's  war  activi- 
ties he  was  appointed  one  of  the  three  members  of  the  board  and  made  head 
of  the  medical  section  of  the  same.  He  also  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
military  supplies  department  of  the  Greene  county  chapter  of  the  American 
Red  Cross.  It  is  a  matter  of  considerable  local  pride  to  know  that  the  organi- 
zation of  Red  Cross  activities  in  this  county  has  been  pronounced  to  be  the 
most  effective  of  any  county  organization  in  the  state  as  based  upon  compara- 
tive results  accomplished.  Doctor  Galloway  has  for  years  been  one  of  the 
most  active  and  influential  friends  of  Wilberforce  University  and  as  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Combined  Normal  and  Industrial  Depart- 
ment of  that  institution  since  1896  has  rendered  a  service  to  the  university 
that  will  ever  remain  a  monument  to  his  skill  as  an  organizer  and  director, 
an  appreciation  of  his  services  in  that  connection  having  been  the  naming  of 
Gallowav  Hall,  the  largest  building  on  the  campus,  in  his  honor.  The  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society,  the  Ohio  State  Medical 
Society  and  the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Association  and  is  a  frequent 
contributor  to  medical  journals. 

On  April  2,  1 891,  at  Newark,  this  state.  Dr.  W.  A.  Galloway  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Maude  Evelyn  Lyon,  only  daughter  of  the  Hon.  William  C. 
and  Evelyn  (Spitzer)  Lyon,  the  former  of  whom  was  lieutenant  governor  of 
Ohio  from  1888  to  i8go,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  :?33; 

namely:  Evelyn  Helen,  born  on  February  8,  1893;  William  Lyon,  March 
29,  1895,  and  Elizabeth  Mary,  May  21,  1902;  all  of  whom  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Doctor  Galloway  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  Society  of  the  Sons  qi  the.  Revolution,  long  corresponding  secre- 
tary of  the  local  chapter  of  the  latter  organization.  In  1910  he  made  an 
extended  tour  of  Europe,  during  which  he  attended  the  perfonnance  of  the 
Passion  Play  at  Oberamergau.  In  1908  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was 
conferred  on  him  by  Antioch  College,  and  the  same  year  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Laws  was  conferred  by  Wilberforce  University,  both  degrees  in  recog- 
nition of  educational  services.  In  1913  on  the  death  of  his  brother,  Dr.  C 
M.  Galloway,  he  succeeded  the  latter  as  member  of  the  Greene  county  board 
of  United  States  examining  surgeons. 


JOSEPH  P.  ELTON. 

Joseph  P.  Elton,  superintendent  of  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors 
Orphans'  Home  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  county  seat 
of  Highland  county,  Ohio,  January  17,  1864,  son  of  George  S.  and  Mary  M. 
(Patton)  Elton,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  native  of  that  same  county,  is  still 
living,  now  a  resident  of  New  Vienna,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton. 

George  S.  Elton  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey  and  was  but  eight 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Hillsboro,  in  Highland  county.  There  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  there.  He  was  a  black- 
smith and  continued  engaged  in  that  business  until  his  retirement.  His  death 
occurred  there  in  191 3,  he  then  being  past  eighty-two  years  of  age.  His 
widow,  now  a  resident  of  New  Vienna,  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal church,  as  was  her  husband.  George  S.  Elton  and  wife  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  five  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having 
a  brother,  Charles  Elton,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  New  Vienna, 
and  three  sisters,  Sallie,  wife  of  Charles  Ridgeway,  of  Hillsboro;  Elizabeth, 
wife  of  Henry  Saunders,  a  farmer  of  Highland  county,  and  Acldie,  who  is 
living  with  her  mother  at  New  Vienna. 

Joseph  P.  Elton  received  a  common-school  education  and  was  early 
trained,  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  to  the  trade  of  blacksmith.  In  1897 
he  was  appointed  deputy  probate  clerk  of  Highland  county,  under  Judge  O.  H. 
Hughes,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until  his  election  three  years  later  to  the 
ofifice  of  sheriff  of  that  county,  where  he  served  two  terms.  In  1904  he  be- 
came engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  Hillsboro  and  was  thus  engaged  for 
eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  steam- 
laundry  business  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  election  to  the  office  of  mayor 


234  '  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  Hillsboro,  which  office  he  held  for  something  more  than  a  year,  or  until  his 
appointment,  in  May,  1909,  to  the  important  position  of  superintendent  of  the 
Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia.  Superintendent  Elston 
occupied  that  position  until  July,  1916,  when  his  successor  was  appointed,  but 
a  year  later,  in  July,  191 7,  he  was  recalled  to  the  post  and  is  again  serving  as 
superintendent.  Superintendent  Elton  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Democratic  state  central  committee. 

On  December  28,  1899,  Joseph  P.  Elton  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  McLaren,  who  also  was  born  in  Highland  county,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  McLaren,  both  of  whom  are  still  living. 


ROY  C.  HAYWARD. 


Roy  C.  Hayward,  auditor  for  the  city  of  Xenia,  a  former  member  of  the 
common  council  of  that  city  and  formerly  and  for  years  actively  engaged  in 
business  there,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  and  has  lived  in 
this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  city  of  Springfield  on  October  27,  1881,  son  of  Charles  R.  and  Cora 
(Coffin)  Hayward,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  and  he  was 
reared  in  the  household  of  his  maternal  grandfather,  Elijah  G.  Coffin,  for- 
merly warden  of  the  Ohio  state  penitentiary  at  Columbus.  Charles  R.  Hay- 
ward and  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  a  brother,  Swayne  G.  Hayward,  born  on  March  23.  1883,  who  mar- 
ried Bessie  Cohan  and  is  now  living  at  Springfield,  where  he  is  connected 
with  the  local  agency  of  R.  G.  Dun  &  Company  at  that  point. 

Reared  at  Springfield  and  at  Columbus.  Roy  C.  Hayward  completed  his 
common-school  education  in  the  high  school  in  the  latter  city  and  then  took 
a  course  in  a  business  college  at  Columbus.  He  afterward  returned  to 
Springfield  and  not  long  after  became  engaged  as  a  motorman  on  the  Spring- 
field &  Dayton  Traction  Railway,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  four  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  became  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  Frazer  shoe  store 
at  Xenia.  Mr.  Hayward  remained  in  the  shoe  store  for  more  than  eight 
years.  He  then,  in  partnership  with  C.  F.  Taylor,  bought  the  W'ilkins  & 
Snyder  cigar  store,  continuing  his  interest  in  that  concern  until  December  18, 
19 1 7,  when  he  sold  out  in  order  to  prepare  to  give  his  undivided  attention  to 
the  duties  of  the  office  of  auditor  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  he  having  been  ap- 
pointed to  that  office  at  the  first  meeting  held  by  the  city  commission  under 
the  provisions  of  the  new  charter  granting  to  the  people  of  Xenia  a  commis- 
sion form  of  government.  Mr.  Hayward  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this 
office  on  January  i,  191 8,  and  is  now  thus  occupied.  He  is  a  Republican  and 
in  19 1 3  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  city  to  fill  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  235 

vacancy  in  the  representation  from  his  ward  and  in  191 5  was  elected  to  suc- 
ceed himself  in  that  office,  holding  that  position  until  his  resignation  on  April 
I,  igij,  to  accept  the  position  of  clerk  to  the  deputy  state  supervisor  of  elec- 
tions for  this  county,  which  latter  position  he  resigned  upon  entering  upon  his 
duties  as  city  auditor. 

On  October  16,  1906,  at  Xenia,  Roy  C.  Hayward  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to-H-arriet  P.  ConkKn,  daughter  of  H.  H.  Conklin  and  wife,  who  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  Mrs.  Hayward  having  a  brother,  Clyde  Conklin,  and 
three  sisters,  Cora,  Laura  and  Hannah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayward  are  members 
of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  To  them  four  children  have  been 
born,  Jane,  Cora  (deceased)  and  Dora,  twins,  and  Mary.  Mr.  Hayward  is  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason,  affiliated  with  Xenia  Lodge  No.  49,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  with  the  local  chapter,  No.  36,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  with  the 
local  council,  Royal  and  Select  Masters. 


HOWARD  APPLEGATE. 

Howard  Applegate,  former  sherifif  of  Greene  county  and  for  years  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  the  vicinity 
of  that  village  and  has  lived  there  and  in  that  neighborhood  all  his  life,  with 
the  exception  of  the  period  spent  in  the  official  service  of  the  county.  He  is 
the  youngest  of  the  nine  children,  three  sons  and  six  daughters,  born  to  his 
parents.  Elias  and  Ann  M.  (DeHart)  Applegate,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  the  former  in  1805 
and  the  latter,  in  181 1,  who  were  married  in  1831.  Three  years  later,  in 
1834,  with  their  baby  boy,  William,  they  drove  through  in  a  covered  wagon 
with  their  small  household  belongings  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  the  woods  just 
west  of  where  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs  came  to  be  established,  where 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  which  place  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Upon  effecting  his  settlement  in  this  county,  EHas  Applegate  cleared  a 
small  plot  of  ground  on  the  land  he  had  secured  and  in  that  clearing  erected 
a  log  cabin,  which  was  the  family  home  until  in  due  time  a  better  house  could 
be  erected.  Elias  Applegate  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age  and  his  widow 
lived  to  the  extraordinary  age  of  ninety-five  years  and  six  months.  As  noted 
above,  Elias  Applegate  and  wife  had  one  child  when  they  drove  through  to 
this  county,  their  first-born,  William.  Eight  others  were  born  in  Greene 
county,  Catherine,  Sarah  E.,  Mary,  Julia,  Johnson,  Margaret  A.,  Hannah  M. 
and  Howard,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  save  Johnson,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  all  these  who  lived  married  and  had  comfortable  homes  of  their 
own.  Five  members  of  this  family  are  still  living,  those  besides  Howard,  the 
youngest,  being  Mrs.  S.  E.  Kinney,  now  past  eighty  years  of  age  and  hale 


236  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  hearty;  Mrs.  ]Mary  Olentine,  seventy-seven;  Mrs.  Margret  Sizer  and  Mrs. 
Hannah  M.  Bailey,  and  all  of  these  save  Mrs.  Olentine  live  in  Yellow  Springs. 
Howard  Applegate  was  reared  on  the  farm,  as  a  boy  receiving  a  very 
practical  training  in  the  way  of  farming,  but  later  became  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  a  general  store  at  Yellow  Springs  and  thus  was  turned  toward  commercial 
pursuits,  which  he  has  followed  the  most  of  his  life.  From  1906  to  1910  he 
served  as  sheriff  of  Greene  county  and  upon  his  retirement  from  the  sheriff's 
office  became  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  Yellow  Springs. 


WILLIAM  WALLACE  CARR. 

William  Wallace  Carr,  founder  of  Carr's  Nurseries  at  Yellow  Springs, 
now  operated  under  the  firm  name  of  M.  L.  Carr's  Sons,  was  born  at  Carr's 
Mills  (now  Bookwalter),  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette  and  has  lived 
in  Yellow  Springs  since  1857.  He  was  born  on  June  5,  1843,  a  son  of 
William  and  Sophronia  (Thomas)  Carr,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  young- 
est daughter  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Thomas,  formerly  and  for  years  affectionately 
known  throughout  Ohio  as  "the  White  Pilgrim,"  a  loving  title  he  recevied 
because  he  usually  dressed  in  white  both  winter  and  summer,  in  emulation, 
as  he  believed,  of  the  apostolic  examples. 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Thomas  was  a  man  of  large  influence  throughout  this 
section  of  Ohio  in  his  day  and  generation  and  left  a  memory  for  good  deeds 
that  persists  to  this  day  and  is  an  imperishable  part  of  the  annals  of  Ohio. 
He  is  described  as  having  been  about  six  feet  in  height,  of  dark  complexion, 
straight,  athletic  and  ruggedly  healthy.  Sophronia  Thomas  was  twice  mar- 
ried and  by  her  first  husband,  William  Baker,  had  one  child,  a  daughter, 
;\Iarv,  who  became  the  wife  of  J.  H.  Little,  of  Yellow  Springs.  By  her  mar- 
riage to  William  Carr  she  was  the  mother  of  two  sons,  the  subject  of  1 
biographical  sketch  having  a  brother,  Thadeus  P.  Carr,  who  was  liorn  nn 
February  11,  1850,  was  graduated  in  1871  from  Antioch  College  and  on 
November  5,  1873,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  B.  Botsford,  of 
Yellow  Springs.  During  the  active  years  of  his  life  he  was  a  piano  tuner, 
making  his  residence  in  Yellow  Springs,  from  which  point  he  traveled  far 
and  wide  following  his  vocation.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  three 
children,  Hugh,  Henrietta  B.  and  William  B.  (deceased).  William  Carr 
also  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette  and  was  one  of  the  con- 
siderable numlier  of  children  born  to  his  parents  and  all  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity  and  reared  families  of  their  own,  the  Carr  connection  through- 
out this  part  of  Ohio  thus  being  a  numerous  one  in  this  generation.  The 
parents  of  these  children  were  Virginians  who  had  come  over  here  and  had 
settled  in  Fayette  county  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  the  present 


^:phjZ.z^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  237 

Bookwalter  neighborhood,  long  known  as  Carrs'  Mihs.  William  Carr  was  a 
farmer  and  landowner  and  proprietor  of  a  saw  and  grist  mill,  which  gave  the 
name  of  Carrs  Mill  to  the  settlement  in  which  he  lived.  In  1857  he  moved  to 
Yellow  Springs  in  order  to  give  his  children  the  benefit  of  better  educa- 
tional facilities  and  there  he  spent  his  last  days,  living  to  a  ripe  old  age, 
his  death  occurring  in  1901,  he  then  being  eighty-four  years  of  age.  His 
wife  died  in  1889.  In  addition  to  his  milling  operations  William  Carr  was 
an  expert  machinist  and  was  an  inventor  of  more  than  local  note,  he  having 
devised  numerous  improvements  to  threshing-machine  rigs  and  to  general 
milling  machinery. 

When  he  moved  with  his  parents  from  Carrs  Mills  to  Yellow  Springs, 
William  Wallace  Carr  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  entered  the  prepara- 
tory department  of  Antioch  College  when  fourteen  years  of  age  and  later 
undertook  the  full  college  course,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1869 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  a  year  of  this  latter  course  having 
been  under  the  instruction  of  Horace  Mann.  Mr.  Carr  then  took  a  post- 
graduate course  and  in  1870  received  his  Master  degree.  He  had  meantime 
been  teaching  school  and  upon  leaving  college  resumed  teaching  and  at  the 
same  time  continued  his  interest  in  the  nursery  business,  having  been  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  fruit  trees  during  vacation  periods,  and  in  the  fall  of  1870 
organized  at  Yellow  Springs  what  later  became  well  known  in  nursery  markets 
as  Carr's  Nurseries,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  compactly  organized  nursery 
tracts  in  the  country.  Of  that  concern  Mr.  Carr  has  been  the  head  and  the 
general  manager  ever  since,  a  period  of  forty-seven  years,  the  business  now 
being  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  M.  L.  Carr's  Sons,  the  organization 
making  a  specialty  of  the  culture  of  little  evergreens,  which  are  sold  by  the 
hundreds  of  thousands  to  the  nursery  trade  generally  over  the  country. 
When  Carr's  Nurseries  were  established  the  market  was  reached  by  a  per- 
sonally organized  selling  agency,  agents  being  sent  out  to  solicit  trade,  but 
for  years  so  well  established  has  the  business  become  that  the  trade  now 
comes  to  the  nurseries  without  solicitation,  sales  being  made  direct  to  nurseries 
wholesale.  Mr.  Carr  has  for  many  years  been  recognized  as  an  expert  in  his 
line  and  the  fame  of  his  nurseries  has  been  no  small  factor  in  "putting 
Yellow  Springs  on  the  map."  •  Politically,  Mr.  Carr  is  an  independent  Repub- 
lican and  has  filled  numerous  ofiices,  mayor,  justice  of  the  peace,  council- 
man for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  school  director. 

In  September,  1869,  William  Carr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Ladley,  who  was  born  at  Sidney,  Ohio,  daughter  of  DeRostus  and  Catherine 
Ladley,  and  who  died  on  March  22,  1901.  To  that  union  were  born  five 
children,  namely:  Edwin  O.,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  married  Alice  Derby 
and  has  three  children,  Dorothy,  Helen  and  Donald;  George  W.,  of  Jack- 


238  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

sonville,  Florida,  who  married  Mayme  Shumate  and  has  two  children,  Leon- 
ard and  Marian;  Charles  L.,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  married  Edna  Garri- 
son and  has  three  children,  Mary  G.,  Jean  and  Anna;  Catherine,  who  married 
George  Harris,  now  living  at  McRae,  Georgia,  and  has  two  children,  Louise 
and  Ladley,  and  Alice  G.,  who  was  graduated  as  a  nurse  from  Johns  Hop- 
kins University  at  Baltimore  and  is  now  (1918)  engaged  in  active  Red  Cross 
work  in  France,  a  nurse  behind  the  battle  lines. 


JACOB  J.  LAMPERT. 

Jacob  J.  Lampert,  veteran  florist  at  Xenia  and  proprietor  of  a  green- 
house there,  has  been  a  resident  of  that  city  since  1875.  He  was  born  at 
Avondale,  a  suburb  of  Cincinnati,  September  14,  1852,  a  son  of  Jacob  J.  and 
Mary  (Jacobs)  Lampert,  both  of  whom  were  of  European  birth,  the  former  a 
native  of  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden  and  the  latter  of  the  then  French  province 
of  Alsace-Lorraine,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847  ^^^  '"^t  and  -wer* 
married  in  Cincinnati,  where  they  made  their  home  for  some  years  before 
moving  to  the  nearby  Avondale. 

The  elder  Jacob  J.  Lampert  had  served  for  three  years  as  a  soldier  in  his 
native  Baden  and  when  the  Mexican  War  broke  out,  shortly  after  his  arrival 
in  Cincinnati  in  1847,  he  offered  his  sen-ices  as  a  recruiting  officer  and  the 
same  were  accepted,  he  carrying  on  a  recruiting  station  at  the  corner  of  Front 
street  and  Broadway,  Cincinnati.  By  trade  he  was  a  butcher  and  after  his 
marriage  he  opened  a  butcher  shop  in  Cincinnati,  but  his  health  presently 
failing  he  decided  to  get  out  and  close  to  nature,  so  he  moved  to  the  suburb 
of  Avondale  and  there  took  up  gardening,  eventually  developing  a  green- 
house business,  and  was  there  thus  engaged  until  his  death  in  1890,  he  then 
being  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  His  "wife  died  at  the  home  of  one  of  her 
daughters  in  the  Walnut  Hills  section  of  Cincinnati  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eight  of  these  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following:  John,  who  grew  up  to  the  florist  business  and  was  for  twenty 
years  the  florist  at  the  state  Soldiers'  Home  at  Sandusky  and  was  the  land- 
scape gardener  who  laid  out  the  grounds  of  that  institution ;  Joseph,  who 
died  in  1902,  who  was  for  many  years  a  gardener  at  Avondale;  George,  who 
is  the  superintendent  of  the  Walnut  Hills  barns  of  the  Cincinnati  Street  Rail- 
way Company;  Frank,  who  died  during  the  days  of  his  youth;  Leda,  wife  of 
Leopold  Reger,  of  Miamisburg,  this  state,  and  Louise,  who  is  living  in  the 
Walnut  Hills  section  of  Cincinnati  and  who  has  been  married  twice,  her  first 
husband  having  been  Frank  Bentz  and  her  second,  Peter  Kammer. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2^39 

Reared  at  Avondale,  the  junior  Jacob  J.  Lampert  received  his  schooling 
in  the  Catholic  parochial  schools  of  Cincinnati  and  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age  he  assisted  his  father  in  the(  latter's  greenhouses  at  Avondale. 
He  then,  in  1875,  started  out  "on  his  own  hook"  and  coming  up  this  way 
arrived  at  Xenia  with  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  in  his  pockets.  For  two 
years  thereafter  he  was  employed  by  Erastus  Bonner  as  a  farmer  and  florist 
and  at  the  end  of  that  time  married  and  he  and  his  wife  presently  decided  to 
start  a  greenhouse  on  their  own  account.  In  1883  they  bought  the  green- 
houses of  H.  S.  Mathewman  at  Xenia  and  have  ever  since  been  conducting 
the  same,  in  that  time  having  made  large  extensions,  the  plant  now  requiring 
more  than  eleven  thousand  square  feet  of  glass.  In  1888  the  Lamperts 
erected  a  dwelling  house  adjoining  their  greenhouses  and  have  ever  since 
resided  there.     Mr.  Lampert  is  a  Democrat. 

In  1877  Jacob  J.  Lampert  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine  Hornick, 
who  was  born  on  Second  street  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  daughter  of  John  Hor- 
nick and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  merchant  in  that  city,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  six  children,  namely :  John,  a  mechanical  engineer,  who 
is  still  living  at  home  with  his  parents;  William  B.,  now  a  resident  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  who  married  Mildred  Heild  and  has  one  child,  a  son, 
William;  Edward,  who  is  operating  a  greenhouse  at  the  entrance  to  the  Hill 
cemetery  at  Dayton  and  who  married  Nellie  Hamma  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Martha;  George  A.,  of  the  Lampert  Floral  Company,  who,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  brother  Henry  some  time  ago  organized  a  corporation  and 
are  operating  a  greenhouse  on  North  Detroit  street  in  Xenia ;  Harry,  who  is 
engaged  in  business  with  his  brother  George,  as  noted  above,  and  Helen,  of 
Cincinnati.  Miss  Helen  Lampert  early  developed  a  voice  of  rare  range  and 
sweetness  of  tone  and  upon  completing  her  schooling  at  Notre  Dame  College, 
Cincinnati,  turned  her  attention  to  the  further  cultivation  of  her  voice  and,, 
for  some  time  has  been  singing  in  opera.  The  Lamperts  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church. 


LEIGH  A.  TAYLOR. 


Leigh  A.  Taylor,  clerk  in  the  postofifice  at  Xenia,  was  born  at  Iberia,  in 
Morrow  county,  this  state,  September  10,  1872,  son  of  James  W.  and  Mary 
Jane  (Anderson)  Taylor,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died 
on  December  8,  1886.  James  Taylor  was  born  at  New  Athens,  in  Harrison 
county,  this  state,  September  28,  1828,  and  died  at  the  home  of  Leigh  A. 
Taylor  at  Xenia,  on  March  i,  191 2. 

Reared-in-Gwemsey  eotmty-.  this-state,  Leigh  A.  Taylorreceived  his€arly 
schooling  in  the  common  schools  of  that  county  and  supplemented  the  same 


240  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

by  a  course  at  Muskingum  College,  which  institution  he  attended  during  the 
years  18Q9-1901.  Upon  leaving  college  he  became  engaged  in  farming  in 
Greene  county,  on  a  farm  six  miles  east  of  Xenia,  and  was  thus  engaged  for 
nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  employed  in  the  service  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  at  Xenia.  For  eighteen  months  Mr.  Taylor 
continued  this  service  and  he  then,  in  1905,  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  post- 
office  at  Xenia,  a  position  he  ever  since  has  occupied.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 


ALFRED  ZINEY  SMITH. 

Alfred  Ziney  Smith,  superintendent  of  the  plant  of  the  Hagar  Straw- 
board  Company  at  Cedarville,  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  city 
of  Cedarville,  member  of  the  school  board  and  former  president  of  the  local 
board  of  health,  was  born  at  Waterloo,  New  York,  July  14,  1850,  son  of 
Sidney  and  Flora  (Wilson)  Smith,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same 
state. 

Sidney  Smith  was  superintendent  of  an  extensive  dye-works  establish- 
ment at  Waterloo  and  died  at  his  home  at  that  place  at  the  age  of  forty-seven 
years,  leaving  his  widow  with  four  small  sons.  Mr.  Smith  kept  the  family 
together,  presently  moving  to  a  farm  in  Wayne  county,  New  York,  where 
she  remained  until  after  the  Civil  War,  when  she  moved  with  her  sons  to 
Illinois  and  established  her  home  on  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
south  of  the  town  of  Marseilles,  in  LaSalle  county.  She  died  in  Marseilles 
in  1897,  she  then  being  eighty-four  years  of  age.  Her  sons,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  youngest,  are  all  still  living,  Leonard,  a  paint 
contractor,  making  his  home  at  Joliet,  Illinois;  Louis,  formerly  a  miner  at 
Leadville,  Colorado,  now  living  in  New  York  state,  and  Charles  continues  to 
make  his  home  at  Marseilles,  Illinois,  where  he  is  the  proprietor  of  a  barljer 
shop. 

Alfred  Z.  Smith  was  but  little  more  than  two  years  of  age  when  his 
father  died  and  he  was  about  four  when  his  mother  moved  onto  a  farm  in 
her  home  state,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  he  received  his  early  schooling. 
After  the  family  moved  to  Illinois  he  continued  work  on  the  farm  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when,  in  the  spring  of  1871,  he  began  work- 
ing in  a  paper-mill  at  Marseilles  and  was  thus  employed  in  the  plant  of  the 
Brown  &  Norton  Paper  Company,  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time, 
in  1876,  he  went  to  Milan,  Illinois,  and  was  there  engaged  for  three  years 
working  in  another  paper-mill.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  American 
Paper  Company  and  was  for  five  years  stationed  at  Quincy,  being  transferred 


ALFRED  Z.  SMITH. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  24I 

thence  to  Circleville,  Ohio,  where  he  installed  the  machinery  for  the  paper- 
mill  there  and  was  made  sui^erintendent  of  the  plant,  a  position  he  held 
until  1893,  when  he  was  offered  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  mill 
of  the  Columbia  Straw  Paper  Company  at  Xenia  and  moved  to  that  city, 
remaining  thus  engaged  there  for  three  years,  or  until  1897,  when  he  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  present  position  as  superintendent  of  the  plant  of  the 
Hagar  Strawboard  Company  at  Cedarville  and  has  ever  since  been  thus 
engaged.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member  of  the  common  council 
of  his  home  town.  He  served  for  several  years  as  a  member  of  the  local  school 
board,  for  some  time  president  of  the  same,  and  also  has  served  as  president 
of  the  local  board  of  health. 

On  June  2,  1874,  while  living  in  Illinois,  Alfred  Z.  Smith  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Kate  Herlihy,  who  was  born  in  southern  Illinois,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Margaret  (McCarty)  Herlihy,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Ireland,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
Sidney  Daniel  and  Louisa,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  at  home  with  her 
parents.  Sidney  D.  Smith,  who  was  trained  in  the  art  of  paper-making  by 
his  father,  is  now  assistant  superintendent  of  the  plant  of  the  Hagar  Straw- 
board  Company  at  Cedarville.  He  married  Hetta  Crouse  and  makes  his  home 
at  Cedarville. 


CHARLES  KINSEY. 


Charles  Kinsey,  owner  of  the  old  Hammell  place,  in  Xenia  township, 
two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Xenia,  was  born  at  Cincinnati  in  January, 
1879,  son  of  George  and  Martha  Jane  (Humphreys)  Kinsey,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Hamilton  county,  and  the  latter  at 
Newark. 

George  Kinsey  is  a  son  of  William  Kinsey  and  wife,  who  came  from 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Hamilton  county  and 
has  been  a  resident  of  Cincinnati  since  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  for  years 
having  been  engaged  there  as  district  agent  for  the  Jones  &  Laughlin  Steel 
Company.  He  and  his  wife  have  seven  children,  those  besides  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  being  as  follows :  Boyden,  who  is 
engaged  with  bis  father  in  business  at  Cincinnati;  Edna,  wife  of  Louis  M. 
Webb,  also  of  Cincinnati ;  Martha,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents ;  Robert 
S.,  who  is  connected  with  the  American  Key  Can  Company  at  Chicago, 
where  he  makes  his  home;  John  H.,  who  is  at  home,  and  Imogen,  wife  of 
George  E.  Dimock,  Jr.,  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut. 

Reared  at  Cincinnati,  Charles  Kinsey  followed  the  completion  of  his 
studies  in  the  high  school  there  by  a  course  in  the  Ohio  State  University 
(15)     ■ 


242  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  for  a  year  after  leaving  college  was  engaged  in  the  offices  of  Proctor 
&  Gamble  in  Cincinnati.  He  then  became  engaged  with  his  brother  Boyden 
in  the  steel  business  in  Cincinnati  and  was  thus  connected  until  in  October, 
19 lO,  when  he  made  a  prospecting  and  pleasure  trip  to  Idaho  and  through 
the  West.  Upon  his  return  he  began  to  look  about  for  a  place  on  which  to 
engage  in  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  with  this  end  in  view  came  up 
into  Greene  county  and  bought  the  old  Hammell  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-one  acres  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township, 
rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Xenia,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  there.  He  lias  gone  in  somewhat  extensively  to  the 
breeding  of  pure-bred  Percheron  horses  and  among  his  holdings  in  that  line 
are  the  stallion  "Berrien  40210"  and  the  thoroughbred  mares,  "Glen  Wild's 
Bessie"  and  "Belle  of  the  Miami,"  also  a  couple  of  thoroughbred  stallion 
colts,  "Dick"  and  "Donald,"  foaled  in  191 7.  Mr.  Kinsey  also  feeds  a  couple 
of  car  loads  of  cattle  for  the  market  each  year  and  keeps  up  a  herd  of  about 
sixty  pure-bred  Duroc-Jersey  hogs.  He  also  has  a  flock  of  Shrop- 
shire sheep.     Mr.  Kinsey  uses  a  tractor  in  the  cultivation  of  his  farm. 

On  October  15,  1912,  Charles  Kinsey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Marion 
Sherwood,  of  Berrien  county,  Michigan,  daughter  of  R.  H.  Sherwood,  a 
farmer  of  that  county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born, 
Robert  S.,  Virginia  and  Charles,  Jr.  Mrs.  Kinsey  is  a  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational  church. 


FRANK  H.  ROUTZONG. 

Frank  H.  Routzong,  proprietor  of  the  old  Routzong  homestead,  orig- 
inally a  part  of  the  holdings  of  Matthew  Quinn,  a  settler  of  1803,  and 
known  as  "Shady  Bower,"  in  Xenia  township,  was  born  on  that  farm  and 
has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  bom  on  December  3,  1876,  son  and  only 
child  of  Mathias  and  Martha  (Harner)  Routzong,  both  members  of  old 
and  influential  families  in  this  county,  Mathias  Routzong  having  been  born 
on  that  same  farm,  where  he  spent  all  his  life,  one  of  the  well-to-do  farmers 
of  that  part  of  the  county. 

]\Iathias  Routzong  was  born  in  February,  1842,  son  of  Adam  and 
Sarah  (Koegler)  Routzong,  who  settled  on  that  farm  in  1837.  Adam  Rout- 
zong was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  December  4,  1806,  and  was 
eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  father.  Henry  Routzong.  to 
Ohio  in  1824,  the  family  locating  in  the  Fairfield  neighborhood  in  this 
county.  Henrv  Routzong's  wife  had  died  in  Maryland  some  years  before 
he  came  with  his  three  sons  to  this  county.  On  that  pioneer  farm  in  the 
vicinity   of   Fairfield   Adam   Routzong   lived   until   after   his   marriage.      In 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  243 

1837,  he  bought  "Sliady  Bower,"  the  Matthew  Quinn  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-nine  acres,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  5,  township  3,  range 
7,  on  the  Xenia  and  Fairfield  pike  in  Xenia  township,  paying  for  the  same 
three  thousand  dollars.  Matthew  Quinn  had  settled  there  in  1803  with  his 
family,  members  of  the  considerable  colony  of  Scotch  Seceders  that  had 
come  up  from  Kentucky  in  order  to  get  away  from  slavery  conditions,  and 
he  is  buried  on  the  farm  which  he  developed,  the  Routzongs  having  ever 
carefully  guarded  against  agricultural  intrusion  the  little  plot  of  ground  sur- 
rounding his  grave.  The  barn  that  Matthew  Quinn  built  on  that  place  is 
still  standing  and  is  being  preserved  by  Mr.  Routzong  as  one  of  the  oldest 
architectural  relics  in  Greene  county.  Adam  Routzong  added  to  his  hold- 
ings there  until  he  became  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres 
there.  In  1861  he  bought  another  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three 
acres  in  Xenia  township  and  in  1872  retired  from  farm  labors  and  moved 
to  Xenia,  but  in  1886  returned  to  the  farm  which  he  had  last  purchased  and 
there  he  died  on  Jwne  16,  1887,  and  was  buried  in  the  Byron  cemetery. 
Politically,  Adam  Routzong  was  a  Republican,  and  by  religious  persuasion 
was  a  Lutheran.  Adam  Routzong  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife, 
Sarah  Koegler,  he  was  the  father  of  two  sons,  Henry,  who  became  a  mer- 
chant at  Yellow  Springs  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  and  Mathias,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  second  wife  of  Adam  Routzong  was 
Constance  Comfort  Cromwell,  who  was  born  near  Clear  Springs,  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Maryland,  and  who  survived  him.  To  that  union  also  were 
born  two  sons,  Joseph  Cromwell  Routzong,  who  for  years  occupied  the  farm 
his  father  had  last  bought  in  Xenia  township  and  who  is  now  living  retired 
in  Xenia,  and  John  R.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Mathias  Routzong  received 
his  schooling  in  tlie  local  schools  and  from  boyhood  was  an  assistant  in  the 
labors  of  developing  and  improving  the  home  place,  the  management  of, 
which  he  took  over  after  his  marriage  and  of  which  he  later  became  the 
owner,  afterward  adding  to  his  acreage  there  until  he  was  the  owner  of 
three  hundred  and  thirty-four  acres,  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  Frank. 
In  1882  he  erected  a  nine-room  house  on  the  place  and  among  the  other  im- 
provements he  made  was  a  large  dairy  barn.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republi- 
can, as  was  his  father,  but  was  not  an  aspirant  for  political  ofifice.  His  last 
days  were  spent  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born,  his  death,  occurring 
there  in  September,  1892,  and  his  widow  still  survives  him.  Slie  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  Martha  Harner,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Sarah  Harner, 
of  Beavercreek  township,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in 
Greene  county,  further  mention  of  which  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
To  the  union  of  Mathias  and  Martha    (Harner)    Routzong  was  born  one 


244  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

child,  a  son,  Frank  H.  Routzong,  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this 
biographical   sketch. 

Frank  H.  Routzong  grew  up  on  the  old  home  farm  on  which  he  was 
born  and  has  always  lived  there.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  common 
schools  and  early  became  a  valuable  factor  in  the  labors  of  the  home  farm, 
which  he  now  owns.  He  has  given  considerable  attention  to  dairying  in 
connection  with  his  general  farming  and  raises  Holstein  and  Jersey  cattle 
and  Duroc-Jersey  hogs.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  given  a  good  citizen's 
attention  to  local  political  affairs,  but  has  not  been  included  in  the  office- 
seeking  class. 

On  December  8,  1897,  Frank  H.  Routzong  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Harriet  Wolf,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Lenora  (Schauer)  Wolf,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Bath  township  and  who  are  now  living  retired  in  the  village 
of  Osborn.  Benjamin  Wolf  and  wife,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  have  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Routzong  having  a 
sister,  Cora,  who  married  George  Williamson,  of  Beavercreek  township, 
and  has  a  daughter,  Grace  Mae,  who  married  Harry  Ferguson  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Richard  Benjamin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Routzong  have  three  chil- 
dren, Wilfred  W.,  Cora  Eleanor  and  Catherine  Louise.  The  Routzongs 
are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 


ANDREW  HOOD  WHITE. 

Among  that  numerous  band  of  vigorous  octogenarians  of  which  Greene 
county  is  so  justly  proud  there  are  few  who  have  a  wider  acquaintance  or 
are  held  in  higher  regard  than  the  venerable  Andrew  Hood  White,  who  for 
many  years  was  actively  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Clifton  and 
who  is  still  living  in  that  pleasant  village,  of  which  he  has  been  a  continuous 
resident  since  the  latter  '50s.  Mr.  White  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
public-school  system  in  Clifton  and  was  for  years  clerk  of  the  local  school 
board.  He  also  has  been  for  years  a  member  of  the  session  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  at  Clifton,  now  the  senior  elder,  and  has  thus  been  long  recog- 
nized as  among  the  leaders  in  good  works  throughout  that  part  of  the  county 
and  in  the  adjacent  sections  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark. 

Mr.  White  is  a  South  Carolinian  and  proud  of  it,  though  he  has  never 
had  occasion  to  regret  the  choice  which  made  him  a  citizen  of  Ohio  away 
back  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood,  for  this  section  of  the  Buckeye  state 
has  come  to  be  very  dear  to  him  during  the  many  years  in  which  he  has 
been  a  participant  in  its  development.  The  manner  of  Mr.  White's  coming 
to  and  definite  determination  to  settle  in  Greene  county  is  but  one  of  the  count- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  245 

less  instances  showing  upon  what  a  slender  chance  human  choice  sometimes 
depends.  He  was  born  in  Chester  county,  South  Carolina,  April  2j,  1835, 
son  of  Abram  and  Esther  (Thompson)  White,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  that  state,  of  old  Colonial  stock,  the  former  born  in  1793,  who  were 
substantial  landed  proprietors  there.  Reared  in  his  home  county,  Andrew 
H.  White  received  excellent  schooling  there  and  remained  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  took  a  trip  West,  spending  a  year  at  Camden, 
Arkansas.  At  that  time  his  brother,  the  Rev.  W.  G.  White,  was  engaged  in 
the  ministry  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton,  in  this  county,  and  upon 
his  return  from  the  West  he  stopped  at  Clifton  for  the  purpose  of  making 
a  brief  visit  to  his  brother.  So  favorably  impressed  did  he  become  with 
the  outlook  here,  however,  that  he  determined  to  make  this  his  permanent 
home,  readily  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the  attractive  village  of  Clifton 
would  be  a  most  desirable  point  in  which  to  engage  in  business.  That 
he  might  be  better  qualified  for  a  mercantile  career,  Mr.  White  went  to  Cin- 
cinnati, where  he  took  a  thorough  course  in  a  business  college  and  then 
for  a  year  afterward  was  engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store  at  Dayton. 
He  then  returned  to  Clifton  and  there  opened  a  store.  From  the  very  begin- 
ning of  his  commercial  undertaking  Mr.  White  was  successful  and  he  con- 
tinued in  business,  carrying  on  the  same  in  the  building  in  which  he  started 
his  store,  for  forty  years,  or  until  his  retirement  from  active  business  about 
fifteen  years  ago,  when  he  sold  his  store.  Since  then  he  has  been  living 
retired,  though  he  still  retains  interests  of  one  sort  and  another  that  pre- 
vents time  hanging  heavily  on  his  hands.  From  the  very  beginning  of  his 
residence  in  Clifton  Mr.  White  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  school  affairs. 
For  years  he  was  clerk  of  the  school  board  and  thus  the  Qifton  schools 
virtually  grew  up  under  his  eye  and  in  a  measure  under  his  direction. 
Politically,  Mr.  White  is  a  Democrat  of  the  old  Jacksonian  school  and  for 
years  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  that  party  hereabout. 

On  April  18,  1866,  Andrew  H.  White  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  J.  Hand,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Yellow  Springs,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Johnson)  Hand,  the  former 
of  whom  died  when  his  daughter  Margaret  was  two  years  of  age,  his  widow 
surviving  him  for  years.  The  latter  was  a  native  of  Mason  county,  Ken- 
tucky. Mrs.  White  died  at  her  home  in  Clifton  on  May  24,  1893,  and  i$ 
buried  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  there.  She  left  one  daughter.  Miss  Florence 
Kennett  White,  who  is  a  great  stay  and  comfort  to  her  father  in  the  latter's 
declining  years.  Miss  White  was  given  excellent  educational  advantages 
in  the  days  of  her  girlhood  and  has  traveled  quite  extensively  in  the  South. 
Mr.  White  is  now  the  senior  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton 
and  for  many  years  has  been  clerk  of  the  session,  his  interest  in  church 


246  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

work  thus  extending  to  all  departments  of  the  same ;  an  interest  that  he  is 
happy  to  say  does  not  wane  with  advancing  years. 


JESSE  F.  JOHNSON. 

Jesse  F.  Johnson,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Jamestown  in  1896  and 
whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was  for  years  a  merchant  and  business 
man  of  that  village.  He  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  south  of  that  village 
on  June  6,  1827,  son  of  John  D.  and  Martha  (Blain)  Johnson,  who  were 
among  the  early  settlers  of  that  section.  John  D.  Johnson,  whose  last  days 
were  spent  at  Jamestown,  to  which  place  he  moved  upon  his  retirement 
from  the  farm,  was  twice  married  and  was  the  father  of  eight  children, 
Cyrus,  Jesse  F.,  Joel,  Julia,  Mrs.  Eliza  Jane  Christopher,  Cloyce,  Salathiel 
and  Samuel. 

Reared  on  the  farm.  Jesse  F.  Johnson  received  his  schooling  in  the 
neighborhood  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  the  fall 
of  185-I,  when  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Jamestown. 
Not  long  afterward  he  moved  to  Wilmington,  county  seat  of  the  neighbor- 
ing county  of  Clinton,  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  hard- 
ware business,  continuing  thus  engaged  at  that  place  for  five  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Jamestown,  resumed  the  grocery  business 
in  that  village  and  there  continued  thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  1896.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  interests  at 
Jamestown  Mr.  Johnson  was  one  of  the  leading  stockholders  of  the  Farmers 
and  Traders  Bank  at  that  place.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church. 

On  November  2,  1854,  Jesse  F.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Amy  Fuller,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilmington,  this 
state,  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  Fuller,  who  during  the  '40s  left  this 
state  and  went  to  the  then  Territory  of  Iowa,  where  John  Fuller  became  the 
founder  of  the  now  thriving  city  of  Ottumwa,  in  Wapello  county,  his  orig- 
inal plat  of  that  town,  laid  out  on  the  land  he  had  entered,  carrying  twenty- 
two  lots.  Mrs.  Fuller  died  there  and  in  1849  John  Fuller  joined  the  gold- 
seekers  rush  to  California  and  spent  his  remaining  days  there,  dying  in 
Sacramento.  John  Fuller  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Johnson,  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  is  now  the  only  survivor, 
the  others  having  been  Sarah  Louisa,  who  married  Ivan  Hester:  Anna 
Maria,  who  was  twice  married,  her  second  husband  having  been  William 
Mercer,  of  Jamestown,  and  Henry  W.,  Mary  Ellen  and  Gideon. 

To   Jesse    F.    and   Amy    (Fuller)    Johnson    were    born   three   children, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  "  247 

namely:  Charles,  who  died  in  infancy;  Alice  May,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years,  and  William  Warren,  who  is  now  engaged  in  business  at 
Jamestown,  which  has  been  his  home  since  the  days  of  his  infancy.  Will- 
iam Warren  Johnson,  president  of  the  Peoples  Bank  of  Jamestown  and  a 
merchant  in  that  village,  was  born  at  Wilmington  during  the  time  of  the 
residence  of  his  parents  in  that  city,  in  1862,  and  was  but  an  infant  when 
his  parents  returned  to  Jamestown  in  1863.  He  was  reared  in  the  latter 
town,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  place,  and  from  boy- 
hood was  trained  in  commercial  ways,  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the 
latter's  management  of  the  store.  Upon  his  father's  retirement  from  busi- 
ness, he  continued  the  management  of  the  store  and  has  thus  been  engaged 
ever  since.     For  years  he  has  served  as  president  of  the  Peoples  Bank. 

William  W.  Johnson  married  Ethel  Smith,  of  Pottersburg,  this  state. 
By  a  former  marriage  Mr.  Johnson  had  one  son.  Dr.  Jesse  Stanley  Johnson, 
an  osteopathic  physician,  now  practicing  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  Doctor 
Johnson  was  reared  at  Jamestown  and  was  educated  there  and  at  Misilla 
Park,  New  Mexico,  and  upon  receiving  his  diploma  from  the  osteopathic 
college  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Washington,  D.  C,  but 
presently  moved  from  there  to  Hagerstown  and  has  since  been  practicing  in 
the  latter  city.  He  married  Bettie  Eolio  Cook,  of  Bridgeport,  Ohio.  Mrs. 
Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


DAVID  E.  CROW. 


David  E.  Crow,  steward  of  the  workhouse  at  Xenia,  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Jeffersonville,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Fayette,  a  son  of  E.  H.  Crow,  who  was  born  in  Champaign  county,  this  state, 
and  who  was  killed  in  an  accident  when  his  son  David  was  a  child.  The 
latter  grew  up  in  Fayette  county,  received  there  a  common-school  education 
and  followed  farming  until  lie  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  became  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business  at  Jamestown.  For  four  years  Mr.  Crow  was  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business  at  Jamestown  and  then,  in  1892,  he  moved  to  Xenia 
and  in  the  latter  city  became  established  in  the  same  business,  continuing  thus 
engaged  until  his  appointment  on  January  15,  1902,  to  the  position  of  super- 
intendent of  the  public  workhouse,  a  position  he  occupied  until  the  inaugura- 
tion of  the  new  form  of  city  government  in  1918,  when  he  was  made  steward 
of  the  workhouse.  Mr.  Crow  is  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated 
with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  at  Xenia. 


248  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

LEWIS  MIDDLETON. 

The  late  Lewis  Aliddleton,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship on  November  12,  191 7,  was  born  in  that  township  and  had  spent  all 
his  life  there.  He  was  bom  on  December  6,  1839,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Sarah  (Hartsook)  Middleton,  early  settlers  in  Caesarscreek  township,  the 
former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter  of  Maryland.  Thomas  Middleton 
was  born  in  Berkeley  county,  now  in  West  Virginia,  a  son  of  Betheul  and 
Naomi  (Ganoe)  Middleton,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  that  same 
county  and  who  later  canje  to  this  part  of  Ohio  and  became  pioneers  of 
Greene  county.  Betheul  Middleton's  father  was  Thomas  Middleton,  who 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  but  who  had  established  his  home  in  western  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  spent  his  last  days.  To  Betheul  Middleton  and  wife  were 
born  the  following  children:  John,  Thomas,  William,  James,  Nathaniel, 
Betheul,  Betsy,  Amy,  Polly  and  Linda.  Along  in  the  '30s  the  two  elder  sons, 
Thomas  and  John  Middleton,  came  over  into  Ohio  on  a  prospecting  trip 
and  located  a  tract  of  land  where  Middleton  Corners  later  came  to  be 
established,  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county.  Thomas  Middleton  then 
went  back  to  Virginia  and  brought  back  with  him  his  parents  and  other 
members  of  the  family,  the  family  driving  through  to  Greene  county  with  a 
six-horse  team.  The  land  they  had  bought  was  a  part  of  the  Andrew  Tate 
tract  and  there  in  the  heavy  timber  the  Middletons  put  up  a  log  house  and 
established  their  home,  the  parents  spending  there  the  remainder  of  their 
lives. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Thomas  Middleton  became  engaged  in  teaming, 
a  vocation  which  in  those  days  of  long  freight  hauls  by  wagon  train  meant 
more  than  it  does  in  these  days,  and  later  became  a  cattle  buyer  and  pork- 
packer,  buying  and  packing  his  stock  here  and  disposing  of  the  same  in  the 
market  at  Cincinnati,  the  first  year  in  which  he  thus  was  engaged  his  transac- 
tions aggregating  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  He  also  took  an  active  part 
in  political  affairs  and  was  long  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
Democratic  party  hereabout,  a  familiar  and  influential  figure  at  party  con- 
ventions and  the  like  and  for  years  treasurer  of  his  home  township.  Thomas 
Middleton  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-six  years,  his  death  occurring 
at  Lewis  Middleton's  home  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  May  22,  1888,  and 
he  was  buried  in  the  Eleazar  churchyard.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to 
the  grave  some  years,  her  death  having  occurred  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these  children,  all  of  whom 
are  now  deceased  save  Elijah,  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  who  married 
Charity  Kurl  and  is  now  living  at  Nevada,  Missouri,  the  others  besides  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  been  Elizabeth,  who  married  John 


MR.  AND  MRS.  LEWIS  MIDDLETON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  249 

Rumbo;  William  Harrison,  who  married  Sarah  Forkner;  Nathan  J.,  who 
married  Margaret  Sipe,  and  Sarah  Jane,  who  married  David  Turner. 

Lewis  Middleton  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  From  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  he  was  a  valued  factor  on  the  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in  1867 
continued  to  help  work  the  place  until  1875,  in  which  year  he  bought  the 
Sellers  Fudge  farm  of  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
established  his  home  on  that  place  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  the  fall  of  191 7,  he  then  lacking  less  than  a  month 
of  being  seventy-eight  years  of  age.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr. 
Middleton  had  for  thirty-five  years  been  a  breeder  of  fine  horses,  during 
that  time  having  done  much  to  improve  the  strain  of  horse  flesh  throughout 
this  and  adjoining  counties.  He  was  a  Bryan  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that 
faith. 

On  January  i,  1867,  in  this  county,  Lewis  Middleton  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Samantha  Long,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  this 
county,  November  14,  1847,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Alargaret  (McGuffy) 
Long,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the  state.  Margaret  McGufify's  mother 
was  a  Kaufifman.  Adam  Long  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  was  but  a  lad 
when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents,  Adam  and  Margaret 
(Ewing)  Long,  the  family  settling  in  New  Jersey  township  among  the 
early  settlers  of  that  part  of  the  county.  The  elder  Adam  Long  and  his 
wife  had  five  children,  William,  Henry,  Peter,  Eliza  and  Adam.  The  latter 
grew  up  on  the  pioneer  farm  which  his  parents  had  settled  in  New  Jasper 
township  and  he  married  in  that  township  and  for  years  made  his  home 
there,  later  moving  over  into  the  adjoining  county  of  Fayette,  where  he  died. 
His  widow  married  a  Mr.  Whaley  and  moved  to  Indiana,  where  her  last 
days  were  spent.  The  younger  Adam  Long  was  a  Republican  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which 
he  for  years  served  as  class  leader.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine 
children,  namely:  Peter,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood;  James,  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  is  now  living  in  St.  Clair  county,  Missouri ; 
Francis,  who  also  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh;  Samantha,  widow  of  Mr. 
Middleton;  William,  who  is  now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Dayton,  this 
state;  Adam,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  in  Xenia;  Curtis,  who  married 
EHzabeth  English  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years;  Jane,  wife  of 
George  Rusby,  of  Independence,  Iowa,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Caris  Mercer, 
of  Woodburn,  Indiana. 


250  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

To  Lewis  and  Samantha  ( Long )  Middleton  were  born  six  children, 
namely:  Harry  Edgar,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Lora,  wife  of 
Solomon  Early,  of  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county ;  Thomas,  a  Greene 
county  farmer,  who  married  Lulu  Dunlap  and  has  three  sons.  William,  Roy 
and  Harold  ;  Thurman,  who  married  Jessie  Forkner  and  is  farming  in  Caesars- 
creek township;  Arthur  Leroy,  who  died  in  youth,  and  Curtis,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Middle- 
ton  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm,  retaining  her  interest  in 
the  community  in  which  she  has  lived  all  her  life  and  in  which  she  has  been 
a  witness  to  the  amazing  changes  that  have  been  wrought  since  the  days 
of  her  girlhood. 


\\'1fLLL\M  P.  ANDERSON. 

William  P.  Anderson,  a  retired  farmer  now  living  at  Cedarville, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  since  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1907, 
was  born  on  a  farm  one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Cedarville  on  February 
4,  1848,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Collins)  Anderson,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  that  same  township  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this  county. 

William  Anderson,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  son  of 
William  Anderson  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Kyle,  who  came 
up  here  from  the  neighborhood  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  at  an  early  day  in 
the  settlement  of  Greene  county  and  put  in  their  lot  with  that  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong,  members  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
(Seceder)  cliurch,  who  had  come  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Miami  in  order  to  get  away  from  slavery  conditions.  The  elder  William 
Anderson  established  his  home  at  what  came  to  be  known  as  "Andersons 
Forks,"  in  the  south  part  of  the  county.  He  later  moved  to  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cedarville  and  on  the  latter  place,  spent  his  last  days.  The 
younger  William  Anderson  grew  up  on  that  farm  and  in  time  became  a 
farmer  on  his  own  account.  After  his  marriage  to  Mary  Collins,  who 
also  was  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families,  lie  estab- 
lislied  his  home  on  a  farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  six  miles  from  Xenia, 
spending  the  rest  of  his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1868,  he  then 
being  sixty-two  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  she 
ha\ing  been  eighty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death  in  1906. 
\\'illiam  and  Mary  (Collins)  Anderson  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  as  follows:  Mary,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Walker  Taylor:  Ella,  also  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Frank 
Spencer:  Margaret,  the  wife  of  James  A.  Curry,  who  is  now  making  her 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2^1 

htjme  in  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark;  Martha,  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Thompson  Crawford,  of  Cedarville ;  Nannie,  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  E.  C.  Harris,  of  Springfield;  Archibald,  now  de- 
ceased, who  remained  on  the  old  Collins  homestead,  and  who  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Ella  Webster  and  his  second,  Ella  An- 
derson; Lydia,  who  is  now  living  at  Santa  Ana,  California,  widow  of 
William  Smart;  Maria,  wife  of  John  C.  Williamson,  of  Xenia;  Samuel  C, 
who  married  Nettie  Williamson  and  spent  his  last  days  on  the  old  Ander- 
son home  place,  and  Eula,  also  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  W. 
C.  Coleman. 

William  P.  Anderson  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  completed  his 
.schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  1883  he  established 
his  home  on  the  old  home  place,  one  hundred  and  seven  acres  of  which  he 
bought,  and  engaged  in  general  farming  and  in  the  raising  of  live  stock 
until  he  sold  the  farm  in  1907  and  moved  to  Cedarville,  where  he  since 
has  made  -his  home.  In  addition  to  the  land  he  owned  in  this  county,  Mr. 
Anderson  also  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Clark 
and  the  owner  of  lands  in  Texas.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  the 
public  in  the  capacity  of  justice  of  the  peace  and  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board.     While  living  on  the  farm  he  also  operated  a  stone  quarry. 

On  December  19,  1883,  William  P.  Anderson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Emma  J.  Collins,  daughter  of  Col.  Thomas  C.  Collins  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Colonel  Collins  was  born  on  the  farm  in  that  county 
on  which  his  father,  James  Collins,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  was  born, 
James  Collins  having  been  the  son  of  Cornelius  Collins,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, who  had  come  to  this  country  and  had  established  his  home  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  in  Colonial  days.  James  Collins,  the  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  was  the  father  of  two  sons,  Cornelius  and  Thomas  C,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  for  years  auditor  of  his  home  county,  a  member  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  and  the  trustee  of  a  local  insurance  com- 
pany. He  was  an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  Col.  Thomas 
C.  Collins  was  twice  married.  Pjy  his  first  wife,  who  was  Grace  McCul- 
lough,  he  was  the  father  of  six  children,  James,  Hugh,  Thomas,  Mary,  Grace 
and  Sarah.  His  second  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Anderson,  was  a  daughter 
of  Ross  and  Sarah  Campbell,  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  By  that 
second  marriage  he  was  the  father  of  three  children,  Mrs.  Anderson  having 
a  brother,  Ross,  who  is  living  at  Ouarryville,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  sister. 
Bertha  I.,  who  married  George  Herbert  and  is  now  living  at  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land. Mrs.  Anderson  completed  her  schooling  in  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Normal  School  and  for  a  time  before  her  marriage  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing music. 

To  William  P.  and  Emma  J.  (Collins)  Anderson  have  been  born  four 


252  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

children,  William  E.,  Thomas  Collins,  Bertha  Isabel  and  Wallace  Cooper, 
all  of  whom  are  living  and  doing  well.  William  E.  Anderson  was  born  on 
November  24,  1884,  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  high  school  at 
Xenia  entered  Tarkio  College  at  Tarkio,  Missouri,  upon  completing  the 
course  at  which  he  began  teaching  school.  He  then  went  to  Kansas  and 
later  to  Colorado,  in  which  latter  state  he  became  the  owner  of  a  ranch  in 
the  vicinity  of  Olathe ;  later  going  to  Greeley,  Colorado,  where  he  is  now 
living,  one  of  the  chief  stockholders  and  the  general  manager  of  the  firm 
of  W.  D.  Garlington  &  Company,  dealers  in  general  produce.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Doland.  Thomas  Collins  Anderson,  who  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  at  Olathe,  Colorado,  where  he  also  is  a  ranch  owner,  went  to  Kan- 
sas after  finishing  the  course  in  the  high  school  at  Cedarville  and  entered 
Sterling  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  He  married  Emma  Ouinlan  and  has  three  children,  Phyllis  Jean, 
Lois  Rachel  and  Genevieve.  Bertha  Isabel  Anderson  completed  her  school- 
ing at  Cedarville  College  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  teaching  school,  at 
present  connected  with  the  schools  at  Osborn,  she  having  previously  taught 
for  one  year  at  Selma  and  for  two  years  at  West  Liberty.  W^allace  Cooper 
Anderson  finished  the  high  school  course  and  took  one  year  at  Cedarville 
College  and  is  now  attending  Cooper  College,  Sterling,  Kansas.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Anderson  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 


ROBERT  HARVEY  NASH. 

The  late  Robert  Har\'ey  Nash,  former  county  commissioner  and  the 
proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  on  the  Hoop  road,  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Xenia, 
rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  that  city,  where  his  widow  still  lives,  was 
born  in  this  county  and  all  his  life  was  spent  here.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
on  the  Columbus  pike  in  Xenia  township,  March  20,  185 1,  son  of  John  R. 
and  Mary  (Jackson)  Nash,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county, 
members  of  pioneer  families,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Gen.  Robert  and  Minerva 
(Eddy)  Jackson,  further  mention  of  whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive 
narrative  relating  to  the  Jackson  family  in  this  county,  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  the  Jacksons  having  been  among  the  foremost  pioneers  of  the 
Cedarville  neighborhood. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume,  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  the  vener- 
able John  R.  Nash,  of  Xenia  township,  there  also  is  set  out  a  comprehensive 
history  of  the  Nash  family  in  this  county,  this  family  having  had  its  begin- 
ning here  with  the  coming  of  Nathan  and  Polly  (Ward)  Nash  from  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania,  about  the  time  Greene  county  was  erected 
into  a  civic  unit,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years  ago.     This  pioneer  couple 


C^     r. 


^l  .  -^^  -yVei^ty 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  253 

were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  hence  the  Nash  connection  in  this  par- 
ticular branch  became  a  numerous  one  in  the  succeeding  generation.  Hugh 
Nash,  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  six  sons  of  Nathan  and  Polly  Nash, 
there  having  been  four  daughters  in  the  family,  grew  up  in  this  county  and 
married  Rebecca  Graham.  He  died  in  Xenia  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years 
and  his  widow  survived  him  to  the  age  of  eighty-three.  Originally  mem- 
bers of  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  they  became  affiliated  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  after  the  "union."  Their  two  children  are  still  living, 
John  R.  Nash,  now  past  ninety  years  of  age,  having  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
Miller,  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  As  noted  elsewhere,  John  R.  Nash  established 
himself  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  in  Xenia  township,  in  1859, 
about  nine  years  after  his  marriage  to  Mary  Jackson,  who  died  September 
3,  1904,  she  then  being  past  seventy-two  years  of  age.  To  that  union  two 
sons  were  born,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  had  a  brother, 
Hugh  Leander  Nash,  who  is  still  farming  the  old  home  place  east  of  Xenia, 
his  father  continuing  to  make  his  home  there.  John  R.  Nash  has  been  an 
elder  in  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  for  more  than  forty 
years  and  his  sons  were  reared  in  that  faith. 

Robert  H.  Nash,  elder  of  the  two  sons  of  John  R.  and  Mary  (Jackson) 
Nash,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia 
high  school  and  in  the  old  Xenia  College  and  remained  at  home  until  his 
marriage  in  1876.  Shortly  before  his  marriage  he  bought  a  farm  on  the 
Nash  road  in  Xenia  township  adjoining  his  father's  farm.  He  built  a  new 
house  on  that  place  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  1898,  when  he 
purchased  the  farm  formerly  owned  by  his  father-in-law  on  the  James- 
town pike,  where  he  resided  until  the  spring  of  1910,  when  he  so^d  that 
place  and  bought  the  Lauman  farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  on  the  Hoop  road 
in  Xenia  township,  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  November  25,  1917.  Upon  taking 
possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Nash  made  numerous  substantial  improvements 
on  the  same  and  the  work  he  inaugurated  there  is  now  being  successfully 
carried  on  by  his  sons,  Walter  L.,  who  bought  eighty  acres  of  his  father's 
place,  and  William  H.  Nash,  who  remains  with  his  mother  on  the  remainder 
of  the  farm.  Robert  H.  Nash  was  a  Republican  and  served  two  terms 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  from  his  district. 
elected  for  the  first  term  in  the  fall  of  1900.  He  was  an  earnest  member 
of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  as  is  his  widow,  and  the 
family  has  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the 
general  good  works  of  the  community.  As  was  written  of  Mr.  Nash  during 
the  time  of  his  service  as  a  county  commissioner:  "As  a  public  official  he 
is  true  to  his  promises  and  is  most  active  and  earnest  in  supporting  every 


254  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

movement  and  measure  which  he  believes  will  contribute  to  the  general 
good,"  and  he  continued  thus  to  the  end,  faithful  and  true  in  every  relation 
of  life. 

On  November  28,  1876,  Robert  H.  Nash  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Agnes  Gordon  Watt,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  on  a  farm  on 
the  Federal  pike,  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  G.  (Carruthers)  Watt, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Xenia,  the  former  dying  at  his  home  there  on 
June  12,  1894,  he  then  being  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  latter, 
June  13,  1898,  she  then  being  in  her  eighthieth  year.  Both  William  Watt 
and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Scotland,  but  were  married  in  this  country. 
William  Watt  came  to  the  United  States  upon  attaining  his  majority  and 
was  for  a  time  thereafter  engaged  at  working  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  car- 
penter, in  New  York  City.  He  then  came  to  Ohio  and  worked  at  Bain- 
bridge  until  1849,  when  he  came  to  Greene  covmty  and  established  his 
home  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Xenia  township.  Some  years  later 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  moved  to  a  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship, where  he  remained  for  twenty-three  years,  or  until  his  retirement  in 
1884  and  removal  to  Xenia,  were  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  William  Watt  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  time  served  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  from  his  district.  He  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  were  ever  active  in 
good  works.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Mis.  Nash  was 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
D.  H.  Cherry,  of  Xenia  township;  Sarah  J.,  wife  of  Warren  Johnson,  of 
Wichita,  Kansas;  Margaret  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years; 
James  B.,  who  became  engaged  in  the  wholesale  clothing  business  at  Chi- 
cago; the  Rev.  John  C.  Watt,  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  sta- 
tioned at  Moss  Point,  Mississippi;  David  B.,  a  substantial  farmer  in  Xenia 
township;  Robert  C,  a  Cedarville  township  farmer;  Emily  H.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  Rosetta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  si.x  months. 

To  Robert  H.  and  Agnes  G.  (Watt)  Nash  were  born  five  children, 
four  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  .save  the  latter, 
Sarah  May,  born  on  April  22,  1888,  who  died  on  April  6,  1889.  The  first- 
born son,  Herbert  Watt  Nash,  born  on  March  i,  187S.  completed  his 
schooling  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and  is  now  living  at  Xenia,  engaged  as 
general  foreman  for  the  Wilson  Engineering  and  Construction  Company. 
He  married  Pearl  Edwards,  daughter  of  Frank  Edwards,  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Roger  Herbert.  The  second  son,  Walter  Leigh  Nash,  born 
on  April  5,  1883,  also  had  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and  in 
Cedarville  College  and  is  farming  the  eighty  acres  bought  from  his  father. 
He  married  Nellie  Ireland,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Jane  (Padgett)   Ireland, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  255 

and  has  two  children,  daughters  both,  Pauline  Augusta  and  Esther  Marie. 
The  Rev.  Charles  Elmer  Nash,  the  third  son,  born  on  February  20,  1886, 
a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  now  at  Shushan,  New 
York,  was  educated  at  Cedarville  College  and  at  Muskingum  College,  took 
theology  at  the  Xenia  Theological  Seminary  and  after  his  ordination  was 
for  some  time  in  charge  of  a  church  in  Wisconsin,  later  in  Ohio,  then  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  is  now  at  Shushan,  pastor  of  one  of  the  oldest  United 
Presbyterian  congregations  in  the  United  States.  He  married  Florence 
Smith  and  has  two  children,  Robert  Lewis  and  Elizabeth  Lucile.  The 
youngest  son,  William  Harvey  Nash,  born  on  January  19,  1892,  completed 
his  schooling  at  the  Xenia  high  school  and  is  still  at  home  operating  the 
farm  for  his  mother.  The  Nashes  have  a  delightful  home  and  are  very 
pleasantly  situated. 


HARRY  R.  KENDIG. 


Harry  R.  Kendig,  proprietor  of  a  dry-goods  store  at  Osborn,  former 
town  clerk,  town  treasurer  and  member  of  the  village  council,  was  bom  on 
a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Byron,  in  this  county,  January  2J,  1875,  son  of 
John  and  Sarah  (Mitman)  Kendig,  both  now  deceased.  John  Kendig  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  but  a  small  boy  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with 
his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Montgomery  county.  He  became  a  farmer 
and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Byron,  in  this  county,  where  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  They 
moved  to  Osborn  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death 
occurring  in  1898  and  hers,  in  1913.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, six  of  whom  are  still  living. 

Upon  completing  his  schooling  in  the  Byron  schools,  Harry  R.  Kendig 
took  a  commercial  course  in  a  business  college  and  then  became  engaged  as 
a  clerk  in  the  store  of  J.  C.  Smith  at  Osborn  and  was  thus  engaged  for 
twelve  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1907,  he  bought  the  F.  E.  Glenn 
store  in  that  village  and  has  since  been  there  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  His  store  is  stocked  with  a  general  line  of  dry-goods  and 
shoes,  his  present  stock  appraising  twelve  thousand  dollars  and  upwards, 
and  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  he  regards  with  deep  concern  the 
flood-prevention  project  which  seems  likely  soon  to  relegate  Osborn  to  that 
unhappy  limbo  of  things  that  are  done.  Mr.  Kendig  is  a  Democrat  and  for 
six  years  served  as  town  clerk,  two  years  as  village  treasurer  and  four  years 
as  a  member  of  the  village  council,  in  addition  to  which  he  also  served  for 
two  years  as  treasurer  of  Bath  township. 

On  October  7,  1903,  Harry  R.  Kendig  was  united  in  marriage  to  Julia 


256  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

H.  Sweeney,  daughter  of  Z.  T.  and  Rebecca  (Cosier)  Sweeney,  the  former 
of  whom  formerly  was  a  carpenter,  but  is  now  living  on  a  farm  in  Bath 
township,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  John  W.,  born 
on  Octoljer  4.  1904.  Mr.  Kendig  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 


JOHN  HARVEY  ADAMS. 

The  late  John  Har\-ey  Adams,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek 
township  in  the  spring  of  1908  and  whose  widow  and  children  are  still 
living  there,  was  born  in  that  same  township  and  had  lived  there  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Adams  farm  just  north  of  Painter sville  on 
April  29,  1853,  son  of  Jackson  and  Sarah  (Kildow)  Adams,  the  former 
of  whom  also  was  born  there,  son  of  Nimrod  and  Susan  (Linkhart)  Adams, 
pioneers  of  that  community,  who  had  settled  there  upon  coming  here 
from  Virginia  many  years  ago,  and  a  further  and  more  extended  account 
of  whom,  together  with  other  interesting  details  of  the  history  of  tlie 
Adams  family  in  this  county,  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Jackson  Adams  was  reared  in  Caesarcreek  township  and  became  a 
practical  farmer,  which  vocation  he  followed  all  his  life,  becoming  quite 
successful  in  his  operations.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  died 
in  i860,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch. 
He  then  married  Mrs.  Mary  Ary,  a  widow,  also  now  deceased,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Dora,  wife  of  Charles  Ellis, 
living  east  of  Paintersville ;  Joseph,  who  is  living  in  Jefferson  township,  this 
county;  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Babb,  of  Caesarcreek  township,  and  Samuel, 
deceased.     Jackson  Adams  lived  to  be  sixty-seven  years  of  age. 

John  Harvey  Adams  was  reared  on  the  old  home  place  north  of  Pain- 
tersville and  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  scliools.  After  his  marriage 
he  established  his  home  on  a  portion  of  the  old  home  place  and  proceeded 
to  develop  and  improve  the  same.  He  was  the  owner  of  sixty-nine  acres 
and  had  an  excellent  farm  plant.  Politically,  Mr.  Adams  was  a  Republican; 
fraternally,  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church 
at  Paintersville.  He  died  at  his  home  on  March  22,  1908,  and  was  buried 
in  beautiful  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia. 

John  Harvey  Adams  was  twice  married.  In  1875  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Rebecca  Ann  Cline.  also  of  this  county,  who  died  on  June  17, 
1896.  On  September  23,  1897,  Mr.  Adams  married  Martha  L.  Barton, 
who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Mary  Barton,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  for- 


MR.  AND   MltS.  JUHX   H.   AI>a:\IS. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  257 

mer  in  1825  and  the  latter  in  1828.  Henry  Barton  was  a  well-to-do  farmer 
in  Clinton  county.  His  wife  died  in  1899  and  he  survived  her  for  four 
years,  his  death  occurring  in  1903.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  Mary  E.,  Elsie  Ann  (deceased),  John,  Ella,  Frank,  Rennie, 
Henry,  Martha  and  Lucretia.  To  John  H.  and  Martha  L.  (Barton) 
Adams  were  born  three  sons,  Samuel  J.,  born  on  June  22,  1898,  a  machinist, 
who  is  living  at  home;  Clarence  H.,  July  8,  1899,  who  is  farming  the 
home  place,  and  Robert  B.,  September  24,  1903.  Mrs.  Adams  is  a  member 
of  the  Ladies  Aid  Society  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Painters- 
ville  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  the  general  work  of  the  church.  Since 
the  death  of  her  husband  she  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  home 
farm  and  she  and  her  sons  are  very  pleasantly  situated  there. 


REV.  JAMES  S.  E.  McMICHAEL. 

The  late  Rev.  J.  B.  McMichael,  D.  D.,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  born 
at  Poland,  in  Mahoning  county,  July  22,  1833,  son  of  Squire  McMichael 
and  wife,  who  about  the  year  1840  moved  from  that  place  to  Mercer  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  town  of  Greenville.  Squire  ATcMichael  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  accord- 
ance with  the  rigid  tenets  of  that  faith.  J.  B.  McMichael's  attention  was 
turned  to  thoughts  of  the  gospel  ministry  during  his  college  days  and  his 
studies,  thereafter,  were  directed  with  that  end  in  view.  After  his  graduation 
from  Westminster  College  at  New  Wilmington,  Pennsylvania,  in  1859.  he 
entered  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Xenia  and  was  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution in  1862  and  in  the  fall  of  that  same  year  was  married  to  Mary  Hanna, 
whom  he  had  met  first  at  the  commencement  at  Westminster  in  1859.  She 
had  been  teaching  in  the  old  Female  Seminary  that  was  then  being  con- 
ducted in  the  building  now  occupied  as  a  dormitory  for  the  Theological 
Seminary.  Following  his  ordination  Doctor  AIcMichael  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pastorate  of  the  Sugar  Creek  United  Presbyterian  church  in  the  town- 
ship of  that  name  in  this  county  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
that  pastorate,  continuing  hus  engaged  for  sixteen  years  or  until  his  elec- 
tion in  1878  to  the  presidency  of  Monmouth  College  at  Monmouth,  Illi- 
nois. In  the  meantime,  since  1.873,  he  had  been  serving  as  a  professor  in  the 
Xenia  Theological  Seminary.  Doctor  McMichael  continued  to  serve  as 
president  of  Monmouth  until  1897,  in  which  year  he  resigned  and  later 
accepted  a  call  to  his  old  congregation  on  Sugar  Creek  in  Greene  county. 
For  five  years  after  his  return  Doctor  McMichael  continued  his  pastoral  en- 
gagements with  his  old  congregation  on  Sugar  Creek  and  then  he  was  called 
(16) 


258  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

to  his  reward,  his  death  occurring  on  December  31,  1902.  Two  years  later 
his  widow  moved  back  to  Xenia,  the  home  of  her  young  womanhood,  and 
there  she  spent  the  remainder  of  her  Hfe,  her  death  occurring  on  August 

31.   1913- 

Mary  (Hanna)  AIcMichael  was  born  at  Cadiz,  Ohio,  February 
2,  1836,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  and  Jemima  (Patterson)  Hanna, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  vicinity  and  the  latter  of  whom  died 
when  her  daughter  Mary  was  but  a  child.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Hanna,  who 
for  years  was  pastor  of  the  Associate  Reformed  church  at  Cadiz,  married, 
secondly,  Sarah  Foster,  that  great  woman  of  whom  President  John  Ouincy 
Adams  said  after  visiting  her  school  that  she  was  the  only  woman  whom 
he  feared  intellectually.  Sarah  Foster  Hanna  was  one  of  the  real  pioneers 
in  what  now  is  commonly  regarded  as  the  "feminist"  movement,  which  has 
grown  to  proportions  that  would  have  been  startling  in  thought  no  doubt 
even  to  her  in  the  days  when  she  started  her  female  seminary  at  Washing- 
ton. Pennsylvania,  the  first  institution  of  the  kind  inaugurated  west  of  the 
Alleghanies.  She  later  established  similar  institutions  at  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  and  at  Xenia.  To  Doctor  McMichael  and  wife  were  born  six 
children,  namely :  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hanna  McMichael,  D.  D.,  who  was 
graduated  from  Monmouth  College  and  who  since  1903  has  been  president 
of  that  institution ;  Dr.  John  Charles  McMichael,  also  a  graduate  of  Mon- 
mouth, who  is  now  practicing  medicine  at  Cleveland,  Ohio :  Rev.  William 
Jackson  McMichael,  D.  D.,  who  also  was  graduated  from  Monmouth,  suc- 
ceeded his  father  as  pastor  of  the  Sugar  Creek  United  Presbyterian  church 
in  1902  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Greens- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  has  been  stationed  since  1907;  George  Harold, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  months  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at 
Bellbrook;  Mary  Grace,  who  died  at  Monmouth  in  1892,  she  then  being 
seventeen  years  of  age,  and  the  Rev.  James  S.  E.  McMichael,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  biographical  review. 

James  S.  E.  McMichael,  last-born  of  the  six  children  to  the  Rev.  J.  B. 
and  Mary  (Hanna)  McMichael,  was  born  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  September 
29.  1880,  and  his  boyhood  was  spent  in  that  city.  He  completed  his  pre- 
paratory course  in  Monmouth  College,  of  which  his  father  at  that  time  was 
president,  and  upon  the  return  of  his  father  to  his  old  home  in  this  county 
he  entered  Westminster  College  at  New  Wilmington,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  graduated  from  that  institution,  his  father's  alma  mater,  in  1902.  He 
had  early  consecrated  his  talents  to  the  church  and  upon  his  return  from 
college  entered  the  Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  of  which  his  father  had 
formerly  been  a  professor  and  on  the  site  of  which  his  mother  also  had 
been  a  teacher  in  the  old  Female  Seminary,  and  was  graduated  from  that 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  259 

institution  in  1905.  Following  his  ordination  the  Rev.  James  S.  E. 
AIcMichael  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Piqua,  Ohio,  and  was  there  thus  engaged  for  two  years  and  nine 
months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  resigned  in  order  to  accept  a  call  to 
the  pastorate  of  Graham's  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Pine  Bush,  New 
York,  entering  upon  that  pastorate  in  April,  1908.  For  two  years  and 
seven  months  Mr.  McMichael  continued  his  ministerial  labors  at  Pine  Bush 
and  then,  on  November  i,  1910,  accepted  a  call  from  the  congregation  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville,  was  in  due  time  installed  as 
pastor  of  that  flourishing  old  church  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged. 

On  May  t6,  1907,  the  Rev.  James  S.  E.  McMichael  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Katherine  Prugh,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, daughter  of  J.  Mason  and  Anna  (Kemp)  Prugh,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  in  1 9 14.  J.  Mason  Prugh,  a  substantial  farmer,  is  one  of  the  ruling 
elders  in  the  Sugar  Creek  United  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  McMichael 
completed  her  schooling  at  Monmouth  College,  having  entered  that  institu- 
tion after  completing  her  studies  in  the  Steele  high  school  at  Dayton,  and  is 
a  competent  helpmate  to  her  husband  in  the  latter's  ministerial  labors.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McMichael  have  two  children,  sons  both,  Jackson  Prugh,  born  on 
June  27,  1908,  and  James  Lester,  February  6,  19 10. 


PHILIP  DIEHL. 


Philip  Diehl,  the  proprietor  of  a  retail  meat  establishment  at  Osborn, 
where  he  has  been  engaged  in  business  since  191 1,  was  born  in  this  county 
and  has  lived  here  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  although  he  was  for  some  time 
a  resident  of  Dayton  and  oi  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark.  He  was  born 
in  Fairfield  on  November  11,  1885,  son  of  Jacob  and  Louise  Diehl,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  this  county,  both 
now  living  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Jacob  Diehl  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country 
and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  locating  at  Fairfield,  where  he  presently  began 
working  for  Peter  Long  in  the  butcher  trade.  For  twelve  years  he  was  thus 
engaged  and  he  then  started  in  business  for  himself,  opening  a  butcher  shop 
at  Beattytown.  A  year  later  he  gave  up  butchering  and  became  engaged  in 
farming  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1906,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Yellow 
Springs  and  there  resumed  his  former  vocation  as  a  butcher  and  is  still  thus 
engaged  in  that  town.  To  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  eight  children, 
of  whom  PhiHp  and  Jacob  are  the  only  ones  living  at  Osborn. 

Philip  Diehl  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Greene  and  Clark 
counties  and  after  leaving  school  became  engaged  as  a  farm  hand  and  was 


26o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

thus  employed  until  his  father  moved  to  Yellow  Springs  in  1906,  when  he 
became  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  latter's  butcher  shop.  Not  long 
afterward  he  went  to  Springfield  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  packing  houses 
for  several  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Dayton.  A  year  later 
he  returned  to  Yellow  Springs  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  butcher  busi- 
ness for  himself  for  a  couple  of  years,  or  until  191 1,  when  he  moved  to 
Osborn,  bought  the  butcher  shop  he  is  now  conducting  and  has  been  thus 
engaged  in  business  at  that  place  ever  since. 

In  191 1  Philip  Diehl  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Funderburg, 
daughter  of  Lincoln  Funderburg,  of  Bath  township,  and  to  this  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Carl.  Mr.  Diehl  is  a  Republican  and,  fraternally, 
is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


ARCHIBALD  C.  GRIEVE. 

Among  the  numerous  stockmen  who  have  done  much  to  give  to  Greene 
county  the  fine  reputation  it  enjoys  all  over  the  country  as  a  live  stock  region 
there  are  few  who  have  done  more  to  help  establish  that  enviable  reputa- 
tion than  has  Archibald  C.  Grieve,  holder  of  the  Ohio  state  grand  champion 
Poland  China  boar  stake.  Mr.  Grieve  has  a  fine  farm  on  the  west  edge  of 
New  Jasper  township,  about  four  and  one-half  miles  from  Xenia,  and  has 
there  for  years  given  his  most  thoughtful  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine 
horses,  fine  sheep  and  fine  hogs,  a  vocation  to  which  his  elder  sons,  Ray- 
mond D.  and  Carlin  C.  Grieve,  also  have  for  some  years  applied  them- 
selves quite  successfully,  the  products  of  the  Grieve  stock  farm  having  been 
exhibited  with  gratifying  results  at  fairs  and  stock  shows  from  coast  to 
coast,  while  a  demand  for  these  products  has  been  created  that  has  opened 
a  market  for  them  not  only  among  discriminating  breeders  in  the  United 
States  but  in  Canada  and  in  South  America  and  Europe.  Formerly  and  for 
years  Mr.  Grieve  gave  his  attention  to  the  breeding  of  road  horses  and  the 
products  of  his  stables  were  exhibited  with  success  at  state  fairs  throughout 
the  Central  states,  but  with  the  gradual  decline  of  the  demand  for  road 
horses  he  has  of  late  devoted  his  attention  in  the  way  of  equine  products 
to  Percherons.  Twenty  years  or  more  ago  he  began  to  give  more  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Poland  China  hogs  and  has  since  then 
made  that  line  his  specialty,  his  success  in  that  line  making  him  possessor 
of  prize  ribbons  representing  successful  exhibits  of  the  products  of  his 
stock  farm  at  state  fairs  from  New  York  state  to  Iowa.  For  the  past  three 
years  Mr.  Grieve  has  held  the  grand  champion  Poland  China  boar  record 
and  in  191 7  won  the  grand  championship  Poland  China  boar  and  sow 
stake  at  the  Ohio  state  fair.     He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Swine  Breed- 


ARCHIBALD  0.  GKIEVE. 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  261 

ers  Association  and  of  the  American  Poland  China  Record  Company  of 
Chicago.  With  the  constantly  growing  demand  being  made  upon  the  prod- 
ucts of  his  farm  Mr.  Grieve  is  preparing  to  extend  his  operations  and  in 
this  enterprise  is  aided  by  his  sons,  Raymond  and  Carlin,  the  former  of 
whom  is  making  a  specialty  of  pure-bred  Cheviot  sheep,  an  exhibitor  at 
stock  shows  from  the  New  England  states  to  the  Pacific,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  gives  his  chief  attention  to  the  Poland  China  hogs.  During  the  time 
he  was  giving  his  chief  attention  to  road  and  race  horses  Mr.  Grieve  also 
became  widely  known  as  a  breeder  of  Cottswold  sheep  and  back  in  the  '80s 
won  numerous  prizes  by  his  exhibits  of  that  line  of  stock. 

Archibald  C.  Grieve  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  on 
December  25,  1854,  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Crawford)  Grieve,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  farm,  July  27,  1829,  son  of 
Archibald  and  Agnes  (Stephenson)  Grieve,  natives  of  Scotland,  the  former 
born  in  .Selkirk  and  the  latter  in  Roxboroughshire.  Archibald  Grieve  was 
born  in  1775  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  Scotland,  becoming  a 
farmer.  On  March  11,  181 1,  he  married  Agnes  Stephenson,  daughter  of 
John  and  Isabella  Stephenson,  and  in  the  following  year,  18 12,  came  with 
his  wife  to  the  United  States  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  settling  on  the 
farm  about  four  and  one-half  miles  from  Xenia  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  his  grandson,  Archibald  C.  Grieve.  The  elder  Archibald  Grieve  de- 
veloped that  place  from  its  primitive  wilderness  state  and  became  one  of 
the  substantial  pioneers  of  that  section.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Associated  Reformed  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  the 
rigid  tenets  of  that  faith.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  two 
sons  and  seven  daughters.  The  eldest  son,  John  Grieve,  died  of  cholera  at 
Xenia  in  1847.  Robert  Grieve,  the  other  son,  grew  up  on  the  home  farm 
and  after  his  marriage  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  home 
place  and  there  established  his  home,  remaining  there  until  in  September, 
1887,  when  he  bought  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  and  moved  to  the  latter 
place.  His  wife  died  a  year  later  and  he  then  retired  from  the  farm  and 
moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  presently  married  again  and  established  his 
home  in  that  city,  spending  the  rest  of  his  life  there,  his  deatli  occurring 
in  September,    1903. 

As  just  noted,  Robert  Grieve  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
and  the  mother  of  his  children  was  Elizabeth  Crawford,  who  was  born  in 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  of  Scottish  ancestry,  and  who  grew  to  young  wom- 
anhood in  that  country  and  then  came  to  the  United  States  with  some  ac- 
quaintances who  were  coming  over  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio  to  rejoin 
her  brothers  and  sisters  who  previously  had  come  over  and  settled  in  Greene 
countv-     The  widowed  mother  of  these  children  later  came   from   Ireland 


262  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  her  last  days  were  spent  with  her  children  in  this  county.  To  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (Crawford)  Grieve  were  born  three  sons,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  the  first-born,  having  two  brothers,  Rankin  R.  Grieve,  of  Xenia, 
former  sheriff  of  Greene  county  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  pre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  John  Grieve,  also  a  resident  of  Xenia. 
The  mother  of  these  sons  died  in  March,  1888,  and  in  1892  Robert  Grieve 
married  Joanna  Kyle,  who  died  in  1895.  Robert  Grieve  was  a  Republican 
and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  affiliated  with  the  Second  church  at  Xenia. 

Archibald  C.  Grieve  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
on  which  his  father  had  been  born  and  by  the  latter  was  trained  in  the 
ways  of  practical  farming  and  stock  raising,  with  particular  reference  to  the 
latter  phase  of  farming,  for  the  elder  Grieve  ever  gave  close  attention  to  the 
raising  of  fine  live  stock.  As  the  eldest  son,  young  Archibald  early  de- 
veloped responsibilities  about  the  farm  and  the  management  of  the  same 
which  stood  him  in  good  stead  when  he  later  assumed  control  of  the  place. 
His  early  schooling  was  received  in  the  nearby  Hazlip  district  school  and 
he  supplemented  the  course  there  by  a  course  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and 
in  the  old  Xenia  Seminary,  in  the  latter  institution  being  under  the  instruc- 
tions of  Professor  Smith.  In  1881  he  rented  the  home  farm  from  his  father 
and  took  charge  of  the  same,  establishing  his  home  there  after  his  mar- 
riage in  the  fall  of  1887,  his  parents  moving  to  their  other  farm  in  Xenia 
township  about  that  time.  After  his  father's  death  Mr.  Grieve  bought  from 
his  brothers  their  interests  in  the  home  place  and  has  since  been  the  owner 
of  the  same.  Mr.  Grieve  has  a  farm  of  ninety-eight  acres  and  is  ably 
assisted  in  the  management  of  the  same  and  in  his  extensive  live-stock 
operations  by  his  four  sons,  all  of  whom  continue  to  remain  at  home  and 
who  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  stock  farm.  The  house  in 
which  the  Grieves  live  was  erected  by  Mr.  Grieve's  father  in  1856.  Mr. 
Grieve  is  a  Democrat,  but  has  not  been  an  office  seeker. 

On  September  28,  1887,  Archibald  C.  Grieve  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Anna  Jane  Dean,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  J.  C.  and  Emily  Louisa  (Hagler)  Dean,  and  to  this  union  four 
sons  have  been  born.  Raymond  Dean  and  Carlin  Crawford,  twins,  mention 
of  whose  activities  as  breeders  of  live  stock  is  made  above,  and  Edmond 
and  Robert.  Mrs.  Grieve  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  Greene  county,  the  Deans  having  been  prominently  represented  here  for 
more  than  a  hundred  years,  as  is  set  out  in  a  comprehensive  history  of  the 
Dean  family  in  this  county  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  263 

MICHAEL  L.  FINNELL. 

Michael  L.  Finnell,  president  and  general  manager  of  the  Tranchant  & 
Finnell  Company,  mercliant  millers  and  proprietors  of  the  Osborn  Mills  at 
Osborn,  this  county,  one  of  the  oldest  continuously  operated  mills  in  this 
part  of  the  state,  is  also  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Osborn. 

No  history  of  Greene  county  would  be  complete  without  some  reference 
to  the  old  Osborn  Mills,  now  and  for  some  years  past  operated  under  the 
present  management,  the  Tranchant  &  Finnell  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Finnell,  as  noted  above,  is  president :  F.  A.  Tranchant,  vice-president  and 
treasurer;  J.  B.  Finnell,  secretary,  and  F.  Diefenbach,  superintendent.  This 
old  water-power  mill  was  established  at  Osborn  in  1857  by  Samuel  Stafford, 
who  some  years  later  sold  out  to  Joseph  Harshman,  who  presently  disposed 
of  his  interest  in  the  mill  to  J.  J.  Tranchant,  who  continued  in  charge  for 
some  years,  or  until  1887,  when  Tranchant  &  Finnell  assumed  control  and 
reorganized  the  whole  business,  adding  to  the  capacity  of  the  mill  and  in 
other  ways  extending  its  scope.  In  19 13  another  reorganization  occurred, 
the  business  then  being  incorporated  under  its  present  corporate  title,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  operated  at  full  capacity.  In  November,  19 15,  one 
of  the  mills,  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  barrels,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  since  that  time  the  other  two  mills,  each  with. a  capacity  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  barrels,  have  been  operated  at  full  capacity  night  and  day. 

Michael  L.  Finnell,  head  of  the  milling  concern,  was  born  at  Dayton, 
but  was  reared  at  Greenville,  county  seat  of  Darke  county,  in  the  schools  of 
which  city  he  received  his  early  schooling.  He  supplemented  the  same  by 
a  course  in  a  commercial  college  at  St.  Louis  and  then  became  engaged  as  a 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Peruna  Drug  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, later  of  Columbus,  and  after  three  years  spent  on  the  road  in  behalf 
of  that  company  was  made  secretary  and  manager  of  the  company,  which 
position  he  occupied  until  1887,  when  he  entered  upon  his  present  connection 
with  the  Osborn  Mills,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Tranchant  &  Finnell,  which 
later  was  incorporated  under  its  present  firm  style,  and  has  ever  since  con- 
tinued in  management  of  the  mills.  Mr.  Finnell  also  is  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Osborn. 

On  October  22,  1886,  Mr.  Finnell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Attie  C. 
Tranchant.  daughter  of  J.  J.  and  Amelia  Tranchant.  the  former  of  whom 
was  the  proprietor  of  the  Osborn  Mills  prior  to  the  reorganization  of  1887 
mentioned  above.  Mr.  Finnell  is  a  Republican  and  for  seventeen  years  served 
the  public  as  a  member  of  the  village  council.  He  is  a  thirty-third-degree 
Mason,  or  sovereign  grand  inspector-general  of  the  Ancient  Accepted  Scot- 


264  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tish  Rite,  having  been  called  to  the  supreme  council  from  the  consistory  at 
Dayton,  and  is  also  prominently  identified  with  the  work  of  the  Knights 
Templar,  being  the  deputy  grand  commander  of  the  Ohio  grand  com- 
mandery. 


JOHN  FLETCHER  ZIMMERMAN. 

John  Fletcher  Zimmerman,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  now  living 
retired  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Jefferson  township,  rural  mail  No.  2  out  of 
Jamestown,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a 
resident  of  this  county  and  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  since  shortly 
after  Civil  War  days.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Martins- 
burg,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  October  9,  1835,  son  of  Obe- 
diah  H.  and  Ann  (Simmons)  Zimmerman,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  on  July  6,  1809. 

Obediah  H.  Zimmerman  also  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Ross  county 
on  November  14,  1809,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  that  sec- 
tion of  the  state,  his  parents  having  come  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania.  He 
grew  up  there  amid  pioneer  conditions  and  on  April  31,  1832,  married 
Ann  Simmons,  not  long  afterward  establishing  his  home  on  a  tract  of  un- 
cleared timber  land  his  father  had  given  him  over  in  the  New  Martinsburg 
neighborhood  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette.  He  built  a  home 
there,  made  a  clearing  on  his  place  and  in  time  developed  an  excellent  piece 
of  farm  property.  He  later  bought  a  nearby  farm  and  after  a  sometime 
residence  there  sold  that  place  and  bought  a  farm  four  miles  north  of 
Washington  Court  House  and  on  this  latter  place  spent  his  last  days,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  September  25,  1893.  He  had  two  brothers,  Doug- 
lass, who  settled  in  northern  Indiana,  and  George,  who  went  West.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  a  Republican.  Obediah  H.  Zim- 
merman was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife.  Ann  Simmons,  he  was  the 
father  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Eliza  Jane,  born  on  April 
3,  1833,  who  married  Joseph  Smith  and  died  at  Hartford  City,  Indiana; 
William,  January  5,  1838,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  retired  farmer, 
who  married  Rebecca  J.  Smith  and  is  living  in  Fayette  county;  George, 
Decemljer  23,  1839,  who  became  a  Greene  county  farmer;  Samuel,  February 
8,  1842,  wlio  died  of  measles  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  while  serving  as 
a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  his  death  occurring  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Vicksburg;  Mary  Ruth,  March  29.  1844,  wife  of  John  David,  of 
Fayette  county,  and  Lucinda,  September  i,  1846,  who  married  a  Reslar.  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  and  died  in  Fayette  county.     The  mother  of  these 


MR.  AND  MRS.  JOHN  F.  ZIMMERMAN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  265 

children  died  on  January  4,  1849,  and  Obediah  H.  Zimmerman  married 
Jane  House,  who  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Washington  Court 
House,  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  children,  all  of  whom  save  Clara, 
deceased,  are  living  in  Fayette  county,  the  others  being  John,  Amanda, 
Caroline,  James  and  Newton. 

John  F.  Zimmerman  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  went  to  live  with  the  family  of  James 
Beatty  and  there  remained  until  his  marriage  when  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  after  which  he  located  on  his  father's  old  home  place  and  was  there 
engaged  in  farming  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  During  the  early  part 
of  that  struggle  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Home  Guards,  but  in  1864 
enlisted  under  the  call  for  the  hundred-day  service  and  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-eighth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  being  stationed  with  that  comrnand  at  Cynthiana, 
Kentucky.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Zimmerman 
resumed  his  farming  operations  in  Fayette  county,  but  presently  came  over 
into  Greene  county  and  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  of  unimproved 
land  in  Jefferson  township,  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and  has 
there  ever  since  made  his  home.  When  he  took  possession  of  that  place 
the  only  sign  of  improvement  on  the  same  was  an  old  log  stable.  He  at 
once  made  a  temporary  house  and  in  1875  erected  the  substantial  birck 
house  in  which  he  is  still  living,  burning  the  bricks  for  the  same  on  the  place 
and  hauling  the  stones  in  from  New  Jasper  township.  In  time  Mr.  Zim- 
merman added  to  his  acreage  there  and  made  other  improvements.  He  was 
the  first  person  in  his  neighborhood  to  bring  in  Duroc-Jersey  hogs  and  he 
also  was  for  years  noted  for  the  fine  quality  of  his  Shorthorn  cattle.  Though 
for  some  years  Mr.  Zimmerman  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the 
active  labors  of  the  farm,  he  has  not  ceased  to  take  an  interested  oversight 
in  the  operations  of  the  same,  these  operations  now  being  carried  on  by  his 
son-in-law,  Paul  J.  Hawes.  Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  formerly  was  a  memlier  of  the  local  post  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Milledgeville. 

On  February  26,  1857,  John  F.  Zimmerman  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Lucy  Priddy,  who  was  born  on  October  2.  1837,  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
Martinsburg,  over  in  Fayette  county,  and  wiio  died  at  her  home  in  Jeffer- 
son township  on  March  7,  1909.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Elias  and  Rebecca 
(Haines)  Priddy,  Virginians,  the  former  born  on  June  10,  1796,  and  the 
latter,  April  6,  1806,  who  became  substantial  pioneers  of  Fayette  county, 
this  state,  having  a  good  farm  near  New  Martinsburg,  where  they  spent 
their  last  days.  Elias  Priddy  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Zimmerman  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 


266  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

being  the  following:  George,  born  on  November  26,  1830,  deceased;  Eve- 
lina, February  19,  1832,  deceased;  Strawther,  June  15,  1833;  Martha,  July 
20,  1834,  now  living  in  Jefferson  county,  this  state;  Jane,  December  21, 
1836;  James,  February  27,  1839,  deceased;  Early,  November  15,  1840,  now 
living  in  Washington  Court  House;  Mary,  November  19,  1842,  now  living 
at  Connersville,  Indiana;  Eliza,  April  10,  1845,  deceased;  Amanda,  August 
22,  1847,  now  living  at  Washington  Court  House;  twins,  September  26, 
1850,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Elizabeth,  December  7,  185 1,  now  living  at 
Washington  Court  House. 

To  John  F.  and  Lucy  (Priddy)  Zimmerman  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely:  Alvin  Beatty,  born  on  March  i,  1859,  now  engaged  in  the 
tile-manufacturing  business  at  Ridgeville,  Indiana,  who  married  Mary 
Chitty  and  has  ten  children,  Clarence,  Perlman,  Dean,  \''ernon,  Elmer, 
Clara,  Rose,  Paul,  Ralph  and  Amos;  Osman  P.,  September  6,  i860,  wno 
married  Emma  Lutrell  and  died  at  Hartford  City,  Indiana,  July  13,  1902, 
leaving  his  widow,  who  now  lives  in  Oklahoma,  with  five  children,  Charles, 
Lillian,  Frank,  John  and  June;  Samuel  Clayton,  August  i,  1862,  a  farmer 
of  Fayette  county,  who  on  March  5.  1885,  married  Margaret  Turner  and 
has  two  children,  Claude  and  Grace-  Frank  Ross,  August  2,  1864,  now  liv- 
ing near  Jeffersonville,  Ohio,  who  on  December  25,  1893,  married  Celeste 
Creamer  and  has  three  children,  Brenton,  Fay'  and  Ruth ;  Elias  Trustine, 
November  15,  1866,  a  farmer  living  in  the  Port  William  neighborhood,  who 
on  February  15,  1899,  married  Elsie  Beal  and  has  four  children,  Walter, 
Maurice,  Robert  and  Myron;  George  Elba,  April  12,  1869,  ^  farmer  in  the 
Jeffersonville  neighborhood,  who  on  December  2y,  1893,  married  Maud 
Perkins  and  has  five  children,  Harold.  Donald,  Ala,  Amos  and  Theron; 
Robert  Dean,  February  10,  1871,  a  commercial  salesman  traveling  out  of 
Cleveland,  who  on  December  2'&.  1907,  married  Elizabeth  Mcintosh  and  has 
five  children.  Dean,  Florence,  Andrew,  John  and  Janet;  John  Wesley,  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1873,  ^  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  who  on  Novem- 
ber 4,  1903,  married  Carrie  Paine,  who  was  born  in  London,  England,  and 
who  died  on  May  25,  191 5,  leaving  five  children,  Wayne,  Leslie,  Hugh, 
Dorothy  and  George:  Anna  Belle,  May  25,  1875,  who  on  June  12,  1898, 
married  Louis  Ellis,  of  Dayton,  this  state,  and  has  two  children,  Helen  and 
Herbert;  Flora  May,  July  2-j,  1878.  who  on  June  22,  1912.  married  Paul 
J.  Hawes,  mentioned  above  as  now  being  in  charge  of  the  operations  of  Mr. 
Zimmerman's  farm,  and  Mary  Edith,  June  17,  1882,  who  on  June  9,  1909, 
married  Chaney  H.  Neil,  proprietor  of  the  Grand  Hotel  at  Xenia,  and  has 
two  children,  Mary  Alice  and  Howard  Lewis.  Mr.  Hawes,  who  is  now 
managing  the  Zimmerman  farm,  was  formerlv  engaged  in  the  coal  business 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  26/ 

at  Xenia.  He  also  formerly  was  a  resident  of  Victor,  Colorado,  where  he 
for  some  time  was  employed  in  the  postoffice.  Mr.  Zimmerman  has  eleven 
great-grandchildren. 


WILLIAM  EDEN  BURROWES. 

The  late  William  Eden  Burrowes,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Bath  town- 
ship on  April  lo,  1916,  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  had  spent  all 
his  life  here.  He  had  lived  to  bring  his  farm  of  three  hundred  and  forty- 
six  acres  up  to  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation  and  had  there  one  of  the 
finest  farm  residences  and  farm  plants  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
That  farm  is  now  included  in  the  great  Wright  aviation  field  created  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fairfield  by  the  government  for  the  training  of  aviators  follow- 
ing the  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  the  spring  of  1917,  and  when 
the  Burrowes  farm  was  taken  over  for  that  purpose  the  farm  residence  and 
farm  buildings  were  razed.  Since  selling  the  farm  Mrs.  Burrowes,  widow 
of  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch,  has  been  making  her  home  at  Osborn, 
but  is  again  confronted  by  the  probability  of  having  her  home  taken  through 
the  operation  of  the  Hood-prevention  project. 

WiUiam  Eden  Burrowes  was  born  in  Fairfield  on  October  8,  1854,  son 
of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Winters)  Burrowes,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
merchant  in  Fairfield  at  that  time,  as  well  as  a  landowner  in  that  vicinity. 
Reared  in  the  village,  William  E.  Burrowes  received  his  schooling  there  and 
early  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  becoming  in  time  the  owner  of  the 
farm  above  referred  to  and  on  which  he  spent  his  last  days.  He  was  a 
Republican,  and  for  years  served  the  public  as  trustee  of  his  home  township. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  as  is  his  widow. 

On  May  18,  1896,  William  Eden  Burrowes  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clara  B.  Williamson,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  (Brown)  Williamson,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county  and  the  latter,  at  Troy,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Miami.  James 
Williamson  was  born  at  O.sborn,  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  Williamson,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  and  early  residents  in  the  northern  part  of  Greene 
county,  and  he  became  a  farmer  in  Bath  township,  he  and  his  wife  rearing 
there  a  family  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Burrowes  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  Charles,  now  deceased :  Dr.  Will- 
iam P.  Williamson,  a  physician  at  Troy,  Ohio ;  Ocy,  who  died  in  youth ;  Ida, 
deceased:  Edgar,  deceased,  and  Effie,  a  resident  of  Piqua,  where  she  is  en- 
gaged as  a  teacher  in  the  city  schools.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burrowes  were 
born  seven  childr^i :  Earle  W.,  a  farmer  and  stockman  at  Osborn;  one  who 
died  in  infancy;  Nellie  B.,  now  Mrs.  Paul  Whaley,  of  Columbus;  Mary  W., 
now  Mrs.  Frost  Dille,  of  New  Carlisle;  Joseph  A.,  at  home  with  his  mother; 


2DO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Grace,  at  home  with  her  mother ;  and  James  E.,  at  Dayton.     There  are  four 
grandchildren. 


WILLIAM  HUNTINGTON  FORBES. 

William  Huntington  Forbes,  farmer  and  stockman,  proprietor  of  a 
fine  farm  in  Miami  township,  on  rural  route  No.  3  out  of  Yellow  Springs, 
and  who  also  is  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agricultural  implements  and  a  spe- 
cial line  of  dairy  supplies,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  the  confluence  of  the 
forks  of  the  Little  Miami  in  Greene  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  November  2"^,  1862,  son  of  Arthur  and  Anna  E.  (Huntington) 
Forbes,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  members  of  pioneer 
families  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs, 
in  this  county. 

Arthur  Forbes  was  born  in  1834,  a  son  of  Alexander  Forbes  and  wife, 
pioneers  of  Clark  county,  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  there, 
becoming  a  farmer  on  his  own  account  in  due  time  and  continuing  to  re- 
side there  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs, 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch 
was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Margaret,  who  married  Mitchell  W. 
Collins,  now  living  at  Cedarville,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Anna; 
Florence  E.,  wife  of  T.  M.  Hanna,  a  real-estate  dealer  and  farmer  living 
in  Iowa,  and  Fannie,  who  died  when  four  years  of  age. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  William  H.  Forbes  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  remained 
there  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his  parents  into 
Greene  county,  the  family  locating  on  the  farm  on  the  pike  between  Clifton 
and  Yellow  Springs  that  his  father  had  purchased,  and  was  living  there  at 
the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1883.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Forbes  con- 
tinued farming  there  until  1892,  in  which  year  he  bought  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  living,  northeast  of  Clifton,  and  has  ever  since  made  that  farm  his 
place  of  residence.  On  that  place  Mr.  Forbes  put  up  the  first  silo  erected 
in  that  part  of  the  country  and  in  other  ways  his  farm  plant  is  modern  and 
up-to-date.  For  years  Mr.  Forbes  has  made  a  specialty  of  raising  pure-bred 
Polled  Jersey  dairy  stock  and  has  exhibited  his  stock  all  over  the  country. 
One  year  he  had  the  honor  of  taking  sweepstakes  at  the  Ohio  state  fair 
and  at  the  New  York  state  fair  and  at  the  Pan-.\merican  Exposition  at 
Buffalo  his  exhibit,  "Nubbin  Ridge  Queen."  a  Jersey  cow,  took  the  first 
prize  as  the  richest  producer  of  ten  different  breeds  there  tested  for  quality 
and  richness  of  cream.     This  test  covered  a  period  six  months  and  was  thor- 


MR.  AND  MItS.  WILLIAJI  H.  FOItHES.  SOX.  CURTIS,  AND  DAUGHTER. 
MRS.  MARGARET  HENRY 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  269 

oughly  convincing,  "Nubbin  Ridge  Queen's"  milk  testing  higher  than  that  of 
any  other  cow  exhibited  at  the  great  exposition.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  and  stock  raising  interests  Mr.  Forbes  also  is  interested  in  the  sale 
of  special  dairy  supplies  and  of  agricultural  implements,  including  threshing- 
machines.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat  and,  fraternally,  is  a  member  of 
the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Clifton  and  of  the  uniformed 
rank  of  that  order  at  Springfield,  and  of  the  local  branch  of  the  United  Com- 
mercial Travelers  at  Springfield. 

On  September  i8,  1883,  William  H.  Forbes  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  J.  Johnson,  daughter  of  Joseph  R.  and  Lydia  E.  (Estle)  Johnson, 
the  former  of  whom  formerly  operated  the  mill  at  Clifton,  and  to  this  union 
three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Nora,  who  married  C.  F.  Henry, 
of  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  now  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  Veterinary  Corps  of 
the  United  States  army,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Ruth  Frances; 
Arthur,  who  died  in  1894,  and  George  Curtis  Forbes,  who  remains  at  home 
on  the  farm  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the  same.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Forbes  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  take  a  proper  in- 
terest in  church  work,  as  well  as  in  the  general  good  works  of  the  com- 
munity. 


FRANK  C.   MASSEY. 


Frank  C.  Massey,  a  hardware  merchant  at  Osborn,  former  president 
of  the  Ohio  Hardware  Dealers  Association,  for  the  past  seven  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  that  association  and  for  the  past  fourteen 
years  a  member  of  the  village  council  of  his  home  town,  was  born  at  Osborn 
and  is  still  living  in  the  house  in  which  he  was  born,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
oldest  famihes  of  that  village.  He  was  born  on  October  10,  1872,  son  of 
S.  W.  and  Ellen  (Smith)  Massey,  the  former  of  whom,  for  many  years  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  in  Osborn,  died  in  1891  and  the  latter  in  April, 

1915- 

S.  W.  Massey  was  born  at  Watertown,  New  York,  in  1834  and  was 
but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents.  He  became  one  of  the  first 
conductors  on  the  old  Mad  River  &  Lake  Erie  Railroad  and  later  l)ecame 
engaged  in  the  general  mercantile  business  at  Osborn,  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  G.  L.  &  S.  W.  Massey,  one  of  the  first  mercantile  concerns  in  that  vil- 
lage, and  continued  actively  engaged  in  business  there  until  his  retirement 
about  five  years  before  his  death.  S.  W.  Massey  was  a  Republican.  He 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  S.  W.  Massey  was  married  twice  and  was  the 
father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth 


2/0  GREENE    COUNTY,,    OHIO 

in  order  of  birth.  S.  W.  Massey's  father,  Solon  Massey,  was  the  first 
mayor  of  Osborn. 

Reared  at  Osborn,  Frank  C.  Massey  supplemented  the  schooling  he 
received  in  the  schools  of  that  village  by  a  course  in  a  commercial  school  at 
Dayton  and  then  became  engaged  as  pajmaster  for  the  Dayton  Car  Com- 
pany, and  was  thus  engaged  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
entered  the  employ  of  Russell  &  Erwin  at  Dayton,  and  was  for  seven  years 
connected  with  that  concern  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  1902  Mr.  Massey 
bought  the  A.  D.  Hogendobler  hardware  store  at  Osborn  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  in  that  village.  In  1912  he  erected  his 
present  store  building,  a  structure  thirty-two  by  one  hundred  feet  in  dimen- 
sion, and  there  carries  a  stock  appraising  upwards  of  ten  thousand  dollars. 
In  connection  with  the  store  he  also  has  a  tin  shop,  a  great  convenience  to 
the  community.  Mr.  Massey  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Hardware  Deal- 
ers Association,  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  same 
for  the  past  seven  years  and  in  191 5  was  president  of  the  association.  He 
is  a  Republican  and  for  the  past  fourteen  years  he  has  been  serving  continu- 
ously as  a  member  of  the  village  council.  It  is  therefore  with  the  gravest 
possible  concern  that  he  has  been  noting  the  formulation  of  the  present  flood- 
prevention  plans  which  seem  now  destined  to  nullify  all  that  has  been  done 
for  Osborn  in  the  past  by  necessitating  the  abandonment  of  the  village  which 
lies  in  the  area  forming  one  of  the  great  basins  designed  to  hold  back  the 
water  in  case  of  a  recurrence  of  such  a  flood  as  swept  down  the  valley  of  the 
Miami  in  19 13. 

On  June  30,  1895,  ^'^^-  Massey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Roberta 
Davis,  daughter  of  Dr.  Ben  and  Enuna  (Robinson)  Davis,  the  former  of 
whom,  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  New  Carlisle, 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  is  still  practicing  there,  and  to  this  union 
one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Ben  Davis  Massey,  born  on  November  13, 
1903.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Massey  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Osborn.  Mr.  Massey  is  a  32=  Mason,  afifiliated  with  New  Carlisle  Lodge 
No.  100,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  the  consistory.  Valley  of  Dayton, 
Scottish  Rite;  a  member  of  Gem  City  Lodge  No.  3,  United  Commercial 
Travelers,  at  Dayton,  and  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at 
Osborn. 


FRANK  A.  TRANCHANT. 

Frank  A.  Tranchant,  vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the  Tranchant  & 
Finnell  Company,  merchant  millers  and  proprietors  of  the  Osborn  Mills  at 
Osborn,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  27I 

resident  of  Osborn  since  1880.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati  on 
January  11,  1862,  son  of  Jules  J.  and  Amelia  A.  (Bates)  Tranchant,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  city  of  Paris,  France,  and  was  but  a  boy 
when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  at  Cin- 
cinnati, where  his  father  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  Jules 
J.  Tranchant  early  became  interested  in  the  milling  business  and  in  1880 
bought  the  old  Stafford  mill  at  Osborn  and  continued  as  proprietor  of  the 
same  until  his  death  in  1886,  after  which  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
and  the  latter's  brother-in-law,  M.  L.  Finnell,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  reorganized  the  business  and  have  since 
been  in  charge.  A  sketch  of  old  Osborn  Mills  is  given  in  the  biography  of 
M.   L.   Finnell. 

F.  A.  Tranchant  completed  his  schooling  in  the  high  school  at  Avondale 
and  in  the  Woodward  high  school  at  Cincinnati  and  when  his  father  took 
charge  of  the  old  Osborn  Mills  at  Osborn  in  1880  became  a  valued  assistant 
in  the  operation  of  the  same  and  has  since  been  actively  connected  with  the 
mills.  Mr.  Tranchant  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  thirty-second  degree,  a 
charter  member  of  the  consistory  at  Dayton,  charter  member  of  Antioch 
Temple  of  Dayton,  a  member  of  the  Dayton  City  Club,  the  Mystic  Club 
and  the  Criterion  Club  of  that  city.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Osborn. 

In  1884,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  F.  A.  Tranchant  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Attie  C.  Dutiel,  of  that  city,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  George  Tranchant,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
merchant  tailoring  and  men's  furnishing  goods  business  at  Dayton,  and 
Louise  E.,  wife  of  Philip  E.  Wuichet,  who  enlisted  in  the  officers  reserve 
corps  of  the  new  National  Army  after  the  declaration  of  war  against  Ger- 
many in  the  spring  of  1917  and  was  stationed- at  Camp  Sherman,  at  Chilli- 
cothe,  Ohio,  his  wife  meanwhile  making  her  home  with  her  parents  at 
Osborn. 


OSCAR  B.  KAUFFMAN. 

Oscar  B.  Kauffman,  former  treasurer  of  Greene  county  and  since  the 
spring  of  igio  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Osborn,  was  born  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  October  31,  1863,  a  son  of  Emanuel  and 
Elizabeth  Kauffman,  who  came  with  their  respective  parents  from  their 
native  Pennsylvania  in  the  days  of  their  youth  to  this  part  of  Ohio,  were 
married  here  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  their  son,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  now  owning  their  old  homestead  place  on  the  line  between 
Clark  and  Greene  counties. 


2-J2  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Upon  completing  his  schooling-  by  a  two-years'  course  in  a  business 
college  at  Dayton,  ls\x.  Kauffman  became  engaged  in  the  agricultural-imple- 
ment business  at  Osborn  in  association  with  his  brother  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  1890,  when  he  became  a  bookkeeper  in  the  office  of  the  Ohio 
Whip  Company  at  Osborn,  later  becoming  general  manager  of  that  con- 
cern and  so  continued  until  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  treasurer  under 
Treasurer  Little  in  1900,  when  he  resigned  his  position  with  the  whip  com- 
pany and  moved  to  Xenia.  For  four  years  Mr.  Kauffman  remained  deputy 
cotmty  treasurer  and  then  became  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for 
treasurer  of  the  county  and  was  elected  to  that  office,  entering  upon  the 
duties  of  that  office  in  1904.  He  was  elected  to  a  second  term  and  thus  spent 
nearly  ten  years  in  the  county  treasurer's  office,  counting  his  service  as  dep- 
uty. Not  long  after  completing  this  term  of  service  Mr.  Kauffman  returned 
to  Osborn  and  there,  February  23,  19 10,  organized  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Osborn,  with  a  capital  stock  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  and  was 
elected  cashier  of  the  same,  which  position  he  has  since  occupied.  A  history 
of  the  bank  is  given  in  another  chapter.  Mr.  Kauffman  is  a  Republican  and 
has  held  township  or  county  office  since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

On  April  25,  1894,  Oscar  B.  Kauffman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Win- 
ifred Rail,  daughter  of  J.  L.  and  Eliza  Rail,  and  to  this  union  two  sons  have 
been  born,  Rail  L.,  who  is  now  connected  with  the  Merchants  National 
Bank  at  Dayton,  and  Fred  E.,  who  is  still  in  high  school.  Mr.  Kauffman 
is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge  at  Xenia  and  with  the 
consistory  at  Dayton.  He  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Osborn. 


JOHN  CLARENCE  WILLL\MSON. 

That  particular  branch  of  the  far-flung  Williamson  familv  with  which 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  is  connected  has  had  its 
establishment  in  Greene  county  for  more  than  eight  decades,  or  ever  since 
the  year  1836,  when  David  Williamson  came  over  here  with  his  family  from 
Tuscarawas  county  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  three  hundred  acres  located  on 
Caesarscreek,  six  miles  from  Xenia  and  five  miles  from  Jamestown,  the  turn- 
pike between  these  two  towns  dividing  the  tract  in  almost  equal  parts. 
David  Williamson's  wife's  brother,  John  Dimcan,  some  time  previously  had 
located  in  that  neighlx)rhood  and  in  a  letter  to  his  brother-in-law  had  cas- 
ually mentioned  the  fact  that  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  adjoining  his 
was  for  sale.  David  Williamson  rode  over  on  horseback  to  investigate  the 
proposition,  found  conditions  satisfactory,  closed  the  deal  for  the  purchase 
of  the  land,  returned  home,  closed  out  his  holdings  in  Tuscarawas  county 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  273 

and  in  the  spring  of  1836  returned  here,  bringing  with  him  his  family,  and 
set  up  his  home  in,  Greene  county,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives  and  where  the  family  is  numerously  represented  in  the  present 
generation.  On  that  farm  when  David  Williamson  bought  it  was  a  flour- 
mill  and  a  distillery,  both  of  which  had  been  operated  by  the  previous  owner. 
A  stern  Seceder,  Mr.  Williamson  would  not  countenance  the  continued 
operation  of  the  distillery  and  so  he  dismantled  that  agency  of  Satan  and 
used  the  building  for  storage  purposes  in  connection  with  the  mill,  which 
latter  useful  industry  was  maintained  by  him  and  during  seasons  when  there 
was  a  sufficient  stage  of  water  in  the  creek  was  kept  running  night  and  day. 
While  he  and  one  of  his  younger  sons  were  operating  the  mill  the  other  sons 
were  looking  after  the  development  of  the  farm  and  in  due  time  the  William- 
son place  came  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  desirable  pieces  of  prop- 
erty thereabout.  In  1849  David  Williamson  sold  the  place  to  William  An- 
derson and  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Xenia,  locating  in  a  house  just  east  of 
the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  on  Market  street  and  there  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  on  October  18,  1858.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  on 
May  8,  1880,  she  then  being  past  ninety  years  of  age.  She  was  born,  Cath- 
•erine  Duncan,  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  July  11,  1788,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Anne  (Smith)  Duncan,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that 
same  county,  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  Duncan,  natives  of  the  north  of 
Ireland,  of  Scottish  descent,  who  had  come  to  this  country  about  the  year 
1748  and  had  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  Anne  Smith  also  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, a  daughter  of  William  and  Catherine  (Campbell)  Smith,  both 
born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of  Scottish  descent,  who  had  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania upon  coming  to  this  country  and  who  there  spent  their  last  days. 
James  and  Elizabeth  Duncan  had  six  children,  James,  Robert,  John,  An- 
drew, Marv  and  Elizabeth,  and  as  some  of  the  connection  came  to  Ohio  and 
located  in  this  county  the  family  became  a  quite  well  known  one  here. 

David  Williamson,  the  pioneer  farmer  and  millman  mentioned  above, 
was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  February  5,  1786,  the  last- 
born  of  the  seven  children  born  to  his  parents,  who  were  natives  of  the 
north  of  Ireland,  of  Scottish  descent  and  stern  Presbyterians,  who  had  come 
to  this  country  about  the  year  1755  and  had  settled  in  the  Maryland  colony, 
not  far  from  the  city  of  Baltimore,  whence  after  awhile  they  moved  up  over 
the  border  of  Pennsylvania  and  settled  in  Lancaster  county.  Of  the  six 
other  children  of  this  parentage,  the  three  sons,  brothers  of  David  William- 
son, William  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  a  church  tower  in  Baltimore;  Samuel, 
also  unmarried,  was  killed  in  a  runaway  accident  and  John  is  supposed  to 
have  gone  West  as  a  young  man  and  was  there  lost  so  far  as  any  further 
(17) 


274  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

communication  with  his  family  was  concerned.  Of  the  three  daughters,  Jane 
married  Francis  Grove  and  had  six  children,  Mary  married  Thomas  Grove, 
a  brother  of  her  sister's  husband,  and  had  eight  children  and  Margaret  mar- 
ried John  Smith  and  had  eight  children.  David  Williamson  was  early 
trained  to  the  trade  of  tailor,  a  vocation  he  followed  for  some  years  after 
his  marriage  and,  indeed,  for  some  little  time  after  he  began  farming  in 
Ohio.  He  and  Catherine  Duncan  were  married  by  the  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  June  20,  1809,  and  for  about  six 
years  thereafter  made  their  home  on  a  farm  in  Hopewell  township  in  York 
county,  that  state.  In  the  fall  of  18 15  they  crossed  the  mountains  with  the 
three  children  that  meantime  had  come  to  them  and  located  on  a  farm  be- 
longing to  the  Duncans,  brothers  of  Mrs.  Williamson,  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania.  There  two  more  children  came  into  their  home. 
From  there  they  came  over  into  Ohio  and  settled  about  two  miles  from 
Warren,  in  Jefferson  county,  where  they  remained  for  fifteen  years  and 
where  five  more  children  were  born.  Their  next  move  was  to  the  Shanesville 
neighborhood  in  Tuscarawas  county.  While  conditions  for  farming  there 
were  suitable,  the  necessity  of  traveling  seventeen  miles  to  find  the  comfort 
of  communion  with  a  Seceder  congregation,  the  nearest  organization  of  the 
Associate  Presbyterian  church  being  at  Fredericksburg,  proved  a  drawback 
to  a  permanent  settlement  there  and  when  in  1836  the  opportunity  came  to 
make  so  faAorable  a  location  in  the  Seceder  community  in  Greene  county  it 
was  gratefully  grasped  and  the  choice  was  never  regretted.  And  it  was  thus 
that  the  W'illiamsons  came  to  Greene  county. 

To  David  and  Catherine  (Duncan)  Williamson  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Jonathan  Duncan  \Villiamson,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  William,  Anne 
Duncan.  Andrew  Duncan,  John  Smith,  Margaret,  David,  Sampson  Smith, 
Esamiah  Kelly  and  Robert  Duncan,  all  save  two  of  whom,  Margaret,  who 
died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  and  Sampson  S.,  who  died  un- 
married at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  married  and  had  children  whose  children 
in  the  present  generation  form  quite  a  numerous  connection,  many  members 
of  which  are  found  in  Greene  county.  \\'illiam  Williamson,  born  on  April 
I.  18 ID,  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife,  Jane  McCroskey,  was  the 
father  of  nine  children,  Granville,  Madison.  Harvey,  Emma,  Ross,  Flor- 
ence, Amanda,  Irene  and  William.  He  died  in  1894  and  is  buried  at  Canons- 
burg,  Ohio.  Anne  W^illiamson,  born  on  April  5,  1812,  married  Andrew 
Ritchey  and  had  seven  children,  Charles,  Esamiah,  David,  Jane,  Anne,  Ada- 
line  K.  and  Jonathan.  She  died  in  1868  and  is  buried  at  Sydney,  this  state. 
Andrew  D.  Williamson,  born  on  January  30.  181 5.  was  twice  married  and 
by  his  first  wife.  Isabella  Collins,  was  the  father  of  seven  children.   David 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  275 

Walker,  William  Collins,  Henrietta  Ritchey,  Leamon  Wilson,  RoUa  Duncan, 
Andrew  Collins  and  an  unnamed  infant.  He  died  at  his  home  in  the  Spring 
Valley  neighborhood  in  1899  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  John  S.  Wil- 
liamson, born  on  April  i,  1817,  was  thrice  married  and  by  his  first  wife, 
Jane  Kyle,  had  three  children,  Kate,  Samuel  K.  and  David  S.  His  second 
wife,  Ellen  B.  Bryson,  was  the  mother  of  one  child.  Flora  Jane,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  years.  His  third  wife  was  Mattie  Irwin.  He  died  at 
his  home  in  Cedarville  in  1898.  David  Williamson,  Jr.,  born  on  November 
16,  1822,  married  Margaret  Jane  Marshall,  who  was  born  in  this  county, 
and  had  three  children,  Catherine  Eleanor,  Margaretta  Josephine  and  Sus- 
anna Cordelia.  He  died  in  1885  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Cedarville. 
Esamiah  K.  Williamson,  born  on  October  17,  1829,  married  the  Rev.  David 
Donnan,  a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren, Luella  Catherine,  Frederick  Elmore,  Mary  Adalaide,  Emezetta  and 
two  who  died  in  infancy.  The  Rev.  David  Donnan  died  at  Cochranton, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1896,  and  his  widow  continued  to  make  her  home  there 
until  her  death.  The  Rev.  Robert  Duncan  Williamson,  last-born  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  pioneer  David  Williamson,  was  born  on  February  23,  1833.  He 
early  dedicated  his  talents  to  the  ministry  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
and  following  his  graduation  from  the  Xenia  Theological  Seminary  in  1857, 
entered  the  ministrv  and  after  serving  at  various  stations  was  in  1871  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Troy,  New  York, 
where  he  continued  in  service  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  where  he  died 
in  1913.  He  married  Phebe  Lucretia  Cruikshank,  of  Troy,  New  York,  and 
had  three  sons,  Isaac  Hasbrouck,  Esek  Bussey  and  William  Thompson.  In 
1906  the  Rev.  Robert  D.  Williamson  published  a  book  of  more  than  seventy 
pages  carrving  a  historical  and  biographical  sketch  of  this  branch  of  the 
Williamson  family. 

Jonathan  Duncan  Williamson,  eighth  child  and  sixth  son  of  David  and 
Catherine  (Duncan)  Williamson,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  this  state, 
April  5,  1827,  and  was  thus  under  ten  years  of  age  when  the  family  came 
to  Greene  county  in  1836.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  east  of 
Xenia  and  on  January  2,  1849,  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  the  Cedarville 
neighborhood,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Anne  Meridian,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Martha  (Chestnut)  McMillan,  the  Rev.  Hugh  McMillan, 
D.  D.,  uncle  of  the  bride,  officiating.  Elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  set 
out  a  comprehensive  story  of  the  coming  of  the  McMillan  family  to  this 
county,  together  with  a  pretty  complete  genealogical  record  of  that  branch 
of  the  family  so  far  as  it  relates  to  Greene  county.  After  his  marriage  he 
established  his  home  on  a  farm  five  miles  east  of  Xenia  on  the  Jamestown 
pike  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  active  life,  living  there  until  his  retire- 


276  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ment  and  removal  in  1888  to  Cedarville,  where  he  and  his  wife  spenj 
their  last  days,  the  former  dying  on  January  25,  1912,  and  the  latter  on 
January  14,  1907.  Jonathan  D.  Williamson  was  for  years  one  of  the  lead- 
ing sheep  men  in  this  part  of  Ohio  and  developed  on  his  farm  in  New  Jas- 
per township  an  industry  in  that  line  that  has  been  continued  with  much 
success  by  his  sons.  Though  reared  in  the  Seceder  church,  Jonathan  D.  Wil- 
liamson followed  his  wife  into  the  Covenanter  church  after  his  marriage  and 
was  ever  thereafter  an  earnest  member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (Cov- 
enanter) congregation  at  Cedarville.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order 
of  birth.  The  eldest  was  Anna  Catherine,  born  on  December  23,  1852,  who 
married  the  Rev.  William  Young,  pastor  of  the  First  Reformed  Presbyter- 
ian church  in  Pittsburgh,  and  had  one  child,  a  son,  the  Rev.  Clarence  Andrew 
Young,  now  pastor  of  the  Roxbury  Presbyterian  Church  at  Boston,  Mass. 
The  Rev.  William  Young  died  in  1878,  when  his  son  was  but  an  infant, 
and  his  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring in  1899.  The  next  child  in  this  family  was  an  infant  son  that  did  not 
live  longer  than  a  day.  The  fourth  child,  Martha  Jeanette,  born  on  Decem- 
ber 6,  1859,  is  still  living  in  New  Jasper  township,  widow  of  Samuel  C. 
Anderson,  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. Robert  Duncan  Williamson,  the  fifth  child,  born  on  February  13, 
1862,  has  for  years  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  authorities  in  the 
United  States  on  sheep  breeding  and  further  mention  of  him  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mary  Joella  Williamson,  born  on  March  30, 
1864,  married  Robert  E.  Bryson,  of  the  Oldtown  neighborhood,  and  has 
four  children,  Harold,  Agnes  Louisa,  Martha  Lucile  and  James.  Leila  Ada 
W^illiamson,  born  on  September  22,  1866,  married  \MlIiam  E.  Dean,  who 
later  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Springfield,  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Jonatlian  Elmer.  The  last-born  of  tlie  children  of  Jonathan  D. 
Williamson  and  wife  was  a  daughter,  Florence  Erma,  born  on  February 
II,  1871,  who  died  on  July  15,  1892,  two  years  after  her  graduation  from 
the  Cedarville  high  school. 

John  Clarence  Williamson,  the  third  child  and  second  son  of  Jonathan 
D.  and  Martha  A.  (McMillan)  Williamson,  now  living  at  Xenia,  where  he 
has  resided  since  1913,  and  who  is  the  proprietor  of  the  celebrated  "Clear- 
view  Stock  Farm,"  now  being  operated  under  the  direction  of  his  son, 
Frederick  W.  Williamson,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Xenia,  was  born 
on  that  farm  and  there  resided  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Xenia. 
He  was  born  on  April  3,  1857.  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the 
Xenia  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  1882  he  built  a  house  on  the  other 
end  of  the  farm  and  there  established  his  home.     Upon  his  father's  retire- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  277 

ment  the  farm  was  divided  between  him  and  his  brother,  Robert  Duncan 
WiUiamson,  and  both  brothers  continued  their  operations  there,  giving  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  sheep  industry.  In  1887  John  C.  WilHamson  started 
his  flock  of  Oxford  Down  sheep,  one  of  the  first  breeders  of  that  strain  in 
Ohio,  and  has  ever  since  maintained  the  flock,  gradually  improving  the 
wool  qualities  of  the  strain  until  his  Oxfords  have  become  known  not  only  all 
over  this  country,  but  in  Europe,  Canada,  South  America  and  Australia,  the 
increase  of  his  flock  being  sold  only  for  breeding  purposes,  the  demands 
upon  the  products  of  "Clearview  Stock  Farm"  having  for  years  been  in  ex- 
cess of  the  supply.  In  1887  Mr.  Williamson  began  exhibiting  his  Oxfords 
at  the  large  fairs  and  has  since  exhibited  all  over  the  country,  from  Madison 
Square  Garden  in  New  York  to  Memphis  in  the  South  and  in  all  the  great 
state  fairs  and  stock  shows  throughout  the  West,  and  the  great  collection  of 
blue  ribbons  he  has  accumulated  is  proof  of  the  continuous  success  of  his 
exhibits.  Since  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Xenia  in  19 13  the  active  di- 
rection of  the  stock  farm  has  been  carried  on  by  his  son,  Frederick  W.  Wil- 
liamson, his  partner,  who  is  carrying  on  in  the  third  generation  the  fame 
of  the  Williamson  flocks.  Two  exhibition  flocks  are  sent  out  from  "Clear- 
view"  each  year,  one  to  the  great  state  fairs  and  the  other  to  a  circuit  of  the 
leading  county  fairs  in  Ohio,  and  the  long  list  of  championships  credited 
to  "Clearview  Stock  Farm"  has  added  no  little  to  the  fame  of  Greene  county 
as  one  of  the  greatest  pure-bred  stock  producing  regions  in  the  world.  In 
addition  to  their  extensive  sheep  industry  the  Williamsons  have  always  kept 
a  good  herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle  on  the  place  and  they  are  now  starting  a  fine 
bunch  of  pure-bred  spotted  Poland  China  hogs,  with  a  view  to  creating  at 
"Clearview"  a  new  department  of  interest  to  breeders.  Since  1913  Mr. 
Williamson  has  been  serving  as  a  judge  at  the  great  international  live-stock 
exhibitions  at  Chicago  and  has  for  years  been  one  of  the  most  influential 
members  of  the  National  Oxford  Down  Record  Association,  of  which  he 
has  been  president  for  the  past  two  years.  By  political  affiliation  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson is  a  Republican  and  for  some  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  county  infirmary.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  session 
of  the  same  for  more  than  twenty  years.  He  and  his  wife  reside  at  246 
North  Detroit  street  in  Xenia. 

Mr.  Williamson  has  been  twice  married.  On  June  20,  1882,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Maria  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  Williamson  place,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Collins) 
Anderson,  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  county  and  further  mention 
of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  that  union  were  born 
three  children,  twins  who  lived  but  a  brief  span  of  life,  and  a  son,  Fred- 


278  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

erick  William  Williamson,  born  on  March  2,  1887,  mentioned  above  as  the 
partner  of  his  father  in  the  operation  of  "Clearview  Stock  Farm"  and  the 
present  occupant  of  that  farm.  F.  W.  Williamson  was  graduated  from 
Cedarville  College  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  has  been  actively 
identified  with  his  father's  activities  as  a  sheep  breeder.  He  married  Una 
Corry,  daughter  of  Frank  Corry,  a  member  of  the  old  Corry  family  in  this 
county,  mentioned  elsewhere,  and  has  two  children,  Marie  A.  and  Frances 
Jean.  Mrs.  Maria  Williamson  died  on  February  2,  1888,  and  on  January 
29,  1891,  Mr.  Williamson  married  Alida  McClellan,  who  was  born  near 
Xenia,  daughter  of  William  E.  and  Susan  (Torrence)  McClellan,  both 
members  of  pioneer  families  in  Ohio,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this 
county. 

William  E.  McClellan  was  born  in  Wayne  county,  this  state,  August 
II,  1825,  and  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  John  and 
Nancy  (Elder)  McClellan,  to  Greene  county,  the  family  settling  on  what  is 
now  known  as  the  "Belmont  Stock  Farm"  in  Xenia  township,  and  on 
which  place  the  house  now  standing  there  was  erected  by  John  McClellan 
in  1840.  The  McClellans  were  of  the  Associate  Reformed  faith  and  after 
the  "union"  of  1858  became  afifiiliated  with  the  Second  United  Presbyter- 
ian church  at  Xenia.  Reared  on  the  home  farm,  William  E.  McClellan  in 
due  time  became  proprietor  of  the  same  and  there  lived  until  his  retirement 
in  1893  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  on  February  9,  igoo.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife,  Susan  Torrence,  was  born  in  the  Xenia  neighborhood  on  April  11. 
1829,  and  died  on  May  i,  1867.  His  second  wife,  Margaret  Dodds,  died  in 
1894.  She  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  Lee  Dodds  McClellan,  born 
in  1872,  who  died  in  1887.  To  William  E.  and  Susanna  (Torrence)  Mc- 
Clellan were  born  seven  children,  namely:  Edward  Torrence  McClellan, 
proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Cincinnati  pike  in  Xenia  township;  Marietta,  who 
married  C.  Will  LaFavor  and  died  in  1898:  Laura  Belle,  wife  of  Harvey 
McClellan,  a  farmer  living  three  miles  west  of  Xenia ;  Amanda  Rebecca, 
who  married  Nathan  Ramsay  and  died  in  1890;  Anna  Lida,  more  commonly 
known  among  her  friends  as  Alida,  who  married  Mr.  Williamson ;  Antoin- 
ette Jane,  wife  of  Thomas  Bruce,  now  living  at  Catherine,  Alabama,  and 
James  Clark,  a  traveling  salesman,  who  married  Nellie  Reynolds  and  is  now 
living  at  Troy,  this  state. 

To  John  C.  and  Alida  (McClellan)  Williamson  one  child  has  been 
born,  a  son,  John  Kenneth,  born  on  June  15,  1892.  John  K.  Williamson, 
former  city  solicitor  of  Xenia,  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  Oldtown 
Run  district  school  in  Xenia  township  and  later  entered  Cedarville  College, 
where  in  1910  he  was  graduated.     During  his  college  days  he  was  one  of 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  2"9 

the  .leading  athletes  in  the  college,  half-back  on  the  football  team  and  center 
on  the  basket-ball  team,  and  during  the  season  igio-ii  was  employed  to 
teach  chemistry  and  physics  and  to  coach  the  football  team  in  the  high 
school  at  Luveme,  Minnesota.  During  the  next  term  he  held  a  similar  posi- 
tion at  Moorhead,  Minnesota,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio  and  entered  the 
law  office  of  W.  A.  Gilbert  at  Troy,  with  the  purpose  of  preparing  for  en- 
trance at  law  school,  and  a  year  later  entered  the  law  department  of  Ohio 
State  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  191 5.  In  September  of 
that  same  year  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Xenia  and  in  that  city  formed 
a  partnership  with  J.  P.  Kyle,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kyle  &  Williamson, 
for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  During  his  college  days  he  was  an  active 
member  of  the  Delta  Chi  fraternity  and  still  maintains  his  interest  in  that 
association.  He  is  a  Republican,  now  serving  as  secretary  of  the  county 
Republican  executive  committee,  and  on  January  i,  191 7,  was  appointed 
city  solicitor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church 
at  Xenia  and  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same.  On  January 
I,  19 1 7,  John  K.  Williamson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Moore 
Geiger,  who  was  born  at  Springfield,  this  state,  daughter  of  Charles  A.  and 
Frances  (Moore)  Geiger,  the  former  of  whom  is  now  president  of  the  Troy 
Wagon  Works  and  makes  his  home  in  New  York  City  much  of  the  time. 


CLE\'ELAXD  L.  BARKMAX. 

Cleveland  L.  Barkman,  postmaster  of  Osborn,  was  born  in  Greene  county 
on  May  31,  1S85,  son  of  J.  H.  and  Mary  Barkman,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  ^Montgomery  coimty,  and  who  were  married  there.  Some  years 
after  his  marriage  J.  H.  Barkman  moved  to  the  village  of  Osborn,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  for  years  one  of  the  business  men  of  that  town.  He 
was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  agricultural-implement  busi- 
ness, was  also  for  some  years  manager  for  the  Ohio  Whip  Company  at 
Osborn  and  for  seme  time  served  as  president  of  the  Osborn  Bank.  To  him 
and  his  wife  were  born  four  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  having  two  brothers,  D.  Claude  and  John,  and  a  sister, 
Stella,  wife  of  C.   C.   Huntington. 

Reared  at  Osborn,  Cleveland  L.  Barkman  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  there  and  for  a  year  thereafter  was  located  at  Columbus.  He  then 
became  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county,  but  not  long  afterward  returned 
to  Osborn  and  became  there  engaged  in  business,  continuing  thus  engaged 
until  his  appointment  on  October  21,  1913,  as  postmaster  of  Osborn,  but  he 
did  not  take  charge  until  January   i,   1914.     Mr.  Barkman  is  a  Democrat 


28o  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

and  for  some  time  previous  to  his  appointment  as  postmaster  served  as  town 
clerk. 

On  April  28,  1909,  Mr.  Barkman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Fern 
Young,  daughter  of  Charles  Young,  of  Clark  county,  Ohio,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Marcella  and  Dotty  Gene.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bark- 
man  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Barkman  is  a  member 
of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 


ROBERT  FINLEY  KERR. 

The  late  Robert  Finley  Kerr,  who  for  years  was  head  of  the  firm  of 
Kerr  &  Hastings  Brothers,  merchants  at  Cedarville,  and  whose  widow  is 
still  living  at  Cedarville,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ripley,  in  Brown  county,  December  10,  1852,  son  of  Paul  and  Eliza  (Pierce) 
Kerr,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Madison  county,  this  state,  who  be- 
came residents  of  Greene  county  in  the  spring  of  1869  and  later  moved  to 
Rushville,  Indiana,  where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Upon  coming  to  this  county  with  his  family,  Paul  Kerr  located  on  a 
farm  in  Cedarville  township,  but  presently  disposed  of  that  holding  and 
moved  to  Cedarville,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business. 
Some  years  later  he  sold  his  store  there  and  moved  to  Rushville,  Indiana, 
where  he  became  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  and  where  he  and  his  wife 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Paul  Kerr  was  a  Republican  and  during 
his  residence  at  Cedarville  served  for  some  time  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  their 
children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having  had  one  brother  and  three  sisters, 
namely :  Quimby,  who  went  to  Texas  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood 
and  died  there  on  April  15,  1886;  Mary,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age 
of  fifty-two,  and  Harriet  and  Isabel,  both  unmarried,  who  for  years  have 
been  teachers  in  the  college  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  Robert  F.  Kerr  completed  the  Cedarville  high  school 
course,  supplementing  the  same  b)'  a  two-years  course  in  Monmouth  Col- 
lege at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  and  then  began  to  teach  school,  a  profession  he 
followed  for  twelve  years,  teaching  in  the  district  schools  and  in  the  Cedar- 
ville village  schools.  After  his  marriage  he  lived  on  the  farm  for  six  years. 
Then  deciding  to  engage  in  the  mercantile  business  he  conducted  a  grocery 
for  two  years  and  then  formed  a  partnership  with  the  .\ndrews  brothers, 
the  firm  being  known  as  Andrews  Brothers  &  Company,  and  thus  became  en- 
gaged in  the  general  hardware  and  farm-implement  business  at  Cedarville, 


ROBERT  F.  KERR. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  281 

the  firm  also  owning  and  operating  a  grain  elevator  there.  In  1900  the  in- 
terest of  the  Andrews  brothers  in  this  business  was  sold  to  the  Hastings 
brothers  and  the  firm  thereafter  was  known  as  Kerr  &  Hastings  Brothers, 
which  name  it  still  retains.  Mrs.  Kerr  now  holding  the  interest  that  so  long 
was  held  by  her  late  husband.  This  concern  is  engaged  not  only  in  the  gen- 
eral hardware  and  implement  business,  but  in  the  sale  of  building  supplies 
and  owns  and  operates  two  grain  elevators  and  coal  yards  and  buys  wool. 
Mr.  Kerr  continued  actively  engaged  in  business  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
on  June  24,  191 1.  He  had  years  ago  bought  and  remodeled  a  good  house 
on  South  Main  street  and  there  his  widow  continues  to  make  her  home. 
Mr.  Kerr  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  as  is  his  widow, 
for  years  was  a  ruling  elder  of  the  congregation  with  which  he  was  affiliated 
and  was  also  for  some  time  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school.  Politi- 
cally, he  was  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father  before  him. 

On  March  29,  1882,  Robert  Finley  Kerr  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Frances  Ladora  (better  known  among  her  friends  as  "Dora")  Jackson, 
who  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  March  12,  1856,  daugh- 
ter of  George  and  Minerva  (Townsley)  Jackson,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  members,  respectively,  of  two  of  the  oldest  and  most 
influential  families  in  the  county,  both  the  Jacksons  and  the  Townsleys  having 
been  represented  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood  ever  since  the  very  "begin- 
ning of  things"  hereabout.  George  Jackson,  who  was  a  brother  of  the  Rev. 
Hugh  Parks  Jackson,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom,  appearing  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  sets  out  in  detail  the  history  of  the  Jackson  family  in  this 
county,  was  born  on  March  19,  1823,  and  was  for  many  years  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  figures  in  the  citizenship  of  Greene  county,  a  man  six  feet 
and  three  inches  in  height  and  of  weight  proportionate  to  his  stature.  He 
was  the  owner  of  a  quarter-section  farm  on  the  Yellow  Springs  road  two 
miles  out  of  Cedarville,  for  years  had  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  United 
Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville,  as  well  as  chorister  for  the  congregation, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  on  March  26,  1880,  there  were  many  and  sin- 
cere expressions  of  regret  thereabout. 

George  Jackson  was  twice  married.  On  October  26,  1848,  the  Rev. 
J.  H.  Buchanan  officiating,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minerva  Townsle\% 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Margaret 
( Ewing)  Townsley,  and  to  this  union  two  daughters  were  born,  Mrs.  Kerr 
having  a  sister,  Martha  Joanna,  wife  of  Judge  James  P.  Rogers,  of  Wheel- 
ing, West  Virginia.  The  mother  of  these  daughters  died  on  March  18, 
1876,  and  is  buried  in  the  Massiescreek  cemetery.  On  June  18,  1879,  Mr. 
Jackson  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Margaret  (Hammond)  McCall,  who  survives 
as  Mrs  H.  H.  McMillan.  Mr.  Jackson  also  is  buried  in  the  Massiescreek 
cemetery. 


282  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


ELAM  L.- TRUMAN. 


Elam  L.  Truman,  proprietor  of  "Fair  View  Heights"  at  Spring  Val- 
ley, where  he  is  now  li\ing  practically  retired,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene 
county  and  is  quite  content  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  here,  though  his 
activities  have  taken  him  away  from  the  county  much  of  the  time.  He  was 
.born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  \'alley  township  on  December  19,  1849,  son  of 
Jeffrey  and  Jane  (Elam)  Truman,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county,  daughter  of  Capt.  Josiah  and  Jane  (Porter)  Elam,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  Kentucky. 

Capt.  Josiah  Elam  was  a  soldier  of  the  American  Revolution  and  was 
afterward  attached  to  the  expedition  of  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne  into  the 
Northwest  Territory,  culminating  in  the  victory  over  the  Indians  on  the 
Maumee  and  the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795.  While  on  this  trip  to  Ohio  in 
1798  Captain  Elam  came  over  into  this  section  and  located  a  claim  to  a  full 
section  of  land  on  the  west  hank  of  Caesars  creek  in  what  afterward  came 
to  be  organized  as  Spring  \'alley  township,  Greene  county,  six  miles  south 
of  where  the  county  seat,  Xenia,  later  came  to  be  located.  He  employed 
men  to  clear  a  patch  of  this  land  and  erect  a  cabin  in  the  clearing  and  in 
1802  he  returned  here  with  his  family  and  established  his  home.  His  wife 
died  on  that  place  and  he  v.ent  down  into  Clinton  county  on  business  and 
died  there  in  1821.  Captain  Elam  was  born  in  Culpeper  county,  Virginia, 
i"  I753>  and  was  thus  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  eight 
grew  to  maturity,  namely:  John,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
1812  and  afterward  went  over  into  Indiana  to  build  ipills;  Isaac,  who  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Greene  county;  James,  who  died  in  Missouri:  Joel,  who 
went  to  Cass  county,  Indiana,  and  there  spent  his  last  days;  Ambrose,  who 
remained  on  the  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township;  Mrs.  Emaline  Cole, 
who  also  remained  in  Spring  ^'alley  township;  Mrs.  Cynthia  Roberts,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  Logan  county,  this  state,  and  Jane,  who  married 
Jeffrey  Truman  and  became  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Jeffrey  Truman  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  in  1793,  a  son  of 
Joseph  Truman  anrl  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Llewellyn,  both  of 
Welsh  stock  and  Quakers.  Joseph  Truman  was  a  coppersmith  and  his  son 
Jeffrey  was  early  trained  in  the  same  art  and  in  that  of  silversmith  and 
also  was  given  a  mercantile  training.  In  1819  Jeffrey  Truman  came  to 
this  part  of  Ohio  and  located  at  Waynesville,  where  he  became  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  and  also  for  a  time  taught  school,  also  serving  as  the 
village  doctor  and  dentist.  He  presently  came  up  into  Greene  county  and 
opened  a  store  at  Bellbrook,  where  he  remained  until  1827,  when  he  laid 
out  the  townsite  of  Transvlvania,  a  long  since  vanished  hamlet,  across  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  283 

river  from  Spring  Valley,  and  erected  the  first  house  there,  this  house  serving 
as  a  store,  tavern  and  postoffice.  Some  time  later  he  returned  to  Warren 
county  and  for  four  years  was  engaged  as  a  silversmith  at  Franklin,  but  then 
returned  to  Transylvania  and  resumed  his  business  there,  conducting  his 
tavern,  working  as  a  silversmith  and  teaching  school.  During  the  progress 
of  the  Mexican  War  Jeffrey  Truman,  who  was  then  operating  a  store  at 
Bellbrook,  enlisted,  leaving  his  store  in  charge  of  Jeremiah  Gest,  and  was 
sent  to  Mexico  as  bookkeeper  for  the  army  paymaster,  rising  to  the  position 
of  assistant  paymaster  before  the  war  was  ended.  In  the  fall  of  1850  he  left 
Transylvania  and  returned  to  Waynesville  with  the  expectation  of  opening 
a  store  there,  but  death  interfered  with  his  plans,  his  death  occuring  there 
on  New-year's  Day,   1851. 

Jeffrey  Truman  was  thrice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  who  was  a  Lake, 
he  had  one  son,  Thomas  H..  who  went  to  Indiana  and  whose  last  days  were 
spent  at  Covington,  that  state.  By  his  second  wife,  Dorothy  Ann  Isham, 
he  also  had  one  son,  Joseph  M.,  who  went  to  California,  where  his  last  days 
were  spent.  Jeffrey  Truman  then  married  Jane  Elam,  who  is  mentioned 
above,  and  to  that  union  were  born  twelve  children,  four  of  whom  died 
in  infancy  and  of  whom  but  two  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  his  brother  Arthur,  the  others  having  been  Angeline,  who  married  Job 
Lashley,  of  Warren  county;  George,  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War.  for  vears  one  of  the  best-known  business  men  of  Spring  Valley,  who 
served  for  some  time  as  mayor  of  that  village  and  who  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife  having  been  Charlotte  Simison  and  his  second,  Elvira  Fisk; 
Elvira,  who  married  and  moved  to  Montana;  Gorilla,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Milton  Scarff,  of  Spring  Valley  township;  Arthur,  who  moved  to  Montana, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  who  is  now  living  retired  at  Bozeman, 
that  state;  Jane,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  Henrietta,  who 
married  William  Adams,  of  Spring  Valley  township.  The  mother  of  these 
children  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-four.     She  was  a  Baptist. 

Elam  L.  Truman  was  reared  in  this  county,  receiving  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1875,  he  then 
being  twenty-five  years  of  age,  after  which  he  made  his  home  at  Bellbrook. 
where  for  four  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  work  of  making  carriages,  tc 
which  trade  he  had  been  early  trained.  He  then  moved  to  Logansport,  In- 
diana, where  he  became  engaged  working  at  his  trade  and  where  he  remained 
for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Spring  \^alley  and 
there  engaged  with  his  brother  George  in  the  hardware  business.  Several 
years  later  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  and  moved  to  Waynesville,  open- 
ing a  hardware  store  there,  but  a  year  later  sold  that  store  and  returned  to 
Spring  Vallev,  where  he  resumed  his  mercantile  vocation.     Three  years  later 


284  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  became  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman  for  the  firm  of  Beyer  &  McMas- 
ter  at  Dayton  and  moved  to  that  city,  traveling  out  of  there,  his  territory 
covering  the  states  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Not  satisfied  with  the  life 
of  a  traveler,  Mr.  Truman  gave  up  that  position  and  engaged  in  the  carriage 
and  garage  business  at  Dayton,  from  which  place,  in  1908,  he  went  to  Lime- 
stone county,  Alabama,  and  there  bought  a  tract  of  land.  Six  years  later  he 
disposed  of  that  tract  to  advantage  and  returned  to  Spring  Valley,  and 
located  at  "Fair  \'iew  Heights,"  and  has  since  lived  there.  Mrs.  Truman 
also  owns  a  farm  at  Roxanna.  Mr.  Truman  also  bought  the  A.  J.  Craig 
farm  two  miles  east  of  Spring  Valley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Truman  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Truman  is  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  was  made  an  Odd 
Fellow  at  Lexington,  Kentucky  in   1871. 

Mr.  Truman  has  been  twice  married.  In  September,  1875,  lie  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Clara  M.  Warren,  of  Bellbrook,  daughter  of  John  and 
Cynthia  Warren,  and  to  that  union  four  children  were  born,  namely :  John, 
deceased;  Willard,  deceased;  Lyman  W.,  who  is  now  living  at  Athens, 
Alabama,  where  he  is  connected  with  the  Watkins  Remedy  Company,  and 
who  married  Leila  Zaner  and  has  two  children,  Leon  and  Clara;  and 
Springer  W.,  who  is  now  living  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he  is  in  the 
barber  business.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  February,  1910,  and 
Mr.  Truman  later  married  Mrs.  Martha  H.  Talbert,  widow  of  George  B. 
Talbert,  of  Bellbrook,  landowner  and  lumberman,  who  liad  died  on  August 
16,  igo8.  Mrs.  Truman  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Jonas  and 
Prudence  { Smalley"*  Stump,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in  this 
county,  the  latter  living  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  January,  1902.  She  was  born  in  Warren  county,  a  daughter 
of  William  Smalley,  a  Warren  county  pioneer,  an  old  Indian  fighter  and 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  an  interesting  story  of  whose 
adventures  with  the  Indians  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  in  this  volume. 
Jonas  Stump  was  born  in  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  was  ten  years  of  age 
when  his  parents,  Daniel  and  Mary  Stump,  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family 
in  1 81 7  and  settled  at  Harveysburg,  in  Warren  county.  Daniel  Stump 
secured  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  Harveysburg  neighborhood  and 
that  farm  is  still  held  in  the  family,  now  owned  by  J.  F.  Stump.  Daniel 
Stump  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Jonas  was 
the  ninth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Sarah,  who  married 
John  Oglesbee ;  Hannah,  who  married  Jessie  Romine ;  Henrietta,  who  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Clark;  Matilda,  who  married  Isaac  Stump;  Lydia,  who  died 
unmarried;  Mary,  who  married  Elias  Oglesbee;  Daniel,  who  remained  on 
the  home  place,  and  William,  who  married  a  Hiatt. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  .  285 

Jonas  Stump  lived  on  a  farm  near  New  Burlington,  Ohio,  and  at  his 
brother  Daniel's  death  was  willed  the  old  home  place  near  Harveysburg. 
He  moved  there  and  owned  the  place  until  he  died.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Truman  was  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Mary  M.,  who  died  on  January 
15,  1917,  widow  of  Allen  H.  Miars,  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  presented 
elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Catherine,  also  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of 
Isaac  Evans,  of  Xenia,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  also  is  presented  in 
this  volume;  Rachel,  who  died  in  infancy;  Daniel  S.,  a  retired  farmer,  who 
is  now  making  his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Truman;  William  J.,  deceased, 
who  married  Ellen  McWhorton,  and  Fremont  J.,  who  is  living  on  the  place 
that  was  settler  by  his  grandfather,  Daniel  Stump,  more  than  one  hundred 
vears  ago. 


JESSE  SANDERS. 

Ever  since  the  days  of  the  early  settlement  of  Greene  county  the  Sanders 
family  has  been  a  numerous  connection  hereabout,  this  family  having  been 
one  of  the  families  that  became  established  here  about  the  time  of  the  organ- 
ization of  the  county.  One  of  the  original  members  of  this  family  in  this 
county  was  Jesse  Sanders,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  who 
developed  in  Spring  Valley  township  a  fine  piece  of  farm  property,  the  place 
now  owned  by  his  oldest  daughter  and  only  surviving  child,  Miss  Rebecca 
Ann  Sanders,  who  has  lived  there  all  her  life. 

Jesse  Sanders  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Salisbury,  in  Stokes  county,  that  state,  in  1792,  and  was  thirteen 
years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents.  Forest  Sanders  and  wife,  a 
Redick,  and  the  other  members  of  the  family  to  Ohio  in  1805.  the  family 
settling  on  a  farm  on  the  Cincinnati  road,  five  miles  out  of  the  then  humble 
village  of  Xenia  and  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Spring  Valley,  Forest  San- 
ders being  the  first  settler  in  that  neighborhood.  He  and  his  wife  were 
earnest  Quakers  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  simple  faith.  Forest 
Sanders  lived  to  be  seventy  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  Jesse  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  Forest,  who  moved  to  Indiana  and  spent  his  last  days  in  Laporte,  that 
state;  John,  who  remained  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  there  spent  his 
last  days;  Susan,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  Mrs.  Mary  Graham, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Indiana;  Jeremiah,  Mrs.  Salsbury  and  Mrs. 
Beason. 

As  noted  above,  Jesse  Sanders  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age  when  he 


286  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

came  to  this  county  and  he  walked  all  the  way  over  from  North  Carolina, 
it  having  been  his  job  and  that  of  his  sister  to  drive  the  family  cow  along 
behind  the  wagon  in  which  the  household  goods  were  stored.  The  family 
had  started  during  the  fall,  but  it  was  well  along  toward  spring  before  they 
reached  their  destination  in  this  county.  He  was  twenty  years  of  age  when 
the  War  of  1812  broke  out  and  he  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the 
company  raised  by  Capt.  John  Davis  and  served  as  a  soldier  until  the  close 
of  the  campaign,  being  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  captain,  after  which 
he  returned  home  and  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm,  which  he  continued 
to  operate  until  growing  infirmities  of  age  compelled  his  retirement,  after 
which  he  rented  the  fields  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  retirement,  his 
death  occurring  on  May  21,  1880,  he  then  being  in  the  eighty-eighth  year 
of  his  age.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  something  more  than  six 
years,  her  death  having  occurred  in  November,  1873,  and  both  were  buried 
in  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia.  Jesse  Sanders  had  ever  retained  his  birth- 
right in  the  Friends  church  and  his  wife  was  a  Presbyterian.  She  was 
born,  Elizabeth  Simison,  in  Spring  Valley  township,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  pioneer  families  of  that  township,  and  was  married  on  November  5, 
1840,  to  Jesse  Sanders.  To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  two  sons, 
both  of  whom  died  in  youth,  and  two  daughters,  Susan  Margaret,  who 
died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  and  Rebecca  Ann,  who  is  still 
making  her  home  on  the  old  home  place. 

William  H.  Babb,  who  for  many  years  has  made  his  home  with  the 
Sanders  family  and  is  still  living  on  the  Sanders  place,  operating  the  farm, 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  in  March,  1843,  son  of  Abner 
and  Ann  (DeHavenj  Babb,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from  Virginia  in  1833 
and  had  settled  in  Greene  county,  later  moving  down  into  Clinton  county. 
In  1855  Abner  Babb  moved  to  Indiana  with  his  family  and  for  ten  vears 
made  his  home  at  Kokomo,  returning  in  1866  to  Ohio,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1871.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1893.  Abner  Babb  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  William  H.  is  now  the  only  sur- 
vivor, the  others  having  been  J.  R..  Harriet,  John  .A.  and  Mary  Ellen,  Will- 
iam H.  Babb  grew  to  manhood  in  Indiana  and  was  twenty-three  years  of 
age  when  he  came  back  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  in  1866.  Three  years  later 
he  took  up  his  residenca  on  the  Sanders  place,  taking  charge  of  the  farm  for 
Mr.  Sanders,  and  has  lived  there  ever  since,  having  established  his  home  there 
after  his  marriage  in  1887.  His  wife,  who  was  Clarissa  A.  Peterson,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Caesarscreek  township,  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 19 1 4. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  287 

CLEMENT  J.   LOGSDON. 

Clement  J.  Logsdon,  the  only  druggist  in  Osborn,  is  a  native  son  of 
Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Knox  county,  son  of  C.  C.  and  Amelia  (Hays)  Logsdon,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  county  and  who  there  spent  all  their  lives.  Reared 
on  the  farm,  Clement  J.  Logsdon  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  then  for  three  winters  taught  school  in  his  home  county. 
He  then  entered  the  pharmacy  department  of  Ohio  State  University  at 
Columbus  and  after  a  three-year  course  in  that  institution  graduated  in  189S. 
Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Mr.  Logsdon  became  employed  as  a  registered 
pharmacist  at  Columbus  and  from  that  city  went  to  Newark,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  until  1900.  In  that  year'  he  became  engaged 
as  the  registered  pharmacist  in  the  drug  store  of  Doctor  Campbell  at  Osborn. 
Eight  years  later  he  bought  the  Campbell  store  and  has  since  conducted  the 
same,  now  the  only  druggist  in  the  village. 

Mr.  Logsdon  is  a  Democrat.  As  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club  of 
Osborn  he  has  done  his  part  in  promoting  all  movements  designed  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  that  village.  Since  taking  up  his  residence  in  Osborn 
Mr.  Logsdon  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  the  local  chautauqua 
movement.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Pharmacists  Association. 


CLARENCE  W.  HOFFMAN. 

Clarence  W.  Hoffman,  one  of  the  younger  farmers  of  Beavercreek 
township  and  the  proprietor  of  fifty  acres  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out 
of  Spring  Valley,  was  born  on  that  farm,  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  October  2,  1885,  son  of  George  and  Martha  Hoffman,  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living  at  the  home  of  George  Brandt  in  Beavercreek 
township. 

George  Hoffman  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  was  married  in  his 
native  land.  Not  long  after  his  marriage  he  came  to  this  country  in  1868 
with  his  wife  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  locating  in  this  county,  where 
for  several  years  thereafter  he  was  engaged  working  on  the  farm  of  Captain 
Darst.  He  then  bought  the  farm  of  fifty  acres  oti  which  his  son  Clarence 
is  now  living,  established  his  home  there  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
his  death  occurring  on  July  6,  1887.  He  was  a  member  of  Mt.  Zion  Re- 
formed church,  as  is  his  widow.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the  others  being  the  fol- 
lowing: Conrad,  who  married  Louise  Martin  and  is  farming  in  the  vicinity 
of  Fairfield,  this  county;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Charles  Phaul,  of  Dayton;  Eva, 


288  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

wife  of  Clinton  Putnam,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Flora,  deceased,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Robert  Rutherford,  and  George,  who  is  now  farming  in  the 
West. 

Clarence  W.  Hoffman  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  was  not  yet  two  years  of  age 
when  his  father  died.  As  the  youngest  son  he  continued  to  make  his  home 
there  with  his  mother  and  after  his  marriage  in  1913  established  his  home 
on  the  place  and  has  since  continued  to  make  it  his  place  of  residence. 

On  January  29,  1913,  Mr.  Hoffman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora 
McGrew,  who  was  born  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  daughter  of  John  and 
Susan  McGrew,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Verna, 
Kenneth  and  Glenna.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoffman  are  members  of  the  Mt.  Zion 
Reform  church. 


GEORGE    BAKER. 


The  late  George  Baker,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  years  one 
of  the  best-known  farmers  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  was  born  in 
that  township  and  most  of  his  life  was  spent  there,  two  of  his  sons  and  s 
daughter  now  occupying  the  old  home  place  three  miles  west  of  Yello^* 
Springs  which  their  father  bought  in  1881  and  on  which  he  spent  his  last 
days.  He  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  one  mile  south  of  Yellow  Springs  on 
November  14,  1831,  son  of  Isaac  and  EHza  (Graham)  Baker,  the  latter  01 
whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  September  27,  1809,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  of  Greene  county. 

Isaac  Baker  was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  3,  1807. 
and  became  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Greene  county,  establishing  his  home 
here  after  his  marriage  to  Eliza  Graham.  He  and  his  wife  reared  their 
family  here  and  here  s{>ent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was 
the  first-born,  the  others  being  Mrs.  Louise  Hawkins,  deceased ;  John,  who 
was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  on  October  19,  1864,  while  serving 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War;  William  P.,  who  died  on 
July  I,  1907;  Brinton,  who  is  still  living,  making  his  home  now  at  Dayton; 
Joseph,  who  is  now  living  at  Pratt,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Hester  Hutchinson,  who 
is  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  this  county;  Sarah,  who  died  in  1868,  and 
Charles  West,  who  died  on  April  14,  191 4.  Five  of  these  brothers  served 
in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Miami  township,  George  Baker  received 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  at  Yellow  Springs  and  early  learned 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  289 

the  trade  of  blacksmith  at  which  he  worked,  at  Yellow  Springs  and  at  Salem, 
until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age,  when,  in  1856,  he  joined  that  con- 
siderable band  of  Greene  county  young  men,  including  Senator  Plum  and 
Captain  Frazer,  who  went  to  Kansas  in  1856  and  started  things  going  in  the 
vicinity  of  where  the  flourishing  city  of  Emporia  now  stands.  George  Baker 
set  up  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  Emporia  and  remained  there  for  three 
years,  or  until  1859,  being  thus  an  active  participant  in  the  desperate  struggle 
that  then  was  being  waged  in  "bleeding  Kansas"  between  the  free-soilers 
who  wanted  to  preserve  the  Territory  of  Kansas  against  the  intrusion  of 
the  institution  of  slavery  and  the  "border  ruffians"  who,  coming  in  from 
Missouri,  across  the  river  and  from  other  points  south,  were  determined 
to  fasten  slavery  on  the  prospective  state.  The  struggle  finally  became  so 
acute  that  Mr.  Baker,  in  1859,  became  disgusted  with  the  unsettled  condi- 
tion of  things  and  came  back  home  and  resumed  his  labors  as  a  blacksmith 
at  Yellow  Springs  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
Early  in  the  progress  of  that  struggle  between  the  states  he  enlisted  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  command  he  served  until  the  termination  of  his  term  of  enlistment, 
when  he  returned  home  and  started  farming ;  but  a  short  time  later  he  enlisted 
in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  then 
returned  to  his  farm  and  there  remained  until  January  3,  1881,  when  he 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  three  miles  west  of  Yellow  Springs, 
moved  onto  the  same  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring on  February  6,  1890.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  her  death  occurring  on  January  18,  191 1.  George  Baker  was  reared 
in  the  Methodist  church  and  his  wife  was  reared  in  the  Catholic  church, 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  latter  communion. 

On  September  14,  1864,  at  Springfield,  George  Baker  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Elizabeth  Higginson,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  but  whose  girlhood  was  spent  at  Albany,  New  York,  where  she 
was  living  when  her  family  came  from  that  place  to  Greene  county  during 
the  '50s.  To  that  union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  John  Wentworth, 
who  died  in  1866;  Mamie  C,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place,  keeping 
house  for  her  brothers.  William  and  George,  who  are  farming  the  place : 
William  J.  and  Elizabeth  (twins),  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  a  nun,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Visitation  Order,  in  the  convent  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  and 
the  former  of  whom  is  noted  above  as  remaining  on  the  home  farm,  and 
George,  who  is  also  living  on  the  home  place,  he  and  his  brother  operating 
the  same,  while  their  sister  Mamie  keeps  house  for  them.     The  Baker  broth- 

(18) 


290  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ers  are  good  farmers  and  have  a  well-kept  and  profitabi}'  cultivated  farm. 
They  are  Republicans,  as  was  their  soldier  father,  and  take  a  proper  interest 
in  local  civic  affairs,  but  have  not  been  seekers  after  public  office. 


LESTER  S.  BARNES. 


Lester  S.  Barnes,  proprietor  of  a  decorating,  paint  and  book  store  at 
Xenia,  was  born  in  Xenia  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life  with  the  exception 
of  a  brief  period  during  hig  young  manhood,  when  he  was  employed  in  a 
book  store  at  Cincinnati.  He  was  born  on  April  24,  1877,  son  of  the  late 
Major  George  A.  Barnes  and  wife,  the  latter  of  w-hom  is  still  living  at 
Xenia,  where  Major  Barnes  died  on  September  19,  1907,  and  where  he  was 
born  on  July  14,  1837,  son  of  Henry  and  Ruth  Barnes. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  the  city  of  his  birth,  Lester  S.  Barnes  received  his 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  city  and  upon  leaving  school  became  en- 
gaged as  clerk  in  a  local  book  store.  He  later  went  to  Cincinnati  and  in 
that  city  was  employed  in  the  wall-paper  department  of  the  Fair  store  for 
some  time,  returning  then  to  Xenia,  where  on  November  20,  1899,  he  be- 
came engaged  as  a  clerk  in  the  White  wall-paper  store  which  then  was  doing 
business  on  Greene  street,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  six  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account,  open- 
ing the  store  which  he  is  now  operating  on  April  i,  1906.  Mr.  Barnes  car- 
ries a  general  line  of  wall  paper,  paints,  stationery,  books,  magazines  and 
such  other  articles  as  are  included  in  the  stock  of  stores  of  this  character. 

On  December  20,  1S99,  Lester  S.  Barnes  was  united  in  marriage  to  J. 
Olive  McDonald,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of  Charles  W.  and 
Mary  (Boots)  McDonald,  who  are  now  living  in  Florida  and  who  are  the 
parents  of  four  children,  Mrs.  Barnes  having  two  brothers,  Elmer  and 
John  McDonald,  and  a  sister.  Myrtle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnes  are  members 
of  the  First  Reformed  church.  They  have  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Ruth,  born  on  December  28,  1900,  now  a  member  of  the  class  of  1918, 
Xenia  high  school,  and  Nelson,  born  on  December  22,  1903.  Mr.  Barnes 
is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  of  the 
local  camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans. 


FRANK  WESLEY  SLMISON. 

Frank  Wesley  Simison,  a  farmer  of  Spring  Valley  township  and  operat- 
ing his  mother's  farm  on  which  he  lives,  was  born  on  that  farm,  as  was' his 
father,  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  October  25,  1855, 
son  of  Milo  D.  and  Mary  (Kelly)  Simison,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  29I 

now  a  resident  of  the  village  of  Spring  Valley.  She  was  born  in  County 
Mayo,  Ireland,  in  1835,  and  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  she  came  to 
America.  She  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  aunt,  Mrs.  Mary  Gibhons, 
and  thus  became  a  resident  of  Greene  county,  where  she  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  married  Mr.  Simison. 

The  late  Milo  D.  Simison,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Spring  Valley  on 
January  20,  IQ07,  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  now 
operated  by  his  son,  Frank,  November  19,  1830,  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(Knight)  Simison.  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  March  9,  1798,  and 
the  latter.  May  8,  1807.  John  Simison  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of 
Robert  Simison,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who  had  located  in  the  Keystone  state 
upon  his  arrival  in  this  country,  and  was  a  well  grown  lad  when  he  came 
with  his  father  and  the  other  members  of  the  family  to  Greene  county, 
Robert  Simison  here  buying  the  farm  upon  which  his  great-grandson, 
Frank  W.  Simison,  is  now  living,  paying  five  dollars  an  acre  for  the  same, 
later  Robert  Simison  bought  the  farm  which  long  afterward  came  to  be 
known  as  the  Scarff  farm  and  after  the  marriage  of  his  son  John  turned 
over  to  the  latter  his  original  purchase  and  moved  to  the  second  farm,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  On  January  i,  1828,  John  Simison  married 
Nancy  Knight,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Hannah  (Caine)  Knight,  North  CaroHnians  and  pioneers  of  this  county. 
After  their  marriage  John  Simison  and  his  wife  established  their  home  on 
the  place  on  which  the  former's  father  had  settled  on  coming  to  this  county 
and  there  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  latter  dying  on  March 
29,  1847,  and  the  former,  February  2,  1853,  and  their  son,  Milo  D.  Simison, 
succeeded  to  the  property  by  buying  out  the  other  heirs. 

On  January  28.  1855,  about  two  years  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
Milo  D.  Simison  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Kelly,  of  Spring  Valley 
township,  who,  as  noted  above,  was  born  in  Ireland,  a  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Ann  (Hennegan)  Kelly,  and  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his 
home  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born,  remaining  there  until  his  retirement 
from  the  farm  in  1888  and  removal  to  Spring  Valley,  where  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life  and  where  his  widow  is  still  living.  He  was  a  Democrat  and 
served  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  village  council.  To  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  two  sisters, 
Nancy  Caroline,  born  on  May  13,  1858,  who  is  now  living  at  Spring  Valley, 
widow  of  Joshua  Barnett,  and  Mary  Catherine,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Frank  W.  Simison  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born,  and  on  which  his  father  had  been  born,  and  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools.  After  his  marriage  his  parents  retired  from  the  farm  and 
its  management  was  turned  over  to  him.     He  established  his  home  there  and 


292  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

has  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  He  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  acres  where  he  and  his  sons  are  carrying  on  their  farming 
operations.  Mr.  Simison  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  director  of 
schools  in  his  home  district. 

On  December  27,  1887,  Frank  W.  Simison  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  Babb,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  Spring  Valley  town- 
ship, daughter  of  Smith  and  Amanda  Babb,  and  to  this  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Earl  M.,  Imogene  and  Ormond  K.,  all  of  whom  attended 
high  school  and  all  still  at  home.  Mrs.  Simison  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  at  Spring  Valley. 


JOHN  H.  BRICKLE. 


The  late  John  H.  Brickie,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship on  October  26,  1904,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was  a  native 
son  of  Greene  county  and  had  spent  all  his  life  here.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Jamestown  on  September  14,  1845, 
son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Phillips)  Brickie,  who  upon  their  retirement  from 
the  farm  moved  to  Jamestown,  where  they  spent  their  last  days.  Jacob 
Brickie  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  nine  of  these  children, 
four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  Daniel  Brickie,  of  Jamestown;  Cather- 
ine, wife  of  Thomas  Moon,  of  Jamestown;  Frank  Brickie,  who  is  living  on 
a  farm  east  of  that  village,  and  Emma,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  the  city 
of  Dayton.  The  others  of  the  children  of  Jacob  Brickie  and  wife,  besides 
John  H.,  were  Amanda,  Margaret,  Louis  and  Harvey. 

John  H.  Brickie  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  schooling 
in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  early  became  a  practical  farmer,  a  vocation 
he  followed  all  his  life.  After  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1870  he 
for  three  years  made  his  home  on  a  farm  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  county 
and  then  moved  to  Cedarville,  but  a  year  later  bought  a  farm  in  New  Jasper 
township  and  on  that  place  made  his  home  for  seven  years,  or  until  1881, 
in  which  year  he  sold  the  place  and  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  widow 
is  now  living,  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  there  established  his  home  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Mr.  Brickie  first  bought  there  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres,  but  as  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings  he 
enlarged  his  holdings  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Brickie 
had  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  By  political 
affiliation  he  was  a  Democrat  and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member 
of   the   Methodist    Protestant   church   at    Paintersville,    with   which   he    had 


MR.  AND  MK.S.  JOHN  H.  BRICKLE. 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  293 

become  connected  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  Mr.  Brickie  was  in  the  six- 
tieth year  of  his  age  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  the  fall  of  1904. 

In  August,  1870,  John  H.  Brickie  was  united  in  marriage  to  Catherine 
F.  Clemens,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  George  and  Susanna  (Fichthorn)  Clemens,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  this  county,  the  parents  of  the  former  having  come  here  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  those  of  the  latter,  from  Virginia,  both  the  Clemenses  and  the 
Fichthorns  being  old-establisi:ed  families  in  Greene  county.  George  Clemens 
became  a  substantial  farmer  and  his  last  days  were  spent  at  Jamestown, 
where  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years  and  six  months.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  having  died  at  the  age  of  forty-seven  years,  after 
which  he  married  Harriet  Sterritt,  of  Cedarville.  By  his  first  union  he  was 
the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Brickie  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Jesse  Cyrus,  who  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War,  went  to  the  front  and  died  of  typhoid  fever  in  an  army  hospital  in 
Maryland;  Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Jeremiah  Tolman.  of  New  Jasper  town- 
.-hip:  Melvina'Ann,  widow  of  John  J.  Brown,  of  Jamestown;  Amanda,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  unmarried ;  Emma  Jane,  now  also 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  William  Gordon ;  John  Orville  Clemens,  of 
Dayton,  this  state,  and  William  Merritt,  deceased. 

To  John  H.  and  Catherine  V.  (Clemens)  Brickie  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, namely:  Minnie,  who  is  at  home  with  her  mother;  Mary  S.,  wife  of 
Frank  Street,  of  New  Jasper  township;  Orvilie,  who  is  farming  in  Caesars- 
creek  township  and  who  married  Effie  Hiles  and  has  one  son,  Howard;  and 
Cyrus  Clemens  Brickie,  farming  the  old  home  place,  who  married  Elsie 
Hiles  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Wanda.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband 
Mrs.  Brickie  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  home  farm,  rural  mail 
route  No.  9  out  of  Xenia,  where  she  is  very  comfortably  situated. 


CHARLES  F.  ALEXANDER. 

The  late  Charles  F.  Alexander,  who  died  at  his  farm  home,  the  old 
Alexander  homestead  place  in  Spring  Valley  township,  early  in  19 1.2  and 
whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  the  operations  of  the  farm  being  carried  on 
bv  their  son  Lawrence  Alexander,  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township  on  a 
farm  now  owned  by  Reverend  Collins,  January  30,  1859.  son  of  William 
J.  and  Elizabeth  (Weller)  Alexander,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of 
Washington  Alexander,  who  was  a  son  of  the  Hon.  John  Alexander,  the 
first  lawyer  to  locate  at  Xenia  and  who  many  years  ago  represented  this 
district    in    the   Congress. 


294  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

It  was  in  the  year  1803,  the  year  in  which  Greene  county  was  erected 
into  a  civic  unit  of  the  new  state  of  Ohio  and  the  county-seat  town  of 
Xenia  was  laid  out,  that  John  Alexander  and  his  wife  Isabella  and  their 
little  family  came  up  here  from  Butler  county,  in  which  county  they  had 
been  located  for  a  short  time  after  coming  into  Ohio  from  their  native 
South  Carolina.  John  Alexander  was  a  school  teacher  who  had  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  study  of  the  law  and  upon  locating  at  Xenia  "put 
out  his  shingle"  for  the  practice  of  law,  the  first  lawyer  to  invite  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  new  county.  He  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
in  succession  to  Arthur  St.  Clair,  Jr.,  the  second  prosecutor  for  the  new 
county,  and  with  the  exception  of  four  years  served  in  that  ofifice  by  suc- 
cessive re-elections  until  1832,  the  longest  tenure  ever  held  by  any  prose- 
cutor in  this  county.  He  represented  this  legislative  district  in  the  Ohio 
General  Assembly  and  for  two  terms  represented  the  district  in  the  Con- 
gress.    He  died  at  Xenia  in  1848. 

Washington  Alexander,  son  of  Judge  Alexander,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina  in  1801  and  was  thus  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  settled 
at  the  new  county-seat  town  of  Xenia.  In  his  youth  he  studied  law  under  the 
preceptorship  of  his  father,  but  never  practiced,  instead  turning  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  in  Spring  Valley.  After  his  marriage  to  Rachel  Clark,  of 
Spring  Valley,  he  established  his  home  on  the  farm  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  lif-e,  his  death  occurring  in  1867.  His  wife  had  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  about  eighteen  years,  her  death  having  occurred  in  1849. 
They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  William  J.,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch,  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  having  been  Jesse,  Augustus,  Isabella,  who  married  William 
S.  Frazier,  Frank,  Aurelius  and  John. 

William  J.  Alexander  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township  on  June  10, 
1827,  and  was  educated  in  the  Xenia  schools.  For  some  time  after  leaving 
school  he  spent  his  winters  teaching  school,  farming  on  the  home  place 
during  the  summers,  and  in  the  meantime  gave  attention  to  the  study  of 
law  and  in  due  time  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  opened  an  office  for  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Spring  Valley,  later  moving  to  Wilmington  and 
thence,  after  a  time,  back  to  Xenia,  where  he  opened  an  office.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  been  keeping  up  his  farming  interests  and  became  the  owner 
of  several  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Spring  Valley  township,  where  he  pre- 
ferred to  make  his  home.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  for  twenty-two  years  was  township  trustee  and  was  for  a  time  the 
superintendent  of  the  Orphans  Home.  He  was  a  Baptist  and  was  affiliated 
with  the  Masons  and  with  the  Odd  Fellows.  On  February  28,  1850,  Will- 
iam J.  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Weller  and  to  that 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


295 


union  were  born  three  children,  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  Both  the  sons.  Perry  A.  and  the  subject  of  this  memorial 
sketch,  became  well-to-do  farmers  in  Spring  Vallej-  township.  William  J. 
Alexander  died  on  April  18,  1897,  and  his  widow,  who  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  April  18,  1825, 
survived  him  until   1904. 

Charles  F.  Alexander,  second  son  of  William  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Weller) 
Alexander,  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  the 
spring  of  1882  he  made  his  home  on  a  farm  south  of  Spring  \'alley  and 
there  continued  to  reside  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  re- 
turned to  the  old  Alexander  homestead  place,  one  hundred  and  sixty -nine 
and  one-half  acres  of  which  he  owned,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life  engaged  in  general  farming,  his  death  occurring  there  on  February  8, 
19 1 2.  Mr.  Alexander  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Spring  Valley,  as  are  the  members  of  his  family,  and  served  as  treasurer  of 
the  building  committee  at  the  time  the  new  church  was  being  erected.  He 
was  a  Democrat,  as  was  his  father,  and  was  afifiliated  with  the  Masons,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Junior  Order  of  United  Ameri- 
can  Mechanics. 

On  February  2,  1882,  in  Spring  Valley  township,  Charles  F.  Alexander 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Sadie  Compton,  who  also  was  born  in  that  same 
township,  daughter  of  Eber  and  Mary  Jane  (Babb)  Compton,  both  members 
of  old  families  in  this  county.  Eber  Compton  was  a  son  of  Henn,^  and 
Catherine  (Mock)  Compton.  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina and  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his 
parents,  Stephen  and  Dinah  (Millhouse)  Compton,  who  were  Quakers,  the 
family  settling  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  New  Burlington. 
Henry  Compton  grew  up  there  and  all  his  life  followed  farming,  becoming 
in  time  the  owner  of  about  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land  in 
this  county  and  six  hundred  acres  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette. 
Eber  Compton  also  grew  up  to  the  life  of  the  farm  and  after  his  marriage 
to  Mary  Jane  Babb,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Jane  (Scarf)  Babb, 
substantial  residents  of  Spring  Valley  township,  located  on  a  farm  on  the 
Cincinnati  pike,  five  miles  south  of  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  After  his  death  his  widow  moved  to  the  village  of  Spring  Valley  and 
there  her  last  days  were  spent,  she  being  seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  her  death.  Eber  Compton  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  faith  their  chil- 
dren were  reared.  There  were  six  of  these  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Alexander 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Ambrose, 


296  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

now  living  at  Xenia;  Wilson,  also  a  resident  of  Xenia;  Alice,  who  married 
Frank  Hupman  and  died  in  Xenia;  Delia,  wife  of  Melvin  Beal,  of  Xenia 
township,  and  Clifford,  who  is  farming  in  Spring  Valley  township. 

To  Charles  F.  and  Sadie  (Compton)  Alexander  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  educated  in  the  Spring  Valley  schools  and  all  of 
whom  are  still  living,  namely :  Dena,  who  married  W.  \V.  Trout,  of  Spring- 
field, Ohio,  and  has  two  children,  Jean  and  Bettie;  Nellie,  who  married  John 
Peterson,  of  this  county,  and  has  three  children,  Wayne,  Donald  and  Dean; 
Louise,  wife  of  Joshua  Inwood,  of  Rockford,  Illinois;  Lawrence,  who  is 
farming  the  home  place  and  who  married  Eva  DeHaven  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Dorothy  and  Lucile;  and  Mary  E.,  who  is  now  (1918)  a  student  in 
the  Xenia  high  school.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Alexander  has 
continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  old  home  farm. 


GEORGE  ABRAM  KEITER. 

The  late  George  Abram  Keiter,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Xenia 
township,  rural  route  No.  9  out  of  Xenia,  April  4,  1918,  was  a  native  son 
of  Greene  county  and  had  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
on  the  Wilmington  pike  in  Caesarscreek  township,  seven  miles  south  of 
Xenia,  March  17,  1838,  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary  (Weaver)  Keiter, 
who  were  born  in  Hampshire  county,  Virginia,  where  they  grew  up  and 
were  married  and  who  then,  in  1833,  drove  through  to  this  part  of  Ohio 
and  located  in  the  woods  of  Caesarscreek  township,  where  they  established 
their  home  and  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  Previous  to  that 
date  Mrs.  Mary  Keiter's  parents,  Abram  and  Cynthia  \Vea\er,  had  come 
out  here  from  Virginia  and  had  settled  on  a  tract  of  Congress  land  that 
Abram  Weaver  had  bought  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  it  was  a  part  of 
that  land  that  Frederick  Keiter  settled  on,  buying  it  from  his  father-in-law, 
the  Weavers  and  the  Keiters  becoming  substantial  pioneers  of  that  commun- 
ity. Those  of  Abram  Weaver's  children  who  came  to  this  state,  besides 
Mrs.  Keiter,  were  Benjamin,  John  (who  lived  in  Licking  county),  Frank, 
Abram,  Samuel,  Sallie  and  Nancy.  Frederick  Keiter  was  a  son  of  George 
Keiter,  a  Pennsylvanian,  who  was  married  in  Virginia,  where  he  spent  his 
last  days.  George  Keiter  and  wife  had  ten  children,  those  besides  Frederick 
having  been  Polly.  Hester,  Maria,  Peggy,  Betsy,  Benjamin,  Jacob,  George 
and  John.  In  addition  to  the  general  farming  that  he  carried  on  on  his 
pioneer  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Frederick  Keiter  also  had  a  black- 
smith shop.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Baptist  church.  They  liad  twelve  children,  of  whom  the  sul)ject  of  this 
memorial  sketch   was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others   being  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  297 

following:  Elizabeth,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  James  Nolan;  Harri- 
son, deceased,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Caesarscreek  township ;  John,  who  also 
was  a  farmer  in  that  township  and  who  died  there;  Margaret,  who  is  now 
living  in  the  Paintersville  neighborhood,  widow  of  Elisha  Bales;  Nancy, 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Middleton;  Susan,  who  is  living  in 
Spring  Valley  township,  widow  of  Daniel  Bean;  Jane,  wife  of  Joseph  Buck- 
waiter,  of  Caesarscreek  township;  James  and  Edward,  twins,  both  of  whom 
are  farmers,  living  in  the  Lumberton  neighborhood,  and  Sarah,  wife  of 
Aseph  Haines,  of  Caesarscreek  township. 

George  A.  Keiter  was  reared  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born,  in 
Caesarscreek  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools, 
and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  when  twenty-seven  years  of  age, 
after  which  he  established  his  home  on  his  grandfather  Weaver's  place  on 
the  Wilmington  pike  and  was  there  located  for  twenty-five  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time,  in  1892,  he  bought  the  place  on  which  he  lived  until 
his  death,  the  William  Beal  farm  of  eighty-four  acres  in  Xenia  township. 
Upon  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Keiter  made  numerous  improve- 
ments on  the  same  and  in  191 1  remodeled  the  house  in  up-to-date  fashion. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Keiter  gave  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  of  late  years  particularly  he  and  his  son  have 
kept  a  good  many  Jersey  cattle  and  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr.  Keiter  was 
a  Democrat. 

On  February  2,  1865,  George  A.  Keiter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Catherine  Bootes,  who  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  Edmund  and  Elizabeth  C.  (Hanes)  Bootes,  natives  of  Vir- 
ginia, who  had  come  to  this  county  with  their  respective  parents  in  the 
days  of  their  youth  and  were  here  married.  Edward  Bootes  was  born 
in  181 7  and  was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents  moved  here  from  Virginia, 
and  here  he  grew  up  and  married.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  C.  Hanes,  was 
born  in  1823  and  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  her  parents  came  to  this 
county  from  Virginia.  After  his  marriage  Edward  Bootes  got  a  hundrea 
acres  of  his  father's  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  Anderson's  Forks  and 
later  moved  to  Spring  Valley,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade 
until  1859,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  he 
was  killed  by  a  falling  tre;e  in  1863.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many- 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1908,  she  then  being  eighty  years  and  six 
months  of  age.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Edward  Bootes  and  wife  five 
grew  to  maturity,  those  besides  Mrs.  Keiter  being  Lewis  H.,  who  went 
to  the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1863;  Samantha  Jane,  who  died  in  1908;  Joseph 
H.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  electric-light  business  at  Jackson,  Michigan,  and 


290  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Rosa  E.,  who  lives  in  Santa  Ana,  California.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Keiter  have 
three  children,  namely:  James  Franklin  Keiter,  who  for  seventeen  years 
taught  vocal  music  in  the  schools  of  Greene  county,  and  who  is  now  oper- 
ating the  home  farm,  giving  particular  attention  to  the  live-stock  business; 
Mary  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Dr.  J.  G.  Fudge,  of  Spring  Valley,  and  Flora 
J.,  who  is  living  with  her  sister  at  Spring  Valley.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Fudge 
have  four  children,  Lawrence  Keiter,  Edith  Jennette.  Ruth  Alice  and  Mil- 
dred Catherine.  The  Keiters  are  members  of  White  Chapel  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  On  February  2,  19 15,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Keiter  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding  anniversary  with  a  dinner  and  reception  at  their  home, 
the  same  being  attended  by  forty  relatives  and  near  friends. 


JACOB  HARNER. 

Jacob  Harner,  a  farmer  of  Beavercreek  township,  now  living  practi- 
cally retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  the  operation  of  the  place 
being  carried  on  by  his  son,  Jacob  S.  Harner,  was  born  on  that  place  and 
has  lived  there  all  his  life,  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer 
families.  He  was  born  on  September  21.  1841,  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy 
(Watts)  Harner,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  some  township,  members 
of  pioneer  families  in  that  part  of  the  county,  and  who  spent  all  their  lives 
there. 

Samuel  Harner  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Heffley)  Harner,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Greene 
county.  Jacob  Harner  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who  upon  coming  to  this 
country,  made  his  way  out  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Greene  county,  where  he 
married  Mary  Heffley  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  where 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  those  besides  Samuel  having  been  Charles,  Abraham, 
George,  Jacob,  Mary,  Catherine  and  Sarah  J.  Samuel  Harner  grew  up  on  that 
farm  and  after  his  marriage  in  1822  to  Nancy  Watts  located  on  the  farm 
on  which  his  son  Jacob  is  now  living  and  there  he  spent  his  last  days,  his 
death  occurring  in  1871.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her 
death  occurring  in  1906.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  been  Samuel,  George,  Mary  Ann,  Nathan,  William  and  Nelson. 

Jacob  Harner  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  Ludlow  district  school  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1868 
continued  farming  on  the  home  place,  one  hundred  and  two  acres  of  which 
he  inherited  after  the  death  of  his  father.  While  his  house  is  situated  in 
Beavercreek  township  and  he  thus  is  accounted  a  resident  of  that  township, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  299 

the  greater  part  of  his  farm  Hes  over  tlie  Hne  in  Xenia  township.  For  some 
time  Mr.  Harner  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors 
of  the  farm,  the  management  of  the  place  having  been  given  over  to  his 
elder  son,  Jacob  S.  Harner,  who  with  his  family  is  living  in  the  old  home 
and  operating  the  place.  Mr.  Harner  is  a  Democrat,  while  he  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Reform  church  at  Byron. 

On  September  22,  1868.  Jacob  Harner  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  Zedicker.  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Zedicker,  who  had  come  to  this  state  from 
Pennsylvania,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Luella.  wife  of  William  Davis,  a  farmer  of  Clinton  county,  this  state; 
Martha,  wife  of  Clinton  Flatter,  a  farmer  of  Bath  township,  this  county : 
Jacob  S.,  who  is  now  operating  the  home  place ;  Minnie,  wife  of  Jacob 
Harris,  a  farmer  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  Oliver,  who  married  Jennie 
Truby  and  is  also  farming  in  Beavercreek  township.  Jacob  S.  Harner  mar- 
ried Anna  Darner,  of  Fairfield,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Frances  Darner, 
who  had  come  to  this  county  from  Marylapd,  and  has  twelve  children,  Jacob 
Lawrence,  Mabel  C,  George  W.,  Thomas  Herbert,  Horace  A.  and  Harold 
A.  (twins),  Mary  E.,  John  W.,  Florence  A.,  Woodrow  W.,  Treva  Lucile 
and  Martha  Lucella,  now  representing  the  fourth  generation  of  Harners 
who  have  occupied  the  farm  on  which  they  are  living. 


HARRY  DWIGHT  SMITH. 

Harry  Dwight  Smith,  prosecuting  attorney  for  Greene  county,  former 
president  of  the  council  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  former  city  solicitor,  was 
born  at  Xenia,  on  April  20,  1879,  son  of  Judge  Horace  L.  and  Mary  A. 
(Jones)  Smith,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Xenia,  where  for  many 
years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law  and  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  further  details  relat- 
ing to  the  Smith  family  in  Xenia.  Judge  Smith  has  two  sons,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  having  a  brother.  Commander  Charles  E.  Smith,  of  the  United 
States  navy,  further  mention  of  whom  also  is  made  in  this  volume. 

Reared  in  Xenia,  Harry  D.  Smith  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
there  in  1896  and  then  entered  Antioch  College,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1900  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy.  In  the  meantime, 
under  the  preceptorship  of  his  father,  he  had  been  giving  attention  to  the 
preliminary  study  of  law  and  upon  leaving  college  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1903.  Following  his  graduation  Mr.  Smith  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  straightway  opened  an  ofiice  for  the  practice  of  his  profession 


300  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  been  located.  He  is  a  Republican  and  during 
the  year  1906-07  served  as  president  of  the  city  council  and  in  1908  was 
elected  city  solicitor,  which  latter  position  he  held  until  his  election  to  the 
office  of  prosecuting  attorney  for  this  judicial  district  in  the  fall  of  1916. 
Mr.  Smith  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this  latter  office  on  January  I,  191 7, 
and  is  now  serving  in  that  capacity,  his  term  of  office  to  expire  on  January 
I,   1919- 

On  June  2^,  1904,  Harry  D.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mae 
Prugh,  of  Xenia,  daughter  of  V.  H.  and  Mary  (Conner)  Prugh,  both  now 
deceased,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Horace  H.,  born 
in  October,  1905,  and  Mary  Carol3'n,  August,  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


LEVI  M.  JONES,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Levi  M.  Jones,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  medical  prac- 
titioner at  Jamestown  ever  since  he  located  there  in  1876,  is  a  native  son 
of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
the  Mechanicsburg  neighborhood,  in  Union  township.  Champaign  county, 
September  20,  1842,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Lafiferty)  Jones,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  county  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there. 

John  Jones  was  born  in  1804,  son  of  Abram  and  Phoebe  (Clark)  Jones, 
and  was  the  second  white  child  born  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as 
Union  township.  Champaign  county,  his  parents  having  been  among  the 
earliest  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county,  they  having  located  there  in  the 
days  when  what  is  now  Champaign  county  was  still  comprised  within  the 
limits  of  what  then  was  Greene  county.  Abram  Jones  died  of  typhoid  fever 
when  tliirt3'-Iive  years  of  age  and  his  widow  continued  to  make  her  home 
in  that  vicinity.  They  had  two  children,  John  Jones  having  had  a  sister, 
Hannah,  who  married  Stephen  Clark  and  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the 
farm  which  her  father  had  started  to  develop.  After  his  marriage  to  Mary 
Lafferty,  John  Jones  located  on  a  farm  one  mile  distant  from  the  place  on 
which  he  was  born  and  reared  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  living 
to  the  age  of  seventy-one  years.  His  widow  survived  him  for  some  years, 
she  being  seventy-six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Jones  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  Zenas  B.,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  Company  E.  Sixty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio 
\^olunteer  Infantry,  was  severely  wounded  at  tiie  battle  of  Ft.  Republic, 
was  there  taken  prisoner  and  confined  in   Libby  prison,  liis  wounds  never 


LEVI  M.  JOXES.  JI.  D. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3OI 

being  dressed  by  a  surgeon ;  when  lie  was  exchanged,  his  lieahh  broken,  he 
was  discharged  and  returned  home,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life;  John 
Wesley,  who  also  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of 
Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  went  to  Missouri, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  days ; 
Thomas  O.,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  from  June,  1862,  to  the 
close  of  the  war,  a  member  of  Co.  H,  Sixty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  went  to  Iowa,  where 
he  became  engaged  in  farming  and  in  which  state  he  is  now  living  retired; 
Sarah  Catherine,  who  married  John  Hendrick  and  spent  her  last  days  in 
Columbus,  this  state;  Charles,  who  for  years  has  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  eastern  Kansas,  and  Edward  E.,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Oklahoma. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Champaign  county,  Levi  M.  Jones  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  supplemented  the  same 
by  a  course  in  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  which  he  attended  during  the 
years  1865-68,  entering  the  university  upon  his  return  from  the  army.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine  and 
upon  leaving  the  university  entered  Miami  Medical  College,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  in  1871.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Jones 
returned  home  and  opened  an  office  at  Mechanicsburg,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  practice  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  down  into  Greene 
county  and  opened  an  office  at  Jamestown,  where  he  ever  since  has  been 
engaged  in  practice.  Before  locating  at  Jamestown,  Doctor  Jones  had  mar- 
ried and  when  he  came  here  he  established  a  home,  building  a  combined 
residence  and  office  building.  That  building  was  destroyed  by  the  memorable 
cyclone  of  1884  ^nd  he  afterward  erected  his  present  residence  and  office 
building,  which  he  ever  since  has  occupied.  Doctor  Jones  is  a  member 
of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society 
and  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  ever  keeping  abreast  of  the 
advancement  being  made  in  his  profession.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  of 
which  party  his  father  was  one  of  the  original  members,  and  for  nine  years 
held  the  position  of  local  medical  examiner  for  the  pension  board.  Fra- 
ternally, the  Doctor  is  .a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  as  well  as  of 
Strong  Post  No.  118,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Jamestown,  of  which 
for  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  the  commander.  Doctor  Jones's  military 
experience  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  began  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  he  then,  on  May  2,  1864,  at  Urbana,  having  enlisted  his  services  to 
help  preserve  the  nation's  unity.  He  was  attached  to  Company  G,  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty- fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,   and  was 


302  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

sent  to  Cumberland,  Maryland,  to  join  General  Butler's  army,  in  that  com- 
mand seeing  considerable  active  service  before  he  received  his  final  dis- 
charge at  Columbus  upon  the  completion  of  his  term  of  service. 

In  1873,  ^^  Mechanicsburg,  Dr.  Levi  M.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  W.  Williams,  daughter  of  William  Williams  and  wife,  the  fonner  of 
whom  was  a  merchant  at  that  place,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one  child, 
a  son,  Clement  L.,  who  is  now  a  practicing  physician  at  Springfield,  this 
state.  Dr.  Clement  L.  Jones -was  born  at  Winchester,  Indiana,  but  was 
reared  at  Jamestown.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  high  school  in  his 
home  town  he  entered  Washington  and  Jefiferson  College  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  following  his  graduation  from  that  institution  entered 
the  medical  department  of  Johns  Hopkins  University  at  Baltimore,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1903.  For  two  years  thereafter  he  served  as 
pharmacist  in  Mt.  Carmel  Hospital  at  Columbus,  this  state,  and  then  for  a 
year  was  located  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  He  then  returned  home  and 
became  engaged  in  the  regular  practice  in  association  with  his  father  and 
was  thus  engaged  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to 
Springfield,  where  he  has  since  been  located.  The  younger  Doctor  Jones 
is  serving  as  the  pathologist  of  the  medical  stafif  of  the  health  department 
of  the  city  of  Springfield  and  is  the  present  president  of  the  Clark  County 
Medical  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  of 
the  American  Medical  Association.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason, 
affiliated  with  the  consistory  at  Cincinnati,  and  a  member  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Dr.  Clement  L.  Jones  married  Hazel  Labourn. 
of  Springfield,  and  has  a  pleasant  home  in  that  city. 


CAPT.  MOSES  WALTON. 

Capt.  Moses  Walton,  a  retired  officer  of  the  United  States  army, 
formerly  an  officer  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  former  member  of 
the  Ohio  state  dair\-  and  food  commission,  a  former  deputy  state  oil  in- 
spector, a  former  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  village  of  .Spring 
Valley,  in  which  village  he  has  had  his  established  home  all  his  life,  is  a 
native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  on  the  farm  on  which  the  village  of 
Spring  Valley  came  into  being,  December  2y,  1846,  son  of  Moses  and  Rachel 
( Ragan )  Walton,  the  former  of  whom  owned  there  a  considerable  tract  of 
land.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  local  schools  the  younger  Moses 
Walton  was  sent  to  Spiceland  Academy,  an  educational  institution  con- 
ducted under  Quaker  auspices  over  in  Henry  county,  Indiana,  and  not  long 
after  his  return  from  that  school  became  engaged  in  association  with  his 
father  in  tlie  manufacture  of  tow,  the  elder  Walton  having  established  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3O3 

flax-mill  at  Spring  Valley  in  1866.  He  and  his  brother  Samuel  a  year  later 
opened  a  store  in  the  village.  In  1869  the  sons  extended  their  field  of  labors 
to  include  the  manufacture  of  bagging,  having  also,  in  1868,  become  en- 
gaged, in  association  with  Mr.  Barrett,  in  the  pork-packing  business,  this 
latter  industry  being  continued  until  in  the  early  '90s.  The  younger  Moses 
Walton  had,  however,  in  1883,  withdrawn  from  the  pork-packing  business 
and  had  become  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Trebeins,  continuing  thus 
engaged  at  that  station  until  1887,  in  which  year  he  purchased  the  oil-mill  at 
Spring  Valley  and  continued  to  operate  the  same  until  1897,  when  he  was 
appointed  to  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  the  postoffice  inspector  at  Cincinnati 
and  was  thus  engaged  in  that  city  when  the  Spanish-American  War  broke 
out.  On  May  25,  1898,  he  was  appointed  to  service  in  the  quartermaster's 
department  of  the  First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  with 
rank  of  captain,  and  thus  rendered  service  in  getting  the  camps  at  Chicka- 
mauga  and  at  Camp  Poland,  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  organized.  When  the 
army  was  reorganized  Captain  Walton  was  made  quartermaster  of  the  First 
Brigade,  First  Division,  First  Army  Corps,  and  in  October,  1898,  went 
with  that  command  to  Cuba,  for  quartermaster  service  in  Sancti  Spiritus, 
in  the  province  of  Santa  Clara,  where  he  remained  for  three  months.  The 
brigade  then  was  broken  up  and  Captain  Walton  was  ordered  to  Cienfuegos 
as  assistant  of  the  quartermaster  general  of  the  provinces  of  Santa  Clara 
and  Matanzas,  under  Gen.  John  C.  Bates.  Five  months  later  the  Captain 
was.  ordered  to  New  York  to  take  charge  of  a  transport  as  captain,  quarter- 
master and  commissary,  and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  the 
transport  service,  first  in  charge  of  the  "Dixie"  and  then  of  the  "Burnside," 
which  latter  vessel,  originally  the  "Rita,"  was  a  prize  taken  from  the  Span- 
iards. In  July,.  1900,  Captain  Walton  was  transferred  to  the  "Sedgwick"' 
and  on  October  21  of  that  same  year  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  "Buford," 
remaining  in  charge  of  that  transport  until  May  i,  1901,  meanwhile  making 
a  trip  with  that  vessel,  zia  the  Suez  canal,  to  Manila,  with  troops,  and  bring- 
ing back  with  him,  to  San  Francisco,  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment.  Upon 
his  arrival  at  the  port  of  San  Francisco,  Captain  Walton  relinquished  his 
command  and  after  reporting  to  Washington  returned  to  his  home  at  Spring 
Valley.  In  1903  Captain  Walton  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Ohio  state 
dairy  and  food  commission  and  for  four  years,  or  until  1907,  rendered  ser\'- 
ice  to  the  state  in  that  connection.  In  1909  he  was  appointed  a  deputy  state 
oil  inspector  and  for  four  years  rendered  further  public  service  in  that  capac- 
ity. Captain  Walton  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
common  council  of  his  home  village. 

On  September  25,   1867,  at  Spring  Valley,  Capt.   Moses  Walton  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ellen  B.  Hepford.  who  was  born  at  Dayton,  Ohio, 


304  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

daughter  of  J.  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Hess)  Hepford,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  born  seven  children,  namely :  John  Edward,  who  is  farming  in  Spring 
\"alley;  Bessie  R.,  wife  of  E.  C.  Van  Winkle;  J.  T..  former  justice  of  the 
peace  in  and  for  his  home  township;  Rosella,  wife  of  A.  E.  Wright,  of 
Dayton;  Samuel  M.,  Joseph  H.  and  Mary  L.  The  family  is  affiliated  with 
the  Society  of  Friends,  of  which  the  Captain  is  a  birthright  member. 

The  Waltons  are  one  of  the  old  families  in  Greene  county,  the  first  of 
the  name  to  settle  here  having  been  Edward  Walton,  grandfather  of  the  Cap- 
tain, who  opened  up  the  land  where  the  village  of  Spring  Valley  stands. 
Edward  Walton  was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  January  3,  1776, 
and  was  there  married,  remaining  there  until  1806,  in  which  year  he  came 
to  Ohio  and  after  a  bit  of  prospecting  for  a  favorable  location  bought  the 
tract  of  land  in  this  county  above  referred  to.  In  1808  he  brought  his 
family  here  and  established  his  home  on  that  tract,  later  laying  out  there 
the  village  of  Spring  \''alle}-.  and  continued  to  make  that  place  his  home  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  April  10,  1867,  being  then  past 
ninety  years  of  age.  Two  children,  Samuel  and  Elizabeth,  were  born  to 
Edward  Walton  and  wife  before  they  left  Virginia  and  Moses  Walton, 
father  of  Captain  Walton,  was  the  first  child  born  to  them  after  their  arrival 
in  this  county.  He  was  born  on  June  27.  1809,  and  died  on  January  8,  1887. 
Their  other  cliildren  were  Eunice,  John,  Hannah,  Edward  and  Marv.  all 
of  whom  reached  years  of  maturity  and  established  homes  of  their  own 
save  the  two  last  named,  the,  Waltons  therefore  being  quite  a  numerous  con- 
nection hereabout  in  tlie  present  generation. 


HON.  SAMUEL  COLLINS  ANDERSON. 

The  late  Hon.  Samuel  Collins  Anderson,  who  was  representing  this  dis- 
trict in  the  lower  house  of  the  Ohio  General  Assembly  at  the  time  of  his 
death  in  the  summer  of  1914,  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  he  died  on  his 
farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  and  where  his  widow  is  still  living,  and 
there  spent  all  his  life  wiht  the  exception  of  a  period  of  ten  years  during 
which  he  was  engaged  in  business  at  Springfield.  He  was  born  on  May 
6,  1859,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Collins)  Anderson,  both  members 
of  pioneer  families  in  this  county  and  both  born  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania, 
they  having  come  with  their  respective  parents  to  Greene  county,  the  Ander- 
sons and  the  Collinses  becoming  influential  pioneers,  as  is  noted  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Mary  Collins  was  lx>rn  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  Archibald 
and   Ellen   Collins,  the  family  settling  on  a   farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike. 


-^^^^C^J^jJ^i^-'t^^t^^S^?^^^^^^^^^^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3O5 

two  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  she  was  Hving  at  the  time  of  her  marriage 
to  WilHam  Anderson,  who  also  had  grown  up  in  that  neighborhood. 

William  Anderson  was  one  of  Greene  county's  substantial  farmers,  and 
for  years  a  ruling  elder  in  the  old  Caesarscreek  Seceder  church.  In  1849 
he  bought  from  David  Williamson  the  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  on 
which  the  latter  had  settled  on  coming  to  this  county  in  1836  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years, 
her  death  occurring  on  the  old  home  place  on  May  7,  1907,  she  then  being 
eighty-six  years  of  age.  Her  son,  Samuel  C,  then  became  owner  of  two 
hundred  acres  of  the  original  tract  and  the  same  is  now  owned  by  his  widow, 
a  granddaughter  of  David  Williamson,  the  previous  owner.  And  on  that 
place  there  still  flows,  as  strong  and  pure  as  ever,  the  clear,  cool  spring 
from  which  the  Williamsons  drank  upon  taking  up  their  residence  there 
more  than  eighty  years  ago.  The  Rev.  Robert  Duncan  Williamson,  uncle 
of  Mrs.  Anderson  and  the  biographer  of  the  Williamson  family,  some  years 
ago  wrote  regarding  the  transfer  of  the  old  Williamson  homestead  place 
in  the  following  thoughtful  vein :  "While  it  was  a  matter  of  regret  to  part 
with  a  home  which  was  endeared  with  so  many  pleasant  associations,  yet 
it  is  a  matter  for  gratitude  that  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  one  who  was 
most  exemplary  in  character  and  a  help  to  the  church,  morally  and  finan- 
cially. Though  he  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  it,  yet  it  is  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  widow  and  her  two  sons,  Samuel  and  William,  Mrs.  Anderson  occu- 
pying the  old  homestead  and  surroundings,  and  the  two  sons  owning  equal 
parts  of  the  remainder.  It  is  also  a  happy  thought  in  this  connection  that 
while  the  farm  has  passed  out  of  the  Williamson  name,  one  who  is  a  descen- 
dant of  the  family  and  of  the  same  name  still  lives  on  it  and  is  a  joint 
possessor  of  part  of  it.  The  wife  of  Samuel  Anderson,  one  of  the  sons, 
is  Nettie  Williamson,  the  second  daughter  of  Jonathan  D.  and  Martha  Will- 
iamson." William  Anderson  and  his  wife  had  twelve  children,  three  sons 
and  nine  daughters,  eleven  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  in  the  old  home 
there  were  eleven  weddings  and  receptions,  or  "infares,"  marking  the  progress 
of  this  fine  family  of  young  people  into  homes  of  their  own.  Of  those  twelve, 
but  three  are  now  living,  William  P.  Anderson,  now  living  retired  at  Cedar- 
ville  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive 
narrative  relating  to  the  Anderson  family  in  this  county,  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume;  Mrs.  James  A.  Curry,  of  Springfield,  and  Mrs.  William 
Smart,  of  Santa  Ana,  California. 

Samuel  Collins  Anderson  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born  and  his  early  schooling  was  received  in  what  was  known  as  the  Ander- 
son district  school,  the  school  house  being  situated  on  his  father's  farm, 
this  schooling  being  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  old  Xenia  College 
(19) 


306  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

which  then  was  being  conducted  on  East  Church  street  in  the  city  of 
Xenia.  He  was  not  ten  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and,  as  one 
of  the  younger  sons,  he  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  mother  after  he 
was  grown  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1885  established  his  home 
there.  Seven  years  later  he  gave  up  farming  and  moved  to  Springfield, 
where  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  but  after  ten  years  of 
confinement  in  the  store  found  his  health  failing.  Selling  his  store  to  his 
brother-in-law,  William  Dean,  he  returned  to  the  home  farm,  where  his 
mother  was  still  living,  and  resumed  the  manegement  of  the  same.  After 
her  death  in  1907  he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  place 
and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  August 
26,  19 1 4.  After  taking  possession  of  the  old  home  place  Mr.  Anderson 
remodeled  the  house,  put  on  a  slate  roof,  installed  an  electric-light  plant 
and  made  one  of  the  most  comfortable  country  homes  in  the  county.  In 
addition  to  his  general  farming  he  paid  considerable  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  live  stock.  He  also  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Greene  County  Mutual  Insurance  Association.  Politically,  Mr.  Anderson 
was  a  Republican.  In  1912  he  was  elected  to  represent  this  district  in  the 
state  Legislature  and  in  19 14  was  nominated  to  succeed  himself  in  the  House, 
but  his  death  occurred  before  the  day  of  election.  During  his  term  of 
service  in  the  House  of  Representatives  Mr.  Anderson  took  an  especially 
active  part  in  the  promotion  of  temperance  legislation  and  was  recognized 
as  one  of  the  forceful  members  of  that  body.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia,  as  is  his  widow,  and  for 
years  served  as  a  member  of  the  session  of  that  congregation. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Anderson  has  continued  to  make 
her  home  on  the  old  home  place,  the  o])erations  of  the  farm  now  being 
under  the  direction  of  her  only  son,  William  Wallace  Anderson,  who  com- 
pleted his  studies  in  Cedarville  College  in  the  spring  of  1918  and  has  chosen 
to  continue  the  work  on  the  faiTn  inaugurated  by  his  father.  Besides  the 
son.  William  Wallace,  who  was  born  on  August  4,  1897,  Mrs.  Anderson 
has  two  daughters,  Martha  Maria,  born  on  August  18,  1890,  who  com- 
pleted her  schooling  in  Cedarville  College  and  is  now  serving  as  supervisor 
of  music  in  the  schools  of  New  Jasper  township,  and  Mary  Lucile,  who 
completed  her  schooling  in  Muskingum  College  and  is  now  teaching  domes- 
tic science  in  the  schools  of  Seaman,  in  Adams  county,  this  state.  Mrs. 
\nderson  was  Ixirn,  Martha  Jeanette  Williamson,  in  this  county,  December 
6,  1859,  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  eight  children  born  to  Jonathan 
Duncan  and  'Martha  Ann  (McMillan)  Williamson,  further  reference  to 
whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive  narrative  relating  to  the  Williamson 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3O7 

family  in  this  county,  is  made  in  a  biographical  sketch  of  her  elder  brother, 
John  C.  Williamson,  of  Xenia,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  She 
grew  to  womanhood  on  her  father's  farm  and  was  there  married,  October 
20,  1885,  to  Samuel  Collins  Anderson,  the  officiating  clergymen  being  her 
pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Morton,  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Carson  and  her  uncle,  the  Rev. 
R.  D.  Williamson.  To  her  family  and  friends  she  has  ever  been  known  as 
"Nettie,"  a  diminutive  of  Jeanette. 


SAMUEL  Mcculloch. 

The  late  Samuel  McCulloch,  who  for  years  was  a  funeral  director  at 
Yellow  Springs,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark  on  December  5,  1823,  and  was  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Sam- 
uel and  Agnes  (Browne)  McCulloch  moved  down  to  Yellow  Springs  and 
there  established  their  home.  He  finished  his  schooling  there  and  when  six- 
teen years  of  age  began  to  work  at  the  cabinet-making  and  house-building 
trade,  later,  as  a  young  man,  giving  particular  attention  to  the  making  of 
coffins,  and  when  thirty-two  years  of  age,  about  the  time  of  his  marriage, 
established  himself  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  contin- 
uing there  thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in 
April,  1900,  he  then  being  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Yellow  Springs,  the  spot  in  which  he  had  during 
many  years  of  service  performed  a  similar  office  in  behalf  of  those  who  had 
preceded  him  there.  Mr.  McCulloch  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church. 

On  October  16,  1855,  at  Yellow  Springs,  Samuel  McCulloch  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Hannah  Herrick  Blasdell,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of  Maine 
in  1833,  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she  accompanied  her  parents.  John 
and  Mary  (Herrick)  Blasdell,  to  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  Yellow  Springs. 
Hannah  Blasdell  entered  Antioch  College  after  her  parents  had  located  at 
Yellow  Springs  and  afterward  became  engaged  as  a  school  teacher,  which 
profession  she  was  following  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  McCulloch. 
To  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely:  Samuel  H.,  who  is  living  at 
Yellow  Springs;  Mary  Agnes,  deceased;  Anna  D.,  deceased;  Archibald,  who 
is  now  living  at  Ft.  Riley,  Kansas ;  one  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Mary,  who 
married  Charles  Lucas,  now  a  resident  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  has  two 
children,  Joseph  and  Ruth.  After  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  McCulloch  went 
to  Texas  and  for  six  years  kept  house  there  for  her  son  Samuel.  L'pon  her 
return  to  Ohio  she  located  at  Dayton,  but  four  years  later  returned  to  her 
old  home  at  Yellow  Springs  and  has  since  been  living  there. 


308  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

SAMUEL  KYLE  WILLL\MSON. 

Samuel  Kyle  Williamson,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War  and  proprietor 
of  "Maple  Lawn  Stock  Farm,"  a  part  of  the  old  Judge  Samuel  Kyle  place  in 
Cedarville  township,  now  living  retired  from  the  operations  of  the  farm, 
the  same  being  carried  on  by  his  younger  son,  Collins  Williamson,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Jamestown  on  October  26, 
1846,  son  of  John  S.  and  Jane  (Kyle)  Williamson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  and  Rachel  (Jackson)  Kyle,  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Judge  Kyle,  who  was  for  thirty 
years  associate  judge  of  the  court  in  Greene  county,  came  here  from  Ken- 
tucky in  1805  and  bought  a  tract  of  thirteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the 
Cedarville  neighborhood,  and  there  established  his  home.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  session  of  the  old  Associate  Reformed  church  at  Cedarville  and  was 
twice  married,  becoming,  by  his  first  wife,  Ruth  Mitchell,  the  father  of  six 
children.  By  his  second  wife,  Rachel  Jackson,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle)  Jackson,  also  pioneers  of  the  Cedarville  neighbor- 
hood and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  he 
was  the  father  of  fifteen  children.  Robert  Jackson  was  the  father  of  ten 
children  and  thus  the  Kyles  and  the  Jacksons  became  two  of  the  most  numer- 
ously connected   families  in  the  county. 

The  Williamsons  are  hardly  any  less  numerously  connected,  for  David 
and  Catherine  (Duncan)  Williamson,  the  founders  of  this  family  in  Greene 
county  and  of  whom  further  and  extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  John  Smith,  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  John 
Smith  Williamson  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Frankford,  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  April  i,  181 7,  and  was  nineteen  years  of  age  wlien  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Greene  county  in  1836.  After  his  marriage  to 
Jane  Kyle  in  the  spring  of  1842  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Jamestown  and  there  set  up  his  home.  In 
1859  he  traded  that  farm  for  another,  but  soon  afterward  sold  this  latter 
place  and  bought  a  farm  on  the  edge  of  the  village  of  Cedarville,  where  he 
lived  until  1865,  when  he  bought  a  fami  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
acres  on  the  Columbus-Cincinnati  pike,  a  mile  west  of  Cedarville.  and  moved 
onto  the  same.  On  December  4,  1872,  his  dwelling  house  there  was  destroyed 
by  fire  and  he  moved  into  Cedarville,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the 
grocery  and  so  continued  for  some  years,  or  until  his  retirement  from  busi- 
ness. During  the  later  years  of  his  life  Mr.  Williamson  was  an  invalid,  a 
sufferer  from  a  paralytic  stroke.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  on  Novem- 
ber 18,  1898,  he  tlien  being  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.     For  twenty- 


SAMUEL   K.   WILLIAMSON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3O9 

five  years  he  had  been  a  ruling  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and 
his  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 

John  S.  Williamson  was  twice  married.  On  March  17,  1842,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jane  Kyle,  who  was  born  in  the  Cedarville  neighbor- 
hood on  December  18,  18 16,  daughter  of  Judge  Samuel  and  Rachel  (Jack- 
son) Kyle,  mentioned  above,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  Catherine,  born  on  July  26,  1843,  widow  of  Robert  M.  Jack- 
son, and  David  S.,  born  on  December  29,  185 1,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living 
at  Cedarville  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  August  28,  1854,  and 
on  December  17,  1855,  John  S.  Williamson  married  Ellen  B.  Bryson,  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Hannah  Bryson,  and  to  that  union  one  child  was 
born,  a  daughter.  Flora  Jane,  born  on  January  2,  1857,  who  died  on  Feb- 
ruary 6,  i860.  Mrs.  Ellen  B.  Williamson  died  on  July  18,  1878,  and  on 
February  8,  1883,  Mr.  Williamson  married  Mattie  Irwin,  of  Claysville, 
Pennsylvania,  also  now  deceased.     This  last  union  was  without  issue. 

Samuel  Kyle  Williamson  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Cedar- 
ville, completing  the  same  with  a  course  of  two  years  in  the  old  "select 
school"  conducted  there  by  Professor  Fleming.  On  February  15,  1865, 
he  then  being  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
for  service  during  the  continuance  of  the  Civil  War  and  was  sent  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fifth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  with  that  company  until  mustered 
out  on  September  26,  1865,  the  most  of  that  service  having  been  rendered 
at  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky,  and  at  Cumberland  Gap,  at  which  latter  point  he 
was  for  four  months  stationed  with  his  regiment.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  military  service  Mr.  Williamson  returned  home  and  in  1868  lx)ught 
from  his  father  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres,  a  part  of  the  old  Judge  Samuel 
Kyle  place,  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1872  established  his  home 
there,  occupying  the  house  that  D.  M.  Kyle  had  erected  there  in  1849. 
There  Mr.  Williamson  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  He  has  remodeled 
and  improved  the  old  house  and  has  a  very  attractive  place  which  bears 
the  name  of  "Maple  Lawn  Stock  Farm."  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing Mr.  Williamson  has  ever  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  high-grade  live  stock,  with  particular  reference  to  Polled  Durham  cattle, 
Delane-Merino  sheep  and  Duroc- Jersey  hogs.  Of  late  years  he  has  given 
over  the  general  direction  of  the  farm  to  his  son,  Collins  Williamson,  who 
is  managing  it  as  well  as  an  adjoining  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
acres,  the  Joseph  Kyle  place,  which  he  owns  in  his  own  right.  Mr.  William- 
son is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville  and  has 


3IO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same.     Poli- 
tically, he  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Williamson  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  6,  1872,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Isabella  Collins,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
June  14,  1849,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (McClellan)  Collins,  mem- 
bers of  pioneer  families  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely :  George 
Smith,  born  on  April  17,  1874,  who  died  on  May  10  of  the  same  year; 
John  Clarence,  April  19,  1875,  who  died  on  August  23  of  that  same  year; 
Emmet  Collins,  December  9,  1876,  who  is  unmarried  and  is  now  living  at 
Lemar,  Mississippi,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  place  he  owns  a  cattle  ranch , 
Ellen  Rebecca,  July  7,  1878,  who  on  November  7,  1900,  was  united  in 
marriage  to  the  Rev.  Alfred  Dennison,  now  stationed  at  New  Concord,  in 
Muskingum  county,  this  state;  an  infant,  August  2t,,  1882,  who  died  on 
that  same  day,  and  Collins,  November  11,  1888,  who.  as  mentioned  above, 
is  now  operating  the  "Maple  Lawn  Stock  Farm"  for  his  father,  as  well  as 
farming  his  own  place  adjoining,  continuing  to  make  his  home  on  the 
home  place.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  October  8,  1899,  and 
on  October  14,  1903,  Mr.  Williamson  married  Maria  Agnes  Tarbox,  who 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Rachel  (Nichol) 
Tarbox,  the  former  of  whom  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  at  Cedarville,  he  having  come  here  from  his  native  state  of  Maine 
in  1849,  and  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


MONT  MANOR. 


Mont  Manor,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  and  the  proprietor 
of  the  old  Ford  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  6  out  of  Xenia,  was  born 
on  what  then  was  known  as  the  Andrew  Baughman  farm  two  miles  west 
of  Xenia  on  April  2,  1864.  son  of  John  H.  and  Catherine  (Bagford)  Manor, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  the  latter,  at  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  who  had  come  to  this  county  with  their  respective  parents  in  the 
days  of  their  youth,  were  here  married  and  here  spent  their  last  days. 

John  H.  Manor  was  a  son  of  George  Manor  and  wife  and  was  but  a 
child  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents,  the  family  driving 
through  from  Virginia  and  settling  on  a  farm  west  of  Xenia,  where  George 
Manor  and  iiis  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Thev  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  John  H.  was  the  last-born,  the  others  being 
Emma,  who  married  Robert  Gowdy;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Joseph 
Nisonger ;  Hester,  who  married  Perry  Nisonger ;  Mary,  who  married  Jacob 
Elwell,  and  Alfred,  who  married  and  moved  to  Indiana.     John  H.   Manor 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3II 

grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  west  of  Xenia  and  after  his  marriage 
located  on  the  Andrew  Baiighman  farm,  two  miles  west  of  Xenia,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  Hfe  in  farming,  his  death  occurring  there  on  March  17, 
1883,  he  then  being  fifty-four  years  of  age.  He  was  a  Republican  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  meml>ers  of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  some  years,  she  l:)eing  sixty-nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  For  some  time  after  the  death  of  her  husband  she  made  her  home 
in  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  but  returned  to  Greene  county  on  a  visit  and 
died  at  the  home  of  her  son  Mont,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  She  was  born, 
Catherine  Amelia  Bagford,  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  and  was  but  a  child 
when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  Greene  county.  She  was  the  last-born 
of  the  six  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  having  been  Calvin,  who 
moved  to  Indiana :  William,  who  made  his  home  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Warren ;  Mary,  who  married  William  McClellan  and  lived  west  of  Xenia ; 
Comfort,  who  was  twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  John  Hol- 
lingshead  and  her  second,  Jonas  Hiney,  both  of  this  county,  and  Julia,  who 
remained  unmarried.  To  John  H.  and  Catherine  A.  (Bagford)  Manor 
were  born  si.x  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follows :  George,  who  is  operating  a  dray, 
line  in  Xenia ;  William,  deceased ;  Clinton,  who  is  a  farmer,  living  west  of 
Xenia;  Minnie,  now  a  resident  of  Shideler,  in  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  who 
has  been  twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  William  Brown  and 
her  second,  Frank  Shady;  and  A.  B.,  also  a  resident  of  Shideler,  where  he  is 
engaged  as  a  stationary  engineer. 

Mont  Manor  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  received  his 
schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  his 
marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  after  which,  for  five  years,  he 
lived  on  his  mother's  farm  at  Shideler,  Indiana,  and  managed  it.  He  then 
returned  to  Greene  county,  later  moving  to  Daytoo,  but  a  year  later  returned 
to  his  home  county  and  for  two  years  thereafter  rented  a  farm  near  Cedar- 
ville,  after  that  becoming  engaged  in  farming  on  a  farm  on  the  Dayton 
pike,  where  he  remained  for  something  more  than  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  became  engaged  in  teaming  in  Xenia  and  was  thus  engaged 
for  five  years.  He  then  resumed  farming  and  was  thus  engaged  in  N'ew 
Jasper  township  for  three  years,  or  until  191 1,  when  he  bought  the  farm  of 
seventy-eight  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living,  known  as  the  Ford  place,  in 
Caesarscreek  township.  Mr.  Manor  is  a  Republican,  and  Mrs.  Manor  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Maple  Corner. 

On  February  23,  1888,  Mont  Manor  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet E.  Dean,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery, 
daughter  of  David  and  Cornelia   (Darner)   Dean,  both  of  whom  were  born 


312  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  the  vicinity  of  Dayton,  in  that  same  county,  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Manor  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  as  follow :  William,  who  is  a  carpenter,  living  at  Dean,  in  Mont- 
gomery county;  Lottie,  who  married  Edward  Derby  and  is  living  at  Roch- 
ester, New  York;  Harry,  who  died  in  youth;  Daisy,  wife  of  James  Hayes, 
of  Dean;  Bertha,  wife  of  Samuel  Jackson,  of  Dayton;  Gertrude,  wife  of 
Thomas  ColHns,  of  Dayton,  and  Charles,  a  carpenter,  also  living  at  Dayton. 
David  Dean,  the  father  of  these  children,  was  a  building  contractor,  for 
years  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  township  and  for  three  terms 
a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Montgomery  county. 
He  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United 
Brethren  church.  He  died  in  August,  1905,  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine  years. 
His  wife's  death  occurred  on  July  27,  1901,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Manor  have  been  born  three  children,  namely:  Harry  Dean 
Manor,  an  employee  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  living  at  Xenia, 
who  married  Lila  Kildow  and  has  four  children,  EHzabeth  E.,  Noel  Dean, 
Harry  Ronald  and  Charles;  Cornelia  Kathryn,  who  married  Orie  F.  Clem- 
mer,  who  is  now  at  Camp  Sherman  in  the  National  Army,  and  Charles 
David  Manor,  who  is  at  home. 


HON.  ANDREW  JACKSON. 

The  Hon.  Andrew  Jackson,  fomier  representative  from  this  district 
in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  for  years  one  of  the 
forceful  figures  in  the  life  of  Greene  county,  was  born  in  this  county  and 
has  resided  here  most  of  his  life,  the  exception  being  a  period  of  about 
ten  years  during  which  he  was  engaged  in  railroad  service  following  his 
completion  of  nearly  three  years  of  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  War.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Jackson  homestead  place  of  Clarks 
run,  west  of  Cedarville,  December  25,  1843,  a  son  of  Gen.  Robert  and  Minerva 
(Eddy)  Jackson,  prominent  residents  of  that  community,  whose  last  days 
were  spent  in  this  county. 

Gen.  Robert  Jackson  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  3,  1798,  and  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county 
in  1814  with  his  parents,  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (McCorkle)  Jackson,  the 
family  settling  on  a  farm  along  Clarks  run,  west  of  the  village  of  Cedar- 
ville. The  elder  Robert  Jackson  was  born  in  1758  at  Newtown,  Limavady, 
County  Derry,  Ireland,  son  of  David  and  Elizaljeth  (Reed)  Jackson,  of 
Scottish  descent,  who  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter,  and  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  with 
their  family  to  the  American  colonies  in   1762  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3I3 

as  is  set  out  at  informative  length  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  a 
comprehensive  history  of  the  beginnings  of  the  Jackson  family  in  Greene 
county.  David  Jackson  also  was  born  at  Newtown,  about  the  year  1730,  the 
third  son  by  the  second  wife  of  Dr.  Joseph  Jackson,  a  physician  of  that  place. 
By  a  previous  marriage  Dr.  Joseph  Jackson  had  a  son,  Andrew,  who  on 
account  of  his  participation  in  a  revolutionary  movement  in  his  own  country 
was  compelled  to  flee  to  the  American  colonies,  he  and  his  wife  and  two 
small  sons  settling  in  1765  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement  in  South  Carolina. 
There  Andrew  Jackson  died  in  the  spring  of  1767,  a  few  days  before  the 
birth  of  his  third  son,  who  in  honor  of  the  deceased  father  was  named 
Andrew  and  who  in  the  proper  fullness  of  time  became  the  seventh  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  it  thus  being  seen  that  Robert  Jackson,  the 
Greene  county  pioneer,  and  Andrew  Jackson,  the  hero  of  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans  and  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  -m  American  history^ 
were  cousins.  When  the  War  of  the  Revolution  came  on  David  Jackson 
took  an  active  part  in  the  struggle  of  the  colonists  and  lost  a  hand  at  the 
battle  of  Trenton.  His  wife  died  at  Oxford,  in  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  7,  1767,  she  then  being  thirty-four  years  of  age.  He  sur- 
vived her  many  years,  his  death  occurring  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  August,  181 1,  and  he  was  buried  beside  the  body  of  his  wife  in  the 
Oxford  burying  ground.  They  were  members  of  the  Associate  Presby- 
terian church  and  in  1782,  at  the  union  of  the  Reformed  and  Associate 
Presb}'terian  churches,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
church. 

Robert  Jackson,  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  four  children  born  to 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Jackson,  grew  to  manhood  in  Pennsylvania 
and  during  the  Revolutionary  War  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  patriot  army. 
In  the  spring  of  1786  he  married  Elizabeth  McCorkle,  who  was  born  in 
Scotland  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  this  side  with  her 
parents.  Her  father  was  killed  in  battle  while  serving  in  behalf  of  the 
patriot  cause  during  the  Revolutionary  War  and  her  mother  died  not  long 
afterward,  she  thereafter  making  her  home  with  a  Quaker  family  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  where  she  was  living  when  married  to  Robert 
Jackson.  She  has  been  described  as  a  large  woman,  five  feet  ten  inches 
in  height  and  of  a  weight  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds;  blonde,  with 
blue  eyes,  auburn  hair  nearly  five  feet  Jong,  portly,  with  commanding, 
queenly  appearance  and  straight  as  an  Indian,  her  commahuiilg  appeal  <iucc 
always  insuring  to  her  the  respect  due  as  a  lady  of  the  first  rank.  Robert 
Jackson  has  been  described  as  a  man  six  feet  in  height,  of  slender  form  and 
of  a  weight  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds,  of  dark  complexion, 
black,  curly  hair  and  long  lean  face,  there  being  a  tradition  in  the  familv 


314  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

that  he  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  his  illustrious  cousin,  Andrew  Jack- 
son, President  of  the  United  States.  This  description,  written  by  the 
Rev.  Hugh  Parks  Jackson,  of  Cedarville,  dean  of  the  Jackson  family  in 
this  county,  further  sets  out  that  Robert  Jackson  "was  of  a  sedate  dispo- 
sition; did  not  engage  in  foolish  fun,  but  was  fond  of  company  of  his  own 
kind:  a  man  of  pleasant  and  agreeable  manners,  but,  like  'Old  Hickory' 
Jackson,  was  full  of  mettle  of  the  right  ring.  He  was  like  a  bell — touch 
him  and  he  would  sound.  He  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade,  but  worked  on 
the  farm  as  well,  a  man  of  industrious  and  abstemious  habits  and  a  great 
reaper  in  the  har^-est  field  with  the  old-fashioned  sickle.  It  was  the  custom 
then  to  have  whisky  in  the  harvest  field  to  drink,  but  it  was  his  habit  to 
sit  on  the  fence,  with  his  hat  off,  resting,  while  others  were  drinking.  He 
was  not  a  man  of  many  words,  but  good  company  on  subjects  that  were 
profitable  to  be  discussed.  He  would,  in  holy  indignation,  resent  and  resist 
the  oppression  of  the  weak  who  were  making  strenuous  and  honest  efforts 
to  do  right.  At  one  time  in  a  harvest  field,  when  sixty  years  old,  he  threw 
his  sickle  down  and  cracked  his  fists  together,  saying:  T  can  whip  any 
man  that  will  impose  on  a  boy !'  A  dozen  harvesters  reaping  in  the  fielc" 
were  making  sport  of  a  boy  who  was  trying  to  make  a  hand  in  the  same 
field  with  them." 

In  1789,  about  three  years  after  his  marriage,  Robert  Jackson  moved 
over  the  mountains  from  Lancaster  county  to  Westmoreland  county,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  forks  of  the  Yough,  and  was  living 
there  when  what  historically  is  known  as  the  "Whisky  Rebellion"  broke  out 
in  western  Pennsylvania  in  the  summer  of  1794.  He  indirectly  aided  and 
abetted  this  rebellion  by  loaning  his  gun  to  one  of  his  neighbors,  who  was 
engaged  in  the  rebellion,  and  was  for  months  thereafter  compelled  to  seek 
hiding  in  the  bush  while  the  soldiers  were  scouring  the  country  in  search 
of  insurrectionists.  But  presently  the  President  pardoned  and  released  all 
engaged  in  the  insurrection  and  the  soldiers  were  withdrawn.  In  1799  Rob- 
ert Jackson  sold  his  hill  fann  and  moved  over  into  the  then  Territory  of 
Ohio,  buying  a  farm  two  miles  southeast  of  i\It.  Pleasant,  in  Jefferson 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1814,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
there  and  with  his  family  came  to  Greene  county  and  settled  on  Clarks 
run,  west  of  Cedarville.  In  this  county  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives,  her  death  occurring  on  September  28,  1822,  and  his,  Septem- 
ber 26,  i82»,  and  both  were  laid  to  rest  in  the  Massiescreek  burying  ground. 
Robert  Jackson  was  for  years  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Associate  Reformed 
church,  having  thus  served  his  church  both  in  Painsylvania  and  after  his 
coming  to  Greene  county,  and  his  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There 
were  ten  of  these  children,  of  whom  Robert,   father  of  the  subject  of  this 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  315 

sketch,  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  and  of  these  ten  all  save  two 
grew  to  maturity,  married  and  had  families  of  their  own,  their  children,  in 
turn,  numbering  eighty-four,  the  descendants  of  these,  in  the  present  genera- 
tion, comprising  a  well-nigh  innumerable  host  and  forming  connections  with 
most  of  what  are  regarded  as  the  "old  families"  of  Greene  county. 

Partaking  the  physical  characteristics  of  both  of  his  parents,  Gen.  Robert 
Jackson  has  been  described  as  a  man  of  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  of  a 
weight  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds,  straight  as  an  Indian,  of  fine 
physique,  dark  complexion,  dark  eyes,  black  curly  hair,  "and  when  dressed 
in  full  military  costume  and  mounted  on  his  spirited  white  charger  made 
a  handsome  appearance  and  was  indeed  a  brilliant  and  popular  military 
officer."  From  boyhood  he  was  fond  of  military  tactics  and  parades  and 
when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  in  1814  at  once  became  a 
participant  in  the  activities  of  muster  days  and  the  like,  going  on  up  in 
rank  in  the  local  militia  until  on  August  22,  1831,  he  was  commissioned 
by  Governor  Mc Arthur  as  brigadier  general  of  the  First  Brigade,  Fifth 
Division,  Ohio  State  Militia,  a  commission  he  held  until  his  resignation  on 
August  6,  1836.  The  General  also  took  an  active  part  in  the  general  public 
affairs  of  the  community  and  was  elected  to  represent  this  district  in  the 
thirty-third  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of  Ohio.  From  1857  to  1862 
he  represented  his  district  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners and  in  1862  went  with  the  "squirrel  hunters"  to  Cincinnati  to  help 
repel  the  threatened  rebel  invasion  of  Ohio.  In  early  life  the  General  was 
a  Democrat,  but  in  1852  became  a  Free  Soiler  and  upon  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  party  threw  in  his  influence  with  the  latter  party  and  remained 
a  firm  adherent  of  the  same  until  his  death.  It  has  been  written  of  him  that 
in  disposition  he  was  free  and  jovial,  fond  of  society  and  of  his  friends, 
with  whom  he  was  always  popular  and  a  welcome  guest.  On  December 
25,  1821,  Gen.  Robert  Jackson  married  Minerva  Eddy,  of  Lebanon,  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  and  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make 
his  home  on  the  old  home  place  on  Clarks  run  until  1856,  when  he  sold  that 
farm,  which  meantime  had  been  bequeathed  to  him,  and  moved  to  Xenia, 
where  he  became  engaged  in  the  milling  business,  several  years  later  moving 
to  a  small  fruit  farm  two  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  April  10,  1877.  His  widow  returned 
to  Xenia,  but  later  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  she  died  on  January 
16,  1882.  Both  were  reared  in  the  Associate  Reformed  church  and  after 
the  union  in  1858  became  connected  with  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

To  Gen.  Robert  and  Minerva  (Eddy)  Jackson  were  born  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eleventh  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  the  following:     Phoebe  Ann,  born  on  November  24,   1822, 


3l6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

who  was  thrice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  Matthew  Corry 
Jacoby,  her  second  John  Thomas  Dawson,  and  her  third  Jefferson  Joseph 
Reed,  and  who  by  her  first  husband  was  the  mother  of  three  children, 
Robert  Scott,  Henry  Martin  and  Rebecca  Jane,  the  latter  of  whom  married 
the  Rev.  George  G.  Mitchell,  and  by  her  second  husband,  three  children, 
Minerva  Alice,  Elizabeth  Ann  and  Kate  Josephine;  Joseph  Addison,  Janu- 
ary 6,  1825,  who  died  on  October  i,  1834;  Elizabeth,  September  8,  1827, 
who  married  John  Corry  and  had  four  children,  William  Henry,  Minerva 
Emazetta,  Anna  Maud  and  Lizzie  Alta;  Joshua  M.,  November  17,  1829,  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  married  Mary  Matilda  Gowdy  and  had  five 
children,  Robert  A.,  Charles  Conditt,  Joshua  C,  Joseph  E.  and  Mary; 
Mary,  January  28,  1832,  who  married  John  R.  Nash  and  had  two  sons, 
Robert  Hervey  and  Hugh  Lee;  Nancy  Jane,  June  3,  1834,  who  married 
Prof.  Robert  Hood;  Dona  Martha,  May  3,  1836,  who  married  George 
Royse;  twins,  who  died  at  birth  in  1838;  Robert  Eddy,  December  23,  1840, 
who  died  on  August  24,  1843,  and  James  Harvey,  July  27,  1847,  who  died 
on  June  10,   1849. 

Andrew  Jackson  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
the  farm  to  Xenia  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  schools  of  that 
city.  Upon  leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ  of  Merrick  &  Company, 
dry-goods  merchants  at  Xenia,  remaining  there  until  the  fall  of  1861,  when 
he  went  to  Michigan  with  his  brother-in-law.  Professor  Hood,  a  civil  engi- 
neer, and  under  the  direction  of  the  latter  took  a  course  in  surveying,  geom- 
etry, trigonometry  and  bookkeeping.  In  the  following  spring  he  returned 
to  Xenia  and  resumed  his  place  in  the  Merrick  store,  being  given  charge  of 
that  concern's  books,  and  continued  thus  engaged  until  August  8,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  went  to  the  front  with  that  command,  his  first  skirmish 
with  the  enemy  coming  on  the  31st  of  that  same  month  at  Tate's  Ferry, 
Kentucky.  In  the  battle  of  Perrysville  in  October  following  Mr.  Jackson 
received  a  wound  in  the  left  shoulder,  but  was  not  seriously  incapacitated, 
for  he  was  able  to  participate  in  the  bloody  battle  of  Stone's  River  a 
couple  of  months  later.  With  his  command  he  then  took  part  in  the  Tulla- 
homa  campaign  and  then  on  through  the  South,  taking  part  in  such  battles 
as  those  at  Dug  Gap,  Chickamauga.  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission  Ridge, 
Resaca.  Dallas,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Smyrna  Camp  Grounds,  Chattahoochee 
River,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  Bentonville,  and 
was  present  when  Johnson  surrendered  on  April  26,  1865.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  on  June  5,  1865,  after  a  service  of  two  years  and  ten 
months,  the  war  then  being  at  an  end.  During  a  part  of  the  last  year  of 
this  service  he  was  detailed  as  chief  clerk  to  the  inspector-general  of  the 
First  Brigade,  First  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  31/ 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  niihtary  service  Mr.  Jackson  returned  home 
and  was  almost  immediately  thereafter  appointed  to  a  position  as  assistant 
engineer  in  the  maintenance-of-way  department  of  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton 
&  Dayton  Railroad,  a  position  which  he  occupied  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  engineer  and  amanuensis 
to  the  president  in  the  office  of  the  Cincinnati  &  Zanesville  Railroad,  at 
Cincinnati,  presently  being  promoted  to  the  position  of  general  ticket  agent 
and  pa}'master  of  that  road,  and  remained  thus  connected  for  six  years  or 
until  his  resignation  and  return  to  Cedarville.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
married  a  daughter  of  James  Dunlap,  the  lumberman,  and  upon  his  return 
to  Cedarville  took  charge  of  the  latter's  extensive  lumber  interests,  not  only 
at  that  place  but  at  Cincinnati  and  in  the  Michigan  lumber  camps,  at  the 
same  time  giving  direction  to  the  operations  on  his  farm  in  the  Cedarville 
neighborhood,  and  presently  began  to  give  particular  attention  to  the  breed- 
ing of  fine  horses  on  the  farm,  with  particular  reference  to  animals  for  the 
speed-ring.  For  years  Mr.  Jackson  continued  this  active  interest  in  horses. 
The  famous  Wilkes  strain  was  his  favorite  and  the  "Onward"  branch  of 
this  strain  gained  for  him  many  good  marks.  He  maintained  a  track 
on  his  farm  and  trained  both  trotting  and  pacing  stock,  among  the  notables 
there  trained  for  racing  having  been  "General  Jackson"  and  "Miss  Jack- 
son." For  six  successive  years  Mr.  Jackson  held  the  position  of  starter  judge 
of  the  horse  races  at  the  Ohio  state  fair.  Mr.  Jackson  is  a  Republican  and 
was  elected  to  represent  this  district  in  the  sixty-eighth  General  Assembly 
and  was  re-elected  for  the  succeeding  term.  During  his  service  in  the  Legis- 
lature Mr.  Jackson  gained  so  many  friends  that  during  the  succeeding  session 
of  the  General  Assembly  he  was  chosen  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  House  and 
so  satisfactorily  did  he  perform  the  duties  of  that  office  that  he  was  re-elected 
for  six  succeeding  sessions  and  thus  served  until  the  seventy-sixth  session, 
at  the  last  session  receiving  the  vote  also  of  the  Democrats,  a  compliment 
said  to  be  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  the  Legislature.  In  1891  Mr.  Jack- 
son was  appointed  a  member  of  the  state  commission  to  locate  markers  or 
regimental  monuments  to  the  memory  of  the  fifty-five  Ohio  regiments  that 
were  represented  on  the  field  during  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  This  com- 
mission was  the  first  of  the  similar  state  commissions  on  the  field  and  four 
years  was  occupied  in  its  labors,  the  Ohio  monuments  being  dedicated  on 
September  19,  1895.  For  twenty-two  years  (1890-1912)  Mr.  Jackson  was 
a  member  of  the  Cedarville  school  board.  Then  the  Cedar\-ille  board  and 
the  township  board  were  consolidated  and  Mr.  Jackson  has  since  continued 
to  render  service  as  the  clerk  of  the  united  board,  in  that  capacity  rendering 
service  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  new  school  building  at  Cedarville 
in  191 6,  a  building  that  is  regarded  as  a  model  of  its  type  in  the  state  of 
Ohio.     In  1912  Mr.  Jackson  was  elected  clerk  of  Cedanille  township  and 


3l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  1917  was  re-elected  to  that  otfice  for  the  fourth  time.  Since  1899  he  also 
has  been  continued  in  office  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home 
township,  his  neighbors  long  ago  apparently  having  come  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  they  want  no  other  "squire"  to  sit  in  local  judgment.  When  the 
Cedarville  Building  and  Loan  Association  was  organized  in  1896  Mr.  Jack- 
son was  elected  secretary  of  that  concern  and  has  ever  since  been  retained 
in  that  position.  Mr.  Jackson's  home  is  surrounded  by  forty  acres  of  well- 
kept  land  just  out  of  the  southeastern  limits  of  the  city  of  Cedarville. 

On  December  17,  1868,  Andrew  Jackson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  J.  Dunlap,  who  was  born  at  Cincinnati  on  March  i,  1845,  daughter 
of  James  Dunlap,  mentioned  above  as  having  been  extensively  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business  at  Cincinnati  and  at  Cedarville  and  who  died  at  his  home 
in  the  latter  place  on  January  25,  1890,  he  then  being  seventy-six  years  of 
age.  To  this  union  four  children  were  bom,  namely :  Pearl  J.,  born  on 
May  13,  1871,  wife  of  Ralph  G.  George,  of  Jamestown,  this  county;  Frank 
A.,  July  10,  1876,  now  serving  as  sheriff  of  Greene  county  and  a  biographi- 
cal sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Clara  G.,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1878,  wife  of  H.  H.  Cherry,  a  farmer  living  in  Xenia  township  and 
further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere,  and  Fannie  D.,  December 
30,  1880,  wife  of  R.  L.  Baldwin,  of  Chicago. 


JOSEPH  DEVOE. 


The  late  Joseph  Devoe,  former  trustee  of  Caesarscreek  township  and 
for  years  a  citizen  of  that  township,  who  met  his  death  in  an  automobile 
accident  in  1912,  was  Ixsrn  on  a  farm  in  Jefiferson  township  on  March  7, 
1850,  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Ary)  Devoe,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  the  Devoes  and  the  Arys  having 
been  here  from  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  Ohio. 

David  De\oe  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicnity  of  the  village  of  Paint- 
ersville  in  1822,  son  of  Joseph  and  Abby  (Oglesbee)  Devoe,  who  had  settled 
there  upon  coming  over  here  from  Virginia  in  18 17.  Joseph  Devoe,  the  pio- 
neer, was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Winchester.  Virginia,  a  son  of  David 
Devoe,  who  was  born  in  France  and  who  had  come  to  this  countrj'  with  his 
widowed  mother  when  a  lad,  the  family  settling  in  Virginia.  Joseph  Devoe 
grew  to  manhood  in  Virginia  and  there  married  Abby  Oglesbee  and  in  18 17 
came  with  his  wife  to  Ohio  and  located  in  this  county,  establishing  his  home 
on  a  pioneer  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  where  the  village  af  Paintersville  lat«r 
came  into  being.  He  was  a  Whig  and  a  Methodist.  His  wife  died  in  1858 
and  he  in   i860.     They  were  parents  of  six  children,  David,  Evaline,  who 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  3I9 

married  John  Ary,  George  W.,  Ephraim,  Sarah  Jane,  who  married  Nathan 
Fisher,  and  Asa. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Paintersville,  David  Devoe 
grew  up  a  farmer,  a  vocation  he  followed  all  his  life.  He  married  Mary 
Ary,  who  was  born  in  this  county  on  August  13,  1825,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage made  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township  until  1868.  when  he 
bought  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paintersville,  in  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship, occupied  the  same  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  January  2t^,  1899,  he  then  being  in  the  seventy-seventh  year 
of  his  age.  His  widow  survives.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children, 
namely :  Eliza  Jane,  who  married  Thomas  Bone  and  moved  to  Illinois ; 
Sarah,  who  married  William  A.  Powers;  Lucinda,  who  married  L.  V.  John- 
son; Joseph,  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch;  William,  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship; Aaron,  of  Caesarscreek  township;  Margaret,  David  and  George,  who 
died  in  childhood ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Isaiah  Mason,  and  Jesse,  of  Xenia 
township. 

Joseph  Devoe  grew  up  on  the  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  receiving  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
,  the  family  moved  to  the  farm  in  the  Paintersville  vicinity.  He  remained  at 
home  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1872,  when  he  and  his  wife  began 
housekeeping  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  south  of  the  place  where 
Mrs.  Devoe  now  lives,  and  there  remained  for  several  years.  They  then 
moved  to  the  place  on  which  Mrs.  Devoe  is  now  living,  known  then  as  the 
Fisher  place,  and  there  established  their  permanent  home,  Mr.  Devoe  culti- 
vating the  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  until  his  tragic  death  on  September  30, 
1912.  Joseph  Devoe  was  a  Republican  and  served  as  township  trustee  and 
as  a  member  of  his  local  school  board.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  church  at  Paintersville,  as  were  his  parents  before  him  and  as  is 
his  widow,  and  for  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  Ijoard  of  trustees  of  that 
congregation. 

On  March  28,  1872,  Joseph  Devoe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Caroline 
Faulkner,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  Paintersville  neighborhood,  in 
Caesarscreek  township,  daughter  of  David  and  Emily  Jane  (Musetter) 
Faulkner,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  neighborhood  on 
October  7,  1819,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (McGuire)  Faulkner,  who 
were  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  that  section  of  Greene  county.  David 
Faulkner  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  remained  there  until  his  marriage 
in  September,  1838,  to  Emily  Jane  Musetter,  who  had  come  to  this  county 
with  her  parents  from  Virginia.  For  a  time  after  his  marriage  he  lived  on  a 
rented  farm,  but  later  bought  a  farm  of  his  own  in  that  same  neighborhood 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of 


320  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

one  hundred  and  ninety-four  acres.  David  Faulkner  was  a  Republican  and 
for  several  terms  served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Paintersville  and  he  for 
years  was  class  leader  of  the  same.  He  died  in  1896  and  his  widow  survived 
him  for  four  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1900.  They  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  namely:  Mary,  widow  of  Francis  Linkhart,  of  Xenia,  who 
is  now  making  her  home  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Devoe,  on  the  farm;  Harvey 
C,  a  farmer  living  north  of  Paintersville;  Caroline,  widow  of  Joseph  Devoe; 
Samuel  P.,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  whose  biographical  sketch 
presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume  carries  much  additional  information 
regarding  the  Faulkner  family  in  this  county;  Elijah  B.,  now  a  resident  of 
West  Carolton,  Ohio;  Harriet  Ann,  who  married  Thomas  B.  Linkhart,  of 
Lumberton,  and  is  now  deceased;  and  Elizabeth  Catherine,  wife  of  John 
Anderson,  of  Xenia. 

To  Joseph  and  Caroline  (Faulkner)  Devoe  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  Anna  Belle,  who  married  Stacy  Wilson,  a  farmer,  of  Jefferson 
township,  this  county,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Goldie;  Mary  E.,  who 
married  Adolph  Lowe,  now  living  in  North  Dakota,  and  has  four  children, 
Elmer,  Mable,  Helen  and  Hester,  the  last  two  named  being  twins,  and  Ida 
May,  who  married  West  Caplinger,  now  living  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clinton,  and  has  two  children,  Forest  and  Everett.  Since  the  death  of  her 
husband  Mrs.  Devoe  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm. 


SEBASTLW    GERHARDT. 

Sebastian  Gerhardt,  a  farmer  of  Miami  township,  this  county,  living 
on  rural  route  No.  3  out  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Hustead,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  February  7,  1875,  a  son  of 
Sebastian  and  Margaret  (Peterson)  Gerhardt,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
were  married  in  this  country  and  later  established  their  home  on  a  farm  in 
Clark  county,  this  state,  where  they  reared  their  family. 

The  senior  Sebastian  Gerhardt  received  military  training  in  his  native 
land  and  was  twenty-five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country.  On 
the  way  over  he  met  and  fell  in  love  with  Margaret  Peterson,  a  fellow  pas- 
senger on  the  vessel  on  which  he  had  taken  passage,  and  after  their  arrival 
on  this  side  they  were  married,  later  becoming  residents  of  Clark  county, 
this  state.  During  the  Civil  War  Sebastian  Gerhardt  served  as  a  soldier  of 
the  Union  and  on  account  of  his  previous  military  training  could  have  had 
a  captaincy  had  it  not  been  for  the  difficulty  he  was  still  experiencing  in 
the  mastery  of  the  English  language.     He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 


yiioA/^  a  yxoJ^oAj^c 


..^ii^^^^ri^^^^^^^^^^^'^cz.^^^:?^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  321 

eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the 
others  being  Matilda,  Catherine  (deceased),  Jacob,  Philip,  Flora  (deceased), 
Daniel  and  Emma. 

The  junior  Sebastian  Gerhardt  was  reared  in  Clark  county  and  there 
received  his  schooling.  He  became  a  practical  farmer  and  after  his  marriage 
became  established  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  has  ever 
since  then  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  Mr.  Gerhardt's  agricultural 
operations  are  carried  on  in  accordance  with  modern  methods.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Clifton  and  of  the 
Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 

On  December  30,  1897,  Sebastian  Gerhardt  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  A.  Hilt,  who  also  was  born  in  Clark  county,  January  22,  1877, 
daughter  of  David  Hilt  and  wife,  who  are  now  living  retired  at  Yellow 
Springs  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Fern,  born  on  June  18, 
1899,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Yellow  Springs  high  school  in  191 7; 
Philip,  November  7,  1900,  now  a  senior  in  the  high  school,  and  Anna,  June 
25,  1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gerhardt  are  members  of  the  Bethel  Lutheran 
church. 


JAMES  FREDERICK  HARTSOOK. 

The  late  James  Frederick  Hartsook,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a 
farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  who  died  at  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of 
Eleazar  cliurch  in  that  township  on  November  12,  1912,  was  a  native  son  of 
Greene  county  and  had  resided  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
three  miles  east  of  Xenia  on  February  31,  1831,  son  of  Elijah  B.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Stidley)  Hartsook,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland  and  the  latter  of 
Virginia,  who  came  to  this  county  in  pioneer  days  and  became  early  set- 
tlers in  Caesarscreek  township.  Elijah  B.  Hartsook  was  the  first  of  the 
name  to  settle  in  Greene  county.  In  1834,  some  years  after  coming  here,  he 
bought  an  unimproved  tract  of  land,  the  place  on  which  the  widow  of  his 
son.  James  F.  Hartsook,  now  lives,  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  there 
establisiied  his  home,  the  fam.ily  living  in  the  open  and  cooking  their  meals 
by  the  side  of  a  fallen  tree  while  the  first  log  cabin  was  being  erected  on  the 
place.  The  tract  eventually  was  cleared  and  in  due  time  came  to  be  profitably 
cultivated.  Elijah  B.  Hartsook  for  many  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
in  and  for  his  home  township.  He  and  his  wife  were  Methodists  and  not 
long  after  settling  in  Caesarscreek  township  he  gave  a  plot  of  ground  for  a 
church  site  and  buving  ground  and   led   in  the  work  of  erecting  Eleazar 

(20) 


322  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

church,  most  of  the  lumber  that  entered  into  the  erection  of  the  first  church 
edifice  there  being  contributed  by  him.  He  took  an  active  part  in  church 
work  and  all  the  rest  of  his  life  took  care  of  the  church  building,  acting  as 
custodian  and  care-taker  free  of  charge.  He  was  reared  a  Democrat,  but 
later  became  a  Whig  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
became  affiliated  with  the  new  party.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children.  Washington  Harrison,  Frances,  James  F.,  Jackson,  Eliza- 
beth and  Catherine,  three  of  the  boys  going  to  southern  Wisconsin  and  there 
establishing  their  homes.  James  F.  remained  on  the  home  place,  which  he 
later  bought. 

James  F.  Hartsook  grew  up  on  the  pioneer  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  enlisted  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment,  \^olunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
command  he  served  for  two  years  and  ten  months,  during  that  period  par- 
ticipating in  a  number  of  the  important  battles  and  engagements  of  the  war, 
including  those  of  Winchester,  the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania,  Cold  Harbor, 
Pittsburg  Landing  and  Shiloh.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service 
Mr.  Hartsook  returned  to  the  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of 
1868  established  his  home  there  and  continued  to  reside  there  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  in  the  fall  of  1912.  Mr.  Hartsook  had  joined  the 
Eleazar  Methodist  Protestant  church  in  1865  and  ever  afterward  took  an 
earnest  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  same,  for  more  than  forty  years  acting 
as  care-taker  of  the  church  building,  a  labor  of  love  which  his  father  before 
him  also  had  rendered  for  years.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  served  at  one 
time  and  another  as  an  office  holder  in  his  home  township. 

On  May  28,  1868,  James  F.  Hartsook  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
J.  Hale,  who  was  born  at  Bellbrook,  this  county,  daughter  of  .Silas  and 
Miriam  (Opdyke)  Hale,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  vicinity 
on  .\ugust  26,  1803,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Bowen)  Hale,  who  had  mo\ed 
up  here  from  Kentucky  in  1802,  the  Hales  thus  being  one  of  the  very  oldest 
families  in  Greene  county,  all  of  which,  together  with  a  coniprehen.sive  his- 
tory of  the  Hale  family  in  this  county,  is  set  out  in  a  biographical  sketch 
relating  to  Mrs.  Hartsook's  brother,  Silas  O.  Hale.  To  James  F.  and  Mary 
J.  (Hale)  Hartsook  were  born  five  sons,  namely:  Luther,  who  continues  to 
make  his  home  on  the  old  home  place,  managing  the  farm  for  his  mother, 
and  who  married  Lavina  Peterson  and  has  two  children,  Vera  Leona  and 
Frederick  Christopher;  Allen  S.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  months; 
Harper  K.,  a  farmer  in  Caesarscreek  township,  who  married  Cora  Jessup 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Wanda;  Silas,  who  died  in  youth,  and  Harry, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  telephone  business  in  the  West. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  323 

JOHN  M.  PETERSON. 

John  M.  Peterson,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  and  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  6  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that 
township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  May  9,  1845,  -O" 
of  Jacob  J.  and  Deborah  (Mock)  Peterson,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Virginia  and  the  latter,  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  daughter  of  John  Mock, 
and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Jacob  J.  Peterson 
dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years,  his  widow  surviving  him  to  the  age  of 
seventy-eight. 

Jacob  J.  Peterson  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  this  county  from  Vir- 
ginia with  his  parents,  Jacob  Peterson  and  wife,  the  family  settling  in  Caesars- 
creek township,  where  they  established  their  home.  The  elder  Jacob  Peter- 
son and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Jacob  J.  was 
the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Moses,  who  settled  in  Caesars- 
creek township ;  Felix,  who  established  his  home  in  Xenia  township ;  Joel, 
who  moved  down  into  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton ;  Samuel,  who 
made  his  home  in  Xenia  township;  Mary,  who  married  Jonathan  Kettle- 
men;  Catherine,  who  married  Joseph  Boots,  Mrs.  Christina  Bargedell  and 
Hannah,  who  married  George  Eyman.  Jacob  J.  Peterson  grew  to  manhood 
on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  after  his  marriage  estab- 
lished his  home  on  a  farm  in  that  township  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  time  served  as  director  of 
schools  in  his  district.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eight  of 
these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the 
others  being  as  follow :  Lydia,  who  married  Allan  Long  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; Mary  E.,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood;  Hiram,  who  be- 
came a  farmer  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  is  now  deceased;  Jacob  L., 
who  moved  to  Indiana  and  there  spent  his  last  days  on  a  farm;  Daniel  N., 
who  also  moved  to  Indiana  and  there  died ;  Virginia  Ann,  who  is  now  living 
in  Indiana,  widow  of  James  R.  Babb,  and  Amy  F.,  who  has  been  married 
twice,  her  first  husband  having  been  William  Sutton  and  her  second,  Mar- 
tin Snyder. 

John  M.  Peterson  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  town- 
ship, receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  remained  at 
home  until  his  marriage  when  twenty  years  of  age,  after  which  he  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres,  on  which  he 
is  now  living  in  that  township,  though  now  living  practrcally  retired  from 
the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  the  same  being  carried  on  by  his  son-in-law, 
E.  S.  Conklin.     In  1887  he  erected  the  substantial  brick  house  on  the  place. 


324  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  in  wliich  he  was 
reared. 

In  1865  John  M.  Peterson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  C.  Sutton, 
who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizaljeth 
Sutton,  who  were  the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Philip,  Grififith, 
William,  John,  Jacob,  Lucinda,  Daniel,  Raper,  Sarah,  Mary,  Nancy,  Louis, 
Elizabeth,  Temperance  and  Martha.  Mrs.  Peterson  died  in  March,  1906,  at 
the  age  of  sixty  years,  leaving  one  child,  a  daughter.  Flora  Belle,  wife  of 
E.  S.  Conklin,  who  is  farming  the  home  place  for  Mr.  Peterson. 


JOHN  ALLEN  HICKMAN. 

The  late  John  Allen  Hickman,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died 
at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  June  24,  1908,  was  born  in  that 
township  and  had  lived  there  most  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  January 
10,  1843.  a  son  of  Riley  and  Sarah  (Ford)  Hickman,  the  former  a  native 
of  Tennessee  and  the  latter,  of  Virginia,  who  had  come  to  Greene  county 
with  their  respective  parents  in  pioneer  days  and  were  here  married.  After 
his  marriage  Riley  Hickman  located  on  a  tract  near  where  Mrs.  J.  A.  Hick- 
man, widow  of  his  son,  is  now  living,  formerly  known  as  the  Turner  farm, 
but  presently  found  that  he  had  settled  on  the  wrong  claim,  through  an 
error  of  location,  and  he  then  moved  to  the  tract  just  south  of  the  one 
mentioned  and  there  established  his  home,  spending  there  his  last  days. 
Riley  Hickman  was  both  a  farmer  and  a  cabinet-maker  and  in  the  latter 
line  the  products  of  his  shop  were  in  wide  demand  among  his  pioneer  neigh- 
bors. He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  Gilman,  David, 
Martha,  Jacob,  Jolm  Allen  and  George,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
now  a  resident  of  New  Burlington. 

John  Allen  Hickman  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek 
township  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  district  school. 
From  boyhood  he  was  a  hard  worker,  being  required  to  give  assistance  early 
and  late  in  the  labors  of  developing  the  home  place,  and  also,  under  his 
father's  direction,  became  a  carpenter.  Though  but  eighteen  years  of  age 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union, 
in  1861,  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr. 
Hickman  returned  home  and  until  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1870  was 
engaged  working  as  a  carpenter  in  that  neighborhood.     After  their  marriage 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  325 

he  and  his  wife  made  their  home  on  the  old  Turner  place,  where  his  wife 
was  born  and  reared,  and  there  resided  for  more  than  seven  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  they  moved  down  into  Clinton  county,  but  after  a  two- 
years'  residence  there  returned,  in  1879,  to  the  old  Hickman  place  of  seventy 
acres  on  which  Mrs.  Hickman  still  lives  and  which  she  owns,  and  there  Mr. 
Hickman  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there,  as  noted 
above,  in  1908,  he  then  being  sixty-four  years  of  age.  By  political  affilia- 
tion Mr.  Hickman  was  a  Democrat,  but  had  not  been  a  seeker  after  public 
office. 

On  November  15,  1870,  John  Allen  Hickman  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Elizabeth  Turner,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Elijah 
and  Fanny  (Bales)  Turner,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county, 
members  of  pioneer  families,  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  here.  Elijah 
Turner  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Diana  (Small)  Turner,  who  had  come 
up  here  from  Tennessee  and  had  settled  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township, 
where  they  spent  the  riemainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  and  as  most  of  these  reared 
families  of  their  own  the  Turner  connection  hereabout  is  now  a  numerous 
one.  Elijah  and  Fanny  (Bales)  Turner  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
namely :  Hannah,  who  died  unmarried ;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Mr.  Hickman ; 
John,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Lumberton,  over  the  line  in  Clinton 
county;  Hiram,  deceased,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Arkansas;  Will- 
iam, a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  this  county,  who  died  in  1916;  Daniel,  a 
farmer  of  New  Jasper  township,  and  Jane,  who  lives  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Alpha,  in  this  county,  widow  of  William  McBee. 

To  John  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Turner)  Hickman  were  born  five  children, 
namely :  Amy,  who  married  Charles  Davis,  of  Columbus,  this  state,  and 
died  in  August,  191 7;  Harley,  engineer  at  the  powder-mills,  making  his 
home  at  Xenia,  who  married  Anna  Whittington  and  has  three  children, 
Vesta,  Helen  and  Vernon;  Fanny,  who  married  Charles  Robinson,  formerly 
a  blacksmith  at  New  Burlington,  but  who  now  is  farming  the  Hickman 
place,  and  has  four  children,  Lewis,  Lucy,  Elizabeth  and  Mildred;  Ruby, 
who  married  Harry  Whittington.  a  farmer  of  Xenia  township,  and  has  foui 
children,  Louise,  Raymond,  Frances  and  Alden ;  and  John  Ray,  a  brakeman 
in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  living  at  Xenia,  who 
married  Cora  Davis,  who  died  in  1916  leaving  three  children,  Dorothy,  Will- 
iam and  Kenneth.  Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Hickman  has  continued 
to  make  her  home  on  the  old  home  place  which  is  being  looked  after  by 
her  son-in-law,  Mr.  Robinson.  She  is  a  member  of  the  White  Chapel 
Methodist  Episcopal  cbfrch. 


326  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

WILLIAM  W.  FITZPATRICK. 

William  W.  Fitzpatrick.  a  farmer  of  New  Jasper  township,  living  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  9  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  \^irginian  by  birth,  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  this  county  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  was  born 
in  Rockbridge  county,  August  7,  1848.  son  of  Parrel  and  Sarah  (Black) 
Fitzpatrick,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland  and  the 
latter  in  that  portion  of  Virginia  now  comprised  within  the  state  of  West 
Virginia.  Farrel  Fitzpatrick  lived  in  his  native  Ireland  until  he  was  a 
young  man,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  after  his  marriage  set- 
tled in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  where  he  died  in  1854.  His  widow 
survived  him  but  two  years,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  then  being  under  eight 
years  of  age.  Farrel  Fitzpatrick  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  three  brothers  and  six  sisters, 
namely:  The  Rev.  James  Fitzpatrick.  now  decceased,  who  was  a  minister 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church;  Mrs.  Jane  Clark,  now  deceased,  who 
spent  all  her  life  in  Virginia;  John,  also  deceased,  who  was  a  grocer  in  Vir- 
ginia; George,  who  died  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio,  in  1916;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Daly, 
who  spent  her  last  days  in  Maryland;  Mrs.  Mattie  Harding,  who  is  still 
living  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia;  Nancy,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her 
girlhood,  and  Ellen,  who  died  in  Virginia. 

W.  W.  Fitzpatrick  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  was  left  an  orphan 
and  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  made  his  home  in  the  household  of 
his  eldest  sister,  Mrs.  Jane  Clark,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood 
schools.  He  then  worked  on  nearby  farms  until  1872,  in  which  year,  in 
company  with  another  young  man  of  that  neighborhood,  he  started  for  In- 
diana with  a  view  to  joining  in  that  state  several  other  young  men  of  the 
home  neighborhood  who  had  gone  over  into  the  Hoosier  state  not  long 
before.  Enroute,  he  stopped  at  Jamestown,  in  Greene  county,  and  was 
there  offered  a  place  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  that  village.  He  accepted 
the  offer  and  remained  there,  Ohio  thus  gaining  a  good  citizen  who  other- 
wise might  have  become  a  resident  of  Indiana.  For  two  years  thereafter 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  he  then  rented  a  farm  and  began 
operations  on  his  own  account.  After  his  marriage  in  1876  he  bought  a 
small  tract  of  land  in  Ross  township  and  later  added  to  the  same  until  he 
had  a  farm  of  fifty-two  acres.  On  that  place  he  made  his  home  until  1901, 
in  which  year  he  sold  that  farm  and  bought  the  old  Cooper  place  of  eighty- 
three  and  one-half  acres  in  New  Jasper  township  on  which  he  is  now  living. 
He  is  a  Democrat,  but  reserves  the  right  to  vote  independently  on  local 
issues. 

On  February  17,  1876,  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  Mr.  Fitzpatrick 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Jane  Snodgrass,  who  was  born  in  that  township, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  327 

daughter  of  Joseph  and  EHza  (Ballard)  Snodgrass,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  with  her 
parents  to  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  Adams  county.  Joseph  Snodgrass 
was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  in  Rockbridge  county,  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  Robert 
Snodgrass  and  wife,  to  Ohio,  the  family  first  settling  in  Clark  county  and 
then,  a  few  years  later,  coming  down  into  Greene  county,  where  they  estab- 
lished their  home,  others  of  the  Snodgrass  family  having  been  represented  in 
this  county  since  the  year  1803.  James  Snodgrass,  another  of  the  sons  of 
Robert  Snodgrass,  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812.  When  Robert  Snod- 
grass died  Joseph  Snodgrass  and  his  brother  John  bought  the  home  farm  of 
one  hundred  acres  and  divided  the  same.  Joseph  Snodgrass  later  bought 
forty  acres  adjoining  his  strip,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  north  of  Jamestown, 
in  Ross  township,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  In  the  days 
preceding  the  Civil  War  he  was  an  outspoken  Abolitionist,  a  Freesoiler  and 
a  Fremont  man.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Fitzpatrick 
was  the  last  born,  the  others  being  as  follow :  Milo  R.,  an  attorney-at-law, 
living  at  Xenia ;  William,  a  farmer,  now  deceased,  whose  last  days  were  spent 
at  Dayton;  Angeline,  also  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Albert  Whitting- 
ton,  of  Jamestown;  Euphias,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  and 
Joseph,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  childhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitzpatrick 
have  three  children,  namely:  Prof.  Raymond  Fitzpatrick,  who  was  gradu- 
ated from  Cedarville  College,  later  completed  his  studies  in  chemistry  in  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  and  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  chemistry  depart- 
ment of  that  institution,  making  his  home  in  Philadelphia;  Foster  Fitz- 
patrick, who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  in  Xenia,  and  Muriel,  who 
was  graduated  from  Ohio  State  University  in  19 16  and  is  now  at  home  with 
her  parents. 


CLAYTON  HAINES. 


Clayton  Haines,  a  farmer  living  on  rural  mail  route  No.  6  out  of  Xenia, 
was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life,  a  period 
of  more  than  eighty-six  years.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Faulkner  place,  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  brother,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  pre- 
sented elsewhere  in  this  volume,  January  10,  1832,  son  of  Zimri  and  Eliza- 
beth (Compton)  Haines,  the  former  of  whom  was  bom  in  New  Jersey  and 
the  latter  in  South  Carolina.  They  came  to  Ohio  with  their  respective  pa- 
rents in  pioneer  times  and  were  married  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Burlington, 
later  settling  on  the  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  above  referred  to,  where 


328  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

they  established  their  home  and  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  Zimri  Haines  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age  and  his  widow  survived 
him  until  she  was  eighty-six.  They  were  members  of  the  Friends  church 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  Of  the  twelve  children  bom  to 
them  but  three  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  his  brother  Asaph, 
mentioned  above,  and  their  sister,  Phoebe,  wife  of  Joseph  Davis,  now  living 
in  Kansas.  The  others  of  the  children  of  Zimri  Haines  and  wife  were 
Samuel,  Elwood,  Eli,  Eber,  Zimri,  Mrs.  Sarah  Fawcett,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Ann 
Bales,  Mrs.  Mary  Marie  Brown  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Carter. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Clayton  Haines 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age,  when  his  father  gave  him  a  hundred- 
acre  farm  in  that  township  and  after  his  marriage  he  established  his  home 
there,  continuing  to  make  that  his  place  of  residence  until  he  bought  the 
Davis  home,  on  which  he  now  lives.  He  gave  his  son  fifty-four  acres  of 
that  place  some  time  ago  and  still  retains  fifty-seven  acres.  Mr.  Haines  is 
a  Republican. 

Mr.  Haines  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who  was  Lydia 
Bales,  of  Caesarscreek  township,  died  leaving  two  daughters,  Maria  Alice, 
who  married  Owen  Hutchins,  now  living  north  of  Dayton  and  has  three 
children,  Ruth,  Dorothy  and  Clayton,  and  Emma,  who  married  E.  Brickies, 
of  Xew  Jasper  township,  and  has  six  children,  Cora,  Alice,  Ada,  Elizabeth, 
Oscar  and  Bessie.  In  1887  Mr.  Haines  married,  secondly,  Venia  Johnson, 
who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Bloomington,  this  state,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Roy  M.,  living  on  the  home  place,  who  mar- 
ried Emma  Hurst  and  has  three  children,  Leona  May,  Howard  Leon  and 
\'iolet  Lucile,  and  Jessie  Vay,  wife  of  William  Dewitt,  of  Lumberton,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clinton.  Mr.  Haines  and  his  family  are  members  of 
New  Hope  Friends  church. 


ISAAC   SMITH. 


The  late  Isaac  Smith,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Jamestown  in  the  fall  of 
1914  and  whose  widow  yet  lives  there,  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion, 
but  had  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood. He  was  torn  in  Hampshire  county,  \^irginia.  June  20,  1839,  a  son 
of  John  and  Maria  (Kiter)  Smith,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Virginia, 
the  former  on  June  6,  1806,  and  the  latter.  May  22.  1806,  who  came  to 
Greene  county  after  the  Civil  War  and  here  spent  their  last  days.  John 
Smith  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  George,  Isaac,  Hester, 


ISAAC   SMITH 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  329 

Mary,  Elizabeth,  Frederick  and  Catherine,  of  whom  but  three,  Hester,  Mary 
and  Frederick,  are  now  Hving. 

Isaac  Smith  was  about  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  he  left  his  native 
Virginia  and  came  over  into  Ohio,  arriving  in  Greene  county  with  seven 
dollars  in  his  pocket.  That  was  about  the  year  i860.  Upon  his  arrival 
here  he'  began  work  as  a  farm  hand  and  was  thus  engaged  until  he  was 
joined  here  by  his  parents  some  three  or  four  years  later,  when  the  family 
rented  a  farm  and  established  a  home.  Isaac  Smith  presently  bought  that 
farm,  but  after  his  marriage  in  1881  sold  the  same  and  bought  the  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bowers- 
ville  upon  which  he  and  his  wife  established  their  home  and  which  his 
widow  now  owns,  and  there  he  continued  farming  until  his  retirement  in 
i8go  and  removal  to  Jamestown,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of. his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  October  5,  1914,  and  where  his  widow  is  still  living. 
Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  Air.  Smith  gave  to  that 
church  his  financial  support  during  his  residence  in  Jamestown. 

It  was  on  December  18,  1881,  that  Isaac  Smith  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Catherine  M.  Hite,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county, 
a  daughter  of  Andrew  D.  and  Mar}'  (Meyers)  Hite,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  on  December  16,  181 6,  and  the  latter,  August  14,  18 14.  Andrew 
D.  Hite  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy,  the  others,  besides  Mrs.  Smith,  being  James  (deceased),  William, 
George  (deceased),  John  (deceased),  Allen,  Cyrus  and  Elizabeth  (deceased). 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  one  child  was  born,  a  son.  Homer  Smith,  born  on 
January  4,  1885,  who  is  making  his  home  with  his  mother  at  Jamestown  and 
who  is  engaged  in  looking  after  his  farming  interests  nearby. 


HON.  EDMUND  HARRIS  MUNGER. 

The  late  Edmund  Harris  Munger.  former  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  and  for  years  dean  of  the  Greene  county  bar,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio 
and  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  Dayton, 
in  Montgomery  county,  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Laura  (Harris)  Munger,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Bingham)  Harris,  who  had  come  to  this  state  from  Ne^v  England  and 
who  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Montgomery  county. 

Reuben  Munger  was  a  son  of  Gen.  Edmund  Munger.  a  New  Eng- 
lander  and  a  member  of  an  old  Colonial  family,  the  first  of  the  Mungers  to 
settle  in  this  country  having  been  one  of  the  Kent  Mungers  who  came  over 
and  settled  in  New  England  in  1639,  where  he  established  his  familv,  his 
descendants  in  the  present  generation  forming  a  numerous  connection  widelv 


330  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

scattered  throughout  the  United  States.  General  Hunger,  whose  title  was 
earned  by  right  of  his  command  of  Ohio  troops  during  the  War  of  1812 
and  to  which  command  he  was  succeeded  by  General  Hull,  who  led  his 
troops  to  disaster  at  Detroit,  spent  one  summer  after  coming  to  Ohio  in  the 
wilds  near  Belpre,  in  Washington  county,  where  he  cleared  some  land  and 
planted  a  crop.  Afterward  he  purchased  a  section  of  land  in  what  was 
known  as  the  Symmes  purchase  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Mont- 
gomery county,  and  established  his  home  there,  south  of  Dayton,  in  1798, 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  J^Iiami  valley,  and  in  time  came  to  be  com- 
mander of  militia  in  his  district.  It  is  narrated  of  General  Munger  that 
though  a  farmer  by  vocation  he  was  "a  man  of  marked  ability  along  many 
lines.  He  had  considerable  mechanical  talents,  could  shoe  his  own  horses 
and  repair  his  farm  machinery,  and  at  the  same  time  his  mental  talents  and 
broad  knowledge  made  him  a  leader  of  public  thought  and  opinion."  Among 
the  acts  by  which  he  contributed  largely  to  the  common  good  of  the  pioneers 
and  to  the  advancement  of  learning  in  the  community  was  the  establishment 
of  a  circulating  library  which  exerted  a  wide  influence  in  the  formative  days 
of  the  new  settlement.  General  Munger  died  at  his  home  on  the  old  Symmes 
purchase  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years  and  his  widow  survived  him  for 
some  years,  she  living  to  the  extraordinary  age  of  one  hundred  years  and 
four  months.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  lived 
to  maturity  and  reared  families  of  their  own. 

Of  the  children  mentioned  above  Reuben  Munger  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth.  To  the  common- school  advantages  he  received  he  added  home 
study  under  the  direction  of  his  father,  General  Munger.  From  his  father 
he  apparently  inherited  mechanical  ability  and  in  time  became  a  building 
contractor  and  a  carriage  manufacturer,  as  well  as  a  constructor  of  thresh- 
ing-machines and  other  forms  of  agricultural  implements.  Though  ever  a 
resident  of  the  old  home  farm  place.  Reuben  Munger  never  engaged  actively 
in  agricultural  pursuits,  his  building  and  manufacturing  activities  occupying 
his  time.  Reuben  Munger  married  Laura  Harris,  who  was  born  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  as  noted  above,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children, 
of  whom  Judge  Munger  was  the  first  born,  the  others  having  been  John, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  and  Amanda,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  four  years.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four 
years,  and  the  father  lived  to  be  ninety-six  years  of  age,  his  last  days  being 
spent  at  the  home  of  his  son.  Judge  Munger,  at  Xenia. 

Judge  Edmund  H.  Munger  was  admirably  trained  and  schooled  for 
the  exacting  profession  in  which  he  was  destined  to  achieve  so  distinctive  a 
measure  of  success.  In  addition  to  the  early  schooling  he  received  in  the 
schools  of  his  home  neighborhood  in  Montgomery  county  he  also  had  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  33I 

advantage  of  a  comprehensive  course  in  classics  under  the  tutelage  of  the 
'  Rev.  Mr.  Hall,  a  neighboring  clergyman,  who  taught  him  to  read  Latin. 
He  also  acquired  a  comprehensive  knowledge  of  higher  mathematics  and 
as  a  young  man  was  for  several  yeails  engaged  in  teaching  school,  meanwhile 
extending  his  schooling  by  attendance  at  the  Xenia  Academy  and  at  Barney's 
Academy  at  Dayton,  thus  preparing  for  college.  In  due  time  he  entered 
Miami  University  at  Oxford,  from  which  institution  he  presently  trans- 
ferred his  attendance  to  the  college  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  from  which  latter 
institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  in  1848, 
his  address,  as  valedictorian,  being  on  the  subject  of  "The  Ideal."  During 
Judge  Munger's  attendance  at  Miami  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  now 
widely  established  college  fraternity  Beta  Theta  Pi.  Upon  receiving  his 
degree  the  young  collegian  returned  home  and  established  a  school  for  young 
men  and  young  women  at  Bellbrook,  in  this  county,  conducting  the  same  for 
nine  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  entered  seriously  upon  the  pur*- 
suit  of  his  law  studies,  to  which  he  had  meanwhile  been  giving  such  atten- 
tion as  he  could,  and  for  two  years  continued  these  studies  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  Joseph  G.  Gest  at  Xenia.  Thus  prepared  for  examination  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  the  supreme  court  of  the  state,  sitting  at  Colum- 
bus, in  185 1,  and  straightway  afterward  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Gest,  his  former  preceptor,  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Xenia,  continuing  his  partnership  with  Mr.  Gest  until  the  latter's  retire- 
ment two  or  three  years  later,  when  he  bought  the  office  library  and  equip- 
ment and  admitted  to  partnership  R.  F.  Howard,  a  relation  which  continued 
but  two  years,  after  which  he  became  engaged  in  practice  alone  and  so  ever 
afterward  continued.  Prior  to  ascending  the  common  pleas  bench  Judge 
Munger  served  as  prosecutor  for  Greene  county,  1860-66.  Reared  a  Whig, 
he  became  a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  that  party  and  during  the 
administration  of  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  as  governor  of  Ohio  he  was  ap- 
pointed judge  of  the  common  pleas  court  for  this  district  to  fill  the  unex- 
pired term  of  Judge  Winans  and  served  for  three  and  one-half  years, 
1868-72.  Upon  the  expiration  of  his  judicial  office  Judge  Munger  re- 
sumed his  practice  and  so  continued  until  his  retirement.  He  became  a 
large  landowner  and  had  banking  and  other  financial  interests.  The  Judge 
spent  his  last  year  at  his  home  on  North  King  street,  where  he  lived  for 
many  years,  his  household  being  presided  over  by  his  widowed  daughter, 
Mrs.   Mary  Meredith. 

Judge  Munger  was  united  in  marriage  on  October  3,  1861,  to  Emily  A. 
Mather,  of  Suffield,  Connecticut,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Hatha- 
way) Mather  and  a  direct  descendant  of  Richard  Mather,  a  distinguished 
theologian  of  early  Colonial  days  in  New  England.     To  that  union  were 


332  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

born  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Meredith  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being :  Clara,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Little,  a  clergyman  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Indianapolis;  John  C.  Munger,  who  mar'ried 
Flora  "Barnes  and  is  now  city  attorney  of  Pasadena,  California;  Laura,  wife 
of  H.  W.  Ninde.  a  lawyer,  of  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana;  Edmund,  who  completed 
his  musical  education  at  Vienna  and  is  now  living  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois, 
and  Charles,  who  is  engaged  in  the  automobile  business  at  Dayton.  Judge 
Munger  died  in  Xenia  on  March  21,  19 18. 


ORANGE  S.  HATCH. 


In  making  up  a  roll  of  those  citizens  of  Silvercreek  township  who 
exerted  a  wide  influence  upon  the  life  of  the  past  generation  in  that  town- 
ship the  name  of  the  late  Orange  S.  Hatch  will  be  found  to  occupy  a  place 
very  near  the  top,  for  he  had  done  well  his  part  in  that  community  and 
had  there  acquired  an  excellent  farm,  on  which  he  continued  to  make  his 
home  until  his  retirement  in  1894  and  removal  to  the  village  of  Jamestown, 
where  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1896  and  where  his  widow  is  still  living. 

Orange  S.  Hatch  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  on  a  pio- 
neer farm  in  Silvercreek  township  on  August  18,  1826,  son  of  Ebenezer 
and  Cynthia  (Greene)  Hatch,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  state  of  Con- 
necticut, but  who  were  reared  in  New  York  State,  where  they  were  married, 
later  coming  West  and  locating  in  southern  Indiana,  three  years  later  com- 
ing over  into  Ohio  and  settling  in  Greene  county,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  Ebenezer  Hatch  was  a  son  of  John  Hatch  and 
wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  sea  captain,  who  followed  the  sea  during 
the  earlier  years  of  his  manhood,  later  moving  with  his  family  to  Oswego 
county.  New  York,  where  he  established  his  home  and  where  his  eldest  son, 
Ebenezer,  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Cynthia  Greene,  who  also  was 
born  in  Connecticut  and  who  had  moved  with  her  parents  to  Oswego  county. 
New  York,  when  a  girl.  About  the  year  1820  Ebenezer  Hatch  came  West 
and  located  at  Elizabethtown,  in  Bartholomew  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
remained  a  couple  of  years  or  more,  or  until  1823,  in  which  year  he  moved 
Ebenezer  Hatch  bought  a  forty-acre  farm  and  proceeded  to  develop  the 
the  place  on  which  Orange  S.  Hatcli  was  born.  Upon  coming  to  this  county 
over  into  Ohio  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county, 
same,  later  becoming  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres. 
There  he  died  on  January  2,  1874,  Ijeing  then  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his 
age.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Cynthia  Greene,  who  was  born 
in  1783,  died  at  the  family  home  in  Silvercreek  township  on  June  11,  1845. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  333 

after  which  he  married  Violet  Barber,  who  was  born  in  1812  in  Carroll 
county,  Virginia,  and  who  survived  him.  By  his  first  marriage  Ebenezer 
Hatch  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity 
save  one,  and  of  whom  Orange  S.  Hatch  was  the  youngest. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  about  two  miles  south  of  Jamestown,  in 
Silvercreek  township.  Orange  S.  Hatch  received  his  schooling  in  the  neigh- 
borhood schools.  After  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1856,  he  then  being 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  he  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place 
and  long  before  his  father's  death  accjuired  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs 
in  the  homestead  and  continued  to  improve  and  develop  the  place,  at  the  same 
time  adding  to  the  same  until  he  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  more  than 
two  hundred  acres.  There  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  1894,  when 
he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Jamestown,  where  his  death  occurred 
on  March  14,  1896,  he  then  being  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age.  Orange 
S.  Hatch  was  a  Republican,  but  was  not  a  seeker  after  public  office.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  church,  as  is  his  widow,  a  liberal 
contributor  to  church  work  and  no  less  generous  in  his  private  philanthropies. 

On  October  22,  1856,  at  Harlem  Springs,  in  Jefferson  county,  this  state. 
Orange  S.  Hatch  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara  Thomas,  who  was  born 
at  Amsterdam,  that  county,  June  28,  1837.  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (McDowell)  Thomas,  natives,  respectively,  of  Pennsylvania  and  Mary- 
land, who  were  married  in  the  former  state  and  who  later  came  to  Ohio. 
After  a  sometime  residence  in  Steubenville,  where  Daniel  Thomas  was  for 
some  time  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  and  mercantile  business,  he  on 
account  of  his  health,  moved  to  Springfield,  later  moving  to  Amsterdam, 
where  he  and  his  wi^e  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Daniel  Thomas 
died  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years,  and  his  widow  survived  him 
for  forty-four  years,  she  being  nearly  ninety-one  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  As  a  young  woman  Clara  Thomas  learned  the  millinery  art 
from  her  mother.  Elizabeth  Thomas,  who  on  account  of  financial  misfor- 
tunes, established  a  millinery  business  after  her  husband's  death,  was  engaged 
in  the  millinery  business  at  Harlem  Springs  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Hatch.  To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  one,  a  son, 
John  T.,  born  on  January  28,  1859,  died  on  September  24,  1863,  the  others 
being  Emma  O.,  Minnie  B.  and  Charles  G.,  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  plumber 
and  garage  owner  in  Jamestown.  Charles  G.  Hatch  has  been  twice  married, 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Ora  Bailey,  marrying  Bessie  Brown,  and 
has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Phyllis  Violet.  Emma  O.  Hatch  married  Allen 
T.  Sutton,  a  farmer  of  Silvercreek  township,  now  deceased,  a  union  to  which 
were  bom  three  children,  John  H.   (deceased),  Ora   (deceased)   and  Fred. 


334  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  i\Irs.  Sutton  has  been  making  her  home  in 
Jamestown.  Minnie  B.  Hatch  married  George  B.  Oldham,  a  travehng  sales- 
man of  Dayton,  and  has  three  children,  Mrs.  Ethel  A.  Lee,  Mrs.  Clara  Mac- 
Dorman  and  Harold  H. 


MATTHEW  ALLEN  HAGLER. 

Matthew  Allen  Hagler,  a  farmer  of  New  Jasper  township  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  old  Toops  place,  in  that  township,  where  he  has  been  living 
for  nearly  forty  years,  is  a  native  of  the  neighboring  Hoosier  state,  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  infancy.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Portland,  county  seat  of  Jay 
county,  Indiana,  December  25,  1855,  son  of  Henry  Christopher  and  Julia 
Ann  (Shook")  Hagler.  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Greene  county  and  who 
spent  the  greater  part  of  their  lives  here. 

Henry  Christopher  Hagler  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Anna  (Fudge)  Hagler,  who  lived  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  village  of  New  Jasper  and  who  spent  their  last  days  there.  Samuel  Hag- 
ler was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  was  the  first  of  that  name  to  come  to  Greene 
county,  establishing  his  home  here  in  pioneer  days.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children, 
of  whom  the  following  grew  to  maturity:  Betsey.  Jane,  Martha,  I-ottie, 
Clara.  Eliza,  Samantha,  William,  Milton,  Henry  C.  and  Moses.  Samuel 
Hagler  became  a  considerable  landowner  in  New  Jasper  township.  Henry 
Christopher  Hagler  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  to 
Julia  Ann  Shook,  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families,  made 
his  home  for  a  time  on  one  of  his  father's  farms,  later  moving  over  into 
Indiana  with  his  family,  two  children  having  by  that  time  been  born  to  him 
and  his  wife,  and  bought  a  quarter-section  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Portland, 
where  he  sought  to  establish  a  permanent  home,  but  illness  in  the  family 
shortly  afterward  developing  he  remained  there  but  nine  months,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  returned  to  Greene 
county.  Upon  his  return  here  he  bought  a  partly  improved  farm  of  eighty 
acres  in  New  Jasper  township  and  there  established  his  home  and  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  when  he  was  thirty-seven  years  of  age. 
His  widow  later  married  Silas  Matthews,  of  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clinton,  and  after  the  death  of  her  second  husband  went  to  New  Mexico, 
where  she  spent  her  last  days  in  the  home  of  her  youngest  daughter,  Mrs. 
Dotts,  her  death  occurring  there  when  she  was  seventy-six  years  of  age. 
Henry  C.  Hagler  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.     They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  335 

whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  as  follow:  John,  who  has  been  twice  married,  his  second  wife  being 
Emma  Lloyd,  and  who  is  farming  in  Clinton  county;  Samuel,  a  carpenter, 
who  married  Ella  Moore  and  is  now  living  at  Toledo;  Kate,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Gustave  Curl,  of  Yellow  Springs,  this  county;  Amanda, 
who  married  James  Dotts  and  is  now  living  at  Allen,  New  Mexico,  and 
Sarah,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood. 

Matthew  A.  Hagler  was  but  an  infant  when  his  parents  returned  from 
Indiana,  where  he  was  born,  to  Greene  county,  and  his  youth  was  spent  on 
the  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  his  schooling  being  received  in  the 
schools  of  that  neighborhood.  When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  began 
working  on  his  own  account  and  was  thus  engaged,  employed  on  neighbor- 
ing farms,  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1879,  when  he  established  his 
home  on  the  old  Toops  place  of  sixty-six  acres,  which  he  had  bought,  in 
New  Jasper  township,  and  has  ever  since  resided  there.  In  1892  he  built  a 
new  house  and  in  1906,  a  new  barn,  meanwhile  making  other  improve- 
ments on  the  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Hagler  also 
has  been  a  quite  extensive  dealer  in  timber.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New 
Jasper. 

On  March  26,  1879,  Matthew  A.  Hagler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ella 
M.  Huston,  who  was  born  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  (Baker)  Huston,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
her  parents  having  been  residents  of  the  Jamestown  neighborhood.  James 
Huston  was  bom  in  Knox  county,  Ohio,  son  of  Robert  and  Ann  (Lyons) 
Huston,  who  later  came  to  Gr'eene  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township,  where  they  spent  their  last  days.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  William;  George,  James,  Josiah,  John,  Harvey,  Mary,  Mar- 
garet, Eliza  and  Deborah,  the  Huston  family  thus  coming  to  be  well  repre- 
sented in  this  county.  James  Huston  established  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of 
Yellow  Springs  and  became  a  successful  farmer",  stockman  and  trader.  He 
died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years  and  his  widow  survived  him  for 
some  years,  she  having  been  eighty-four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Hagler  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Lue  E.,  unmarried,  who  is 
living  at  Yellow  Springs ;  William,  who  married  Mary  Sparrow  and  is  farm- 
ing the  old  home  place,  and  Frank,  who  died  when  twelve  years  of  age.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hagler  have  been  born  two  daughters,  Mary  E.,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  six  years,  and  Anna  Willetta,  who  married  Irvin  Hofifman  and 
died  in  191 1,  she  then  being  twenty-five  years  of  age. 


336  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ISAAC  HOSTETTER. 

The  late  Isaac  Hostetter,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  years 
a  grain  dealer  in  the  village  of  Osborn,  where  he  died  in  1909,  was  a  native 
of  the  old  Keystone  state,  but  had  lived  in  Ohio  since  the  days  of  his  youth. 
He  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  31,  1833,  a  son  of 
George  Hostetter  and  wife,  who  came  to  this  state  with  their  family  in  1849 
and  settled  in  Wayne  township,  Montgomery  county,  about  seven  years 
later  moving  over  the  line  into  the  village  of  Osborn,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives. 

George  Hostetter  also  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  a 
son  of  Henry  Hostetter,  who  also  was  born  in  that  county  and  who  later 
moved  to  Adams  county,  in  that  same  state,  where  he  became  a  farmer  and 
also  became  engaged  in  freighting  goods  to  and  from  Pittsburg.  Henrv 
Hostetter's  father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who  came  to  the  American 
colonies  with  three  of  his  brothers  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  When 
the  colonies  declared  their  independence  against  British  rule  he  and  one  of 
his  brothers  joined  with  the  colonists  and  served  as  soldiers  in  behalf  of  the 
patriot  cause  during  the  continuance  of  the  Revolutionary  W'ar.  One  of 
the  other  brothers  took  up  arms  in  behalf  of  the  British  cause  and  fought 
with  the  British  army,  but  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  sent  across  the  border 
into  Canada,  where  he  was  awarded  a  considerable  tract  of  land  by  the  Brit- 
ish government  as  a  reward  for  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  same.  George 
Hostetter  and  his  wife  were  reared  in  the  Mennonite  faith  and  after  coming 
to  Ohio  continued  their  connection  with  that  church.  Both  died  at  Osborn, 
George  Hostetter  being  eighty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death 
on  August  5,  1887.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  more  than  twenty  years, 
her  death  having  occurred  in   1866. 

Isaac  Hostetter  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Ohio  in  1849,  'I'ld  he  assisted  his  father  in  developing  the  farm  upon 
which  the  family  had  settled  in  Wayne  township,  Montgoniery  county.  When 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  took  up  carpentering  and  was  for  a  while 
thus  engaged  at  Dayton,  but  presently  moved  to  Osborn,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  Isaac  Hostetter  was  a  member  of  the  local  company 
of  the  Ohio  State  Militia  and  in  1864  took  part  in  the  Civil  War,  going  out 
in  the  hundred  days  service  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  Fifty-fourth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  saw  service  at 
New  Creek,  Green  Springs  and  Moorefield,  Virginia,  and  was  mustered  out 
on  September  18,  1864.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr. 
Hostetter  became  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Osborn  witli  his  brother 
Emanuel,  an  association  which  continued  for  four  years,  after  which  he  con- 
tinued in  tiie  business  alone  and  was  thus  actively  engaged  in  business  until 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  337 

his  retirement  about  1899.  After  his  retirement  from  business  Isaac  Hos- 
tetter  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Osborn,  where  his  widow  is  still  living-, 
and  there  he  died  in  February,  1909.  Besides  being  the  owner  of  a  property 
at  Osborn,  Mr.  Hostetter  was  the  owner  of  property  at  Dayton  and  at 
Springfield,  which  is  still  held  by  his  widow.  He  was  a  Republican  and  for 
some  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  for  years  class  leader  of  the  con- 
gregation with  which  he  was  affiliated.  He  also  was  a  member  of  the  Fair- 
field post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  and  his  wife  were  exten- 
sive travelers  and  had  seen  many  of  the  chief  points  of  interest  in  this  country. 
On  October  4,  1865,  Isaac  Hostetter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lutitia 
Leffel,  who  survives  him  and  who,  as  noted  above,  is  still  residing  at  Osborn. 
Mrs.  Hostetter  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Carlisle,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  a  daughter  of  Peter  and  Eliza  Jane  (Branden- 
burg) Leffel,  who  came  to  this  part  of  Ohio  from  Virginia.  Peter  Leffel 
helped  to  build  the  old  national  road  and  later  took  up  farming,  but  presently 
left  the  farm  and  became  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Donnelsville ; 
later,  however,  resuming  his  home  on  the  farm,  where  he  spent  his  last  days. 
After  his  death  his  widow  returned  to  New  Carlisle,  where  her  last  days 
were  spent.  Mrs.  Hostetter  has  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  since  she  was  twelve  years  of  age. 


JOSEPH  BUCKWALTER. 

Joseph  Buckwalter,  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
located  on  rural  mail  route  No.  9  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  native  of  the  Old 
Dominion,  born  in  that  section  now  comprised  within  the  confines  of  Hamp- 
shire county,  West  Virginia,  but  has  been  a  permanent  resident  of  Ohio  and 
of  Greene  county  since  1872.  He  was  born  on  July  19,  1841,  son  of  Anthony 
and  Mary  (Buzzard)  Buckwalter,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  West  Vir- 
ginia. 

Anthony  Buckwalter  was  born  at  Phoenixville.  Pennsylvania,  and  there 
received  an  excellent  education,  becoming  particularly  proficient  as  a  penman 
and  a  mathematician.  In  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  he  began  teaching 
school  in  that  section  of  \^irginia  which  during  the  Civil  War  demanded 
separate  statehood  and  has  since  been  known  as  West  Virginia  and  there  he 
married,  established  his  home  in  Hampshire  county,  where  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  last  days,  she  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  and  he  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two.  Anthony  Buckwalter  was  reared  a  Whig  and  during  the  days 
of  the  Civil  War  was  an  ardent  Union  man.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian   church.     They  were   the  parents  of  thirteen  children,   Mary, 

(21) 


338  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Sarah,  George,  David.  Elizabeth,  Jacob,  John,  Susan,  Daniel,  Maria.  Esther 
Ann,  Virginia  and  Joseph,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  save  the  subject  of 
this  biographical  sketch.  His  brother  John,  who  died  in  1918,  lived  on  the 
old  home  place  in  Hampshire  county,  West  Virginia,  up  to  his  death. 

Joseph  Buckvvalter  was  reared  on  the  place  just  referred  to  and  there 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  "subscription"  schools.  In  1864, 
he  then  being  twenty-three  years  of  age,  Mr.  Buckwalter  rode  through  to 
this  section  of  Ohio  on  a  three-year-old  colt  and  made  a  visit  to  friends  in 
Greene  county,  liking  things  here  so  well  that  he  remained  until  the  fall  of 
1865.  In  1866  he  returned  to  this  county  and  here  spent  another  year,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  home,  where  he  remained  until  1872, 
when  he  and  the  two  Keiter  boys  drove  through  from  West  Virginia  with  a 
wagon  and  five-horse  team,  the  trip  occupying  twenty-one  days,  and  Mr. 
Buckwalter  since  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county.  In  the  spring  of 
1874  he  married  here  and  for  a  year  thereafter  he  and  his  wife  made  their 
home  on  the  place  just  north  of  the  place  on  which  they  are  now  living. 
Mr.  Buckwalter  then  bought  the  place  where  he  is  now  living  and  established 
his  home  there,  now  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixtv  acres. 
He  is  a  Republican. 

On  May  26,  1874,  Joseph  Buckwalter  was  united  in  marriage  to  Esther 
Jane  Keiter,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  and  Mary  (Weaver)  Keiter,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Virginia,  the  former  in  Hampshire  county  and  the  latter  in  Frederick  county, 
the  former  being  in  what  is  now  West  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  old  Vh- 
ginia,  and  who  came  to  Ohio  after  their  marriage  in  1855  and  settled  in 
Greene  county.  Upon  coming  to  this  county  Frederick  Keiter  bought  a 
tract  of  land  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  there  established  his  home,  he 
and  his  wife  spending  the  remainder  of  their  lives  there,  both  dying  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four  years.  They  were  members  of  the  Old  School  Baptist 
church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  twelve  of 
these  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Buckwalter  was  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  Elizabeth  (deceased),  Harrison  (deceased),  John  (deceased), 
Mary  (deceased),  Margaret,  widow  of  Elisha  Bales  of  Jefferson  township; 
Xancy  (deceased),  Susan,  widow  of  Daniel  Beam,  of  Caesarscreek  township: 
George  .A.,  (deceased),  Esther  Jane,  James  and  Edward  (twins),  of  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  and  Sarah  Catherine,  who  married  Asaph 
Haines,  of  Caesarscreek  township.  The  first  six  of  these  children  were 
born  in  Virginia  and  the  last  six  in  Greene  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buck- 
waiter  have  five  children,  James  Keiter,  Mary  Jane,  George  William,  Frank- 
lin M.  and  Clara  Elizabeth,  all  of  whom  are  at  home.  The  family  are  at- 
tendants of  the  Bai)tist  church. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  339 

NIMROD  ADAMS. 

Nimrod  Adams,  a  pioneer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  who  died  at  his 
home  in  that  township  on  June  2,  1864,  and  was  buried  in  New  Hope  ceme- 
tery at  Paintersville,  was  born  in  western  Virginia  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  married  Susan  Linkhart,  who  also  was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
and  not  long  after  his  marriage  he  and  his  wife  put  their  belongings  in  a 
wagon  and  drove  through  to  Ohio,  settling  on  a  pioneer  farm  not  far  north 
of  Paintersville,  in  this  county,  where  they  established  their  home.  They 
became  afifiliated  with  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Paintersville.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
1886,  she  then  being  eighty-one  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  all  but  one  of  whom  are  now.  deceased,  namely:  Ellen,  who 
married  John  Borton  and  lived  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton;  Julia, 
who  married  Wesley  Stephens;  Jane,  who  married  John  Cohagen;  Harriet, 
who  married  Jonathan  Bales;  Josephine,  who  remained  at  home  with  her 
parents  and  is  now  making  her  home  with  the  widow  of  her  brother  Harvey ; 
Jackson,  who  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Sarah  Kildow, 
and  his  second,  Eliza  Cline;  Joseph,  who  married  Eunice  Haines,  and  Har- 
vey, who  died  at  his  home  north  of  Paintersville  in  the  summer  of  IQ08  and 
whose  widow  is  still  living  there. 

Harvey  Adams  was  reared  on  the  old  Adams  place  in  the  vicinity  of 
Paintersville  and  there  received  his  schooling.  He  lived  on  the  home  place 
after  his  marriage  and  continued  to  make  it  his  home  until  1897,  when  he 
built  the  house  in  which  his  widow  and  his  sister  Josephine  are  now  living, 
north  of  Paintersville.  Mrs.  Adams  was  born,  Isabella  Wilson,  daughter  of 
John  and  Nancy  (Kildow)  Wilson,  in  Caesarscreek  township.  John  Wilson 
was  a  Virginian  who  came  to  Greene  county  in  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
remaining  there  until  his  removal  to  Jefferson  township,  where  he  spent  his 
last  days.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church.  Thev  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  William,  who  is 
now  living  at  Port  William,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton ;  Shannon, 
deceased ;  Isabella,  widow  of  Harvey  Adams ;  Joseph,  deceased ;  Stephen, 
who  is  still  living  on  the  old  Nelson  home  place;  Abigail,  wife  of  Allen  Hite, 
of  Jefferson  township,  and  John  Wesley,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood. 

To  Harvey  and  Isabella  (Wilson)  Adams  were  born  four  children, 
namely :  Lydia,  who.  married  Frank  Woolery,  who  is  farming  the  Adams' 
place,  and  has  one  son,  Fred;  Emma,  who  married  Charles  Powers  and  died 


340  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

leaving  two  children.  Ora  R.  and  Goldie  L. ;  Elsie  Laverna,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  and  Nora  Belle,  who  married  Everett  St.  John  and 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  two  children,  both 
now  deceased.  Harvey  Adams  died  on  August  13,  1908.  His  widow  and 
his  sister,  Josephine  Adams,  continue  to  make  their  home  on  the  old  Adams 
home  place  north  of  Paintersville.  They  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  church  at  Paintersville. 


GEORGE  L.  CARTER. 


George  L.  Carter,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  one  of  the  oldest 
citizens  of  Miami  township,  this  county,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clinton  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  part  of  Ohio  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  February  6,  1838,  son  of  Jesse  and  Malinda  (Bentley)  Carter,  the 
latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  her  parents  having  been 
among  the  pioneers  of  that  county,  and  the  former,  in  North  Carolina. 

Jesse  Carter  was  born  in  1806  and  was  six  years  of  age  when  his  par- 
ents moved  from  North  Carolina  and  came  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Clinton 
county  in  181 1.  There  Jesse  Carter  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm,  acquired 
an  excellent  education  and  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  teaching  school 
in  his  home  neigliborhood.  After  his  marriage  to  Malinda  Bentley  he  estab- 
lished his  home  on  a  farm  and  continued  farming  the  rest  of  his  life.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  namely:  John,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Miriam  Douglas,  who  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Whittier,-  in  southern 
California;  Williaiii,  deceased;  Rebecca,  who  died  when  two  years  of  age; 
George  L.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Thomas  C,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Anna  Osborne,  of  Plymouth,  Kansas ;  Elizabeth,  deceased ;  Wilson, 
deceased,  and  Cyrus  E.,  wiio  is  living  in  the  state  of  Oklahoma. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clinton,  George  L.  Carter  received  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  early  began  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  carpentering  and  steam  engineering  and  has  been  more  or  less  inter- 
ested in  tliese  vocations  all  his  life,  as  a  building  contractor  having  erected 
many  houses  throughout  this  part  of  the  state.  \Vhen  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  became  definitely  employed  as  a  steam  engineer  and  three  years  later 
came  to  Greene  county,  working  for  a  while  in  Xenia  and  then  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  county  and  was  in  the  latter  section  when,  in  1863,  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  and  went  to  tlie  front  as  a  member 
of  Company  K,  First  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery,  with  whicji  command  he  served 
for  two  years,  or  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.     Upon  the  completion  of 


SIR.  AND  MRS.  GEORGE  L.  CARTER   AND   GRANDCHILDREN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  341 

his  military  service  Mr.  Carter  resumed  his  occupation  in  the  northern  part 
of  Greene  county,  married  there  and  not  long  afterward,  in  1866,  returned 
to  Xenia,  where  he  became  employed  as  a  stationary  engineer  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company  and  later  became  connected  with  the  Xenia  fire 
department  for  over  four  years,  then  was  associated  with  the  county  infirm- 
ary, this  latter  connection  continuing  for  five  years.  After  eleven  years  of 
residence  at  Xenia  Mr.  Carter  returned  to  the  farm  he  had  previously  bought 
in  Miami  township  and  after  his  marriage  in  1886  established  his  home 
there  and  has  ever  since  made  that  place  his  home.  In  addition  to  the  general 
farming  operations  Mr.  Carter  has  carried  on  on  his  place,  he  also  was  for 
years  actively  engaged  as  a  building  contractor  and  many  houses  hereabout 
bear  the  marks  of  his  handiwork.  Though  now  in  his  eightieth  year,  Mr. 
Carter  retains  much  of  his  former  physical  vigor  and  is  perhaps  as  well- 
preserved  an  octogenarian  as  there  is  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  is  the 
oldest  living  Mason  in  Greene  county,  having  been  made  a  master  Mason 
in  1862,  and  during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Xenia  never  missed  a  meet- 
ing of  the  lodge  there ;  his  interest  in  Masonic  affairs  is  still  warmly 
maintained,  though  of  late  years  it  has  not  been  expedient  for  him  to  keep 
up  as  close  in  attendance  on  lodge  meetings  as  in  former  days.  In  his 
political  views  Mr.  Carter  is  an  "independent." 

On  January  2,  1866,  George  L.  Carter  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Elizabeth  Jamison,  who  was  born  in  Miami  township,  this  county, 
and  who  died  on  December  20,  1917.  She  was  a  daughter  of  George  W. 
and  Sarah  (McClellan)  Jamison,  the  latter  of  whom  was  bom  in  that  same 
township,  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Gerhardt  place,  which  her  grand- 
father, John  McClellan,  secured  in  1808  in  exchange  for  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land  he  previously  had  entered  on  the  other  side  of  the  road.  George 
W.  Jamison  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Kentucky,  born  in  the  Georgetown 
neighborhood  about  181 2.  He  became  a  farmer  in  Miami  township  and 
the  farm  which  he  owned  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  his  son,  William 
H.  Jamison,  only  brother  of  Mrs.  Carter.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  in  1892  and  the  father  survived  her  but  two  years,  his  death  occurring 
in  1894.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  three  children  were  born,  Effie  and 
Myrmeta,  who  are  deceased,  and  William  C,  a  Greene  county  farmer,  who 
married  Anna  Ryman,  and  has  two  children,  Barbara  E.  and  Rachel  A., 
the  former  born  on  September  7,  191 1,  and  the  latter,  November  21,  1915. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  celebrated  their  golden  wedding  anniversary  in  1916 
and  the  occasion  was  made  one  of  general  felicitation  on  the  part  of  their 
many  friends  throughout  the  community.  Mr.  Carter  is  a  member  of  the 
Friends  church  and  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 


342  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

SAMUEL  A.  BROWN. 

Samuel  A.  Brown,  superintendent  of  the  electric-light  plant  at  James- 
town, which  plant  he  installed  and  continued  as  proprietor  of  the  same  until 
it  recently  was  taken  over  by  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company,  was 
born  on  a  fami  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  on  January  12,  1852,  son  of  Capt. 
Peter  and  Elizabeth  (Stuckey)  Brown,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  and 
reared  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  stock,  the  latter  a  native 
of  Fairfield  county,  Ohio. 

Capt.  Peter  Brown,  who  gave  his  services  to  his  country  both  in  the 
Mexican  War  and  in  the  Civil  War,  was  born  in  Northumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania.  February  4,  181 7,  a  son  of  George  Peter  and  Catherine 
(Kuntz)  Brown,  also  natives  of  that  same  county,  who  spent  all  their  lives 
there.  Captain  Brown  came  to  Ohio  at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  became  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Fairfield  county,  where  he  was  living  when  the  Mexi- 
can War  broke  out.  He  rendered  service  in  that  conflict  and  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  he  raised  Company  B  of  the  Forty-third  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  went  to  the  front  as  captain  of  that  companv.  a 
year  later  being  discharged  on  a  physician's  certificate  of  disabilitv.  Though 
he  had  been  farming,  Captain  Brown  had  a  good  working  knowledge  of  the 
tailor  trade  and  after  the  war  followed  that  trade  in  Franklin  countv,  re- 
maining there  until  his  retirement,  when  he  moved  to  Da}^on,  where  he 
spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  October  7,  1894.  Captain  Brown 
was  twice  married.  On  June  15,  1841,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  !\Iar- 
garet  Ellen  McConnell,  who  died  on  March  11,  1S46.  To  that  union  were 
bom  two  children,  Emma  C.  and  Wallace  K.,  both  of  whom  died  young. 
In  1850  Captain  Brown  married  Elizabeth  Stuckey,  who  was  born  in  Fair- 
field county,  Ohio,  June  28,  1826,  a  daugliter  of  Samuel  and  Sarah  (Hensel) 
Stuckey,  who  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  stock. 
She  survived  her  husband  a  little  more  than  eight  years,  her  death  occurring 
on  December  16,  1902.  To  that  union  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  as  follows : 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Alonzo  Trimmer  and  who,  as  well  as  lier  husband, 
is  now  deceased ;  Charles  Edward,  who  is  engaged  in  farming  near  Bowling 
Green,  Ohio;  George  U.,  who  is  now  living  in  Chicago,,  where  lie  is  con- 
nected with  the  ofiices  of  the  Metropolitan  Life  Insurance  Company:  Frank 
P.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  ])arce]-delivery  business  at  Dayton ;  Rosa,  now 
living  at  Dayton,  the  widow  of  John  Gilliland,  and  Milton,  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Samuel  A.  Brown's  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm,  his  schooling  being 
obtained  in  a  district  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  Canal  Winchester,  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  343 

Franklin  county.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  began  working  in  a 
flour-mill  in  that  neighborhood,  a  business  at  which  he  worked,  off  and  on, 
for  twenty  years.  In  due  time  he  became  the  owner  of  a  mill  at  Bowling 
Green,  in  Wood  county,  and  for  six  years  operated  the  same.  He  then  sold 
out  and  worked  as  a  journeyman  millwright  for  several  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  rented  a  mill  at  Goshen,  in  Clermont  county,  and  for  about 
six  years  was  engaged  in  milling  there.  He  then  disposed  of  his  interests 
there  and  moved  to  Dayton,  where  he  for  a  time  was  employed  as  a  sta- 
tionary engineer.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Brown  had  become  an  expert  elec- 
trician and  in  1895  he  and  his  brother  Frank  came  to  this  county  and  erected 
and  installed  an  electric-light  plant  at  Jamestown,  building  the  power  sta- 
tion and  wiring  the  town.  Two  years  later  his  brother  sold  out  his  interest 
in  the  plant  to  John  Colnot,  who  presently  sold  his  interest  to  Mr.  Brown, 
who  then  associated  with  himself  in  the  business  his  son,  Orlando  T.  Brown, 
and  Brown  &  Son  continued  to  own  and  operate  the  plant  until  in  February, 
1917,  when  they  sold  it  to  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company,  which  is 
now  operating  the  same.  Mr.  Brown  takes  pride  in  the  lighting  plant  he 
built  up  at  Jamestown  and  of 'which  he  still  is  superintendent,  for  the  Dayton 
company  retained  him  as  general  superintendent  of  the  plant  after  they  took 
it  o\er.  In  1895  when  he  started  the  plant  going  at  Jamestown  it  repre- 
sented an  initial  outlay  of  six  thousand  dollars,  but  during  the  many  years 
he  was  in  control  of  the  same  he  gradually  extended  the  plant  until  it  came 
to  be  worth  twenty  thousand  dollars.  In  1916  Mr.  Brown  erected  a  brick 
double  house  on  the  north  side  of  East  Main  street  and  has  since  made  his 
home  in  one  half  of  that  house,  his  son-in-law,  Archibald  McFarlan,  and 
family  occupying  the  other  half.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican  and  is  now 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  Jamestown  town  council,  to  which  office  he  was 
elected  in  the  fall  of  191 7. 

On  July  21,  1872,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elnora  Fel- 
lers, who  also  was  born  in  Fairfield  county,  Ohio,  February  7,  1857,  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  and  Barbara  (Runde)  Fellers,  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living  and  of  whom  Mrs.  Brown  was  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Eliza,  born  on 
May  7,  1844;  Minerva,  April  2,  1846;  Martha,  May  6,  1847;  Clara  E., 
February  13,  1850;  David  E.,  November  25,  1852;  Elizabeth,  November 
27,  1853;  Florence,  December  14.  1858;  John  C,  November  3,  1861 ;  Bar- 
bara Alice,  May  6,  1863,  and  Docia,  April  18,  1865.  Joshua  Fellers,  the 
father  of  these  children,  died  on  December  10,  1899,  and  his  widow's  death 
occurred  on  July  10,  1900.  She  was  born  on  June  8,  1822.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown  have  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Orlando  Theodore  and 
Lillie  May,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  at  Jamestown.     Orlando  T.  Brown, 


344  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

who  formerly  was  associated  with  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  hghting 
plant  at  Jamestown,  is  now  living  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  engaged  as  an 
electrician.  He  married  Blanch  Bossard  and  has  two  children,  Helen  and 
Esther.  Lillie  May  Brown  married  Archibald  McFarlan,  proprietor  of  a 
barber  shop  at  Jamestown,  and  has  two  children,  Owen  Brown  and  Ned 
Lee.  The  Browns  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which 
Mr.  Brown  has  been  a  steward  and  deacon  for  more  than  twelve  years.  For 
six  years  he  also  was  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  that  church. 


GEORGE  M.  SHANK. 


George  M.  Shank,  former  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township  and  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  three  miles  north  of 
Alpha,  rural  mail  route  No.  lo  out  of  Xenia,  was  bom  on  that  farm  on 
July  2,  1852,  son  of  Absalom  and  Martha  N.  (Ankeney)  Shank,  the  latter 
of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  An- 
keney, who  had  come  here  from  Maryland,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Absalom  Shank  was  born  in  Frederick  county, 
Maryland,  May  6,  1813,  son  of  Henry  and  Barbara  (Crumbaugh)  Shank, 
and  was  but  an  infant  when  his  parents  came  to  Greene  county  in  1814  and 
settled  in  Sugarcreek  township.  In  1837  Absalom  Shank  married  and  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  George  is  now  living,  erecting 
there  in  the  fall  of  1855  ^n^  spring  of  1856  the  present  dwelling  house  on 
the  place.  There  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  Decem- 
ber, 1881.  He  was  a  Republican  and  a  Lutheran.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife,  Martha  Ankeney,  dying  in  1863,  after  which,  in  1866,  he  mar- 
ried Margaret  Fauber,  who  died  in  1908  without  issue.  By  his  first  mar- 
riage Absalom  Shank  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  George  M. 
was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Julia  A.,  now  deceased,  who 
was  the  wife  of  George  Harmon;  Melinda,  wife  of  Adam  Rubert,  of 
Mechanicsburg,  Ohio ;  Martha  Jane,  who  married  Silas  Huffman,  of  Fair- 
field, and  died  in  1917;  Henry,  now  a  resident  of  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas; 
Lewis,  who  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa; 
Jacob  A.,  now  a  resident  of  Spokane,  Washington,  and  Horace,  of  San 
Diego,  California. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  M.  Shank  received  his  scliooling  in 
the  Ludlow  school.  After  his  marriage  in  1874  he  rented  a  farm  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  home  place  and  after  his  father's  death  in  1881  returned 
to  the  home  place,  which,  in  partnership  with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Harmon,  he 
purchased  a  year  later.  In  1901  he  bought  his  sister's  interest  and  has  since 
owned  the  farm.     Mr.   Shank  is  a  Republican,  served  one  term  as  town- 


GEORGE    M.    SHANK 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  345 

ship  trustee  and  has  for  eighteen  years  been  a  member  of  the  local  board 
of  education.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Beaver  Reformed 
church. 

Mr.  Shank  has  been  twice  married.  On  December  24,  1874,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ella  Butts,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, daughter  of  Basil  and  Anna  Butts,  and  who  died  without  issue  on 
December  12,  1877.  On  February  10,  1880,  Mr.  Shank  married  Josephine 
Beare,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  daughter 
of  Henry  and  Mary  Beare,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  Frank,  who  is  employed 
in  the  plant  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  at  Dayton;  Etta,  wife 
of  John  Lyons,  a  Montgomery  county  farmer;  Harry,  making  his  home  on 
the  home  farm  and  who  married  Bertha  Rickles  and  has  two  children,  Thelma 
and  Wilhelmina,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Jobe  Lyons,  who  is  employed  by  the 
Metal  Products  Company  of  Dayton  and  owns  his  home  at  Belmont. 


JAMES  F.  ROBINSON. 


The  late  James  F.  Robinson,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  former 
trustee  of  Silvercreek  township,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  that  town- 
ship in  the  spring  of  1900  and  whose  widow  is  now  living  at  Jamestown,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette  on  April  16,  1838,  son 
of  Singleton  and  Ann  (Janes)  Robinson,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  had  been 
residents  of  Fayette  county  since  the  days  of  their  youth  and  whose  last 
days  were  spent  there. 

Singleton  Robinson  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  with  his  parents  from 
Virginia  to  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  Fayette  county,  and  there  he  grew 
to  manhocxi  and  married  Ann  Janes,  who  also  had  been  born  in  Virginia 
and  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  this  state  with  her  parents.  After 
his  marriage  Singleton  Robinson  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Fayette 
countv  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  wife  died  in  1854  and  he 
survived  her  for  forty  years,  his  death  occurring  in  1894.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Newlight  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  six  of  these  children,  of  whom  but  two  are  now  living,  Paris, 
who  is  now  a  resident  of  Michigan,  and  Scott,  who  continues  to  live  on  the 
old  home  farm  in  Fayette  county,  the  others  besides  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch  having  been  Willis,  Sarah  and  Ella. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  James  F.  Robinson  received  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  continued  his  labors  on  the  farm  until 
his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  in  186 1,  when  he  established  his 
home  on  a  farm  in  letferson  township.  Clinton  county,  remaining  there  for 


346  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ten  years.  In  1871  he  located  in  Greene  county,  buying  a  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  six  acres  in  Silvercreek  township,  on  the  Jefferson  pike,  two  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Jamestown,  where  he  established  his  home  and  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  When  Mr.  Robinson  took  possession  of  that  place  it  had 
on  it  an  old  log  cabin  and  a  tumble-down  stable.  It  was  but  partly  cleared 
and  was  in  an  otherwise  unimproved  condition,  but  he  soon  got  his  plans 
under  way  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  had  a  new  house  and  farm  buildings 
on  the  place  and  was  beginning  to  get  it  under  cultivation.  In  addition  to 
that  place  Mr.  Robinson  also  owned  a  farm  in  Fayette  county.  He  was  a 
Democrat  and  for  some  time  served  as  township  trustee  and  also  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board.  His  death  occurred  at  his  home  in  Silver  Creek 
township  on  May  4,  1900.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  having 
enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixty-eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Company  D,  in  1864.  He  served  until  he  was  mustered  out  as 
second  lieutenant.  He  was  one  of  the  officers  that  took  some  of  Morgan's 
men  to  the  Ohio  penitentiary  after  their  conviction. 

On  October  17,  1861,  Mr.  Robinson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ann  E. 
Moorman,  who  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  daughter  of  Reuben  and 
Susan  ( Sharp)  Moorman,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship, son  of  Micajah  Moorman,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  that  neigh- 
borhood. Micajah  Moorman  was  a  Virginian  and  a  Quaker  and  came  to 
Greene  county  in  1809.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  organizing 
a  local  Society  of  Friends  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jamestown.  Of  his  chil- 
dren, seven  grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Thomas,  Christopher,  Reuben.  Effie. 
Nancy,  Elizabeth  and  Mildred.  Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
in  Silvercreek  township,  Reuben  Moorman  remained  there  all  his  life,  hav- 
ing established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  to  Susan  Sharp.  In  addi- 
tion to  farming  he  also  operated  a  saw-mill  on  his  place.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1870  and  his  widow  died  in  1884.  Thev  were  members  of  the 
Friends  church  at  Jamestown  and  their  children  were  brought  up  in  the  faith 
of  that  denomination.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  Reuben  Moorman  and 
wife  but  two  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Robinson  having  a  sister,  IMartha.  widow 
of  Alfred  Ross,  now  making  her  home  in  Jamestown,  the  others  having  been 
Thaddeus,  who  died  in  youth,  and  Samuel  C.  Moomian,  who  died  at  Seattle, 
Washington,  in  February,   19 14. 

To  James  F.  and  Ann  E.  (Moorman)  Robinson  were  born  eight  chil- 
dren, namely:  Anna,  who  died  in  early  childhood;  Frank,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Highland  and  is  now  living  in  Chicago,  where  he  is  engaged  as  city 
sales  manager  for  the  Walter  A.  Baker  Cocoa  Company ;  Delia,  who  married 
David  Paullin,  a  farmer  of  Silvercreek  township,  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Lelia;  Charles  A.,  who  is  now  farming  the  old  home  place  in  Sil- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  347 

vercreek  township;  Reuben  \V.,  a  tinner,  living  at  Jamestown,  who  married 
Bessie  McCreight  and  has  one  son,  Carl;  Bertha,  who  died  in  1894  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  years;  Sarah  Blanche,  who  died  in  1881  at  the  age  of  four  years, 
and  Mary,  wife  of  Ross  Mendenhall,  of  Akron,  Ohio.  Mrs.  Robinson  is 
now  making  her  home  at  Jamestown.  She  has  been  a  lifelong  member  of 
the  Friends  church  at  that  place. 

Charles  A.  Robinson,  who  is  now  living  on  and  operating  the  old  home 
farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  was  reared  on  that  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  1905, 
when  he  went  to  Mishawaka,  Indiana,  where  he  was  connected  with  the 
operations  of  the  Ball  Rubber  Company  for  seven  years,  or  until  19 12,  when 
he  returned  to  the  home  farm.  He  married  Martha  Johnson  and  has  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Alice. 


GEORGE  DAVIS,  M.  D. 

One  of  the  most  recent  additions  to  the  corps  of  physicians  now  prac- 
ticing their  profession  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  is  Dr.  George  Davis,  who  located 
in  that  city  in  the  spring  of  1918.  He  had  been  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  the  village  of  New  Jasper  for  eighteen  years  before  his 
removal  to  Xenia.  Doctor  Davis  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Fayette,  son  of  James  M.  and  Margaret  E.  (Dowell) 
Davis,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  members  of  pioneer 
families  in  that  section  of  the  state,  and  who  are  now  living  at  Columbus, 
the  capital  of  the  state.  James  M.  Davis  was  born  in  1840,  a  son  of  George 
W.  Davis  and  wffe,  Virginians  and  pioneers  in  that  section  of  Fayette 
county  lying  between  Washington  Court  House  and  Good  Hope.  Reared 
in  that  county,  James  M.  Davis  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out.  He  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  Company  C,  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  for  three  years  and 
was  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant.  He  later  became  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  drainage  tile  and  brick  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington 
Court  House  and  there  continued  thus  engaged  until  his  retirement  in 
1914  and  removal  to  Coumbus.  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  James 
M.  Davis  married  Margaret  E.  Dowell.  who  was  born  in  Fayette  county  in 
1845.  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Davis  was 
the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follow :  Lincoln,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  oil  business  in  Chicago;  Grant,  a  civil  engineer,  now  residing 
at  Greenfield,  this  state;  Mrs.  Jennie  Chambers,  a  widow,  living  at  Colum- 
bus: Nellie,  wife  of  Harry  Drake,  also  of  Columbus,  and  Dr.  Homer  Davis, 


348  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  dental  surgeon,  who  is  practicing  his  profession  at  Kansas  City.  James 
M.  Davis  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal   church. 

Doctor  Davis  supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  Washington  Court  House  by  attendance  at  the  Normal  School 
at  Ada  and  at  the  National  Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  and  then  en- 
tered the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati  and  upon  completing  his  med- 
ical studies  in  that  institution  served  an  internship  in  the  Cincinnati 
Maternity  Hospital.  Thus  equipped  for  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
Doctor  Davis  came  to  Greene  county  in  the  latter  part  of  1900  and  located  at 
New  Jasper,  where  he  engaged  in  practice  until  the  spring  of  1918  when  he 
moved  to  Xenia.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical 
Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  He  has  invested  in  farm 
lands  in  New  Jasper  township.  He  finds  his  chief  recreation  in  hunting 
and  fishing  and  is  an  ardent  devotee  of  these  healthful  outddoor  sports. 

On  January  8,  1902,  in  New  Jasper  township.  Doctor  Davis  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Jennie  L.  Smith,  who  was  born  in  that  township,  daughter 
of  James  M.  and  Eliza  (Huston)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living 
there.  James  M.  Smith,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  in  191 1,  was 
for  years  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  of  the  New 
Jasper  neighborhood  and  elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  will  be  found  in 
detail  a  history  of  his  family,  as  well  as  that  of  the  Huston  family.  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Davis  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The 
Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  at  Xenia. 


DANIEL  H.  BEAM. 


Though  it  is  nearly  twenty-five  years  since  the  death  of  Daniel  H. 
Beam,  formerly  one  of  the  best-known  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Caesars- 
creek  township,  his  memory  is  still  fresh  in  the  neighborhood,  and  it  is  but 
fitting  that  in  a  volume  of  this  character  there  should  be  paid  a  tribute 
to  that  memory.  Daniel  H.  Beam  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and 
all  his  life  was  spent  here.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Bowersville 
pike  in  Xenia  township  in  February,  1833,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Ann  (Haines) 
Beam,  Virginians,  who  had  settled  on  the  farm  just  referred  to  upon  com- 
ing from  Virginia  to  this  county  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Daniel  Beam  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  William,  Silas, 
John,  Daniel,  Mary,  Julia  Ann  and  Jane,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

Daniel  H.  Beam  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  little  old  log  school  house  in  that  neightorhood. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  349 

For  three  years  after  his  marriage  in  1854  he  continued  to  reside  on  the 
home  farm.  He  then  bought  the  Lutz  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eight 
acres  near  the  Zoar  church,  on  the  pike  leading  from  Spring  Valley  to 
Middletons  Corner,  in  Caesarscreek  township,  the  place  on  which  his  widow 
is  still  living,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  As  he  prospered  in  his 
farming  operations  Mr.  Beam  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
twelve  acres  and  thus  had  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on  which 
he  built  a  comfortable  house  and  made  other  substantial  improvements.  In 
addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Beam  gave  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  live  stock.  During  the  early  '90s  Mr.  Beam's  health  Ijegan 
to  break  and  his  death  occurred  on  September  27,  1893,  '""^  then  being  in  the 
sixty-first  year  of  his  age.  A  contemporary  newspaper  mention  of  his  death 
says  that  "Mr.  Beam  was  an  unfaltering  Christian,  which  fact  is  admitted 
by  all  who  knew  him.  He  walked  in  the  same  attitude  of  faith  the  year 
around.  He  was  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  needy  and  never  turned  one  away 
ernpty.  His  kind  Christian  counsel  will  be  missed,  but  never  forgotten.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  held  membership  at 
the  Zoar  church,  to  the  support  of  which  he  was  the  most  liberal  contributor. 
Hundreds  of  times  have  his  prayers  echoed  within  its  walls." 

On  December  21,  1854,  Daniel  H.  Beam  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Susan  Ann  Keiter,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  survives  him, 
continuing  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Zoar 
church.  Mrs.  Beam  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  daughter 
of  Frederick  and  Mary  (Weaver)  Keiter,  natives  of  Virginia,  who  were 
married  in  Hampshire  county,  that  state,  this  county  now  being  in  West 
Virginia,  and  who  after  their  marriage  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  the  woods  of  Caesarscreek  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives,  the  former  living  to  be  seventy-five  years  of  age  and  the  latter, 
seventy-four.  Frederick  Keiter  developed  one  of  the  best  farms  on  the 
Wilmington  pike  and  came  to  be  a  man  of  substance  and  influence.  Reared 
a  Whig,  he  later  became  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Old  School  Baptist  church.  They  had  twelve  children,  of  whom  Mrs. 
Beam  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Elizabeth,  Harrison, 
John,  Mary,  Margaret,  Nancy,  George  A.,  Jane,  James  and  Edward  (twins) 
and  Sarah.  Further  mention  of  the  Keiter  family  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume. 

To  Daniel  H.  and  Susan  Ann  (Keiter)  Beam  were  born  ten  children, 
William,  Henry  Alva,  Emma  J.,  Addie  B.,  Euretta  S.,  Daniel  F.,  Anna 
N.,  Frederick  K.,  Albert  E.  and  Flora,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  Addie 
B.,  born  on  January  20,  1862,  who  died  on  February  26,  1871,  and  Frederick 
K.,  born  on  June  4,   1871,  who  died  on  March  29,   1872.     William  Beam, 


350  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

who  was  born  on  November  30.  1856,  married  Sarah  Peacemaker  and  is  now 
living  at  Port  William,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  the  live-stock  and  milling  business.  Henry  A.  Beam,  born  on 
August  12,  1858,  married  Mrs.  Blanche  (Swindler)  Hurley  and  is  a  farmer 
and  stockman  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county.  Emma  J.  Beam, 
bom  on  August  10.  i860,  is  the  wife  of  Charles  Hurley,  a  farmer  of  Spring 
Valley  township.  Euretta  S.  Beam,  born  on  February  22,  1864,  is  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Boyd,  also  a  Spring  Valley  township  farmer.  Daniel  F.  Beam, 
born  on  December  16,  1865,  married  Elizabeth  Johnson  and  is  farming  in 
Spring  Valley  township.  Anna  N.  Beam,  born  on  March  21,  1868,  married 
Frank  Woods  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Port  \\'illiam.  Albert 
E.  Beam,  born  on  March  2,  1873,  married  Martha  Scott  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising  in  Spring  Valley  township.  Flora  Beam,  bom 
on  June  8,  1876,  married  Clarence  McKay,  a  farmer  of  the  New  Burlington 
neighborhood.  As  noted  above,  Mrs.  Beam  continues  to  make  her  home  on 
the  old  home  place  where  her  husband  died  nearly  twenty-five  years  ago 
and  where  she  has  lived  for  sixty  years,  during  which  time  she  has  been 
a  witness  to  the  amazing  transformation  that  has  taken  place  with  the  gradual 
development  of  that  section.     She  is  a  member  of  Zoar  church. 


ULYSSES  S.  GRANT  ST.  JOHN. 

Ulysses  S.  Grant  St.  John,  better  known  among  his  friends  as  Grant 
St.  John,  the  proprietor  of  the  old  Daniel  Sutton  place  on  the  New  Jasper 
pike  in  New  Jasper  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Jamestown,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  July  3,  1869,  son  of  John  W. 
and  Phoebe  Ann  (Heiny)  St.  John,  the  latter  of  whom,  bom  in  A'irginia, 
died  in  1895.  Jo'^n  W.  St.  John,  who  is  still  living  and  a  biographical  sketch 
of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  also  was  born  in  Caesars- 
creek township,  December  29,  1831,  one  of  the  ten  children  bom  to  Daniel 
W.  and  Eliza  (Bone)  St.  John,  who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  that 
township.  Daniel  W.  St.  John  was  a  son  of  John  and  Rhoda  (Wood)  St. 
John,  as  is  set  out  in  the  re\'iew  above  referred  to,  wherein  also  is  contained 
a  detailed  history  of  the  St.  John  family  in  this  county  and  to  which  the 
attention  of  the  reader  is  respectfully  invited  in  connection  with  tliis  review 
of  the  life  of  Grant  St.  John. 

Grant  St.  John  grew  up  on  the  home  fann  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
received  his  schooling  in  the  nearby  district  school  and  remained  at  home 
until  his  marriage  when  twenty-four  years  of  age.  He  then  rented  a  farm 
in  the  neighljorhood  of  Cedarville  and  began  operations  on  his  own  account, 
afterward  moving  from  there  up  into  Clark  county,  where  he  was  engaged 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  35 1 

in  farming  for  several  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1912,  he  returned 
to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township.  A  year  later 
he  sold  that  farm  and  bought  the  farm  of  eighty-two  acres  on  which  he  is 
now  living.  This  is  the  fami  that  formerly  belonged  to  Mr.  St.  John's  wife's 
grandfather,   Daniel  Sutton. 

On  February  26,  1893,  Mr.  St.  John  was  united  in  marriage  at  James- 
town, to  Sidney  Lois  Sutton,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township, 
daughter  of  Daniel  H.  and  Mary  C.  (Blessing)  Sutton,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  state,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  both  of  whom  died 
in  October,  1910,  the  former  on  the  2nd  of  that  month  and  the  latter  on  the 
nth.  Both  the  Suttons  and  the  Blessings  were  among  the  early  residents  of 
Greene  county,  these  families  having  been  represented  here  for  a  hundred 
years  and  more.  Daniel  H.  Sutton  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  St.  John  are  now  living,  in  January,  1841,  son  of  Daniel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Spahr)  Sutton,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  married  Mary  C. 
Blessing,  who  was  born  at  Spring  Valley,  in  October,  1841,  a  daughter  of 
Marcus  and  Maria  (Crumley)  Blessing,  the  fonner  of  whom  was  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  hotel  and  a  mill  at  Spring  Valley  and  also  a  landowner  in  that 
vicinity,  and  after  his  marriage  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  his  father's 
place,  established  his  home  there  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs.  St. 
John,  the  last  born,  having  a  sister,  Maria,  wife  of  S.  B.  Levalley,  of  New 
Jasper  township,  and  a  brother,  Marcus  Sutton,  unmarried,  who  is  operating 
his  father's  old  home  place  adjoining  the  farm  owned  by  Mr.  St.  John. 

William  G.  Sutton,  who  was  the  father  of  Daniel  Sutton,  father  of 
Daniel  H.  Sutton,  Mrs.  St.  John's  great-grandfather,  was  bom  in  New  Jer- 
sey and  there  grew  to  manhood  and  married,  later  moving  to  Kentucky, 
whence,  in  1803,  he  and  his  wife  Lois  and  their  children  came  up  into  the 
valley  of  the  Little  Miami  and  settled  in  Greene  county.  He  took  up  land 
in  the  Military  Tract  south  of  the  then  embryonic  city  of  Xenia.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  the  descendants  of  these  children  in  the  present  generation  form  a  nu- 
merous connection  hereabout.  Daniel  Sutton,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  St.  John, 
was  born  in  1802  and  was  thus  but  an  infant  when  his  parents  came  to  this 
county.  He  grew  up  on  the  home  place  south  of  Xenia  and  married  Eliza- 
beth Spahr,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1804  and  who  was  but  a  child  when 
her  parents,  PhiHp  and  Mary  (Schick)  Spahr,  came  to  Greene  county  and 
settled  south  of  Xenia.  Philip  Spahr  and  wife  reared  a  family  of  ten 
children  and  that  family  also  has  a  wide  connection  throughout  the  county. 
After  his  marriage  Daniel  Sutton  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place 
on  Caesars  creek  and  became  the  proprietor  of  two  hundred  and  twentv 


352  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

acres.  He  died  in  i860  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  twenty-five 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1884,  she  then  being  eighty  years  of  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and 
twelve  of  whom  married  and  reared  families.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  St.  John  have 
one  child,  a  son,  Fred  Howard,  born  on  November  14,  1901.  They  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper.  Mr.  St.  John 
is  a  Republican. 


GEORGE  N.  PERRILL. 


George  N.  Perrill,  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  for 
Greene  county,  president  of  the  Bowersville  Bank  of  Bowersville,  this  county, 
the  owner  of  a  grain  elevator  at  that  place  as  well  as  an  extensive  land 
acreage  in  this  county  and  other  interests  of  a  substantial  character,  is  a 
native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of 
Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  when  he  married  and 
settled  down  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  Milledgeville,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Fayette,  August  11,  1856,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  J.  (Sparks)  Perrill, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cynthiana,  in  Pike 
county,  this  state,  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky,  she  having  come  into  this 
state  with  her  parents  from  the  Blue  Grass  state  when  a  girl,  the  famil\ 
settling  in  Fayette  county.  John  Perrill  moved  from  Pike  county  to  Fay- 
ette county  after  he  attained  his  majority  and  in  the  latter  county  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life,  successfully  engaged  there  in  farming  until  his  death 
which  occurred  in  the  year  1898.  He  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
eldest  and  nine  of  whom  lived  to  maturity. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Fayette  county,  George  N.  Perrill  com- 
pleted his  schooling  in  the  high  school  at  Washington  Court  House,  the 
county  seat  of  his  home  county,  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage 
in  the  spring  of  1878,  when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  bought 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  on  which  he  made  his 
home  for  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres  south  of  the  village  of  Bowersville,  where  he  lived  for  two 
years,  or  until  he  became  engaged  in  the  grain  business  in  Bowersville. 
Mr.  Perrill  leased  the  first  grain  elevator  erected  in  that  place  and  engaged 
in  business  there  as  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Perrill  &  Lewis,  a  con- 
nection which  continued  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  his 
son   became   associated    with    him    and   the   business   was    continued    under 


GEORGE  X.  PERKILL. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  353 

the  firm  name  of  Perrill  &  Son  until  the  organization  of  the  Miami  Grain 
Company,  of  which  Mr.  Perrill  was  elected  president,  as  is  set  out  in  the 
history  of  Bowersville,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  work.  When  the  Bow- 
ersville  Bank  was  organized  Mr.  Perrill  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in 
the  enterprise  and  was  elected  first  president  of  the  concern,  a  position  he 
ever  since  has  occupied.  Besides  owning  a  farm  south  of  Bowersville  he 
also  has  other  real  estate  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Commercial  Bank  of 
Washington  Court  House.  Mr.  Perrill  has  ever  taken  a  good  citizen's 
interest  in  local  civic  affairs  and  for  three  years  served  as  trustee  of  his 
home  township.  In  1916  he  was  elected  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  from  his  district  and  on  September  i,  1917,  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  that  ofifice,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home  on  the 
farm  of  his  son-in-law  one  mile  northeast  of  Xenia,  on  the  Columbus  pike, 
moving  there  from  his  home  in  Bowersville,  in  order  that  he  might  give 
more  time  to  the  duties  of  his  office.  Mr.  Perrill  for  years  has  sen-ed 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  County  Agricultural  Society. 
On  March  14,  1878,  George  N.  Perrill  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  Vanniman.  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Rebecca  Jane  (Early)  Vanni- 
man,  of  Bowersville.  both  members  of  old  and  substantial  families  in  that 
part  of  the  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  were  born,  Edith,  who 
completed  her  schooling  at  Cedarville  College,  and  Arthur,  who  completed 
his  schooling  at  Ohio  Northern  University  at  Ada  and  is  now  engaged 
in  the  wholesale  grain  business  at  Xenia,  secretary  of  the  Xenia  Grain  Com- 
pany. He  married  TuUis  Reynolds  and  has  four  children,  George,  Evelyn, 
John  and  Martha.  Edith  Perrill  married  Luther  Chitty,  of  Bowersville, 
who  is  now  farming  on  the  Columbus  pike  just  out  of  the  city  of  Xenia, 
and  four  sons,  Donald,  Hugh,  George  and  Robert.  Mrs.  Perrill  died  on 
July  24,  19 10.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  churcli  at 
Bowersville,  as  is  Mr.  Perrill,  and  the  latter  has  been  for  years  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church  as  well  as  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  camp-meeting  board. 


MARSHALL  BROWN. 


Marshall  Brown,  formerly  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business  at  the  vil- 
lage of  New  Jasper,  and  who  is  still  living  there,  owner  of  the  old  William 
Huston  farm  on  the  edge  of  the  village,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county, 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Jefiferson  township  on  September 
27,  1852,  son  of  James  T.  and  Rachel  (Powers)  Brown,  whose  last  days 
were  spent  at  Paintersville.  Marshall  Brown  was  about  twelve  years  of 
age  when  his  father  moved  from  Jefferson  township  to  New  Jasper  town- 

(22) 


354  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ship  and  he  completed  his  schooHng  in  the  schools  of  the  latter  township, 
remaining  on  the  home  farm  there,  the  place  now  occupied  and  owned  by 
his  brother  Cyrus,  until  after  his  marriage  in  1874  when  he  bought  a  farm 
of  fifty  acres  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  father's  place  and  there  resided 
for  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  that  farm  and  for  eighteen 
months  thereafter  lived  on  a  rented  farm.  He  then  bought  a  tract  of  eleven 
acres  in  the  village  of  New  Jasper  and  there  set  up  a  saw-mill,  which  he 
continued  to  operate  for  sixteen  years,  mainly  engaged  in  custom  sawing. 
As  a  young  man  Mr.  Brown  had  learned  the  trade  of  stonemason  and  he 
also  continued  engaged  during  the  summers  as  a  contracting  mason,  doing 
quite  an  extensive  business  in  that  line  as  well  as  in  his  mill.  Upon  selling 
the  mill  he  rented  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  and  six  years  later  moved  from 
that  place  to  a  farm  on  the  Hussey  pike  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  he 
lived  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  eighty  acres  on  the 
Nash  road  in  Xenia  township.  On  this  latter  place  he  lived  for  two  years, 
or  until  March  i,  191 3,  when  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  the  William 
Huston  farm  of  fifty  acres  at  the  edge  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  where 
he  since  has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican,  and  for  some 
time  served  as  assessor  in  New  Jasper  township. 

On  February  24,  1874,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Katurah 
Gates,  who  was  born  on  the  old  William  Spahr  farm  in  New  Jasper  town- 
ship, daughter  and  only  child  of  Bailey  and  Temperance  (Spahr)  Gates, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  place  on  December  31,  1836,  and 
who  died  there  on  September  25,  1858,  her  daughter  Katurah  then  being 
but  two  years  of  age.  Mrs.  Brown  having  thus  been  bereft  of  her  mother 
at  the  early  age  of  two  years  was  reared  in  the  household  of  her  maternal 
grandfather,  William  Spahr,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  part  of  Greene 
county.  Mrs.  Brown's  father,  Bailey  Gates,  was  born  at  Chillicothe,  Ohio, 
December  25,  1832,  seventh  son  of  Bailey  and  Delilah  Gates,  and  early  be- 
came a  school  teacher,  civil  engineer  and  surveyor,  continuing  to  serve  as 
a  teacher  nearly  all  his  life.  He  was  teaching  in  this  county  when  he  mar- 
ried Temperance  Spahr  and  was  living  here  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
He  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  a  member  of  Company  E,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-second  Regiment,  and  in  1866  went  to  Kansas,  where  he 
remained  for  seven  years,  teaching  school  at  Elizabeth,  in  Anderson  county, 
and  proving  up  a  homestead  claim  in  that  vicinity.  In  1873  he  returned  to 
Ohio  and  here  died  on  October  25  of  that  same  year.  To  Marshall  and 
Katurah  (Gates)  Brown  three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Nora 
Alzina,  born  on  November  22,  1874,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  months; 
Delphus,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years,  and  Leola, 
wife  of  Howard  Glass,  who  owns  a  farm  adjoining  that  of  Mr.  Brown  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  355 

the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glass 
have  one  child,  a  son,  Hubert  Delphus.  The  Browns  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper  and  Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  lodge  at  Jamestown  and  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Xenia. 


CHARLES  S.  BINGAMON. 

Charles  S.  Bingamon,  a  farmer  living  on  rural  mail  route  No.  5  out 
of  Xenia  and  the  proprietor  of  the  old  Charleston  Mills  farm  on  Massies 
creek  on  the  line  between  Xenia  and  Cedarville  townships,  which  he  has 
owned  since  the  spring  of  1902,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  on  September  21, 
1856,  son  of  John  and  Emaline  (Beck)  Bingamon,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  who  spent  all  their 
lives  here.  John  Bingamon  owned  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  the 
place  on  which  his  parents  had  settled  upon  coming  here  from  Maryland  in 
pioneer  days,  but  late  in  life  sold  that  place  and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  which  he  spent  his  last 
days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1903,  he  then  being  eighty-two  years  of 
age.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  but  one  year,  her  death  hav- 
ing occurred  in  1902,  she  then  being  seventy-two  years  of  age.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  her  children  were  reared  in 
that  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Melinda,  wife  of 
Aaron  Mills,  of  Xenia  township;  Greer,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton;  Sarah, 
deceased,  and  Bertie,  wife  of  William  Harbison,  of  Xenia  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  Charles  S.  Binga- 
mon received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools,  and  in  later  years  was 
the  mainstay  of  his  aged  parents  until  their  death.  He  remained  with  them, 
moving  from  the  old  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  to  the  later  place  in 
Sugarcreek  township,  and  also  rented  and  farmed  other  places,  for  eleven 
years  being  a  tenant  of  the  George  Kendall  place.  In  March,  1902,  Mr. 
Bingamon  bought  the  old  Charlton  Mills  farm,  on  which  the  mill  erected  by 
Peter  Moudy  on  Massies  creek  in  1837  is  still  standing,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1908  established  his  home  there.  Since  taking  possession  of  that 
place  Mr.  Bingamon  has  made  numerous  improvements  on  the  same,  work- 
ing the  barn  over  into  a  bank-barn.  He  has  a  good  brick  house  on  the  farm. 
In  the  summer  of  191 7  he  had  one  of  the  finest  fields  of  corn  in  Greene 
county,  the  stalks  standing  seventeen  feet  and  six  inches  in  height  and 
bearing  fine,  large,  sound  ears.     Mr.  Bingamon  is  a  Republican. 


356  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  March  25,  1908,  Mr.  Bingamon  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Eva 
(Snyder)  Coy,  a  widow  whose  two  sons  by  her  previous  marriage,  Ross  and 
Charles  Coy,  are  now  employed  in  the  Delco  factory  at  Dayton,  and  to  this 
union  three  children  have  been  born,  Mark,  born  in  1909;  Donald,  1913, 
and  Mary  E.,   1915. 


JOHN  HARBEIN. 


An  older  chronicle  in  referring  to  John  Harbein.  who  died  at  his  home 
in  Alpha  on  June  8,  1873,  and  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  regarded 
as  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Greene  county,  notes  that  "throughout  his 
life  Mr.  Harbein  was  a  quiet,  unostentatious  Christian  gentleman.  He  was 
a  strict,  prudent  and  successful  business  man,  and  to  his  energy,  influence 
and  enterprise  the  development  of  Greene  county  is  largely  due.  He  shrank 
from  public  notice  and,  though  many  were  offered,  never  accepted  a  public 
office,  but  was  always  one  of  the  foremost  to  aid  in  the  advancement  of 
public  interests.  Though  a  private  citizen,  he  was  widely  known.  His  in- 
fluence was  cast  in  the  direction  of  progress.  Having  the  advantage  of  a 
good  education,  he  was  a  friend  of  schools  and  looked  upon  them  as  being 
the  hope  of  our  republican  institutions.  He  was  a  great  tourist  and  a  pol- 
ished gentleman;  a  man  of  liberal  views  and  a  lover  of  his  country." 

John  Harbein  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  January  17, 
1804,  first-born  of  the  six  children  torn  to  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Reber) 
Harbein,  and  was  the  first  of  these  children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters, 
to  answer  the  final  summons.  The  Harbeins  are  of  Huguenot  stock,  the 
ancestors  of  the  Greene  county  family  of  this  name  having  been  driven  from 
France  to  lands  where  they  might  worship  according  to  their  faith.  One 
branch  of  the  family  settled  in  Algiers,  on  the  river  Shelif,  where  a  small 
town  now  bears  their  name.  Two  other  families  of  the  name  came  to  the 
American  colonies,  one  settling  in  North  Carolina  and  the  other  in  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania.  The  head  of  this  latter  branch  of  the  family  was 
Peter  Harbein,  great-great-grandfather  of  John  Harbein.  He  had  fled  to 
Switzerland  from  France  and  was  there  some  time  before  completing  his 
arrangements  to  come  to  America.  During  the  voyage  over  a  son,  Peter, 
was  born.  This  Peter,  junior,  was  reared  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  there  married  and  made  his  home.  One  of  his  sons,  Abram  Harbein, 
was  the  father  of  Daniel  Harbein.  father  of  John  Harbein. 

In  1827  John  Harbein  married  Hettie  Herr,  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  October,  1828,  came  to  Ohio  with  his  wife  and  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  buying  there  the  farm 
on  which  stood  the  log  house  of  Owen  Davis,  in  which  the  first  court  held 


czi^'-^^^^^i^^^i^^--^  ^TY^x^f-t^-'i^t—t^^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  357 

in  Greene  county  was  convened  following  the  formal  organization  of  the 
county  in  that  same  cabin  in  1803.  On  that  place,  the  site  of  the  old  Owen 
Davis  mill,  he  erected  in  1833  a  new  mill  and  there  began  the  successful 
operations  that  for  so  many  years  marked  him  as  one  of  the  foremost  fac- 
tors in  the  general  business  life  of  the  community,  and  there  he  and  his  wife 
reared  their  family  of  eight  children  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
John  Harbein's  death  occurring,  as  noted  above,  in  the  summer  of  1873. 
The  house  he  erected  there  at  Alpha  is  now  occupied  by  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Hattie  M.  Miller,  widow  of  Hon.  John  M.  Miller,  further  mention  of  whom 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


HIRAM  H.  FAWCETT. 


Hiram  H.  Fawcett,  fonner  trustee  of  New  Jasper  township  and  the 
proprietor  of  a  farm  in  that  township,  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the 
village  of  New  Jasper,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Xenia,  now  living  re- 
tired from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  his  son,  Hiram  F.  Fawcett,  carry- 
ing on  the  operations  of  the  farm,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has 
lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  a  log  house  on  a  farm  in  Caesars- 
creek  township  on  December  15,  1850,  son  of  Mahlon  and  Emily  (Howell) 
Fawcett,  Quakers,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  latter  in  Bel- 
mont county  in  1826,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Eleanor  Howell,  Quakers  and 
early  settlers  in  Belmont  county,  where  they  spent  their  last  days. 

Mahlon  Fawcett  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township  in  1825,  a  son  of 
John  and  Phoebe  Fawcett,  Virginians,  who  came  to  this  county  in  the 
early  '20s  and  settled  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  they  developed  a  farm 
of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres.  They  were  Quakers  and  at- 
tended New  Hope  meeting.  They  had  a  large  family  of  children,  nearly 
all  of  whom  established  their  homes  in  this  county.  Mahlon  Fawcett  grew 
up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his  home 
there,  his  death  occurring  on  that  place  in  1852,  he  then  being  but  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  To  him  and  his  wife,  Emily  Howell,  three  children 
had  been  born,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest,  having  had  a 
brother,  Harvey,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  a  sister  who  died  in  infancy. 
The  widow  Fawcett  in  1857  married  William  Huston  and  spent  her  last 
days  on  the  Huston  farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  the  place  now  owned  and 
occupied  bv  A.  D.  Smith,  her  death  occurring  there  in  1900,  she  then  being 
seventy-seven  years  of  age.  By  her  second  marriage  she  was  the  mother 
of  two  sons,  A.  J.  Huston,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  town- 
ship, and  John  C.  Huston,  who  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at 
Xenia.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper. 


358  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Hiram  H.  Fawcett  was  not  two  years  of  age  when  his  father  died.  He 
grew  up  on  the  Huston  farm,  received  his  schooHng  in  the  Hashp  school  in 
that  neighborhood  and  before  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  was  married.  His 
wife  was  the  owner  of  fiftv  acres  of  land  in  that  vicinity  and  on  that  place 
he  and  his  wife  established  their  home,  he  also  looking  after  the  manage- 
ment of  his  mother-in-law's  farm,  the  Nelson  Smith  place.  About  six  years 
after  his  marriage  Mr.  Fawcett  bought  forty-seven  acres  of  the  Bruce  farm 
nearby,  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  and  has 
ever  since  made  his  home  on  that  place.  In  1888  he  erected  there  the  farm 
house  in  which  he  is  now  living.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr. 
Fawcett  has  added  to  his  acreage  by  purchase  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  besides  which  he  and  his  son  own  a  farm  of  eighty- 
eight  acres  just  south  of  the  home  place,  on  which  farm  his  son  makes  his 
home,  operating  that  place  as  well  as  the  home  place,  his  father  having 
turned  over  to  him  the  general  management  of  the  farms  some  time  ago. 
Mr.  Fawcett  is  a  Republican  and  for  several  terms  served  as  trustee  of  his 
home  township.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  New  Jasper. 

On  September  i,  1870,  Hiram  H.  Fawcett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Kesiah  Elizabeth  Smith,  who  was  born  on  a  part  of  the  farm  on  which  she 
is  still  living,'  a  daughter  of  Nelson  and  Lydi'a  (Beeson)  Smith,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  1823  and  the  latter  in 
1827,  Nelson  Smith  having  been  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kimble) 
Smith,  who  had  come  here  from  Hardin  count}',  Virginia,  in  1814.  and  had 
become  pioneers  01  the  Caesarscreek  settlement.  Lydia  Beeson  was  one  of 
the  fourteen  children  born  to  Thomas  and  Kesiah  (Turner)  Beeson.  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  near  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  a 
boy  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents  in  pioneer  days.  Nel- 
son Smith,  who  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  seventeen 
acres  two  miles  south  of  New  Jasper,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-two,  March 
27,  1866.  His  widow  did  not  remarry  and  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  on  the 
home  farm,  her  death  occurring  there  in  September,  1912.  She  had  four 
daughters,  those  besides  Mrs.  Fawcett,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  being 
Amanda,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  W.  Fudge,  of  Xenia; 
Susan,  who  married  William  D.  Sutton,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
is  now  deceased,  and  Emma,  wife  of  A.  J.  Huston,  of  New  Jasper  town- 
ship. 

To  Hiram  H.  and  Kesiah  E.  (Smith)  Fawcett  have  been  born  four 
children,  namely :  Lydia  Luetta,  wife  of  Oliver  M.  Spahr,  of  New  Jasper 
township,  of  whom  a  biographical  sketch  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume;  Carrie    Emily,  wife    of  James    Jones,    of  Beavercreek    township; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  359 

Hiram  Fredwin,  who  married  Mary  Spahr  of  this  township  and  is  now 
operating  the  home  place  as  well  as  a  place  of  his  own  adjoining,  making 
his  home  on  the  latter  place,  and  Grace  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Arthur  M.  Peter- 
son, of  Cedarville  township. 


HURL  R.  ADAMS. 


Hurl  R.  Adams,  who  has  been  in  the  bakery  business  at  Yellow  Springs 
since  iQOt,  having  moved  there  in  that  year  from  Waynesville.  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Warren,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  business  for 
three  years  or  more,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Xenia  on  April  15,  1874,  son  of 
David  M.  and  Etta  (Rader)  Adams,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  the  former  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Xenia,  in  1840,  and  the 
latter,  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  m  1844,  who  were  married  in  1872  and  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  Xenia. 

David  M.  Adams  received  his  schooling  at  Xenia  and  was  early  trained 
to  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  bridge  builder,  which  vocation  he  followed  all 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  had  a  shop  in  Xenia  and  during  the  winters  em- 
ployed his  time  in  the  making  of  sleighs  and  in  the  general  upholstery  busi- 
ness. He  died  in  1885,  leaving  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having 
a  brother,  Joseph  Harry  Adams,  born  on  January  4,  1880,  who  married 
Ella  Mason,  of  Xenia,  and  is  still  residing  in  that  city. 

Hurl  R.  Adams  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Xenia  and  when 
fifteen  years  of  age  becoming  employed  during  school  vacations  in  one  of 
the  local  elevators.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  became  interested  in  the 
bakery  business  and  after  learning  the  details  of  that  business  was  for 
three  years  engaged  as  the  manager  of  C.  W.  Trader's  bake  shop  in  Xenia. 
Thus  qualified  by  practical  experience,  Mr.  Adams  then  went  to  Waynes- 
ville, in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren  and  there  became  engaged  in 
the  bakery  business  on  his  own  account,  and  was  thus  engaged  there  for 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  his  shop  there  and  moved  to 
Yellow  Springs,  where,  in  1901,  he  opened  a  bakery  and  has  since  been 
quite  successfully  engaged  in  business.  In  1906  he  bought  the  property 
he  now  occupies  on  Xenia  avenue  and  is  well  equipped  for  handling  the 
trade  he  has  built  up. 

On  September  29,  1896,  while  living  at  Waynesville,  Mr.  Adams  was 
united  in  marriage,  at  Xenia,  to  Meddie  Hartman,  who  was  born  at  Star- 
buck,  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilmington,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton, 
daughter  of  WilHam  and  Hannah  Hartman,  and  to  this  union  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely:  Harold  R.,  born  on  November  i,  1899,  '^vho 
is  now  engaged  in  the  Edison  Laboratory  at  Orange,  New  Jersey;  Thelma, 


360  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

January  16,  1904,  who  is  now  a  pupil  in  the  Yellow  Springs  high  school, 
and  Mildred,  February  28,  1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 


JOSEPH  E.  EAVEY. 


Joseph  E.  Eavey,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  nearly  five  hundred  acres  in 
Xenia  township,  who  is  now  living  in  Xenia,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  1897,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  one  mile  southeast  of  Xenia,  on  the  Wilmington 
pike,  September  20,  1848,  son  of  John  S.  and  Margaret  Christina  (Kanode) 
Eavey,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  who  came  to 
Ohio  in  1 84 1  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Greene  county,  the  former 
dying  on  his  farm  southeast  of  Xenia  and  the  latter  in  town,  she  having 
moved  from  the  farm  after  her  husband's  death. 

John  S.  Eavey  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Boonesborough,  in  Mary- 
land, January  14,  1814,  the  second  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Eavey,  the 
former  of  whom  owned  an  extensive  marble  quarry  near  that  place.  There 
John  S.  Eavey  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  a  liberal  education  for  that 
period,  and  from  boyhood  was  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  operations  of 
the  quarry,  continuing  thus  engaged,  in  the  sales  department  of  the  quarry, 
until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  after  which  he  became 
engaged  in  the  milling  business.  His  wife,  Margaret  C.  Kanode,  was  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  Kanode,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  farmer 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  In  the  -third  year  of  their 
married  life  John  S.  Eavey  and  his  wife  and  their  two  children.  Henry  H. 
and  Arthur  W.,  the  latter  of  whom  then  was  but  a  babe  in  arms,  came  to 
Ohio,  driving  through  in  a  Conestoga  wagon,  and  settled  in  Greene  county. 
That  was  in  1841  and  after  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Eavey  bought  a  tract  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  lying  along  the  Wilmington  pike,  one  mile  south- 
east of  Xenia,  paying  for  the  same  twelve  dollars  an  acre,  and  there  estab- 
lished his  home.  He  later  bought  a  farm  adjoining  the  same  on  the  north 
and  in  1875  erected  there  a  brick  house,  in  which  he  spent  his  last  days,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  1879.  At  the  time  of  his  death  John  S.  Eavey  was 
the  owner  of  five  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land.  For  a  time  he  also  was 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Xenia.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  took 
an  active  part  in  local  political  afifairs.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Reformed  church.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Eavey  left  the 
farm  and  moved  to  Xenia.  buying  a  house  in  West  Church  street,  where  she 
spent  her  last  days.     She  survived  her  husband  many  years,  her  death  oc- 


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S-rjr  iyS^^U^Z/fci^  <0^r^  /t^ 


,r   r 


't/    h.    f)rfi-fi. 


y 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  36I 

curring  in  1898,  she  then  being  eighty  years  of  age.  John  S.  Eavey  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  save 
one  son,  who  died  in  infancy.  Of  these  children  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Arthur  W.,  who  became  a 
farmer  in  the  state  of  Mississippi ;  Henry  H.,  now  deceased,  for  years  one 
of  Xenia's  best-known  business  men;  Susan,  who  married  J.  F.  G.  Bell  and 
who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased,  her  death  having  occurred  in 
September,  1915,  and  John  K.,  a  Greene  county  farmer,  who  died  in  1902. 
Henry  H.  Eavey,  late  president  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Xenia 
and  head  of  the  Eavey  Wholesale  Grocery  Company,  was  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  having  served  during  that  struggle  as  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Ninety- fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  \'olunteer  Infantry,  and  as  a  member  of 
Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Ohio.  He  was  twice  married, 
his  first  wife,  who  was  Sarah  C.  Winters  and  whom  he  married  in  1863, 
having  died  in  December,  1891.  In  February,  1896,  he  married  Rebecca 
Alice  Galloway.  His  home  was  at  the  corner  of  West  Market  street  and 
King  streets  in  Xenia,  where  he  died  on  April  18,   1918. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  Joseph 
E.  Eavey  received  his  schooling  at  Xenia,  completing  the  same  in  Profes- 
sor Smith's  Seminary,  which  then  was  quite  an  institution  of  higher  edu- 
cation, situated  on  East  Church  street,  and  after  leaving  school  became  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  at  Xenia  in  association  with  his  brother 
Henry.  This  form  of  occupation  did  not  suit  him,  however,  and  after  nine 
months  of  experience  with  the  grocery  business  he  left  the  store  and  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm.  Three  years  later,  in  1872,  he  began  farming  on 
his  own  account,  renting  a  portion  of  his  father's  place,  and  in  1880,  he 
meanwhile  having  married,  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
paying  for  the  same  seventy-five  dollars  an  acre — land  now  worth  much 
more  than  double  that  price.  On  that  place  Mr.  Eavey  continued  to  make 
his  home  until  1897,  when  he  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  made  his 
home.  In  1909  he  erected  there  a  house  at  234  East  Second  street  and 
continues  to  reside  at  that  number.  Though  having  for  years  made  his 
home  in  the  city  Mr.  Eavey  has  ever  continued  personally  to  superintend 
the  work  of  his  farms.  He  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres 
adjoining  his  original  purchase  and  has  long  given  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Red  Polled  and  Holstein 
cattle  and  Duroc  Jersey  hogs.  In  1897  Mr.  Eavey  bought  a  half  interest 
in  a  coal  business  at  Xenia  and  continued  his  connection  with  the  same,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Maddox  &  Eavey,  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  sold  out,  and  has  since  given  his  whole  attention  to  his  agricultural  inter- 
ests.     Politically,    Mr.    Eavey   is   "independent." 


362  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  October  18,  1877,  Joseph  E.  Eavey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
Etta  Wright,  who  was  also  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Re- 
becca (Vaneton)  Wright,  who  had  settled  here  in  the  '40s,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Herman  and  Ellen,  the  latter  of  whom  mar- 
ried John  \l.  Davidson,  of  Xenia,  and  has  three  children,  Sarah.  Margaret 
and  Marie.  Herman  Eavey.  manager  of  the  Eavey  Packing  Company,  con- 
tinues to  make  his  home  in  the  house  of  his  parents.  He  married  Edith 
Givens  and,has  two  children,  Wallace  and  Elizabeth.  The  Eaveys  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  United   Presbvterian  church. 


DAVID  ELLIOT  TURNER. 

David  Elliot  Turner,  owner  of  the  old  William  G.  Sutton  farm,  in  New 
Jasper  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  that  township,  one  mile  south  of 
the  village  of  that  name,  March  12,  i860,  son  of  Cornelius  and  Elizabeth 
(Spahr)  Turner,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of 
pioneer  families,  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  here. 

Cornelius  Turner  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township  in  1833,  son  of 
William  and  Elizabeth  (Cruzen)  Turner,  who  were  married  in  this  county 
on  May  28,  1819,  and  established  their  home  in  Silvercreek  township.  Will- 
iam Turner,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  serving  in  the  command 
of  Joseph  Lucas,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati  on  October  23,  1792. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Virginia  on  October  2y.  1802,  and  was' but  a  child 
when  her  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  this  county,  where  she  was 
married  in  her  seventeenth  year.  To  that  union  were  born  nine  children 
and  the  descendants  of  these  children  form  a  numerous  connection  in  the 
present  generation.  William  Turner  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age.  His 
wife  died  in  her  seventieth  year.  Cornelius  Turner,  one  of  the  sons  of  this 
pioneer  couple,  was  given  excellent  educational  advantages  and  after  a  course 
in  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware  was  licensed  to  preach  as  a  "local" 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  After  his  marriage  he  became 
engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Jamestown  and  there  he  died  in  1871, 
he  then  being  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  but  two 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1873.  She  was  lx)rn,  Elizabeth  Spahr,  in 
1835.  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Spahr,  pioneers  of  Greene 
county.  Cornelius  and  Elizaljeth  (Spahr)  Turner  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  namely :  William  Albert,  who  established  his  home  at  Washington, 
Iowa,  and  there  spent  his  last  days;  Sarah  E.,  who  married  Douglas  Rath- 
bone  and  who.  as  well  as  her  husband,  also  died  at  Washington,  Iowa;  David 
E.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Rosa,  who  is  living 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  363 

on  a  farm  two  miles  west  of  Jamestown,  widow  of  Nathan  Devoe;  Ida,  who 
married  James  Rathbone  and  died  at  Washington,  Iowa;  James,  who  also 
died  at  Washington,  Iowa,  and  Phoebe,  wife  of  Thomas  Dewitt,  of  Spring- 
field, Ohio. 

David  E.  Turner  was  but  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
was  but  thirteen  when  he  was  orphaned  indeed  by  the  death  of  his  mother. 
He  was  reared  in  the  household  of  his  maternal  grandfather.  William  Spahr, 
in  New  Jasper  township  and  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  completed 
his  schooling.  After  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1884  he  for  some  time 
made  his  home  on  the  place  of  his  father-in-law,  James  R.  Sutton,  in  New 
Jasper  township  and  then  bought  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  in  that  same 
township,  on  which  he  made  his  home  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  in  1900,  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  the  Sutton  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  adjoining  his  former  place  on  the  west,  moved  on  to  the 
same  and  has  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence,  he  and  his  wife  living 
in  the  substantial  old  brick  house  which  the  latter's  grandfather,  Jacob 
Sutton,  erected  on  that  place  in  1851. 

On  June  12,  1884,  Mr.  Turner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Ar- 
minta  Sutton,  who  was  born  on  the  place  on  which  she  and  Mr.  Turner  are 
now  living,  daughter  and  only  child  of  James  Raper  and  Catherine  Eliza- 
beth (Greenwood)  Sutton,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  farm 
and  there  spent  all  his  life.  James  Raper  Sutton  was  born  on  October  27, 
1844,  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Smith)  Sutton,  the  former  of  whom  was  a 
son  of  William  G.  Sutton,  who  in  18 12  established  his  home  on  the  tract  of 
land  now  owned  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  and  is  referred  to  in  older  chron- 
icles as  the  first  permanent  settler  in  that  portion  of  Greene  county  com- 
prised within  the  borders  of  New  Jasper  township  and  further  reference  to 
whom,  as  well  as  further  details  regarding  the  history  of  the  Sutton  family, 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work.  James  R.  Sutton  grew  up  on  that  place  and 
after  his  marriage  established  his  home  there.  He  married  Catherine  Eliza- 
beth Greenwood,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of 
Xenia,  May  25,  1846,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Layman)  Green- 
wood, the  former  of  whom  had  come  to  this  county  with  his  parents  from 
Virginia  when  but  a  lad.  Robert  Greenwood  was  married  twice,  his  first 
wife  a  Watkins,  and  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  four  by  each  wife. 
James  R.  Sutton  died  on  March  26,  1900,  and  his  widow  died  on  July  i, 
1906.  They  were  members  of  Mt.  Tabor  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
Mr.  Sutton  was  for  years  a  class  leader  in  the  same. 

To  David  E.  and  Mary  Arminta  (Sutton)  Turner  one  child  was  born, 
a  daughter,  Susan  Elizabeth,  who  married  Ray  Fudge,  who  lives  on  the 
farm  adjoining  that  of  the  Turners,  and  has  two  children,   Russell   David 


364  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  Frances  J.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  are  members  of  Mt.  Tabor  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  Mr.  Turner  being  the  present  class  leader  as  well  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  and  a  steward.  He  also  is  serving  at 
present  as  district  steward  of  the  church  and  formerly  and  for  years  served 
as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  By  political  inclination  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. 


HON.  JOHN  M.  MILLER. 

Not  once  but  several  times  in  this  work  the  reader  will  have  noticed 
references  to  the  high  character  of  the  work  done  in  the  old  Beaver  grade 
school  in  Beavercreek  township  in  the  days  of  a  past  generation  when  that 
school,  which  was  giving  a  course  akin  to  that  of  the  present  high  school, 
had  a  reputation  of  more  than  local  note.  In  those  days  twenty  dollars  a 
month  was  regarded  as  fair  pay  for  the  school  teacher,  but  John  M.  Miller, 
during  the  time  he  had  charge  of  the  Beaver  grade  school,  was  paid  one 
hundred  dollars  a  month,  a  testimony  to  his  fitness  for  the  position  that 
cannot  be  misunderstood.  In  that  day  the  Beaver  grade  school  ranked 
higher  than  the  seminary  at  Xenia  and  the  academies  at  Dayton  and  young 
men  from  both  of  these  towns  gladly  placed  themselves  under  the  tutelage 
of  Mr.  Miller,  who  taught  surveying  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  branches 
of  learning  that  constituted  the  course  in  the  old  grade  school.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  Mr.  Miller  was  representing  this  district  in  the  Legis- 
lature. 

Hon.  John  M.  Miller  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1830,  and  was  ten  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents, 
Robert  and  Nancy  (Minnich)  Miller,  the  family  locating  in  this  county  in 
1840.  Five  vears  later  the  Miller  family  moved  to  Indiana,  but  seven 
years  later,  in  1852,  John  M.  Miller  returned  to  Greene  county  and  in  that 
same  year  entered  Miami  University,  from  which  institution  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1856.  He  then  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  Xenia  and  in  1859  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  In  1862  he  was  elected  to  represent  this  legislative 
district  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  was  ser\ing  in  that 
capacity  when  he  died  on  January  9,  1863,  a  contemporary  account  stating 
that  the  arduous  labors  of  his  legislative  service  undoubtedly  hastened  his 
death.  Mr.  Miller  left  a  widow  and  two  children,  a  son,  Charles  Edward, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  and  a  daughter,  Luella,  who  is 
still  living  with  her  mother  in  the  old  Harbein  home  at  .Alpha.  Mrs.  Miller 
was  born  at  Alpha,  Hetty  M.  Harbein,  daughter  of  Jolm  and  Hetty  (Herr) 
Harbein,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  John 
Harbein  having  been  regarded  in  his  day  as  perhaps  the  wealthiest  man  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  365 

Greene  county.  The  Harbein  place  at  Alpha,  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Miller 
and  her  daughter,  is  perhaps  richer  in  historic  associations  than  any  single 
spot  connected  with  the  development  of  Greene  county,  for  on  that  spot 
stood  the  little  log  cabin  of  Owen  Davis  in  which  was  held  the  meeting  at 
which  formal  organization  of  Greene  county  was  effected  in  1803  and  in 
which  the  first  court  held  in  Greene  county  performed  its  functions. 

An  older  chronicle  refers  to  John  M.  Miller  as  having  been  essentially 
a  self-made  man,  and  continues  the  narrative  thus:  "His  father  being  poor, 
he  was  obliged  to  devote  his  minor  years  to  helping  on  the  home  farm — 
inclement  weather  only  being  called  his  own.  On  such  days  he  toiled  with 
the  axe,  maul  and  mattock — cutting  cordwood,  splitting  rails  and  clearing 
ground — to  earn  means  to  purchase  books  and  pay  for  tuition  when  he 
could  go  to  school.  His  evenings  were  all  spent  in  study  (his  page  being 
lighted  from  scraps  of  burning  bark),  and  by  diligent  application  he  soon 
got  to  master  the  elementary  branches  and  was  able  to  teach  a  common 
school.  By  alternate  teaching  and  rough  manual  labor  he  husbanded  enough 
to  commence  a  college  course.  It  was  yet,  however,  to  be  much  interrupted 
and  himself  to  be  reduced  to  many  straits  before  it  was  completed — losing 
at  one  time  a  year  and  a  half,  and  in  all,  two  years  of  a  four-years  course. 
The  question  is,  in  the  reader's  mind,  'Did  he  graduate?'  Yes!  'How  did 
he  rank?'  Number  one!  'What!  in  two  years  of  study?'  Exactly  so — and 
this  not  consecutive,  but  made  up,  in  truth,  of  mere  fragments  of  time. 
Moreover,  he  added  both  German  and  French  to  the  usual  college  course. 
And  here  we  may  safely  rest  the  claims  of  Mr.  M.  to  genius  and  persever- 
ance; for  we  doubt  if  any  other  institution  in  the  United  States  has  recorded 
such  an  achievement.  We  once  read  of  one  who  performed  such  a  feat,  but 
who  won,  at  the  same  time  the  honors  of  the  martyr  and  the  victor. 

"Mr.  M.  was  very  tall  and  rather  slender,  but  he  was  as  straight  as  an 
arrow.  His  head  was  very  well  shaped.  His  hair  was  dark  and  worn 
rather  long  his  beard  was  full,  but  thin ;  and  his  features  were  regu- 
lar, but  slightly  prominent.  His  manners  were  very  inviting,  his  disposition 
genial,  and  his  friendship  sincere  and  cordial.  As  a  representative  he  was 
faithful  to  his  trust — always  at  his  post  and  always  attentive  to  what  was 
passing  before  him.  He  was  a  very  good  speaker  and  reasoned  well,  and 
with  careful  culture  would  have  soon  become  a  leading  man  in  the  state." 


EZRA  BROWN. 


Ezra  Brown,  trustee  of  New  Jasper  township  and  the  owner  of  a  farm 
on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Xenia,  in  that  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
this  countv  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life,  now  living  practically  retired,  he 


366  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  his  wife  being  very  comfortably  situated  at  their  home  just  north  of 
the  village  of  New  Jasper.  Mr.  Brown  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek 
township  on  February  6,  1855,  son  of  James  and  Rachel  (Powers)  Brown, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  state,  the  former  in  Belmont  county 
and  the  latter  in  Clinton  county,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Greene 
county,  where  James  Brown  had  resided  since  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood. 

James  Brown  was  born  in  1816  and  grew  up  in  Belmont  county,  where 
he  was  born,  his  parents,  Richard  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Brown,  having  Ijeen 
pioneers  of  that  county.  Richard  Brown  and  his  wife  were  Methodists  and 
their  last  days  were  spent  in  Belmont  county.  Their  son  James  was  early 
trained  as  a  brickmason  and  as  a  young  man  came  to  Greene  county  to  estab- 
lish himself  as  a  building  contractor  and  for  some  time  worked  at  that 
vocation  in  and  about  Paintersville,  his  first  contract  there  having  been  the 
erection  of  the  old  Beal  house  near  that  village.  He  later  bought  a  farm  in 
Silvercreek  township  and  having  married  meanwhile,  established  his  home 
there,  remaining  on  that  farm  until  1865,  when  he  sold  that  place  and 
bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  New  Jasper  township,  the 
place  where  his  eldest  son,  Cyrus  Brown,  is  now  living,  making  his  resi- 
dence on  that  place  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to 
Paintersville.  There  he  opened  a  grocery  store  and  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  August,  1886,  he  then  being  past  sev- 
enty years  of  age.  James  Brown  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  lime 
served  as  assessor  of  New  Jasper  township.  In  addition  to  his  other  activ- 
ities he  was  for  years  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  stockmen  in  that  part 
of  the  county,  he  and  Squire  Clemens  having  long  been  engaged  together 
in  the  breeding  of  fine  horses  and  mules.  He  and  his  wife  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mrs.  Brown  died  in  May,  1893.  She 
was  born,  Rachel  Powers,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  in  1812. 
daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary  Pov/ers,  who  had  a  farm  in  that  county  and 
who  spent  their  last  days  there.  Edward  Powers  was  born  in  Ireland  and 
when  nineteen  years  of  age  left  that  country  in  order  to  evade  army  service 
and  came  to  America  as  a  stowaway,  hiding  beneath  household  goods,  on 
a  vessel  that  was  six  weeks  in  making  the  passage.  He  brought  with  him 
a  gim  which  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family.  After  looking  about  in 
the  East,  Edward  Powers  came  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Clinton  county,  where 
he  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  and 
where  his  daughter  Rachel  was  living  when  she  married  James  Brown.  To 
that  union  were  born  seven  children,  namely:  Cyrus,  who  is  still  living  on 
the  old  home  place  in  New  Jasper  township;  Mary  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
Lewis   Lane;   Lami,   who   died   in  youth;  John,   who  became   a   farmer   in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  367 

Xenia  townsliip  and  there  died  in  1912;  Marshall,  a  farmer  of  New  Jasper 
township;  Ezra,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Rachel  Ann, 
wife  of  Charles  Harrison,  of  Lima,  Ohio. 

Ezra  Brown  was  about  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Silvercreek  township,  where  he  was  born,  to  New  Jasper  township  and 
his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  schools  of  the  latter  township.  As  a 
young  man  he  was  for  three  years  engaged  working  on  the  farm  of  his 
brother  Marshall,  making  his  home  with  the  latter.  He  then  for  several 
years  was  employed  variously  in  the  neighborhood,  mainly  engaged  in 
farm  work,  and,  in  the  meantime  having  married,  then  rented  a  farm  on 
which  he  made  his  home  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1897, 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  just  north  of  the  village  of 
New  Jasper,  the  fields  of  which,  since  1914,  he  has  rented  out.  Mr.  Brown 
has  a  farm  of  ninety-nine  acres.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  serving  his  third 
term  as  trustee  of  his  home  township.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper. 

On  January  23,  1887,  Ezra  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Letitia  Spahr,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  San  ford  and  Eliza  Spahr,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families 
in  the  county.  Sanford  Spahr  was  a  son  of  Mathias  and  Susanne  ( Hagler) 
Spahr,  both  natives  of  Virginia.  His  father,  John  V.  Spahr,  lived  and  died 
in  Virginia.  Mathias  Spahr  was  a  brother  of  Philip  Spahr,  who  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper  township.  Mathias  Spahr  set- 
tled in  Xenia  township  on  a  farm  owned  by  Clark  Bickett.  Sanford  Spahr 
moved  from  this  county  over  into  Indiana  many  years  ago  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Randolph  county,  liis  daughter  (now  Mrs.  Brown)  then  having 
been  but  four  years  of  age. 


MICHAEL  BROWN. 


Michael  Brown,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Fairfield  pike  about  two 
miles  northwest  of  Yellow  Springs,  in  Miami  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
the  Emerald  Isle,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  country  since  the  days  of 
his  boyhood.  He  was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ireland,  December  15,  1838, 
and  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country.  For  two 
years  after  his  arrival  on  this  side  he  worked  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
then  came  to  Ohio  and  began  working  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedar- 
ville  in  this  county.  He  later  worked  on  the  railroad  and  in  the  stone 
quarries.  Some  lime  later  Mr.  Brown  bought  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Clifton,  but  three  years  later  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  returned  to 
Cedarville,  where  he  remained  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time 


368  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  decided  to  resume  farming  and  in  1874  bought  the  farm  of  fifty-one  acres 
on  which  he  is  now  hving.  He  also  owns  a  twenty-acre  tract  south  of 
Yellow  Springs. 

In  September,  i860,  Michael  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Day,  who  died  on  February  10,  1909.  To  that  union  were  born  eight 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  those  who  grew  to  maturity  being 
the  following:  Margaret,  who  is  living  at  home;  John,  a  farmer,  living  in 
the  vicinity  of  Yellow  Springs;  Martha,  wife  of  John  Meehan,  who  has  one 
daughter,  Martha;  Thomas,  who  is  at  home  in  general  charge  of  the  farm; 
Mary  Ann,  who  died  in  1907,  and  Ellen,  wife  of  David  Bailey,  living  near 
Allentown,  Ohio.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Yellow  Springs. 


WILLIAM  A.  PAXSON. 


The  Paxsons  have  been  represented  in  this  county  ever  since  the  year 
1804,  that  having  been  the  date  of  the  coming  here  of  the  family  from 
Pennsylvania  and  their  settlement  in  Beavercreek  township.  Aaron  Paxson 
was  a  son  of  James  Paxson,  whose  wife,  Cynthia,  was  for  years  one  of  the 
most  influential  Quaker  ministers  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  he  thus 
was  reared  amid  excellent  surroundings  and  in  a  manner  conducing  to 
sobriety  of  demeanor  and  steadfastness  of  purpose.  James  Paxson  married 
Cynthia  Beal  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Pennsylvania,  having 
become  established  in  Fayette  county,  that  state,  until  his  death  about  the 
year  1804.  Then  his  family  came  to  Ohio  with  his  uncle  Isaac  and 
his  mother  and  settled  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county.  Aaron 
Paxson  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  May  2"],  1797, 
and  was  thus  but  seven  years  of  age  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Greene 
county.  He  grew  to  manhood  here  and  in  June,  1820,  married  Susanna 
Wall,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  established  a  home  of  his  own  in  Beavercreek 
township,  reared  his  family  there  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  December  11.  1884,  he  then  being  eighty- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  he  was  buried  in  tlie  Beaver  Creek  cemetery.  He 
was  thrice  married  and  was  the  father  of  eleven  children  lay  his  first  wife. 
John  Paxson,  one  of  the  sons  of  Aaron  Paxson,  followed  'the  sober  and 
straightforward  course  of  his  Quaker  ancestors  and  in  due  time  made  for 
himself  a  home  in  tlie  Beavercreek  neighborhood.  He  married  Louisa  Le 
Valley  and  to  tliat  union  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  biographical  sketch  was  the  first-born  and  all  of  whom  lived  to 
maturity.     Louisa  Le  \'alley  was  a  daughter  of  John  Le  Valley,  who  had 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  369 

come  to  America  from  France  with  General  Lafayette  and  was  an  aid-de- 
camp on  the  latter's  staff.  Her  mother  was  of  the  family  with  which  John 
Smith  of  Jamestown  colony  fame  was  connected. 

William  A.  Paxson,  eldest*  of  the  five  children  born  to  John  and  Louisa 
(Le  Valley)  Paxson,  was  born  on  the  old  Paxson  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township,  this  county,  July  6,  1850,  and  was  there  reared  to  manhood. 
His  early  schooling  was  received  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  When 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  found  that  he  had  exhausted  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  neighborhood  school  and  he  then  began  attendance  on  the 
schools  at  Jamestown,  four  miles  away,  walking  daily  to  and  from  the 
school,  and  he  recalls  that  during  that  course  and  despite  often  adverse 
weather  conditions  and  other  handicaps  he  did  not  miss  a  day  of  school 
during  that  period  of  attendance.  Thus  equipped  by  preliminary  study 
Mr.  Paxson  then  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  and  there  pursued  his 
studies  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  licensed  to  teach 
school  and  for  one  term  taught  in  what  then  was  known  as  the  Larkin 
school,  resuming  his  place  on  the  farm  in  the  following  spring.  In  the 
meantime  Mr.  Paxson  had  been  devoting  such  leisure  as  he  could  command 
to  the  study  of  law  under  the  preceptorship  of  J.  A.  Sexton  at  Xenia  and 
in  due  time  matriculated  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1874  and  was  in  that  same  spring  admitted  to 
the  bar.  During  his  attendance  at  law  school  Mr.  Paxson  was  associated 
with  the  law  firm  of  Donham  &  Foraker  at  Cincinnati  and  upon  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  was  inclined  to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  the  city,  but  the  state  of  his  health  having  become  somewhat  reduced 
he  was  advised  by  his  physician  to  get  out  of  the  city.  Following  this 
advice  he  located  at  Washington  Court  House,  county  seat  of  the  neighbor- 
ing county  of  Fayette,  there  became  associated  in  practice  with  Col.  S.  F. 
Kerr  and  continued  thus  engaged  in  that  city  until  his  return  in  1876 
to  Greene  county  and  location  at  Jamestown,  where  he  ever  since  has  made 
his  home  and  where  he  has  continued  his  law  practice. 

In  addition  to  carrying  on  his  law  practice  Mr.  Paxson  has  for  years 
been  personally  interested  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  owns  land  in  this 
county  and  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  acres  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Fayette.  In  the  development  of  his  properties  he  has  followed  a  system 
carefully  thought  out  years  ago  that  has  been  beneficial  to  the  whole  com- 
munity, for  the  example  set  by  him  in  his  agricultural  operations  has  been 
followed  with  advantage  and  profit  by  many  others.  That  he  early  gave 
his  thoughtful  attention  to  the  subject  of  the  betterment  of  farming  con- 
ditions was  shown  years  ago  when  he  secured  the  first  prize  in  a  contest 
for  the  best  article  upon  the  subject  of  "Tile  Drainage  of  Farm  Lands" 

(23) 


37°  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  the  second  prize  in  a  similar  contest  upon  the  subject  of  "System  in 
Farming,"  conducted  by  two  of  the  leading  agricultural  papers  in  the  United 
States,  both  of  which  were  hotly  contested;  while  in  his  great  poem,  "The 
Rented  Farm,"  which  originally  appeared  *in  the  Stockman  (Pittsburgh) 
and  which,  by  request,  has  been  reprinted  in  that  journal  no  fewer  than  a 
half  dozen  times  (a  very  great  compliment  to  the  writer),  as  well  as  copied 
by  other  farm  journals  and  various  newspapers  all  over  the  countn,-,  gave  to 
the  world  a  most  valuable  word-picture  of  a  condition  that  has  faced  the 
fanner  from  time  immemorial,  and  it  is  undoubted  that  the  lesson  there 
conveyed  has  been  heeded  with  advantage  and  comfort  by  many.  In  pass- 
ing, it  is  but  proper  to  state  that  Mr.  Paxson's  "The  Rented  Farm"  is  pre- 
sented in  the  "Sidelights"  chapter  of  the  historical  section  of  this  work  and 
is  thus  definitely  preserved  as  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  literary  develop- 
ment of  Greene  county. 

Mr.  Paxson  also  is  a  writer  on  various  other  subjects  besides  that  of 
agriculture  and  has  been  a  wide  contributor  to  the  press  on  political,  social, 
legal  and  religious  topics.  He  has  from  the  days  of  his  youth  been  a  con- 
stant reader,  and  has  accumulated  an  excellent  library  at  his  home  in  James- 
town. In  1901  he  published  a  story  of  rural  life  in  Ohio  under  the  title 
of  "A  Buckeye  Baron,"  which  received  considerable  favoraljle  attention  on 
the  part  of  the  reviewers.  The  book  is  generously  illustrated-  with  pictures 
of  scenes  about  Clifton  and  as  much  of  the  narrative  of  the  story  has  to 
do  with  what  must  be  recognized  as  conditions  common  to  that  section  of 
Greene  county  the  "local  atmosphere"  of  the  story  is  thus  strengthened. 
There  is  a  suggestion  of  an  autobiographic  quality  about  "A  Buckeye  Baron" 
that  lends  an  additional  interest  to  the  tale  in  the  minds  of  the  friends  of 
the  author.  Both  by  tradition  and  by  preference  a  Republican,  Mr.  Pax- 
son,  in  his  political  views  reserves  the  same  right  to  independence  of  expres- 
sion as  he  reserves  in  the  expression  of  his  religious  views  and  his  views 
on  other  basic  phases  of  social  life.  Though  nominally  a  Methodist,  Mr. 
Paxson  has  never  been  regarded  as  strictly  orthodo.x  in  his  observance  of 
the  tenets  of  that  communion.  "They  have  Moses  and  the  prophets,  let 
them  hear  them" — each  one  for  himself,  is  his  doctrine.  Mr.  Paxson  has 
been  a  wide  traveler  and  has  given  his  thoughtful  attention  to  the  problems 
of  government  revealed  to  him  in  his  travels.  His  simple  creed  is  summed 
up  in  the  following  expressive  little  poem  written  by  him  many  years  ago : 

I  want  not  gains  begot  by  pelf, 

But  what  I   honest  earn  myself; 

I  crave  not  piles  and  hoards  of  wealth. 

But  I  do  wish  for  strength  and  health, 

My  family  good  and  true  and  pure, 

Endowed  with  virtues  that  endure. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  37I 

No   honest   debts    unliquidater 

No  reputation   overrated; 

Uncursed  amidst  the  harpy  tribe, 

Untainted   by   the   guilty   bribe; 

A  faith  in  God,  who  doeth  right. 

Unmoved  by  wrong,  though  backed  by  might; 

No  orphan's  cry  to  wound  my  ear, 

My  conscience   and   my   honor  clear. 

Thus  may  I  calmly  meet  my  end, 

Thus  to  the  grave  in  peace  descend; 

And  when  I'm  gone,  I'd  have  it  said 

"We're  sory  that  our   neighbor's   dead." 

It  will  comfort  me  in  dying,  to  feel  that  it  is  true, 

That  the  world  is  sonveway  better  for  my  having  traveled  through. 

On  January  24,  1875,  while  living  at  Washington  Court  House,  Will- 
iam A.  Paxson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca  C.  Rankin,  daughter  of 
William  C.  and  Jemima  (Doan)  Rankin,  of  Fayette  county,  and  to  this 
union  were  born  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others 
being  Rankin,  born  on  December  25,  1875,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five 
years;  Frostie,  wife  of  F.  H.  Moyer,  chief  engineer  of  the  Cambria  Steel 
Works  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  and  William  Stanley,  born  on  January 
17,  1890.  ^Villiam  Stanley  Paxson  was  graduated  from  the  Jamestown  high 
school  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  youngest  member  of  a  graduating 
class  in  the  history"  of  that  school,  and  was  awarded  a  scholarship  in  Ohio 
Wesleyan  University  on  account  of  the  excellence  of  his  grades.  In  his 
sophomore  year  in  this  latter  institution  he  was  made  president  of  his  class. 
He  left  there  in  his  junior  year  and  took  up  the  study  of  law  under  the 
preceptorship  of  his  father,  later  entering  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  honors  after  a  three-years  course,  receiving 
a  prize  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  having  attained  the  highest  grades  in 
the  class  during  the  entire  three  years.  In  January,  1913.  he  began  the 
practice  of  law  at  Cincinnati  and  is  still  located  in  that  city,  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Long  &  Paxson.  In  May,  1916,  William  S.  Paxson  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Amanda  Maul,  of  Kentucky,  and  to  this  union  one  child 
has  been  born,  a  son,  William  Stanley,  born  on  June  22,  1917. 


EDWARD  HACKETT. 


In  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  Charles  H.  Hackett,  postmaster 
at  Yellow  Springs,  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  something  of  the 
history  of  the  Hackett  familv  in  Greene  countv  and  of  the  coming  of  James 
Hackett  and  family  to  this  county  and  their  settlement  in  Miami  township 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  but  a  boy.     James  Hackett  and  his  wife, 


372  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Ellen  Cavanaugh,  were  born  in  Ireland,  but  were  married  at  Springfield, 
Ohio,  where  for  some  time  James  Hackett  was  engaged  in  railroading.  He 
then  came  down  into  Greene  county  with  his  family  and  after  a  while  settled 
on  the  old  R.  B.  Harvison  farm,  where  he  spent  several  years.  He  then 
moved  to  the  Turner  farm,  later  to  the  Harper  farm,  then  to  the  Josejih 
Humphrey  farm,  then  bought  the  old  King  farm  south  of  Clifton  and  lived 
there  twenty  years  His  health  failed  and  he  went  to  make  his  home  with 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  John  Downey,  where  he  died  in  1916.  His  wife  died 
in  1914. 

Of  the  ten  children  born  to  James  Hackett  and  wife  and  whose  names 
are  set  out  in  the  narrative  above  referred  to,  Edward  Hackett,  the  well- 
known  blacksmith  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  He 
was  born  at  Defiance,  Ohio,  February  20,  1870,  and  was  but  a  child  when 
his  parents  located  in  Greene  county.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the 
Turner  school  and  at  Clifton  and  remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when  he  took  up  blacksmithing  in  the  shop  of  M.  M. 
Murray  at  Yellow  Springs.  Not  long  afterward  he  resumed  farming,  but 
four  years  later  returned  to  blacksmithing  and  for  two  years  was  engaged 
in  that  business  at  Yellow  Springs  in  association  with  S.  W.  Cox.  Two 
years  later  Mr.  Hackett  bought  S.  W.  Cox  out  in  the  place  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  business  there  alone,  continuing  to  occupy  the  same  old 
stand  on  Walnut  street  where  he  began  business  many  years  ago.  Mr. 
Hackett  is  a  Democrat  and  a  Catholic.  On  November  21,  191 7,  Mr.  Hackett 
was  married  to  Katherine  Ouinn,  of  Clark  county,  Ohio.  She  was  born 
on  March  3,  1872. 


JOHN  GRAHAM  BUICK. 

John  Graham  Buick,  a  farmer  of  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood, 
is  one  of  those  fortunate  individuals  who  have  never  been  disturbed  by 
a  change  of  residence,  he  still  residing  in  the  house  in  which  he  was  born 
on  November  i,  1855,  the  house  in  which  his  parents  spent  their  last  days. 
These  parents  were  William  and  Janet  (Syme)  Buick,  natives  of  Scot- 
land, the  former  born  in  1810  and  the  latter,  January  20,  181 1,  who  were 
married  in  August,   1848,  and  who  came  to  this  country  in  1853. 

William  Buick  was  a  stonemason  and  the  first  work  he  performed  in 
his  line  upon  coming  here  was  in  helping  to  build  Antioch  College  at  Yellow 
Spring.  He  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  village, 
the  place  now  owned  by  his  son,  John  G.,  and  there  established  his  home, 
carrying  on  farming  operations  in  addition  to  his  labors  as  a  stonemason, 
and  he  was  thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on 


JOHN  G.  BUICK  AND  DAUGHTER,  JANET  BLANCHE. 
Ai>]ile  Tree  in  Background  wiis  Planted  in  18.")4  by  William  Buicli. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  373 

February  3,  1861.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  that  same  house  on  October  15,  1892.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last  born,  the 
others  being:  Margaret  S.,  who  was  born  in  1849  iri  the  village  of  Dun- 
fermline, in  Fifeshire,  Scotland,  the  same  village  in  which  Andrew  Car- 
negie was  born ;  James,  who  was  born  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  September  2, 
1850,  and  who  died  in  1883,  and  William,  born  at  Yellow  Springs,  who 
died  in  childhood. 

Reared  on  the  home  place  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow  Springs, 
John  G.  Buick  completed  his  local  schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  then 
took  a  course  in  the  Normal  School  at  Lebanon,  after  which  he  resumed 
his  place  on  the  home  farm  and  has  ever  since  been  operating  the  same, 
continuing  there  to  make  his  residence  in  the  house  in  which  he  was  born. 
Mr.  Buick  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father,  the  latter  having  voted  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  for  President  of  the  United  States,  but  the  only  public 
office  he  has  held  has  been  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton. 

On  October  12,  1915,  John  Graham  Buick  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mrs.  Etta  Blanche  (Callison)  Campbell,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  to  this 
union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter,  Janet  Blanche,  bom  on  May  8, 
1917.  By  her  previous  marriage  Mrs.  Buick  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  a 
son,  Horace  A.  Campbell,  who  was  born  on  August  24,  191 1.  Mrs.  Buick 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  daughter  of  Willard  E.  and 
Jennie  (Dudley)  Callison,  who  are  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Hustead,  in 
that  county,  where  Mr.  Callison  is  engaged  in  market  gardening.  Mrs. 
Buick  has  one  brother,  Arges  Carl  Callison,  who  married  Mabel  Weaver 
and  lives  at  Springfield,  and  two  sisters,  Ethel  May,  who  married  Albert 
Beeler,  a  Clark  county  farmer,  and  has  three  children,  Harold,  Ruth  and 
Louise;  and  Leva  Margaret  Callison.  who  is  living  at  Springfield. 


FRANCIS  MARION  THOMAS. 

For  more  than  a  hundred  years,  or  ever  since  the  days  of  the  early 
settlement  of  the  Painters  Run  region  in  this  county,  the  Thomases,  the 
Beesons  and  the  Bayliffs  have  been  represented  in  that  neighborhood.  It 
was  in  1802  that  Joshua  and  Margaret  (Fry)  Bayliff  left  their  home  in  the 
vicinity  of  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  came  down  the  Ohio  river,  having 
fitted  out  a  tiatboat  at  Wheeling,  and  stopped  at  the  then  mere  river  hamlet 
of  Cincinnati,  where  they  remained  for  about  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  they  came  on  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  and  settled 


374  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

on  a  tract  of  land  along  Painters  Run,  in  the  vicinity  of  Paintersville.  in 
Caesarscreek  township,  this  county.  These  pioneers  had  eight  children, 
Joshua,  Margaret,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Susanna,  Anna,  Polly  Ann  and  Daniel. 
About  the  time  that  the  Bayliffs  settled  there  Jacob  and  Ellen  Thomas,  with 
their  four  sons,  Benjamin,  Henry,  Arthur  and  Francis,  and  their  daughter, 
Hannah,  arrived  in  the  settlement  and  located  on  a  tract  nearby  the  Bayliff 
home,  the  two  families  quickly  becoming  fast  friends  and  neighbors.  Ben- 
jamin Thomas  married  Elizabeth  Bayliff  and  Henry  Thomas  married  Sus- 
anna Bayliff  and  thus  there  early  created  something  more  than  a  mere 
neighborly  bond  between  the  two  families.  The  tract  on  which  the  family 
of  Jacob  Thomas  settled  upon  their  arrival  in  this  county  is  now  owned  by 
Mrs.  Joshua  Devoe.  After  his  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Bayliff,  Benjamin 
Thomas  established  his  home  on  that  part  of  his  father's  original  tract  now 
owned  by  Raper  Bales,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  ot 
their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely :  Polly,  who  mar- 
ried Simon  Harness;  Hannah,  who  married  Lewis  Bales;  Ellen,  who  mar- 
ried Steele  Dean;  Joshua,  who  married  Martha  Lucas;  Margaret,  who  mar- 
ried William  Cottrell;  Catherine,  who  married  John  Underwood,  and  Jacob, 
who  married  Eliza  Beeson,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  in  1837,  was  one  of  the 
fourteen  children  born  to  Thomas  and  Keziah  Beeson,  well-known  pioneers 
along  the  Paintersville  road  about  three  miles  south  of  the  village  of  New 
Jasper,  in  that  part  of  the  county  that  in  the  summer  of  1853  was  set  off  as 
the  township  of  New  Jasper. 

Jacob  Thomas  was  lx)rn  in  that  part  of  the  county  that  in  1858  was 
set  off  as  Jefferson  township,  January  30,  1831,  and  grew  up  on  the  home 
farm.  He  married  Eliza  Beeson  and  established  his  home  close  by  the  old 
home  farm  and  a  few  years  later  settled  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  acres  in  New  Jasper  township,  where  he  died  on  January  13, 
1 87 1,  he  then  lacking  but  seventeen  days  of  being  forty  years  of  age.  He 
was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Mt.  Carmel 
Methodist  Protestant  church,  not  far  from  their  home.  Mr.  Thomas's 
widow  did  not  remarry  and  survived  her  husband  until  September,  1893. 
Jacob  and  Eliza  (Beeson)  Thomas  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
namely:  Keziah.  now  living  at  Xenia,  widow  of  William  Albert  Smith; 
Joshua,  who  died  on  November  18,  1863,  at  the  age  of  four  3'ears;  Benja- 
min, who  died  on  November  30,  1863,  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Lydia,  born 
on  June  7,  1S62,  who  on  September  18,  1879,  married  Jacob  R.  Jones  and 
is  now  living  at  Mt.  Tabor,  this  county;  Alice,  born  on  August  7,  1864,  who 
married  J.  C.  Bales  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased,  her 
death  having  occurred  on  January  4,  1892;  Loretta,  born  on  April  10, 
1866,  who  married  Frank  M.  Spahr  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  also 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  375 

is  deceased,  her  death  having  occurred  on  June  i,  1915;  Francis  Marion, 
the  subject  of  this  biographical  review,  and  Jacob  Lewis,  born  on  May  8, 
1870,  now  a  resident  of  Logan  county,  this  state,  who  married  Ida  Hite 
and  lias  two  children. 

Francis  Marion  Thomas,  seventh  in  the  order  of  birth  of  the  eight 
children  born  to  Jacob  and  Eliza  (Beeson)  Thomas,  was  born  on  the  home 
farm  a  mile  and  a  quarter  south  of  New  Jasper  on  February  i,  1868.  He 
was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and  he  thus  early  became 
an  active  factor  in  the  labors  of  the  home  farm,  the  operations  of  which 
were  maintained  by  his  mother,  leaving  school  at  a  somewhat  earlier  age 
than  was  the  custom.  A  couple  of  months  after  his  mother's  death  he  mar- 
ried and  took  charge  of  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law,  Cyrus  Brown,  in  New 
Jasper  township,  making  his  home  there  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  and  Mr.  Brown  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seven- 
ty-one acres,  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  that  same  township,  and 
there  he  since  has  made  his  home.  A  few  years  after  forming  that  land 
partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Thomas  bought  Mr.  Brown's  inter- 
est in  the  place  and  in  1913  bought  a:n  adjoining  tract  of  fifty-three  acres 
and  now  has  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  acres.  In  1909  he 
erected  on  that  place  a  fine  new  farm  house.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  Mr.  Thomas  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
Poland  China  hogs.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  has  served  as  a  member  «f 
the  local  school  board. 

On  November  2,  1893,  Francis  M.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Alice  L.  Brown,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of 
Cyrus  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Brown,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  else- 
where in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter, 
Grace  E.  Thomas,  now  (1918)  a  senior  in  Ohio  Wesleyan  Universitv  at 
Delaware.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  and  their  daughter  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper  and  Mr.  Thomas  is  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  church. 


CHARLES  J.  MELLINGER. 

One  of  the  young  farmers  of  Miami  township  is  Charles  J.  Mellinger, 
who  was  born  in  Clarke  county,  Ohio,  July  16,  1882,  the  son  of  B.  F.  and 
Emma  L.  (Johnson)  Mellinger,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Clark 
county,  Ohio,  and  the  latter  of  Greene  county. 

B.  F.  Mellinger  comes  of  Pennsylvania  stock,  his  parents  being  natives 
of  that  state,  who  came  to  Clark  county  in  an  early  day.  In  1876  he  mar- 
ried   Emma    L.    Johnson,    the    daughter    of    Asahel     B.     and     Marv    A. 


376  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

(Gilmore)  Johnson,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who 
came  to  Greene  county,  Ohio,  in  an  early  day,  settling  at  first  at  Clifton, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business  with  his  brother. 
Later  he  moved  to  Yellow  Springs.  A.  B.  Johnson  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  three  children:  Frank  W.,  a  farmer  living  near  Yellow  Springs;  Charles 
S.,  now  in  the  wall  paper  business  at  Xenia,  formerly  county  coroner  and 
deputy  probate  judge,  and  Emma  L.,  who  became  the  wife  of  B.  F.  Mel- 
linger,  and  who  died  February  4,  191 7.  Mr.  Mellinger  was  a  farmer  in 
Clark  county  for  many  years,  but  is  now  retired  from  active  farm  work  and 
lives  in  Yellow  Springs. 

Charles  J.  Mellinger  is  the  only  child  of  his  parents,  and  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  attending  the  common  schools  of  his 
township,  and  later  becoming  a  student  of  the  high  school  at  Springfield  for 
two  years.  After  leaving  high  school  he  took  a  commercial  course  in  Wilt's 
Business  College  at  Dayton,  after  which  he  was  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for 
the  Springfield  Meat  Company  for  two  years.  He  then  took  a  short  coyse 
in  agriculture  in  Ohio  University,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  after  which  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Clark  county  where  he  remained  until  1910,  when  he 
moved  to  his  present  farm  near  Yellow  Springs.  This  farm  was  owned  by 
his  mother  for  many  years  before  her  death,  after  which  it  was  inherited 
by  him.  Mr.  Mellinger  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  Jersey  cattle,  having  among  his  herd  many  show 
cattle. 

In  May,  1901,  Mr.  Mellinger  was  married  to  Geraldine  Hathaway, 
daughter  of  Lewis  P.  and  Amanda  (Brown)  Hathaway,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  farmer  ot  Warren  county,  Ohio,  and  is  now  deceased,  his  death  hav- 
ing occurred  in  June,  191 7.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three  daughters: 
Janet  E.,  Emma  A.  and  Mary  Gretchen.  Mr.  Mellinger  is  independent  in 
politics. 


WILLIAM  HENRY  HILT. 

William  Henry  Hilt,  manager  of  his  father's  farm  in  i\Iiami  town- 
ship, rural  route  No.  3  out  of  Yellow  Springs,  is  a  native  of  the  neiglibor- 
ing  county  of  Clark,  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  north  of  the  city  of  Spring- 
field, but  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  1895,  in  which  year 
his  parents  moved  down  here  and  became  landowners  in  Miami  township. 
He  was  born  on  January  29,  1874,  son  of  David  and  Nancy  Ann  (Hum- 
barger)  Hilt,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Wurtem- 
burg,  and  the  latter  in  Clark  county,  this  state,  who  are  now  living  retired 
in  tlie  \illage  (if  Yellow  Springs  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  T^-]-] 

In  1878  David  Hilt  bought  a  farm  of  fifty-two  acres  in  Greene  town- 
ship, Clark  county,  just  across  the  border  from  Greene  county,  in  the 
Yellow  Springs  neighborhood,  and  moved  onto  the  same,  remaining  there 
until  he  came  over  the  line  into  this  county  in  1895  and  bought  the  farm 
which  he  now  owns  in  Miami  township.  Henry  Hilt  was  therefore  but 
four  years  of  age  when  he  became  a  resident  of  the  Yellow  Springs  neigh- 
borhood. He  finished  his  schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1898  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  his  father's  farm  and 
since  the  retirement  of  his  father  in  1904  has  been  in  charge  of  the  oper- 
ations of  the  same,  carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr. 
Hilt  has  a  well-furnished  home  and  excellent  farm  buildings. 

On  February  28,  1898,  Henry  Hilt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Bertha 
Estella  Pentoney,  who  was  born  on  August  14,  1876,  daughter  of  Nicholas 
M.  and  Harriet  M.  (Collier)  Pentoney,  of  Clark  county,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  bom  in  that  same  county  and  the  former  (now  deceased)  in 
the  state  of  West  Virginia.  Nicholas  M.  Pentoney  and  wife  had  three 
children.  Mrs.  Hilt  having  a  brother,  Thomas  E.,  and  a  sister,  Ida  Lorena. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hilt  are  members  of  Bethel  Lutheran  church.  They  have 
an  adopted  daughter,  Alma  Eleanor,  who  was  born  on  March  21,  1907. 


ALVA  HUSTON   SMITH. 

Alva  Huston  Smith,  former  treasurer  of  New  Jasper  township  and 
proprietor  of  a  farm  of  about  two  hundred  acres  on  the  New  Jasper  pike 
a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  the  village  of  that  name,  situated  on  rural  mail 
route  No.  i  out  of  Jamestown,  was  born  on  the  old  Smith  farm  a  mile 
northeast  of  New  Jasper  on  August  16.  1868,  son  of  James  Marion  and 
Eliza  (Huston)  Smith,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  New  Jasper  town- 
ship and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  the  village  of 
New  Jasper. 

The  late  James  Marion  Smith,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died 
at  his  home  in  New  Jasper  township  on  December  10,  191 1,  was  born  in 
that  township  on  February  14,  1839,  son  of  Daniel  and  Lucinda  (Spahr) 
Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Xenia,  a  daughter  of  Mathias  and  Susanna  (Hagler)  Spahr,  both  members 
of  pioneer  families  in  this  section  of  Ohio,  who  were  married  on  August  8, 
1818.  Daniel  Smith  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  but  a  babe  in  anns  when 
his  parents.  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kimble)  Smith,  drove  through  to  Ohio 
in  1 81 4,  in  company  with  Philip  Spahr  and  family,  and  settled  in  Greene 
county,  locating  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper  township,  the  Smiths  and  the 


3/8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Spahrs  establishing  their  respective  homes  on  adjoining  tracts  of  land. 
Jacob  Smith  became  the  owner  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land  and  his  chil- 
dren in  due  time  were  given  a  good  start  in  life.  He  was  a  cooper  by  trade 
and  for  years  operated  a  cooper  shop  on  his  farm,  his  sons  looking  after 
the  farm  affairs.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  ten  of  these 
children  of  whom  Daniel  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
as  follow :  Sarah,  who  married  William  Spahr ;  Susan,  who  married  David 
Paullin  and  lived  in  Silvercreek  township ;  Phcebe,  who  married  Evan  Harris, 
of  Caesarscreek  township:  Elizabeth,  who  married  James  Spahr;  William, 
who  became  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  made  his 
home  in  Silvercreek  township;  James,  who  also  became  a  Methodist  min- 
ister and  lived  in  Silvercreek  township ;  Nelson,  who  made  his  home  in  New 
Jasper  township;  Catherine,  who  married  Peter  Tressler,  and  Amanda,  who 
married  Stephen  Beal,  of  Cedarville.  Daniel  Smith  grew  up  on  the  pioneer 
farm  on  which  his  father  had  settled  upon  coming  to  this  county  and  after 
his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  east  of  New  Jasper,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1884,  he  then  being 
seventy  years  of  age.  In  addition  to  his  home  farm,  Daniel  Smith  was  the 
owner  of  two  other  farms  in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  was  for  years 
a  class  leader  in  the  old  Mt.  Tabor  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity,  married  and  reared  families  of  their  own. 
Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  James  Marion  Smith  grew 
up  tiiere  and  in  due  time  his  father  helped  him  get  a  farm.  James  M.  Smith 
and  his  brother  David  bought  a  tract  of  fifty  acres  in  partnership  and  for 
some  time  operated  the  same  under  that  arrangement,  but  later  James  M. 
Smith  bought  his  brother's  interest  in  the  tract.  By  that  time  he  had 
acquired  other  land  and  was  thus  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  northeast  of  New  Jasper,  where  he  had  established  his  home  after 
his  marriage.  He  added  to  his  land  holdings  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
five  farms  and  nearly  five  hundred  acres  of  excellent  land.  In  August.  1862, 
James  M.  Smith  enlisted  his  services  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the 
Civil  War  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he 
served  for  two  years  and  six  months,  or  until  he  received  his  honorable  dis- 
charge following  an  accident  which  befell  him  during  the  campaign  in  the 
Wilderness,  an  ax  which  flew  off  its  helve  while  soldiers  were  constructing 
a  breastwork  nearly  cutting  off  one  of  his  feet  and  incapacitating  him  for 
further  service.     For  some  time  he  was  confined  in  a  hospital  at  Washing- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  379 

ton  and  when  he  was  in  a  condition  to  be  removed  his  father  went  East 
and  brought  him  home.  James  M.  Smith  was  a  Repubhcan.  In  addition  to 
liis  general  farming  he  was  engaged  in  cattle  raising.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper  and  was  a  class  leader,  even 
as  his  father  had  been. 

On  October  17,  1866,  James  Marion  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Eliza  Huston,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  on  a  farm  a 
miles  northwest  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  in  1845,  and  who  is  still 
living,  now  a  resident  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  to  which  place  she  moved 
in  1916.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  daughter  of  William  Smith  and  Sarah  (Smith) 
Huston,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  in  1822, 
and  who  died  when  thirty-three  years  of  age.  William  Smith  Huston  was 
bom  in  Knox  county,  Ohio.  January  28,  1821,  and  was  fourteen  years  of 
age  when  his  parents,  Robert  and  Ann  (Lyon)  Huston,  moved  from  that 
county  to  Greene  county  in  1835  and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  now  occu- 
pied by  the  station  of  New  Jasper,  Robert  Huston  there  becoming  the  pos- 
sessor of  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  Originally  a  Whig,  Robert  Huston 
became  a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  the  latter  party.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eleven  of  these  children,  of  whom  William 
Smith  Huston  was  the  first-born  and  all  of  whom  save  Robert  N.,  the  sixth 
in  order  of  birth,  grew  to  maturity,  the  others  having  been  George,  James, 
Josiah,  Mary  L.,  Eliza  Ann,  John,  Deborah  Jane,  Margaret  and  Robert 
Harvev.  All  these  save  Mary  L.,  who  married  and  moved  to  Mt.  Vernon, 
Ohio,  continued  to  make  their  homes  in  Greene  county  and  here  reared 
their  families. 

William  Smith  Huston  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  his 
father  had  settled  upon  coming  to  this  county  and  after  his  marriage  bought 
the  old  Moore  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  nearby  his  father's 
place,  and  there  established  his  home.  He  later  bought  two  other  farms. 
Politically,  he  was  a  Republican  and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  Metho- 
dist. His  last  davs  were  spent  on  the  farm  which  he  had  brought  to  a  high 
state  of  development  and  there  he  died  on  April  29,  1896,  he  then  being 
past  seventy-five  years  of  age.  William  Smith  Huston  was  twice  married. 
His  first  wife,  Sarah  (Smith)  Huston,  died  in  1855  and  he  later  married 
Mrs.  Emily  (Howell)  Fawcett,  a  widow,  who  survived  him  for  seven 
years,  h.er  death  occurring  in  1903.  By  his  first  marriage  Mr.  Huston  was 
the  father  of  three  children,  namely :  Eliza,  widow  of  James  Marion  Smith ; 
Sarah  Jane,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Isaac  Files,  of  Xenia,  and 
Milton,  deceased,  who  lived  on  the  old  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township 


380  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

By  his  second  marriage  he  had  two  sons,  Addison  J.,  a  farmer  in  New  Jasper 
township,  and  John  C,  a  hardware  merchant  at  Xenia.  To  James  M.  and 
Eliza  (Huston)  Smith  were  born  three  children,  namely:  Alva  H.,  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Addison  D.,  who  is  now  living 
on  the  old  home  farm  of  his  grandfather  Huston  in  New  Jasper  township 
and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
and  Jennie,  wife  of  Dr.  George  Davis,  of  Xenia,  a  biographical  sketch  of 
whom  also  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Alva  Huston  Smith  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
there  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  nearby 
Schooley  district  school  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the 
Xenia  high  school.  After  his  marriage  in  1895,  he  and  his  brother  Addi- 
son, who  married  about  that  same  time,  established  their  home  on  the  old 
homestead  place  of  their  grandfather,  Daniel  Smith,  owned  then  by  their 
father,  and  began  farming  that  place,  at  the  same  time  taking  charge  of 
their  father's  adjoining  farms  of  three  hundred  acres.  Thus  they  continued 
in  partnership  for  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  Addison  Smith  bought 
the  old  Huston  place  and  moved  to  the  same.  Alva  H.  Smith  continued  his 
operation  of  the  Smith  farms,  still  maintaining  his  home  in  the  old  Daniel 
Smith  house,  and  after  his  father's  death  came  into  possession  of  that  place, 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres,  on  which  he  still  lives.  He 
bought  a  fifty-acre  tract  adjoining  and  now  has  about  two  hundred  acres. 
The  house  in  which  he  lives,  a  substantial  brick  structure  typical  of  the 
period  in  which  it  was  built,  was  erected  in  1862  by  his  grandfather,  Daniel 
Smith,  and  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation.  It  stands  on  a  rise  over- 
looking Caesars  creek  and  among  the  noble  old  cedar  trees  that  adorn  the 
dooryard  are  two  which  were  grown  from  sprouts  that  were  sent  by  mail 
to  Grandfather  Smith  from  the  latter's  birthplace  in  Hardy  county,  Vir- 
ginia, about  the  year  i860. 

On  December  25,  1895,  Mr.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa  May 
Sutton,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Reason)  Sutton,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Greene 
county,  for  both  the  Suttons  and  the  Reasons  have  been  represented  here  for 
more  than  a  hundred  years,  and  to  tliis  union  has  been  born  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Catherine  Eliza,  born  on  August  14,  1905.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  members  of  the  New  Jasper  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  class  leader,  as  were  his  father  and  his  grandfather  before  him.  For 
the  past  twelve  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
church  and  treasurer  of  the  board.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  and  for  six 
years  served  as  treasurer  of  his  home  township. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  38I 

JOHN  HARVEY  NISBET. 

John  Harvey  Nisbet,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  former  court  bailiff 
for  Greene  county  and  a  painter  and  interior  decorator,  now  living  retired 
at  Cedarville,  was  born  in  Cedarville  and  has  lived  there  most  of  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  June  5,  1842,  son  of  John  C.  and  Mary  (McMillan)  Nisbet, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  Chester  district  of  South  Carolina,  who  were 
married  in  this  county  and  who  spent  their  last  days  here,  both  living  to  be 
eighty  years  of  age. 

John  C.  Nisbet  was  born  in  1808  and  remained  in  South  Carolina  until 
1834,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Ohio  and  shortly  afterward  at  Xenia  mar- 
ried Mary  McMillan,  who  had  come  to  this  county  from  South  Carolina 
about  that  same  time.  After  his  marriage  he  became  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business,  in  association  with  Corts  &  Marshall,  at  Cortsville,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  six  miles  northeast  of  Cedarville,  but  later 
returned  to  Greene  county  and  became  engaged  in  business  at  Cedarville, 
where  he  established  his  home.  John  C.  Nisbet  was  a  Republican  and  dur- 
ing the  term  of  John  Orr  as  county  clerk  served  as  deputy  county  clerk.  He 
also  rendered  public  service  for  several  years  under  Judge  Harper.  He 
died  at  Xenia  in  1888,  he  then  being  eighty  years  of  age.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  ten  years,  her  death  occurring  at  Cedarville  in  1898,  she  then 
also  being  eighty  years  of  age.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian (Covenanter)  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
Of  the  eight  children  born  to  them,  five  grew  to  maturity,  namely :  Catherine, 
now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Samuel  Ewing,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky; 
Hugh  M.,  who  was  a  salesman  for  the  Stewart  Dry  Goods  Company  at 
Louisville  and  who  died  on  December  28,  1916;  John  H.,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  William  K.,  who  was  for  twenty-five 
years  a  railway  postal  clerk,  having-  had  the  first  fast-mail  run  inaugurated 
in  the  United  States,  in  New  York  state,  and  later  and  for  years  the  run 
between  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  and  who  died  in  the  latter  city  in  1892. 
and  James  C,  now  living  at  Chicago,  where  for  years  he  has  been  employed 
as  a  bookkeeper. 

John  H.  Nisbet  was  reared  at  Cedarville  and  received  his  early  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  village,  completing  the  same  in  the  school  that 
was  long  conducted  there  by  the  Rev.  Hugh  McMillan  and  in  the  old  Grove 
school.  In  1856  he  began  to  work  at  the  trade  of  painter  and  paper-hanger 
and  was  thus  engaged  in  his  home  town  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out. 
On  September  14,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  as  a 
drummer  in  the  Forty- fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  out  in  October,  1862.     In  January,  1864,  he  re-enlisted  and  again 


382  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

went  to  the  front,  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Eighth  Ohio  Cavalry.  This 
regiment  was  reorganized  at  Strawberry  Plains,  Tennessee,  under  Capt. 
Robert  Lyle,  as  Company  M,  and  he  then  served  with  Company  M  until 
he  received  his  final  discharge  on  July  30,  1865.  During  the  progress  of 
what  was  known  as  Hunter's  raid,  June  10,  1864,  Mr.  Nisbet  was  shot  in 
the  left  ankle.  He  had  not  much  more  than  comfortably  recovered  from 
that  disability  when,  on  January  11,  1865,  he  was  captured  by  the  enemy 
and  was  confined  in  Libby  prison,  from  which  he  did  not  secure  his  release 
until  in  February,  1865.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr. 
Nisbet  resumed  his  vocation  as  a  painter  and  paper-hanger  at  Cedarville 
and  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1868  established  his  home  there, 
continuing  to  follow  that  vocation  there  until  1898,  in  which  year  he  was 
appointed  court  bailiff,  a  position  he  occupied  until  January  i,  1906,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  living  practically  retired  at  his  pleasant  home  in 
Cedarville.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedar\ille.  Their  poet  son,  Wilbur  Dick  Nesbit,  has  done  honor 
to  his  church  in  his  poem,  "The  Covenanters,"  which  is  presented  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  that  church  set  out  in  the  historical  section  of 
this  work.  Mr.  Nisbet  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  of  which  he  is  past  commander  and  adjutant.  For  eight 
years  before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Nisbet  had  been  engaged  as  a  teacher  in 
the  schools  of  Greene  county,  a  profession  upon  which  she  entered  when 
seventeen  years  of  age. 

It  was  on  March  19,  1868,  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  that  John  H.  Nis- 
bet was  unitetl  in  marriage  to  Isabel  Fichthorne,  who  also  was  born  in  this 
county,  a  daugiiter  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Hardie)  Fichthorne.  of  New 
Jasper  township.  Isaac  Fichthorne  was  born  in  Hardy  county.  Virginia, 
in  1812,  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents,  who  were  natives  of  Virginia, 
came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county,  establishing  their  home  in  New 
Jasper  township.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Elizabeth  Har- 
die, who  was  born  in  Ayleth,  Scotland,  and  who  was  but  a  child  in  arms 
when  her  parents  came  to  this  country  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  set- 
tling in  New  Jasper  township.  Isaac  Fichthorne  was  a  wagon-maker  by 
trade  and  later  a  farmer.  In  1867  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Logan  county, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  He  was  a  Lutheran  and  she 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  grew  to  maturity.  To  John  H.  and  Isabel 
(Fichthorne)  Nisbet  have  been  born  six  children,  namely:  Charles  E.,  since 
1890  engaged  in  the  railway  mail  service,  now  a  resident  of  Loveland, 
Ohio,  who  married  Elizabeth  Winter  and  has  five  children,  Lawrence  W., 
Roger  C,  Mary  E.,  Thomas  A.  and  John  Harvey;  Wilbur  D..  one  of 
America's  best-loved  poets;  Edward  Harvey,  living  at  Joliet.  Illinois,  where 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  383 

he  is  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman ;  Estella,  formerly  a  teacher  in  the 
Cedarville  schools,  who  married  J.  J.  McClelland  and  died  in  191 1,  leaving 
two  children,  Dorothy  and  Marjorie;  Kate  Belle,  who  is  at  home  with  her 
parents,  and  John  Emerson,  who  married  Lynna  Wamsley  and  has  for  years 
been  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  formerly  connected  with  the  Indianapolis 
Star  and  now  editor  of  the  Qayton  Herald. 


JOSEPH  W.  ADAMS. 

Joseph  W.  Adams,  a  farmer  of  Miami  township,  former  assessor  of 
that  township  and  a  resident  of  the  Clifton  neighborhood,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township,  August  25.  1852,  a 
son  of  James  G.  G.  and  Eleanor  C.  (Hutchinson)  Adams,  the  former  a 
native  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts  and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
were  married  in  this  county  and  who  later  became  residents  of  Miami  town- 
ship, remaining  there  until  their  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to 
Yellow  Springs,  where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

James  G.  G.  Adams  was  born  in  1820  and  was  but  a  small  child  when 
his  father  died.  His  mother,  who  was  a  Galloway,  not  long  afterward 
came  to  Greene  county  and  here  presently  married  George  Townsley.  James 
G.  G.  Adams  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  mother 
from  his  native  Massachusetts  and  his  schooling  was  obtained  in  the  Xenia 
city  schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  became  engaged  in  teacliing 
school  and  was  thus  engaged  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1849.  After 
his  marriage  he  continued  teaching  for  a  few  years  and  then  l^egan  farming 
in  Xenia  township,  later  moving  to  Miami  township,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  January  2,  1898. 
He  was  buried  in  beautiful  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia. 

It  was  on  December  20,  1849,  that  James  G.  G.  Adams  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Eleanor  C.  Hutchinson,  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she  came  to 
this  county  with  her  parents  from  Pennsylvania,  and  to  that  union  v.'ere 
born  nine  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows: George  T.,  born  on  October  8,  1850,  who  became  an  expert  teleg- 
rapher and  who  died  on  January  21,  1876:  Joseph  W.,  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  sketch;  Anna  M.,  born  on  October  11,  1854,  who  died 
when  three  years  of  age;  Charles  Ezbon,  April  18,  1858,  who  became  a 
lawyer  and  who  died  on  January  8,  i8g8;  Frank  E.,  January  i,  1861,  who 
is  now  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  the  West;  James  A.,  Gcfober 
7,  1862,  also  living  in  the  West,  where  he  is  engaged  as  an  electrician,  and 
J.  Harwood,  May  15,  1866,  now  Jiving  retired  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Joseph  W.  Adams  received  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia  township  schools. 


384  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

After  his  marriage  in  1879  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  in  Cedar- 
vilie  township  and  later  moved  to  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  where  he 
remained  for  eighteen  years,  or  until  his  return  to  Miami  township  in  1903, 
in  that  year  taking  possession  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Adams  is  assisted  in  the  management 
of  his  farm  by  his  younger  son,  Howard,  who  is  still  at  home.  Mr.  Adams 
is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  township  assessor  and  at  various  times 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

On  September  24,  1879,  Mr.  Adams  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie 
A.  Anderson,  daughter  of  James  and  Catherine  (Blair)  Anderson,  of  Cedar- 
ville  township,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Scotland  and  who  were  the 
parents  of  two  children,  Mrs.  Adams  having  had  a  brother  who  died  in  his 
3^outh.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  have  five  children,  namely :  Charles  A.,  born 
on  July  14,  1880,  now  farming  in  Miami  township,  who  married  Grace 
Harner,  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Elva, 
born  on  December  14,  1913;  Franke  Eleanor,  September  17,  1881,  who 
married  David  J.  Schwarz  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Paul  W.,  born  on  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1908;  James  R.,  now  a  member  of  the  detective  force  of  the  city 
of  Springfield,  Ohio,  who  on  June  27,  1912,  married  Geneva  Robinson; 
Joseph  C.  April  17,  1890,  who  became  an  electrician  and  who  is  now  a 
member  of  the  national  army,  attached  to  the  artillery  division  in  training 
at  Camp  Sherman,  and  Howard,  April  8,  1894,  who  is  unmarried  and  who 
is  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the  home  farm,  a  member  of 
the  Clifton  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  and 
three  of  the  children  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Yellow 
Springs.  Mrs.  Schwarz  and  Charles  A.  are  members  of  the  Reformed 
church. 


DAVID  FRANKLIN  BELT. 

David  Franklin  Belt,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Spring  \'alley  township, 
rural  mail  route  No.  4,  out  of  Xenia,  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  March  27, 
1863.  son  of  John  and  Amanda  (Crumbaugh)  Belt,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county. 

The  late  John  Belt,  who  died  at  his  home  in  this  county  in  the  summer 
of  191 7,  was  born  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  June  9,  1834,  son  of  White- 
ford  and  Alatilda  ( Dickensheets )  Belt,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  the  state  of  Maryland.  W'hiteford  Belt  was  a  millwright  and  was  en- 
gaged in  that  vocation  at  various  places  until  he  established  his  home  in 
Sugarcreek  township,  this  county,   where  he  and  his  wife  spent   their  last 


MR.  AND  MRS.  DAA'ID  F.   BELT. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  385 

days.  On  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  John  Belt  grew  to  manhood 
and  there  remained  until  his  marriage  in  1859,  after  which  for  a  year  he 
made  his  residence  in  Dayton.  He  then  lived  for  a  couple  of  years  in 
Miami  county  and  then  returned  to  this  county  and  settled  in  the  Alpha 
neighborhood,  presently  moving  from  there  to  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley 
township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  June, 
19 1 7,  he  then  being  in  the  eighty- fourth  year  of  his  age.  For  ten  years 
in  the  earlier  part  of  his  life  he  was  a  butcher  and  he  also  worked  for 
some  time  as  a  carpenter  before  buying  his  farm.  He  was  a  Democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  John  Belt  was  thrice  mar- 
ried and  was  the  father  of  nineteen  children.  On  November  2,  1859,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda  Crumbaugh,  who  was  born  at  Xenia, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Crumbaugh,  a  carpenter  of  that  place.  She  died  on 
April  2,  1863,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  Of  the  three  children  born  to 
that  union  the  subject  of  this  .sketch  is  the  only  one  now  living.  On 
October  3,  1863,  John  Belt  married  Susan  P.  Loy,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
and  who  died  on  July  5,  1889.  To  that  union  were  born  fifteen  children, 
Marion,  Oliver  J.,  John  A.,  Charles' E.,  Ora  C,  Harry  E.,  Joseph  W., 
George  L.,  Thomas  H.,  Harriet  E.,  Ida  V.,  Ralph  A.,  Kate  M.,  Anna  B., 
and  Perry.  On  July  23,  1890,  John  Belt  married  Elizabeth  Parker,  who 
died  in  1913.  To  that  union  one  child  was  born,  a  daughter,  Amanda 
Elizabeth,  who  is  now  a  student  at  Antioch  College. 

David  F.  Belt  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  Bellbrook  schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  had  passed  his 
majority  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1891  he  and  his  wife 
began  housekeeping  on  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Bellbrook, 
a  year  later  moving  from  that  place  to  the  place  on  which  they  are  now 
living  and  have  thus  been  occupying  that  place  for  twenty-six  years.  When 
Mr.  Belt  took  up  his  residence  there  the  only  house  on  the  place  was  an  old 
log  house,  a  holdover  from  pioneer  days.  In  1900  he  bought  the  farm 
and  has  since  then  made  numerous  improvements,  including  the  erection  of  a 
new  house,  barn  and  other  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Belt  has  a  farm  of  seventy 
acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  for  years  operated  a  thresh- 
ing-machine outfit  during  seasons.  By  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican. 
On  March  27,  1891,  at  Xenia,  David  F.  Belt  was  united  in  marriage 
to  May  Dilts,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  March  15,  1867,  daughter  of 
Preston  and  Carrie  (Hollingshead)  Dilts,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was 
born  in  Xenia.  Preston  Dilts  was  born  at  \\'inamac,  Indiana,  and  was  for 
years  a  gardener  at  Xenia.  He  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife,  the 
mother  of  Mrs.  Belt,  was  the  father  of  si.x  children,  those  besides  Mrs. 
Belt,  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  being  Harrv,  Emma,  Frank,  Clara  and 
(24) 


386  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Walter.  Of  these  Mrs.  Belt  and  her  brother  Walter,  the  latter  now  a 
resident  of  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  are  the  only  survivors.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  on  November  5,  1872,  and  in  1873  ^r.  Dilts  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Susan  Wood,  a  widow,  who  died  on  December  7,  1877,  leaving 
two  children,  Elmer  and  Albert.  Preston  Dilts  died  on  October  26,  1877. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dilts  are  members  of  the  First  Reformed  church  at  Xenia. 


BENJAMIN  F.  CLAYTON. 

Benajmin  F.  Clayton,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  formerly  and  for 
years  an  active  minister  of  the  Christian  church  and  also  formerly  actively 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  dental  surgery,  now  and  for  some  years  past 
living  practically  retired  at  Yellow  Springs,  which  he  has  regarded  as  nis 
home  since  1904,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  most 
of  his  life,  though  his  ministerial  vocation  for  some  years  required  his  resi- 
dence in  far  removed  states,  he  having  at  different  times  been  a  resident 
of  Rhode  Island,  Iowa  and  Indiana.  The  Doctor  has  also  at  times  t>een 
serviceable  as  a  chautauqua  lecturer.  For  years  he  has  been  an  active  worker 
;n  Pythian  circles  and  for  six  years  was  chaplain  of  the  Ohio  state  grand 
lodge  of  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Champaign  county,  near  West  Liberty,  June  i,  1847,  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Eliza  (Watson)  Clayton,  the  former  a  Virginian  and  the  latter  a  native 
of  Vermont,  who  were  married  at  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  at  Marion,  Indiana,  both  living  to  ripe  old  ages. 

Jonathan  Clayton  was  born  at  Shepperdstown,  Virginia,  in  18 10.  of 
Welsh  descent,  received  his  schooling  in  his  native  state  and  remained  there 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in 
Clark  county,  presently  going  thence  to  West  Liberty,  in  Logan  county, 
where,  in  1843,  he  married  Eliza  Watson,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  on 
January  i,  1821.  Jonathan  Clayton  was  a  grist-miller  by  vocation  and  after 
following  that  business  for  some  time  became  engaged  in  farming  in  Cham- 
paign county  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  his  retirement  from  the 
fann  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  removal  to  Clarion,  Indiana,  where 
he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1894,  he  then  being 
eighty-four  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  about  seventeen 
years,  her  death  occurring  on  January  31,  191 1,  she  then  being  at  the  age 
of  ninety  years  and  thirty  days.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  the  doctor  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  fol- 
lows: John  R.,  deceased;  William,  deceased;  Mrs.  Ruhama  Ann  McElvan, 
who  is  now  living  at  Denver,  Colorado;  Thomas  C,  a  resident  of  Pitkin, 
Colorado;  Mrs.  Eliza  Jane  McGinnis,  of  Marion,  Indiana;  Prof.  Henry  C. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  387 

Clayton,  superintendent  of  schools  at  Marion,  Indiana;  Eunice,  wife  of 
Doctor  Kinley,  of  Marion,  Indiana;  Charles,  of  Wellington,  Kansas,  and 
Elmer  E.,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Benjamin  F.  Clayton  was  reared  at  West  Liberty  and  there  received  a 
high-school  education.  His  inclination  early  being  directed  toward  the  gos- 
pel ministry  he  later  entered  the  Christian  Biblical  Institute  at  Stanford- 
ville.  New  York,  and  after  a  four-years'  theological  course  there  was  or- 
dained as  a  minister  of  the  Christian  church.  Doctor  Clayton's  first  call 
was  to  the  church  at  Jamestown,  in  this  county,  and  he  remained  in  pastoral 
charge  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  accepted  a  call  to  Rhode 
Island  and  was  for  eleven  years  and  six  months  engaged  in  the  service  of 
the  church  there.  He  then  returned  to  Ohio,  accepting  a  call  to  the  church 
at  Franklin,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  and  was  for  four  years 
in  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  there,  later  being  recalled  to  that  same 
church  for  a  year.  After  a  residence  of  thirteen  years  in  Franklin  he 
moved  to  Yellow  Springs  and  has  since  maintained  his  home  there,  though 
after  locating  there  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  church  at  demons,  Iowa.  He 
did  not  remain  there  long,  however,  presently  resigning  his  charge,  but  he 
later  was  recalled  to  the  same  charge. 

In  addition  to  his  wide  ministerial  service,  Mr.  Clayton  is  also  quite 
well  known  as  a  chautauqua  lecturer  and  has  had  much  experience  on  the 
platform.  During  his  residence  at  Franklin  he  was  an  active  member  of 
the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  his  connection  with  that 
patriotic  order  being  based  upon  his  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-fifth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  from 
March  7,  1865,  to  December  18,  1865.  He  also  for  years  has  been  an 
active  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  for  six  years  was  chaplain  of 
Uniform  Rank  of  that  order.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  June  3,  1873,  ^^  Marion,  Indiana,  Mr.  Clayton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Ada  Maple,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  James  and  Sarah  (Maxwell) 
Maple,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  minister  of  the  Christian  church,  at  that 
time  pastor  of  the  church  of  that  denommation  at  Marion.  Mrs.  Clayton 
died  July  9,  1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clayton  had  no  children  of  their  own, 
but  they  reared  three  children.  The  first  of  these  children.  Carrie  Brown, 
remained  with  them  until  she  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  she 
went  back  to  Rhode  Island,  the  state  of  her  birth,  and  was  there  married  to 
Frank  Dawley.  The  other  two  were  boys,  Alpheus  McLain,  who  later  took 
the  middle  name  of  Clayton,  and  John  Marlott,  the  former  of  whom  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clayton  took  when  he  was  four  years  of  age  and  the  latter  at  the 
age  of  eleven.    Both  of  these  lads  were  reared  to  manhood  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


388  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Clayton  and  then  went  to  Canada,  where  each  homesteaded  a  half  section 
of  land  and  are  there  still  making  their  homes.  During  the  Philippine 
War  John  Marlott  rendered  service  in  the  paymaster's  department.  He 
married  Flossie  B.  Parsons,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  W.  Parsons,  of 
Yetlow  Springs,  and  has  two  children,  Jane  Lehlia  and  John  Clayton. 
Alpheus  Clayton  McLain  married  Lizzie  Wolff,  of  Stalwart.  Saskatchewan, 
Canada,  and  has  four  children,  Clayton  Benjamin.  John  William,  Eugene 
Douglas  and  Alline  Marie. 


HON.  JAMES  E.   LEWIS. 

The  Hon.  James  E.  Lewis,  former  representative  from  this  district  in 
the  Ohio  General  Assembly,  former  clerk  of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  for- 
mer treasurer  of  Ross  township,  present  president  of  the  board  of  education 
in  the  latter  township,  and  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  in  Ross  township,  sit- 
uated on  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of  Jamestown,  is  a  native  "Buckeye"  and 
has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  Highland  county  on  Sep- 
tember 18,  1867,  son  of  Alfred  and  Lucinda  (W^oolums)  Lewis,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  building 
contractor,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  fol- 
lowing: Mrs.  Ida  Billingsley,  of  Adams  county,  this  state;  William  A., 
who  is  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  California ;  Arthur  N.  and  Jonathan 
K.,  residents  of  New  Orleans;  Charles,  now  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  national 
army  of  the  United  States,  and  Mrs.  Lydia  Pense,  of  Highland  county. 

Following  the  completion  of  the  course  in  the  public  schools  of  High- 
land county,  James  E.  Lewis  took  two  years  of  supplemental  instruction  in  a 
normal  training  school  and  for  two  years  thereafter  taught  school  in  his 
home  county.  He  then  became  employed  as  a  teacher  in  this  county,  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Jamestown,  and  for  eighteen  years  was  a  teacher  in  Ross 
township.  In  the  fall  of  1892  Mr.  Lewis  married  and  in  1895  moved  to  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Ross  township  and  has  since  then  made 
that  his  place  of  residence.  Mr.  Lewis  is  operating  a  farm  of  about  seven 
hundred  acres  and  makes  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  Poland  China  hogs. 
He  is  a  Republican  and  for  fourteen  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  county 
central  committee  of  his  party.  In  1893  ^^^  ^^'^^  elected  clerk  of  the  village 
of  Jamestown  and  held  that  office  until  his  removal  to  Ross  township  in  1895. 
For  two  terms  he  served  as  treasurer  of  Ross  township  and  for  five  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Greene  county  board  of  deputy  state  supervisors 
of  elections  and  was  chief  deputy  at  the  time  of  his  election  to  a  seat  in  the 
state  House  of  Representatives  in  1908.     Mr.  Lewis's  course  in  the  House 


l\^-^i/^  /S!  -^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  389 

proved  so  satisfactory  to  his  constituents  that  he  was  re-elected  and  thus 
served  as  representative  from  this  county  for  two  terms  or  until  191 3.  He 
has  for  many  years  been  recognized  as  the  leader  in  educational  affairs  in 
his  home  township  and  is  now  the  president  of  the  Ross  township  board  of 
education.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Jamestown  and  Mr.  Lewis  was  for  some  time  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  of  the  same.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the  local  encampment,  Patriarchs  Militant, 
at  Jamestown,  and  with  the  lodges  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at  that  place. 

On  September  14,  1892,  James  E.  Lewis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa 
B.  Ballard,  who  was  born  and  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  she  and  Mr. 
Lewis  are  now  living,  three  miles  north  of  Jamestown.  Mrs.  Lewis  is  the 
only  surviving  child  of  four  children  bom  to  the  late  Jackson  and  Magdaline 
(Taylor)  Ballard,  who  were  for  years  residents  of  Ross  township.  Jackson 
Ballard,  who  became  one  of  Ross  township's  substantial  landowners,  was 
born  in  Adams  county,  this  state,  October  25,  1822,  and  was  but  six  months 
of  age  when  his  parents,  Lyman  Ballard  and  wife,  came  to  Greene  county 
and  settled  in  Ross  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  May. 
185 1,  he  married  Magdaline  Taylor,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  James- 
town neighborhood,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Frances  (Gilmore)  Taylor,  the 
former  of  whom  also  was  one  of  Greene  county's  substantial  landowners. 
Isaac  Taylor  was  born  on  a  sailing  vessel  on  the  Atlantic  ocean  while  his 
parents  were  en  route  to  this  country  from  their  native  Ireland.  They  set- 
tled in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  where  Isaac  Taylor  grew  to  manhood 
and  where  he  married  Frances  Gilmore,  who  was  born  in  that  county  and 
whose  father  and  grandmother  had  undergone  a  perilous  experience  years 
before  at  the  hands  of  Indians,  that  experience  haxing  had  what  newspaper 
writer  of  the  present  day  would  call  a  "liical  end,"  inasmuch  as  it  involved 
an  enforced  sojourn  at  the  old  Indian  village  at  Chillicothe  on  the 
site  of  the  present  picturesque  hamlet  of  Oldtown,  in  this  county.  Grand- 
mother Gilmore  and  her  then  young  son  having  been  captured  by  the  In- 
dians during  a  savage  raid  into  Rockbridge  county  and  brought  nut  here  with 
other  captives  and  held  at  the  Indian  village  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
where  Oldtown  is  now  situated  until  they  were  some  years  later  rescued  by 
a  military  party  and  restored  to  their  family  in  Virginia.  In  1827  Isaac 
Taylor  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Preble  county,  but  two 
years  later  came  to  Greene  county  and  permanently  located  in  the  Jamestown 
neighborhood.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five  of  whom,  Mag- 
daline. \\''illiam  G.,  John  F.,  Daniel  and  Isaac,  grew  to  maturity  and  reared 
families.    Jackson  Ballard  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 


390  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

whom  Mrs.  Lewis,  as  noted  above,  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the  others  hav- 
ing been  Frances,  Isaac  and  Minnie. 


GRANVILLE  C.  FORD. 


Granville  C.  Ford,  a  young  colored  farmer  of  Greene  county  and  the 
proprietor  of  a  farm  of  more  than  eighty-three  acres,  a  part  of  the  old 
Ferguson  place,  in  New  Jasper  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of 
Xenia,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  for  about  eight  years.  He  was 
born  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  January  7,  1881,  son  of  George  L.  and  Susan  R. 
(Lett)  Ford,  both  of  whom  were  free-born  natives  of  Virginia,  and  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Washington  Court  Flouse 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette. 

George  L.  Ford  was  born  in  1857,  a  son  of  Granville  Ford,  who  came 
from  Virginia  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ross  county, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  George  L.  Ford  grew  up  on  the  farm  in 
Ross  county,  having  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio,  and 
in  1878  went  to  Kansas  and  rented  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
city  of  Topeka.  Two  years  later  he  returned  East  and  married  and  then  went 
back  to  Kansas  and  resumed  his  farming,  but  in  1882  he  suffered  a  total 
loss  of  his  crops  by  reason  of  the  hot  winds  then  prevalent  throughout  that 
part  of  the  country  and  gave  up,  pocketing  a  loss  of  not  less  than  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  returned  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Fayette  county,  where  he 
is  still  living,  for  some  time  past  having  operated  a  moving-van  in  the 
county  seat,  Washington  Court  House.  His  wife  died  in  1903.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  To  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first- 
born, the  others  being  George,  a  teamster,  now  living  at  Canton,  Ohio; 
Goldie,  Glenna,  Pearl,  Beaunola  and  Alaroma,  who  are  living  at  Xenia, 
and  Coit  C,  who  is  now  a  senior  at  Wilberforce  University. 

Granville  C.  Ford  was  but  a  babe  in  arms  when  his  parents  returned  to 
Ohio  from  Kansas  and  he  grew  up  in  Fayette  county,  receiving  his  school- 
ing in  the  public  schools  at  Washington  Court  House.  Until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  he  helped  his  father  and  then  began  working  on  his  own 
account  as  a  farm  hand.  His  employer  was  superintendent  of  pikes  and 
his  time  was  thus  so  greatly  di\erted  from  his  farm  that  the  management 
of  the  place  practically  fell  upon  young  Ford,  who  developed  into  a  prac- 
tical farmer.  He  remained  on  that  farm  for  four  years  and  then  married 
and  moved  to  Ross  county,  where  he  rented  a  farm  and  remained  for  three 
years,  or  until  19 10,  when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  rented  the 
Ferguson  place  in  New  Jasper  township,  where  he  ever  since  has  made  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  391 

home.     In    1913   he   bought    eighty-three    and   three-fourths  acres    of   that 
place,  and  has  since  erected  a  barn.     He  is  a  RepubHcan. 

On  March  23,  1907,  in  Fayette  county,  Granville  C.  Ford  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Frosty  Wheat,  who  was  born  in  that  county,  daughter  of 
Louis  and  Sallie  Wheat,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Fayette  countv,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  namely : 
Harold  Percy,  born  on  February  2,  1908;  Glenwood,  October  17,  1910; 
Mary,  February  23,  1912;  George  L.,  June  5,  1913,  and  Clarence  Henry, 
January  2"],  1918. 


JULIUS  CICERO  JACOBS. 

Julius  Cicero  Jacobs,  a  Greene  county  farmer,  now  living  at  Yellow 
Springs,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  but  has  lived  in  Ohio  and  in 
Greene  county  since  he  was  "two  years  of  age.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Allegany  county.  Maryland,  April  10,  185 1,  son  of  Ahimaaz  and  Emily 
(Trollinger)  Jacobs,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  state  and  who 
were  married  there,  remaining  there  until  1853.  in  which  year  they  came  to 
Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  west  of  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs  in  this 
county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Ahimaaz  Jacobs  was 
of  \^^elsh  and  English  stock,  was  a  farmer  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom  were  born  in  Maryland  and  two  in  this 
county.  Of  these  children  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  Gabriel,  who  died  in  infancy;  Laura,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Mary  Levina.  also  deceased;  Jacob  Thomas,  who  is  now  living  on 
the  old  home  place  west  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  William  Austin,  deceased. 

As  noted  above,  Mr.  Jacobs  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
came  to  this  county  in  1853  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  west 
of  Yellow  Springs.  He  completed  his  scliooling  by  attendance  for  several 
terms  at  Antioch  College  and  then  became  engaged  in  the  carpenter  business, 
a  vocation  which  he  followed  for  about  five  years,  or  until  his  marriage  in 
1875,  after  which  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  where  he  estab- 
lished his  home  and  where  he  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising 
until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1910  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs, 
where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  Fraternally,  he  is  afiiliated  with  the 
local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

On  December  9,  1875,  Mr.  Jacobs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hannah 
Miriam  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Lydia  (Estle)  Johnson,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  four  sons  and  two 


392  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

daughters,  namely :  James  Madison  Harris  Jacobs,  born  on  January  28, 
1877,  now  living  in  Dayton,  who  on  March  26,  1915,  married  Ruth  Van 
Tilburg  and  has  two  children,  Robert  H.,  born  on  March  3,  1916,  and  Rus- 
sell, May  3,  191 7;  William  Elmer  Jacobs,  September  4,  1878,  now  living 
on  a  farm  east  of  Clifton,  who  on  April  10,  1907,  married  Mabel  Booghier 
and  has  two  children,  Anna  and  Earl;  Florence  Maude,  February  23,  1881, 
who  married  Carl  Hammer,  now  living  at  Lansing,  Michigan,  and  has  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Ruth;  Mary  Pearl,  May  29,  1884,  who  married  Howard 
Birch,  now  manager  of  the  Woolworth  store  at  Fostoria,  Ohio,  and  has  one 
son,  Kenneth;  Charles  Walter  Jacobs,  September  24,  1887,  now  living  on 
the  home  place,  who  married  Gladys  Nave  and  has  two  children,  Wendell 
Walter  and  Beatrice  Alnora,  and  Homer  Harold  Jacobs,  August  7,  1892, 
who  is  now  located  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
Wright  aeroplane  factory. 


ARTHUR  E.  COLLINS. 


It  is  but  fitting  that  in  the  annals  of  the  county  in  which  he  was  bom 
and  in  which  he  spent  his  whole  life  there  should  appear  a  proper  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  the  late  Arthur  E.  Collins,  who  died  in  the  spring  of 
1914,  and  whose  widow,  Mrs.  Mary  L.  Leeper  Collins,  president  of  the 
Greene  County  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  is  still  living  in 
Xenia.  Arthur  E.  Collins  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families  in 
Greene  county,  his  great-grandfather,  William  Collins,  having  been  one  of 
the  early  settlers  in  the  Massiescreek  settlement,  a  few  years  later  locating 
in  the  Oldtown  neighborhood,  a  few  miles  north  of  Xenia,  where  the  family 
home  was  established.  William  Collins  came  to  this  county  with  his  family 
from  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  one  of  that  sturdy  band  of  set- 
tlers, of  Scottish  descent,  which  formed  the  basis  of  that  strong  United 
Presbyterian  element  which  has  been  one  of  the  dominant  factors  in  the 
community  life  of  this  county  from  the  very  beginning.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children  and  the  Collins  connection  throughout  this 
part  of  the  state  in  the  present  generation  is  thus  a  numerous  one. 

Arthur  E.  Collins  was  born  on  the  old  home  farm  north  of  Oldtown, 
in  Xenia  township.  February  19,  1866.  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Mary 
(Galloway)  Collins,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca 
(McClellan)  Collins,  Samuel  Collins  being  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
ten  children  born  to  William  Collins  and  wife,  mentioned  above.  Samuel 
Collins  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1804,  and  was  but  a  chiltl 
when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  this  county.  Here  he  received 
his  schooling  and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in  teaching  school.     In   1836  he 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  393 

married  Rebecca  McClellan,  daughter  of  John  McClellan  and  wife,  of  Spring 
Valley  township,  and  straightway  after  his  marriage  established  his  home 
on  the  farm  north  of  Oldtown  which  he  had  bought  and  on  which  he  had 
erected  a  stone  house  for  the  reception  of  his  bride.  Samuel  Collins  was  a 
successful  farmer  and  became  the  owner  of  more  than  five  hundred  acres  of 
land.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  William 
H.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Nancy  E.,  who 
married  John  H.  Jobe;  John  O.,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War;  Lydia,  who 
died  unmarried;  James  Martin,  who  became  a  substantial  farmer  of  this 
county;  Mary  Jane,  who  married  John  D.  M.  Stewart,  of  Xenia;  Isabella, 
who  married  S.  K.  Williamson,  of  Cedarville,  and  Anna  Rebecca,  who  mar- 
ried R.  W.  Moore,  of  Xenia. 

William  H.  Collins  was  born  on  the  old  home  farm  north  of  Xenia, 
above  Oldtown,  on  November  6,  1838,  and  on  that  place  grew  to  manhood. 
On  February  22,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Galloway,  who 
was  bom  at  Paris,  Kentucky,  May  17,  1836,  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when 
her  parents,  Samuel  Galloway  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Kirk- 
patrick,  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Hamilton  county.  After  his  marriage 
he  established  his  home  on  the  home  farm  just  north  of  Oldtown  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  three  of  these  children,  sons  all,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Frank  and  Harvey,  both 
of  whom  are  still  living  in  the  Oldtown  neighborhood.  Frank  Collins,  who 
was  born  on  November  6,  1868,  is  living  on  a  farm  north  of  Xenia  and  has 
been  twice  married.  His  first  wife  died  without  issue  and  he  later  married 
Bartha  Tate,  to  which  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Louise,  born  in 
1906;  Paul,  1908,  and  John  William,  1912.  Harvey  Collins,  who  was  born 
on  August  2,  1874,  married  Nellie  Anderson,  of  Clifton,  and  lives  on  the  old 
home  farm.  He  and  his  wife  have  four  children,  Eugene,  born  in  1898; 
Frederick,  1904;  John  Harvey,  1908,  and  Mary  Eleanor,  1915  . 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  north  of  town,  Arthur  E.  Collins  received 
excellent  schooling  and  early  turned  his  attention  to  practical  farming,  con- 
tinuing thus  engaged  the  rest  of  his  life,  occupying  that  part  of  the  home 
farm  that  he  had  inherited.  His  death  occurred  on  March  29,  1914,  and 
his  body  is  now  lying  in  beautiful  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  Since  the  death 
of  Mr.  Collins  his  widow  has  been  making  her  home  at  Xenia  and  has  lately 
built  an  attractive  new  house  on  Detroit  street.  She  has  for  years  been 
active  in  church  and  temperance  work  and  as  the  president  of  the  Greene 
County    Woman's    Christian    Temperance    Union    has    rendered    invaluable 


394  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

service  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  temperance  and  good  government  in  the 
city  and  county.  Mrs.  Collins  has  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter, 
Robert  Leeper  Collins,  born  on  June  ii,  1895,  who  is  now  serving  in  the 
great  National  Army  of  the  United  States,  in  the  service  of  which  he  enlisted 
following  the  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  the  spring  of  191 7, 
leaving  his  school  work  unfinished  at  Muskinghum  College,  and  Erma.  born 
on  March  16,   1904,  who  is  a  student  in  the  Xenia  schools. 

I\Irs.  Collins  was  born,  Mary  Leeper,  in  Hookstown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  there  married  to  Arthur  E.  Collins  on  August  31,  1892.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Dallas)  Leeper,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  at  that  same  place,  November  6,  1827,  and  the  latter,  at  Springfield, 
Ohio,  July  17,  1829.  Robert  Leeper  was  a  son  of  Hugh  and  Esther  (Harper) 
Leeper,  who  also  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  both  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
He  inherited  the  old  homestead  farm  on  which  he  was  born  at  Hookstown 
and  there  he  reared  his  family  and  spent  all  his  life,  an  energetic  farmer  and 
for  many  years  an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  His  wife, 
Elizabeth  Dallas,  was  born  at  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  but  grew  to  womanhood  in  Greene  county,  she  having  been  but  a  girl 
when  she  became  a  resident  of  Sugarcreek  township,  where  she  was  living 
when,  on  Noven>ber  22,  1864,  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Robert  Leeper, 
straightway  afterward  going  with  him  to  his  home  at  Hookstown.  To 
that  union  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Collins  was  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Hugh,  William,  John  and  Robert,  all  of 
whom  are  still  living.  Hugh  Leeper,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  his  old  home  in  the  Hookstown  neighborhood,  in  Pennsylvania,  married 
Elizabeth  Campbell  and  has  four  children,  three  sons.  Earl,  William  and 
Robert,  and  a  daughter,  Gene.  The  Rev.  William  Leeper.  a  minister  of 
the  United  Presbyterian  church,  now  stationed  at  Chicago,  married  Lulu 
McClellan  and  has  two  children,  Mary  and  Robert.  John  Leeper,  who  is 
now  living  in  Pitt.sburgh,  Pennsylvania,  ■  married  Margaret  Campbell  and 
has  one  child,  a  daughter.  Mildred.  Robert  Leeper,  who  is  still  living  on 
the  old  Leeper  fann  in  the  vicinity  of  Hookstown,  which  has  been  in  the 
possession  of  the  family  for  generations,  married  Helen  Kerr  and  has  five 
children,  Arthur  Wallace,  Hugh.  Elizalieth,  Frederick  and  Helen. 


ELMER  A.  HAMMA. 


Elmer  Hamma,  formerly  and  for  fifteen  years  president  of  the  Aliami 
township  school  board,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  living  there 
and  has  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  there,  a  continuous  resident  on  that 
place  since  his  marriage  in   1888.     He  was  born  on  October  30,   1862,  son 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  395 

of  Andrew  and  Matilda  (Carter)  Hamma,  who  had  been  residents  on  the 
farm  here  referred  to  since  1854  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  tliere. 

Andrew  Hamma  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio,  the  family 
driving  through  and  settling  in  Greene  county.  Here  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  became  a  farmer.  He  married  Matilda  Carter,  who  was  born  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Madison  and  who  was  living  there  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage,  and  a  few  years  later,  in  1854,  bought  the  farm  in  Miami 
township  above  referred  to,  and  there  established  his  home.  Andrew 
Hamma  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  three  of  whom  died 
in  infancy,  the  others  being  the  following:  David,  deceased;  John  Madison, 
also  deceased;  Angle  Belle,  wife  of  Horace  Shaw,  of  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  Shaw,  also  of  Clark  county;  Matilda,  wife 
of  Charles  Petrey,  of  Clark  county;  Myrtle,  wife  of  Charles  Garlow,  of  that 
same  county;  Mabel,  wife  of  Earl  Oglesby,  of  Yellow  Springs:  Dessie,  wife 
of  the  Rev.  Carl  Aue,  of  Emporia,  Kansas;  Elmer  A.,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch ;  Dr.  Charles  Hamma,  formerly  and  for  years 
a  practicing  physician  at  Springfield,  who  enlisted  his  services  upon  the 
declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  191 7  and  is  now  connected  with  the 
medical  corps  of  the  national  army,  attached  to  the  expeditionary  forces  in 
France,  and  Ervine,  who  is  married  and  is  living  in  California.  Andrew 
Hamma  and  wife  were  Lutherans  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that 
faith. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Miami  township,  Elmer  A.  Hamma  re- 
ceived his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  when 
fourteen  years  of  age  went  up  into  Clark  county,  where  he  remained  twelve 
years,  or  until  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1888,  after  which  he  returned  to 
the  old  home  place  and  established  his  home  there.  For  fifteen  years  he  ren- 
dered service  as  president  of  the  Miami  township  school  board,  holding  that 
ofifice  continuously  during  that  period  or  until  his  resignation  about  five  years 
ago. 

On  October  20,  1888,  at  Clifton,  Mr.  Hamma  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Hattie  Gowdy,  of  that  place,  daughter  of  James  and  Louise  (Confer) 
Gowdy,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Greene  county,  and  to  this 
union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Howard,  who  is  now  working 
on  the  Whitehall  farm  in  this  county  and  who  married  Mabel  Dewine  and 
has  one  daughter,  Louise;  Nellie,  who  married  Edward  Lampert,  of  Xenia, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Martha;  Mabel,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents; 
Marjorie,  who  married  Ted  Haines,  an  engineer  on  the  Big  Four  railroad, 
now  living  at  Sharonville,  in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  and  has  two  children, 
Pollyanna  and  Frances;  and  Dorothy,  wife  of  Roy  Ferrell.  a  farmer  living 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark.     The  Hammas  are  Lutherans. 


396  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

GEORGE  HENRY  VOLKENAND. 

George  Henry  Volkenand,  proprietor  of  "Sycamore  Stock  Farm"  in 
the  Alpha  neighborhood  in  Beavercreek  township,  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship on  December  19,  i860,  son  of  Herman  and  Martha  (Brod)  Volkenand, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Dayton,  this  state,  and  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Herman  Volkenand  was  born  in  Germany,  January  26,  1826,  son 
of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Haas)  Volkenand,  the  former  of  French  birth, 
and  was  educated  in  his  native  land,  coming  to  this  country  in  the  days 
of  his  young  manhood,  the  only  member  of  his  family  to  come  over  here 
at  that  time.  However,  some  years  later  his  sister  Elizabeth,  now  Mrs. 
Zein,  of  Dayton,  came  to  this  country.  Upon  his  arrival  in  this  country 
Herman  Volkenand  came  to  Ohio  and  for  some  months  was  engaged  at 
work  in  an  oil  mill  near  the  Indian  Ripple  bridge,  later  accepting  employ- 
ment as  a  farm  hand  on  the  Jacob  Coy  farm.  He  then  went  to  Missouri 
and  thence  up  into  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  but  a  year  later  returned  to  this 
county  and  in  1848,  in  the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church  in  Beaver  township 
was  married  to  Martha  Brod,  who  also  was  born  in  Germany,  January  3, 
1828,  and  who  had  not  long  before  come  to  this  country.  For  two  years 
after  his  marriage  Mr.  Volkenand  was  employed  as  foreman  in  the  Shoup 
&  Harbine  distillery  in  Beavercreek  township  and  then  he  bought  a  farm 
of  seventy-five  acres  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Little  Miami,  the  place  now 
occupied  by  his  son  Herman.  On  October  18,  1871,  he  started  on  a  trip 
back  to  his  boyhood  home  in  Germany  and  there  spent  three  months  visiting 
his  mother.  In  April,  1877,  he  bought  property  in  the  village  of  Alpha  and 
moved  to  that  village,  where  he  remained  until  July  1 7,  1 877,  when  he  moved 
onto  a  farm  of  sixty-eight  acres  he  previously  had  bought  in  that  neighlx)r- 
hood,  the  place  now  occupied  by  his  son  George  H.,  and  there  he  lived  until 
his  retirement  in  1888  and  removal  to  the  old  Samuel  Edgar  home  at  Day- 
ton, where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  her  death 
occurring  on  January  29,  1899,  and  his,  March  17,  1904.  During  their 
residence  in  this  county  they  were  members  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church 
and  upon  their  removal  to  Dayton  became  connected  with  the  Reformed 
church  in  that  citv.  During  his  residence  in  Greene  county  Herman  Volke- 
nand served  as  postmaster  at  Alpha,  under  the  administration  of  President 
Cleveland,  during  the  years  1881-85,  also  served  as  railway  ticket  agent  and 
as  express  agent  at  Alpha,  for  fifteen  years  was  school  director  in  his  home 
district,  for  eight  years  was  a  memljer  of  the  board  of  education  and  also 
served  for  some  time  as  tru.stee  of  Beavercreek  township.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  397 

the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Leonard,  a  building  contractor 
at  Dayton;  Anna,  wife  of  Warren  GlotfeUer,  a  farmer  of  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship; Elizabeth,  vvho  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years;  Herman,  mentioned 
above  as  the  owner  of  the  old  home  farm  along  the  river;  John,  who  made 
his  home  at  Dayton  and  who  died  in  that  city  in  July,  1917;  and  Martha, 
wife  of  John  Higgins,  of  Sugarcreek  township. 

George  H.  Volkenand  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  McClung  district  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home.  He  remained 
on  the  farm  until  1887,  when  he  went  to  Alpha  and  there  became  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  business  and  was  postmaster  under  Cleveland's 
second  administration,  continuing  there  engaged  in  business  for  nine  years 
and  three  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Lawrenceburg.  Indi- 
ana, where  for  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  He 
then  returned  to  Greene  county  and  in  the  spring  of  1900  married  and  became 
engaged  in  the  carpenter  business,  working  at  Dayton,  Trebeins  and  other 
place  for  five  years,  or  until  in  March,  1905,  when  he  moved  to  the  farm 
on  which  he  is  now  living  and  to  which  he  has  given  the  name  of  "Sycamore 
Stock  Farm."  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Volkenand  has 
made  numerous  improvements  on  the  same  and  has  added  to  his  holdings 
until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres.  In 
addition  to  this  general  farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of 
Shorthorn  and  Jersey  cattle,  Duroc  and  Poland  China  hogs  and  keeps  a 
good  many  horses.  Mr.  Volkenand  votes  the  Democratic  national  ticket, 
as  did  his  father,  but  in  local  affairs  does  not  draw  party  hues.  His  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the    Knights  of  Pythias  at  Alpha. 

On  March  28,  1900,  George  H.  Volkenand  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Neff,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county.  Virginia,  and  who  was 
but  a  child  when  she  came  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  Joseph  and  Anna 
Neff,  the  family  settling  in  New  Jasper  township.  Joseph  Neff  was  a  stone- 
mason. He  and  his  wife  were  born  in  Virginia  and  their  last  davs  were 
spent  in  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Volkenand  have  one  child,  a  son,  Mur- 
rill  Leonard,  born  on  January  8,  1905.  About  six  years  ago  they  took  into 
their  home  a  little  girl,  Delsa  Alderman,  who  they  are  rearing  as  one  of  their 
family,  though  they  have  not  adopted  her. 


OLIVER  MALLOW  SPAHR. 

Oliver  Mallow  Spahr,  clerk  of  New  Jasper  township  and  a  farmer  of 
that  township,  living  on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in 
that  township,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Greene  county,  and 


398  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  the  old  William  Spahr  place  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  December  12,  1873,  son 
and  only  child  of  David  C.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Mallow)  Spahr,  the  latter 
of  whom  died  on  February  26,  1888,  her  son  then  being  fifteen  years  of  age. 
She  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county,  June  3,  1852,  daughter 
of  John  and  Hannah  Mallow,  who  had  a  farm  in  that  township. 

David  C.  Spahr  was  born  on  the  farm  mentioned  above  as  the  birth- 
place of  his  son.  November  20,  1847,  last-born  of  the  twelve  children  born 
to  William  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Spahr.  further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom, 
together  with  a  comprehensive  history  of  the  Spahr  family  in  Greene  county, 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  William  Spahr  having  been  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Mary  (Shook)  Spahr,  who  came  here  with  their  family  in  1814 
from  Virginia  and  became  pioneers  of  the  New  Jasper  neighborhood.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  as  noted  elsewhere.  Both  William  Spahr 
and  Sarah  Smith  were  born  in  Hardin  county,  Virginia,  and  were  children 
when  they  came  with  their  respective  parents  to  this  county,  the  Spahrs  and 
the  Smiths  having  made  the  trip  over  from  Virginia  together.  Sarah  Smith 
was  born  in  September,  1807,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kimble) 
Smith,  who  settled  on  a  farm  alongside  that  of  the  Spahrs  when  the  two 
families  came  to  locate  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper  township,  the  Smith 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres  adjoining  that  of  the  Spahrs  on  the  east.  Jacob 
Smith  was  a  cooper  and  gave  his  chief  attention  to  his  cooperage  business, 
leaving  his  sons  to  develop  the  farm.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  of  whom  Sarah,  who  on  December  12,  1829,  married  William 
Si)ahr,  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being  Susan,  who  married  David  Paullin, 
of  Silvercreek  township;  Daniel,  who  remained  a  farmer  in  New  Jasper 
township ;  Phoebe,  wlio  married  Evan  Harris,  of  Caesarscreek  township ; 
Elizabeth,  who  married  James  Spahr;  William,  who  became  a  Methodist 
minister  and  lived  in  Caesarscreek  township;  James,  who  made  his  home  in 
Silvercreek  township  and  who  also  became  a  Methodist  minister :  Nelson, 
who  married  Lydia  Beeson  and  lived  in  New  Jasper  township ;  Catherine, 
who  married  Peter  Tressler,  and  Amanda,  who  married  Stephen  Beal,  of 
Cedarville.  William  Spahr  and  his  wife  had  twelve  children  and  further 
details  regarding  this  family  are  set  out  at  considerable  length  elsewhere. 
As  the  youngest  son,  David  C.  Spahr,  remained  on  the  home  place  with  his 
father  and  when  not  more  than  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age  was  given 
l)ractical  charge  of  the  same,  his  father's  advancing  years  and  crippled  con- 
dition entailing  upon  the  young  man  the  responsibility  of  carrying  on  the 
operations  of  the  place,  making  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  in  1871. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  399 

His  mother  died  on  March  25,  1888,  and  his  father  died  on  October  i,  1891. 
The  farm  then  was  sold  and  the  proceeds  divided  and  David  C.  Spahr  bought 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty-two  acres  in  Caesarscreek  township  and 
sixty  acres  in  New  Jasper  township  and  on  this  place  he  made  his  home 
until  191 7,  when  he  retired  and  has  since  been  making  his  home  with  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Phoebe  A.  Boots,  widow  of  John  M.  Boots,  on  her  farm,  a  half 
mile  southwest  of  New  Jasper  village.  John  M.  Boots  was  born  on  May 
20.  1848,  and  died  on  February  2^,  1913.  He  married  Phoebe  A.  Spahr, 
on  October  11,  1866.  It  was  on  November  31,  1871,  tliat  David  C.  Spahr 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Mallow,  who  died  in  1888,  and. 
as  noted  above,  to  that  union  was  born  one  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Oliver  Mallow  Spahr  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  New  Jasper 
district  school  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  business  col- 
lege at  Springfield.  When  his  grandfather's  farm,  the  place  on  which  he 
was  born,  was  divided  he  bought  the  place,  but  continued  to  make  his  home 
after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1892  on  his  father's  place  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  renting  his  own  land.  In  1905  he  sold  the  latter  tract,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-two  acres,  and  bought  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  on  which  he  now  lives  on  the  New  Jasper  pike,  just  east  of  the  vil- 
lage of  that  name.  Mr.  Spahr  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
live  stock,  his  Shorthorn  herd  having  a  registered  leader.  In  1916  he  built 
on  his  farm  a  modern  house,  with  a  hot-water  heating  plant,  electric-light- 
ing system  and  the  like.  During  the  past  two  years  or  more  Mr.  Spahr  has 
given  up  to  his  son  the  active  operation  of  the  place,  but  still  maintains  a 
general  supervisory  direction  over  affairs,  at  the  same  time  managing  his 
father's  farms.  He  is  a  Republican,  as  is  his  father,  and  for  the  past  eight 
years  has  been  serving  as  clerk  of  New  Jasper  township. 

On  September  15,  1892,  Mr.  Spahr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lyda 
Luetta  Fawcett,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of 
Hiram  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Fawcett,  lx)th  of  whom  are  still  living 
on  a  farm  in  that  township  and  further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  that  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Leo 
David,  who  died  in  1894  at  the  age  of  eleven  months,  and  Hiram  Russell, 
born  on  December  28,  1895.  O"  December  5,  1917,  Hiram  Russell  Spahr 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa  Pearl  Turner,  who  was  born  at  Sabina,  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Sarah  Frances 
(Dow)  Turner,  and  since  his  marriage  has  continued  to  make  his  home  on 
the  farm,  the  operation  of  which  he  is  now  carrying  on.  The  Spahrs  are 
meml:ers  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper  and  Mr.  Spahr 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  congregation. 


400  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ASAPH  HAINES. 

Asaph  Haines  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  living  in 
Caesarscreek  township  and  which  he  owns  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  on  August  3,  1841,  son  of  Zimri  -and  Elizabeth  (Compton) 
Haines,  the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of 
South  Carolina,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  with  their  respective  parents  in 
the  days  of  their  youth  and  who  married  in  the  neighborhood  of  New: 
Burlington,  later  locating  on  the  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  which 
their  son  Asaph  now  lives.  This  is  the  old  Faulkner  place  and  the  brick 
house  which  is  still  standing  there  was  erected  in  1821,  the  bricks  for  the 
same  being  burned  on  the  place  and  the  timber  which  entered  into  its  con- 
struction being  cut  and  milled  on  the  place.  After  taking  possession  of 
that  place  Zimri  Haines  made  extensive  improvements  on  the  same.  He 
had  been  trained  in  youth  as  a  cabinet-maker  and  even  after  he  settled  on  the 
farm  maintained  there  a  work  shop  and  was  called  on  to  make  the  coffins 
necessary  for  use  in  the  community  and  also  to  make  much  of  the  furniture 
for  his  pioneer  neighbors.  He  lived  to  be  seventy-five  years  of  age  and  his 
widow  survived  him  for  some  years,  she  being  eighty-six  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  her  death.  They  were  Quakers  and  their  children  were  reared  in 
the  simple  faith  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  There  were  twelve  of  these  chil- 
dren, of  whom  but  three  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a 
brother,  Clayton  Haines,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township  and  a  biographi- 
cal sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  a  sister,  Phoebe, 
who  married  Joseph  Davis  and  is  now  living  in  Kansas;  the  others  of  these 
children  having  been  the  following:  Samuel,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Caesars- 
creek township;  Elwood,  who  went  to  Iowa  and  there  engaged  in  farming; 
Eli  and  Edward,  who  made  their  homes  on  farms  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clinton;  Zimri.  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth;  Sarah,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Milton  Fawcett ;  Rebecca  Ann,  who  married  Masco  Bales ;  Mary  Maria, 
who  married  Samuel  Brown  and  spent  her  last  days  in  Indiana,  and  Eliza- 
beth, who  was  the  wife  of  George  Carter. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Asaph  Haines  has  always  remained  there, 
having  long  ago  bought  the  interests  held  by  the  other  heirs  in  the  place. 
He  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighijorhood  schools  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  the  summer  of  1876  established  his  home  on  the  home  place  and 
has  continued  to  make  that  his  place  of  residence,  having  since  then  made 
numerous  improvements  on  the  place,  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six 
acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  given  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father,  and 
has  served  his  district  as  director  of  schools.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  New  Hope  Friends  church. 


GREENE    COUXTY.    OHIO  4OI 

On  June  ii,  1876,  Asaph  Haines  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  C. 
Keiter,  who  was  born  on  the  old  Keiter  homestead  farm  in  this  county,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  this  part  of  the  state,  as  is  set  out 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Joseph  B.  Conklin,  a  farmer  living  south  of 
Xenia ;  Lenna  Marie,  deceased,  who  was  educated  at  Wilmington ;  Laura, 
wife  of  O.  P.  Aliddleton.  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county; 
Ada,  wife  of  William  Hoffman,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton;  Ralph 
K.,  who  married  Mary  Walton  and  is  farming  the  home  place,  and  Alvin 
Z..  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  rears. 


JOHN  FREMONT  HARSHMAX. 

John  Fremont  Harshman.  former  member  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners for  Greene  county,  formerly  and  for  years  trustee  of  Beavercreek 
township  and  now  a  retired  farmer,  making  his  home  at  Xenia,  where  he 
has  resided  since  1907,  was  born  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  the  village 
of  Zimmerman  in  Beavercreek  township  on  September  22,  1856,  son  of 
John  C.  and  Ann  Maria  (Miller)  Harshman.  the  latter  of  whom  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  on  a  farm  two  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Fairfield, 
in  Bath  township,  April  20,  18 19,  daughter  of  Daniel  Miller  and  wife, 
pioneers  of  that  part  of  the  county. 

John  C.  Harshman  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Fredericksburg,  Mary- 
land, January  12,  1807,  and  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents,  Philip  and  Frances  Harshman,  the  family  settling  in  the 
Zimmerman  neighborhood,  as  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  On  that 
farm  near  Zimmerman  John  C.  Harshman  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his 
schooling  in  the  primitive  schools  of  that  day.  He  early  set  out  to  acquire 
a  land  holding  of  his  own  and  before  he  married  was  the  owner  of  a  tract  of 
two  hundred  acres  two  miles  north  of  Zimmerman  and  had  cleared  fifty 
acres.  In  the  fall  of  1841  he  married  and  after  his  marriage  established 
his  home  in  that  clearing,  proceeded  further  to  develop  his  place  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  coming  to  be  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land.  John  C.  Harshman  died  on  June  26,  1880,  his  widow's 
death  occurring  on  October  5.  1894.  Both  are  buried  in  the  Hawker  grave- 
yard. He  was  reared  in  the  Baptist  faith  and  she  was  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following:  Samuel  Henry,  born  on  October  10,  1842,  who  served  as  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  having  gone  to  the  front  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fiftv-fourth  Regiment,   Ohio  \"olunteer  In- 

(25) 


402  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

fantry,  and  who  died  on  May  i6,  1866;  Sarah  EHzabeth,  October  10,  1S44, 
who  is  still  living  in  Beavercreek  township,  the  wife  of  Andrew  J.  Tobias; 
Marv  Catherine.  March  13,  1846,  who  married  Jacob  Shoup  and  died  on 
February  28,  1868;  Ann  Maria,  December  28,  1847,  who  is  still  living  in 
Beavercreek  township,  wife  of  W.  W.  Ferguson ;  Ephraim  F.,  November 
II,  1849.  ^  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Springfield,  Ohio;  Martha  Ellen, 
December  25,  185 1.  who  is  still  living  in  Beavercreek  township,  widow  of 
Edward  O.  Gerlaugh,  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume;  Reuben  M.,  January  29,  1853,  a  stationary  engineer,  who  for 
vears  has  made  his  home  at  Dajiion;  John  F.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
biographical  sketch,  and  Abraham  Lincoln,  January  4,  1861,  who  is  now 
living  at  Dayton. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  north  of  Zimmerman,  John  Fremont  Harsh- 
man  there  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  old  "Big  Woods" 
district  school  and  was  married  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  For 
two  years  after  his  marriage  he  continued  working  on  the  farm  under  the 
arrangement  he  previously  had  made  with  his  father  and  then,  after  his 
father's  death  in  1880,  he  and  his  sister.  Mrs.  Ferguson,  and  his  brother 
Lincoln  bought  the  home  place  of  two  himdred  and  fifty  acres  and  for 
seven  vears  operated  it  under  a  partnership  arrangement.  Mr.  Harsliman 
then  sold  his  interests  in  the  farm  to  his  brother  and  sister  and  bought  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  on  the  Beaver  Valley  road  in  Beaver- 
creek township  and  in  i8go  moved  to  that  place,  erecting  on  the  place  a 
good  house  and  barn,  and  there  resided  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm 
in  1905  and  removal  to  the  village  of  Trebeins.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
been  elected  to  represent  his  district  on  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
and  after  his  second  election  to  that  office  moved,  in  1907,  to  Xenia  and 
bought  a  house  at  423  North  King  street,  where  he  still  makes  his  home.  In 
addition  to  his  property  interests  in  this  county  Mr.  Harshman  is  the  owner 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  arable  land  in  southern  Alabama.  Mr. 
Harshman  is  a  Republican,  and  for  nine  years  served  as  trustee  of  Beaver- 
creek township  and  for  two  years  as  treasurer  of  the  township.  In  1904 
he  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  on  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers and  was  re-elected  for  four  successive  terms,  though  not  a  candidate 
for  renomination  in  his  last  campaign,  and  ihtis  served  for  three  two-year 
terms  and  for  one  three-year  term,  the  law  relating  to  tenure  ha\iiig-  been 
changed  during  the  period  of  his  service  on  the  board. 

On  Julv  22.  1879,  John  F.  Harshman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Letha 
Ann  Lefong.  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township.  June  10.  1861, 
daughter  of  Orlando  B.  and  Rebecca  (Black)  Lefong,  who  then  resided  on 
a  farm  one  mile  north  of  Zimmerman  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4O3 

there,  being  now  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  her. age.  Mrs.  Rebecca  T^efong 
was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  November  2.  1835, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Koogler)  Black,  early  residents  of  that  part 
of  the  county.  Robert  Black  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  of  Irish  parents  and 
his  wife  also  was  born  in  the  East,  of  German  parents,  she  having  been  born 
shortly  after  the  arrival  of  her  parents  in  this  country.  The  Blacks  and  the 
Kooglers  were  early  settlers  in  this  county  and  it  was  here,  about  the  year 
1823,  that  Robert  Black  and  Mary  Koogler  were  married.  After  their  mar- 
riage they  located  on  a  farm  in  the  Byron  neighborhood,  but  in  1840  moved 
to  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township.  Orlando  B.  Lefong  was  born  in  Spott- 
sylvania  county,  Virginia,  October  21,  181 7,  and  was  ten  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  this  coimty  in  1827  with  his  parents,  George  Burnett  and  Cas- 
sandra (Lovell)  Lefong,  the  family  settling  in  Beavercreek-  township,  mov- 
ing in  1842  from  the  farm  on  which  they  first  located  upon  their  arrival  here 
to  the  farm  on  which  Mrs.  Rebecca  Lefong  is  now  living,  a  mile  north  of 
Zimmerman.  George  Burnett  Lefong  was  a  native  of  France,  but  was 
reared  in  the  city  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  his  parents  having  located  there 
upon  their  arrival  in  this  country,  he  at  that  time  having  been  but  an  infant. 
His  father  became  a  merchant  and  millowner  at  Richmond.  George  B.  Le- 
fong served  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  1812  and  after  his  marriage  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  Virginia  until  he  came  with  his  family  to  this 
county,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Orlando 
B.  Lefong  grew  to  manhood  here  and  some  time  after  his  marriage  to  Re- 
becca Black  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  his  father's  estate  and 
on  the  home  farm  north  of  Zimmerman  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occur- 
ring there  on  April  5,  1892.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Harshman  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Sarah  E.,  wife 
of  Isaac  Kable,  of  Shoup's  Station;  George  W.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years;  Rebecca,  who  married  John  Shoup  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
is  now  deceased;  Oscar,  now  a  resident  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, and  Mary  L.  and  Robert,  who  died  in  infancy. 

To  John  F.  and  Letlia  A.  ( Lefong)  Harshman  three  children  have  been 
born,  John  Burnett,  Anna  Viola,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twehe  years  and 
eight  months,  and  Sarah  Myrtle,  the  latter  of  whom  is  at  home  with  her 
parents.  She  completed  her  schooling  at  Hamilton  College,  Washington, 
D.  C,  having  entered  that  institution  after  two  years  at  Miami  University 
at  Oxford,  Ohio.  John  Burnett  Harshman,  now  clerk  to  the  city  commis- 
sion at  Dayton  and  a  lawyer  in  that  city,  was  graduated  from  the  Beaver- 
creek high  school  and  then  entered  Ohio  State  University,  from  which  he 
was  graduated.     He  later  took  three  years  of  study  in  the  law  school  of  the 


404  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

university  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  engaging  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Xenia.  He  married  ]Mary  Louise  Longbreak.  of  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota,  and  has  two  children,  Mary  Ann  and  John  Burnett,  Jr.  The 
Harshmans  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Harshman  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  formerly 
was  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Alpha,  for  some  time 
during  the  period  of  his  residence  in  that  neighborhood  a  member  of  the 
Alpha  Building  Association,  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  same,  and  for  some 
time  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Greene  County  Agri- 
cultural Society.  During  his  residence  on  the  farm  Mr.  Harshman  was  for 
some  time  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Beaver  Reformed  church. 


JOHN  SEXTON. 

Among  the  pioneer  families  of  Greene  county  there  were  few  better 
known  or  more  influential  than  those  of  the  Sextons  and  the  Comptons.  The 
old  Sexton  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill  at  Oldtown  is  still  occupied  by 
the  only  surviving  daughter  of  John  Sexton,  who  for  years  operated  the 
mill  there  and  also  carried  on  farming,  his  daughter,  Miss  Sarah  Sexton, 
now  well  along  toward  eighty  years  of  age,  still  maintaining  her  home 
there.  She  superintends  the  operations  of' the  place,  even  as  she  and  her  sister, 
the  late  Miss  Hannah  Sexton,  together  superintended  the  place  for  forty 
years  after  they  were  left  alone  there  and  so  continued  until  the  death  of 
the  latter  in  January,  191 7,  since  which  time  Miss  Sarah  has  kept  the  place 
alone  with  her  colored  servants.  She  was  born  in  Xenia  township  and  has 
lived  there  all  her  life.  Reared  a  Quaker,  she  has  retained  the  sweet  famil- 
iar "thee"  and  "thou"  form  of  address  and  her  gentle  conversation  is  full 
of  the  gracious  courtliness  of  anotlier  day. 

John  Sexton  was  born  on  a  farm  nine  miles  from  the  town  of  \\'in- 
chester,  in  Frederick  county,  \"irginia.  May  25,  1795,  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabetli  (Burnett)  Sexton,  \'irginians  and  of  Quaker  stock.  The  Burnetts 
are  of  Welsh  origin,  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country  having  been  a 
member  of  William  Penn's  colony  that  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  and  the  family 
later  became  established  in  Virginia,  whence,  in  succeeding  generations,  it 
found  outlet  in  various  directions  and  now  has  a  wide  connection  through- 
out the  United  States.  Joseph  Sexton  was  a  man  of  substance  and  influence 
in  Frederick  county  and  fpr  sixteen  years  served  his  district  as  a  member 
of  the  Virginia  General  .Assembly.  In  his  later  years,  some  time  after  liis 
son  John  had  settled  in  Greene  county,  he  came  here  and  located  on  a  farm 
in  Xenia  township,  on  the  present  site  of  the  Aetna  powder-mill,  and  there 
spent  his  last  days.     Joseph  Sexton  was  twice  married,   his  first  wife,  the 


DR.   SAXirEL  SEXTOX. 


4 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4O5 

mother  of  John  Sexton,  having  died  when  the  latter  was  five  years  of 
age,  after  which  he  married  Dorcas  Lindsay.  To  the  first  union  there 
were  born  three  children,  John  Sexton  having  had  two  sisters,  and  to  the 
latter  union  several  children  were  born.  John  Sexton  grew  up  in  Virginia, 
reared  by  his  paternal  grandparents,  Meshach  and  Hannah  Sexton,  and 
there  became  a  millwright,  remaining  there  until  he  was  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  when,  in  1819,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  became  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  in  Clinton  county.  After  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  182 1  he 
came  up  into  Greene  county  and  rented  a  mill  which  then  stood  along  the 
creek  where  Clifton  later  sprang  up,  in  Miami  township,  and  a  year  later 
moved  to  New  Burlington,  down  on  the  lower  edge  of  the  count)',  where 
he  rented  a  mill  that  had  some  time  before  been  established  there  and  there 
he  erected  a  log  house  in  which  to  make  his  home.  Later  he  moved  to  a 
mill  that  then  was  being  operated  along  the  Stillwater,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Dayton,  but  after  operating  that  mill  for  two  or  three  years  returned  to 
Greene  county  and  took  charge  of  the  Oldtown  mill,  at  the  same  time  buy- 
ing a  home  nearby  the  mill.  Several  years  later  he  bought  a  farm  of  ninety- 
five  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill,  on  the  hill  along  the  Xenia-Springfield 
pike,  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Xenia,  where  his  daughter.  Miss  Sarah 
Sexton,  still  lives,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  he  continuing  to  operate  the  mill  until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
six  years,  June  18,  1841.  His  widow  later  married  James  Moorman  and 
continued  making  her  home  on  the  old  home  place,  her  death  occurring  there 
on  March  20,  1877,  and  James  Moorman  also  spent  his  last  days  there,  his 
death  occurring  on  January  5,  1883. 

On  October  21.  1821,  in  Greene  county,  John  Sexton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Compton,  who  was  born  in  Union  county.  South  Carolina, 
December  21,  1798,  and  who  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  her  parents, 
Amos  and  Rebecca  Compton,  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  in  the  spring  of 
1805  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  New  Burlington  neighborhood  in  Spring 
Valley  township,  this  county.  Amos  Compton's  father,  Samuel  Compton, 
had  come  out  -here  the  fall  preceding  his  son's  emigration  and  had  bought 
a  considerable  tract  of  land,  he  and  his  children  and  their  respective  famillies 
coming  in  the  following  spring.  Samuel  Compton  did  not  long  live  to  see 
the  outcome  of  his  settlement  plan,  for  he  died  in  the  verv  spring  in  which 
his  family  became  settled  here,  in  1805.  There  was  then  no  cemetery  nearer 
than  Waynesville  and,  besides,  the  river  was  so  high  at  that  time  that  there 
could  be  no  thought  of  the  funeral  party  getting  across,  so  the  body  of 
Samuel  Compton,  the  pioneer,  was  laid  away  in  the  orchard  whose  planting 
he  had  so  short  a  time  before  superintended,  and  there  that  lonely  grave  is  still 
cared  for  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  a  hundred  years.     The  Comptons  were 


406  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Quakers  and  became  a  substantial  element  in  the  population  of  the  New 
Burlington  neighborhood,  and  it  was  there  that  Mary  Compton  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  John  Sexton, 
the  young  miller.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sexton  always  retained  their  interest  in 
the  services  of  the  Friends  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that 
simple  faith.  Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  died  in 
infancy  and  three,  Elizabeth,  Rebecca  and  Ann.  in  youth,  very  near  together, 
of  scarlet  fever,  the  survivors  being  Samuel,  Sarah  and  Hannah,  the  two 
latter  of  whom  remained  unmarried  and  after  their  mother's  death  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  old  home  place  on  the  hill  nearby  the  old  mill  which 
their  father  had  operated  so  successfully.  ]\Iiss  Hannah  Sexton  died  on 
January  14,  19 17,  and  since  then,  as  noted  alx)ve.  Miss  Sarah  Sexton  has 
been  alone  with  her  faithful  servitors  on  the  old  place.  Her  brother.  Dr. 
Samuel  Sexton,  who  had  achieved  an  international  reputation  as  a  specialist 
in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  died  in  1896.  Doctor  Sexton  was 
for  a  time  located  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Cincinnati,  but  later 
moved  to  New  York  City,  where  he  became  an  authority  on  his  specialty, 
his  practice  extending  even  to  Europe,  where  he  was  able  to  introduce 
advanced  methods  in  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  at  the  time  of 
his  death  he  having  been  regarded  as  the  greatest  practitioner  in  his  line 
in  the  country. 


WILLIAM  BURNETT. 


William  Burnett,  who  formerly  and  for  years  was  connected  with  the 
operations  of  the  Hagar  Strawboard  Company  at  Cedarville,  but  who  since 
1899  has  been  living  on  a  farm  on  the  Hoop  road  in  New  Jasper  township, 
proprietor  of  a  farm  of  sixty-one  acres  there,  is  a  native  of  England,  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  this  country  and  of  Greene  county  since  1881.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Barrow,  in  Lincolnshire.  October  26.  1847,  son  of 
John  and  Charlotte  (Halhng)  Burnett,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
that  country  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there.  John  Burnett  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first-born,  the  others  being  as  follow:  Hepsey,  wlio  married  and  made  her 
home  at  New  Holland,  in  England ;  Hannah,  who  married  and  spent  her  last 
days  in  her  native  land;  Mrs.  Barbara  Starkey,  a  widow,  who  is  still  living  in 
England ;  Ada,  deceased :  Olive,  unmarried  and  still  living  in  England,  and 
Hailing,  who  became  a  soldier  and  died  during  service  in  the  Soudan  in  the 
'70s.  These  children  were  early  left  orphaned,  both  parents  dying  before 
their  eldest  son  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  the  children  were  reared  in  the 
homes  of  kinsfolk. 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4O7 

Early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  for  a  livehhood,  WilHam  Burnett 
began  working  as  a  boy  in  the  mines  and  along  the  docks  and  after  a  while 
became  permanently,  employed  in  the  iron  mines.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he 
married  and  a  year  later,  in  March,  1881,  he  came  to  this  country,  accompanied 
bv  his  wife's  brother,  George  Ross,  then  a  lad  of  seventeen,  his  point  of  destina- 
tion being  New  Mexico,  but  not  finding  conditions  there  to  his  liking  he  came 
to  Ohio  and  located  at  Xenia.  where,  in  June  of  that  same  year,  he  was  joined 
by  his  wife  and  infant  daughter,  for  whom  he  had  sent  upon  making  his 
decision  to  settle  there.  In  the  following  }ear  Mrs.  Burnett's  parents  and 
the  other  nine  children  of  their  family  came  to  this  country  and  also  settled 
at  Xenia.  For  fourteen  years  after  his  arrival  in  Xenia  Mr.  Burnett  was 
engaged  there  in  the  employ  of  the  Hagar  Strawboard  Company,  buying 
straw  and  looking  after  the  teams.  In  1895  ^^'hen  the  Hagar  Company 
moved  its  plant  to  Cedarville  Mr.  Burnett  moved  to  that  village  and  was 
there  further  engaged  in  work  in  the  strawboard  plant  until  in  December, 
1899,  when  he  moved  to  the  farm  of  sixty-one  acres  which  he  had  bought 
a  few  years  before  and  on  which  he  since  has  made  his  home.  The  house 
he  erected  on  that  place  upon  taking  possession  of  the  same  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1901,  but  he  at  once  rebuilt.  Upon  becoming  a  citizen  of  this 
country  Mr.  Burnett  allied  himself  with  the  Republican  party.  He  and  his 
wife  were  reared  in  accordance  with  the  tenets  of  the  established  church  in 
England  and  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia. 

On  March  4,  1880,  the  year  before  he  came  to  the  United  States.  'Sir. 
Burnett  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elijcabeth  Ross,  also  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, born  at  Winterton,  in  Lincolnshire,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Maria 
(Hill)  Ross,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Lincolnshire  and  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  shepherd  there.  In  1882,  the  year  following  the  location 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burnett  in  Xenia,  the  latter's  parents  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  their  family  came  to  this  country  and  also  located  at  Xenia.  Rich- 
ard Ross  became  connected  with  the  operations  of  the  paper  mill  there  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  that  city,  his  death  occurring  on  July  18.  1897. 
His  widow's  death  occurred  in  May.  1908.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  Sirs.  Burnett  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  as 
follow :  Charlotte,  deceased ;  George,  who  came  to  this  country  with  Mr. 
Burnett  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  became  connected  with  the  work  of 
the  Hagar  Strawboard  Company,  eventually  working  up  to  the  position  of 
inside  foreman  of  the  plant,  and  met  his  death  in  the  factory  at  Cedarville 
on  January  22,  1897,  by  being  drawn  into  the  rolls  when  his  arm  was  acci- 
dentally caught  in  the  machinery;  Mildred,  widow  of  the  late  Scott  Stew- 
ard: Rebecca,  wife  of  A.  B.  Gaunt,  of  Hartford  City,  Indiana:  Mrs.  Flor- 


408  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ence  Graham,  of  Richmond,  Indiana:  ]\Irs.  Anna  Tiffan\-,  a  widow,  living 
at  Indianapohs ;  Harry  and  Pauhne ;  \\'ilham,  who  is  superintendent  of  the 
plant  of  the  Beveridge  Paper  Company  at  Indianapolis,  and  Fred,  a  machin- 
ist, who  lives  at  St.  Louis.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Burnett  have  three  children,  Ruth, 
who  married  Wilbur  Rayner  and  lives  at  Dayton;  Olive,  wife  of  D.  P. 
Walters,  also  of  Dayton,  and  Charles,  a  farmer,  of  New  Jasper  township, 
who  married  Bertha  Thornhill  and  has  one  daughter,  Elizabeth. 


JAMES  H.  CRESWELL. 

In  the  brief  though  illuminating  "recollections"  of  Andrew  Galloway 
represented  in  newspaper  form  in  Xenia  many  years  ago  there  is  set  out  a 
list  of  the  families  that  formed  the  old  Seceder  colony  that  had  come  up 
here  from  Kentucky  in  order  to  escape  slavery  conditions  and  who  were 
here  when  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong,  their  former  pastor,  rejoined  them 
here  in  1803  and  again  became  their  pastor,  creating  on  Massies  creek  a 
congregation  of  faithful  worshippers  who  exerted  a  dominant  influence  in 
the  creation  of  proper  social  conditions  hereabout  in  the  days  of  the  very 
beginning  of  the  settlement.  And  in  that  list  is  the  name  of  the  Widow 
Creswell,  who  is  noted  as  having  been  a  member  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  con- 
gregation in  Kentucky  and  as  having  come  to  Ohio  in  1801. 

The  Widow  Creswell  thus  referred  to  was  Mrs.  Catherine  (Creswell) 
Criswell,  widow  of  James  Criswell.  She  and  her  husband  were  Pennsyl- 
vanians  who  had  gone  to  Kentucky  with  their  family  of  small  children  in 
order  to  establish  a  home  there.  James  Criswell  was  killed  by  the  Indians 
in  Kentucky  and  later  his  widow  came  up  into  this  section  of  the  then 
new  state  of  Ohio  with  her  eight  children,  two  sons,  James  and  Samuel, 
and  six  daughters,  to  establish  here  a  new  home  free  from  the  conditions 
which  then  faced  the  settlers  in  the  slave  state  of  Kentucky.  She  was  a 
Creswell.  perhaps  a  distant  relative  of  her  husband,  a  Criswell,  the  similarity 
of  the  names  suggesting  a  probably  common  source,  and  as  she  preferred  the 
name  Creswell  to  that  of  Criswell  she  adopted  the  same  after  the  death 
of  her  husband  and  the  family  has  ever  since  followed  that  form  of  spell- 
ing of  the  familv  name.  Upon  coming  to  Greene  county  Airs.  Creswell 
settled  with  her  family  on  a  tract  of  land  near  what  is  now  the  race  track 
on  the  Andrew  Jackson  place  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood,  a  fine  spring 
of  water  on  the  place  being  the  deciding  factor  in  the  family's  selection  of 
a  place  of  location.  She  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  in  this  county,  her  death 
occurring  at  the  home  of  her  son.  James  Creswell,  in  1832.  and  she  was 
buried  in  the  Massiescreek  cemeterv. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4O9 

James  Creswell  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1789, 
and  was  still  in  his  "teens"  when  he  came  here  from  Kentucky  with  his 
mother.  In  181 1  he  married  Ann  Junkin,  who  was  born  in  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of  Launcelot  Junkin  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  Galloway,  who  were  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  who' in  1779  had 
moved  from  that  state  to  Kentucky,  locating  at  a  settlement  called  Frost 
Station,  on  the  Kentucky  river,  in  the  Georgetown  vicinity,  where  they 
remained  until  1797,  when  they  came  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little 
Miami  with  the  Galloway  family  and  settled  in  the  neighlsorhood  of  the 
old  Indian  village  or  "Chillicothe,"  now  known  as  Oldtown,  thus  becoming 
numbered  among  the  very  first  permanent  white  settlers  of  the  region  that 
later  became  organized  as  Greene  county.  Upon  taking  up  his  residence 
here  Launcelot  Junkin  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  two  or  three  miles  east 
of  the  present  site  of  Cedarville,  but  later  mo\ed  to  a  place  across  the  road 
from  what  is  now  the  R.  D.  Williamson  place  on  the  Jamestown  pike  in 
Cedarville  township.  In  1812,  the  year  after  his  marriage,  James  Creswell 
bought  a  tract  of  sixty  acres  of  land  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Cedarville.  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandson,  George  H. 
Creswell,  and  kept  adding  to  the  same  until  he  was  the  owner  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  acres.  As  a  young  man  he  had  taught  school  in  that 
neighborhood  and  he  served  as  clerk  of  the  first  school  board  organized 
in  Cedarville  township.  He  and  his  wife  were  Seceders,  later  members  of 
the  Covenanter  or  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  and  later  of  the  United 
Presbvterian.  James  Creswell  died  in  Augttst,  1866.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely :  Martha,  born  on  Octoljer  2t„ 
181 2,  who  was  twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  James  Ervin 
and  her  second,  the  Rev.  Andrew  Heron;  James  Rankin,  December  7,  1814, 
who  was  drowned  in  1841  ;  Launcelot,  May  19,  1817,  wlio  moved  to  Ida- 
ville,  Indiana,  where  he  spent  his  last  days ;  Samuel,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  and  George,  1822,  who  established  his  home  in  Cedarville 
township  and  there  died  in  1852. 

Samuel  Creswell  was  born  on  the  old  Creswell  place  on  January  12, 
1820,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  When  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  he 
planted  a  sycamore  tree  in  the  front  dooryard  of  the  home  place  and  that 
tree,  now  grown  to  noble  proportions,  is  still  standing,  carefully  preserved 
by  the  family.  In  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  Samuel  Creswell  taught 
school  for  several  terms.  He  remained  at  home  and  after  his  marriage  in 
1846  built  a  new  house  around  the  old  one  which  had  been  built  by  his  father, 
one  room  of  the  old  house  being  retained  as  a  part  of  the  .structure,  and 
that  house  is  still  doing  service  as  a  dwelling  place,  now  occupied  bv  the 
family  of  George  H.  Creswell.     .\fter  the  death  of  his  father  Samuel  Creswell 


4IO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  iiome  place.  Upon  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Repubhcan  party  he  became  affihated  with  that  party,  but  later 
in  life  became  a  Prohibitionist.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
(new  school)  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville.  Samuel  Cres- 
well  lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years,  his  death  occurring  on  July 
i6,  1912.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  a  little  less  than  two 
years,  her  death  having  occurred  on  August  10,  1910,  she  then  having  been 
eighty-three  years  of  age.  She  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  this 
state,  March  22,  1827,  Eliza  Jane  Huffman,  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Martha 
(White)  Huffman,  the  latter  of  whom  died  before  her  daughter  was  three 
years  of  age.  Eliza  Jane  Huffman  was  reared  in  the  household  of  William 
Reed  and  in  the  household  of  William  Thome  and  it  was  in  the  Reed  home 
that  she  was  married,  June  10,  1846,  to  Samuel  Creswell.  To  that  union 
were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follow  :  Martha,  a  former  school  teacher 
in  this  county,  who  married  Joseph  Turnbull  and  is  now  living  in  Ross  town- 
ship;  Sarah  Jane,  wife  of  Alexander  Kyle,  living  on  the  Wilmington  pike 
at  the  edge  of  Cedarville ;  Mary,  unmarried,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old 
home  place;  Julia,  wife  of  W.  R.  Sterrett,  of  Cedarville,  a  biographical 
sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Andrew  H.,  of 
Cedarville  townshi]^,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  also  is  presented  else- 
where; William  H.,  also  of  Cedarville  township,  further  mention  of  whom 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  work ;  George  H.,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home 
place  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere;  Nettie,  now  living  at 
Xenia,  widow  of  James  Ervin,  who  was  a  miller,  and  Ida,  who  is  living  on 
the  Federal  pike,  widow  of  J.  H.  Stormont. 

James  H.  Creswell.  eldest  son  and  fourth  child  of  Samuel  and  Eliza 
Jane  (Huffman)  Creswell,  was  born  on  the  old  home  place  which  his  grand- 
father had  opened  up  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  After  his  marriage  in 
1885  he  located  on  the  old  Dr.  George  Watt  place  adjoining  the  Creswell 
farm  on  the  south,  having  previously  been  operating  the  same  as  a  renter, 
and  began  housekeeping  in  a  log  cabin  that  then  stood  on  the  place.  He  later 
bought  the  Watt  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  and  in  1897  '^uilt 
on  the  place  the  house  in  which  he  and  his  family  are  now  living.  By  the 
purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract  Mr.  Creswell  now  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy-five  acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  has  given 
consideraljle  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Cedarx'ille  College,  for  two  terms  president 
of  the  board,  and  his  children  were  given  the  advantages  of  schooling  in 
that  college.  There  are  three  of  these  children,  namely :  Samuel  Franklin, 
who  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  in  1910  and  is  living  at  home, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4II 

assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the  farm ;  Anna  Alberta,  who  also 
was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  in  19 lo  and  until  19 17  was  engaged 
as  instructor  in  French  and  English  in  that  college,  and  Paul  H.,  who  also 
completed  his  schooling  in  Cedarville  College  and  was  teaching  in  the  high 
school  at  St.  Albans,  West  Virginia,  when  in  June,  1917,  he  left  the  school 
room  and  enlisted  for  service  in  the  aviation  corps  of  the  United  States 
army,  in  which  he  is  now  (1918)  serving,  with  the  prospect  of  early  action 
"over  there."  The  Creswells  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville  and  Mr.  Creswell  has  been  a  member  of  the  session 
of  that  congregation  since  1889. 

On  December  30,  1885,  James  PI.  Creswell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Louisa  Blair,  who  was  born  in  Randolph  county,  Illinois,  daughter  of  James 
Franklin  and  Elizabeth  (Marvin)  Blair,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
a  resident  of  Cedarville  since  1912.  James  Franklin  Blair  was  born  at 
Fayetteville,  Tennessee,  March  30,'  1830,  and  was  two  years  of  age  when 
his  parents,  James  and  Jean  (Wiley)  Blair,  South  Carolinians,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  stock  and  "old  side"  Covenanters,  moved  from  Tennessee  in  1832  in 
order  to  escape  the  conditions  of  living  that  confronted  them  and  their  family 
in  the  slave  state  and  located  in  the  vicinity  of  Sparta,  in  Randolph  county, 
Illinois,  where  James  Blair  developed  a  farm  of  about  three  hundred  acres. 
James  Blair  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
James  Franklin  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  and  all  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  the  others  having  been  the  following :  Samuel,  who  became  a 
resident  of  Perry  county,  Illinois;  Tirzah,  who  married  C.  H.  Stormont,  of 
Princeton,  Indiana;  William  R.,  who  established  his  home  in  Perry  county, 
Illinois,  and  lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age ;  John  K.,  who  established  his 
home  in  the  vicinity  of  Sparta,  Illinois;  Martha,  who  married  Dr.  James 
F.  Morton,  of  Cedarville,  this  county,  and  Louisa,  who  died  when  eighteen 
years  of  age. 

James  Franklin  Blair  completed  his  schooling  in  the  academy  at  Sparta, 
Illinois,  and  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  tliat  town,  inheriting  the  same  after  the  death  of  bis  father. 
In  1897  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Sparta,  where  he  died  in 
1904.  For  years  he  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church. 
His  widow,  who.  as  above  noted,  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Cedarville,  was 
born,  Elizabeth  Marvin,  in  New  York  City.  April  24.  1833.  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Orlando  and  Jane  (Ritchie)  Marvin,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
Connecticut  and  the  latter  in  Ireland,  she  having  been  fifteen  years  of  age 
when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating  in  New 
York  City,  where  William  O.  Marvin  and  Jane  Ritchie  were  married.  The 
former  was  a  shoemaker  and  tiring  of  city  life  in    1840  moved  with   his 


412  GREEXE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

family  to  Illinois,  locating  on  a  farm  in  Randolph  county,  where  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  he  living  to  be  eighty-eight  years 
of  age  and  she,  ninety-two.  They  were  "old  side"  Covenanters  and  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  namely :  Joseph,  who  established  his  home  in 
Kansas ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  James  Franklin  Blair ;  Theodore,  who  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Kansas,  but  is  now  living  retired  at  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia; James  Renwick,  who  went  to  the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War,  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  enemy  and 
died  in  a  military  prison  at  Jackson,  Mississippi ;  William,  who  is  now 
living  at  Pasadena,  California,  and  Frances  Jane,  wife  of  John  Holmes, 
of  Topeka,  Kansas.  To  James  Franklin  and  Elizabeth  (Alarvin)  Blair,  who 
were  married  on  December  4,  1857,  were  born  ten  children,  namely:  Samuel 
Alvin,  who  is  now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Greeley,  Colorado ;  one  who  died 
in  infancy;  Louisa,  wife  of  Mr.  Creswell;  Carrie,  who  died  while  serving 
as  an  instructor  in  Cedarville  College;  Adelle,  wife  of  John  N.  Lvle,  of 
Marianna,  Arkansas;  Amanda  Jane,  wife  of  George  H.  Creswell,  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Elizabeth,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cedarville;  William  O.,  a  machinist,  living  at  Pomona,  California; 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Prof.  Nathan  C.  Plimpton,  assistant  auditor  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  and  James  Franklin,  Jr.,  an  electrician,  living  at  Silver 
City,  New  Mexico.  All  these  children  received  schooling  in  the  Sparta 
high  school  and  all  save  one  received  further  instruction  in  the  universitv  at 
Carbondale,  Illinois.  In  the  spring  of  1912  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Blair  moved 
to  Cedarville  and  is  still  living  there,  making  her  home  with  her  daughter. 
Miss  Elizabeth  Blair,  who  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Cedarville 
since  the  fall  of  that  year.  Mrs.  Creswell  before  her  marriage  also  was  a 
teacher,  having  followed  that  profession  for  five  vears. 


DAN   BAKER. 


L'ntil  he  recently  sold  his  old  home  place  and  moved  to  the  village  of 
Yellow  Springs  with  a  view  to  retiring  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm 
and  "taking  things  easy"  the  rest  of  his  life,  Dan  Baker,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  \Var  and  one  of  the  oldest  residents  of  Miami  township,  had  lived 
from  the  day  of  his  birth  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born,  three  and  one- 
half  miles  southeast  of  Yellow  Springs,  the  place  on  which  his  father  had 
settled  in  1828,  and  had  been  quite  content  there  to  remain.  He  was  born 
in  a  log  house  there  on  April  20,  18.^9,  son  of  Nayl  and  Huldah  (Mills) 
Baker,  who  had  taken  up  their  residence  there  ten  y€ars  or  more  before. 

Nayl  Baker  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  six- 


GREENE    COLiNTY,    OHIO  413 

teen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  Thomas  Baker  and  wife, 
Quakers,  from  that  state  of  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  Greene  county  in 
1812.  Here  he  took  his  part  as  a  young  man  in  the  development  of  a  pio- 
neer farm  and  presently  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  On  January 
6,  1825,  Nayl  Baker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Huldah  Mills,  who  was 
born  in  Montgomery  county  in  1802,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  Mills  and  wife, 
who  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  this  section  of  the  Miami  valley.  Jacob 
Mills  became  a  resident  of  the  northern  part  of  this  county  and  when  Miami 
township  was  organized  in  1808  he  was  elected  the  first  justice  of  the  peace 
in  and  for  that  township.  Miami  township  then  included  the  northern  por- 
tions of  what  are  now  Cedarville  and  Ross  townships,  in  this  county,  and 
about  one-third  of  Mad  River  township,  all  of  Greene  township  and  one- 
half  of  Madison  township,  in  Clark  county.  The  first  election  was  held  in 
the  house  of  David  S.  Brodick  at  Yellow  Springs.  In  1828,  three  years 
after  his  marriage,  Nayl  Baker  settled  on  the  farm  which  his  son  Dan  has 
just  recently  sold  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  He  died  in  1865  and  was  buried  in  the  Clifton  cemetery.  He  and  his 
wife  were 'the  parents  of  nine  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  childhood,  and 
of  whom  but  two  now  survive,  Dan  Baker  having  a  brother,  William  Baker, 
living  in  California.  The  others  were  Sarah,  Thomas,  Jacob,  Rachel,  Mary 
and  Letitia. 

Dan  Baker  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  helped  to 
develop  the  same.  During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  joined  the  Home 
Guard  and  later  went  to  the  front  in  the  hundred-days  service.  He  always 
made  his  home  on  the  home  place  and  after  his  marriage  in  1872  estab- 
lished his  home  there  and  continued  there  to  reside  until  in  November,  19 17. 
when  he  sold  the  place  preparatory  to  retirement  from  further  active  labors 
and  removed  to  Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  Baker  is  a  Republican  and  for  twenty- 
two  years  served  as  school  director  in  his  home  district  and  also  for  some 
time  as  a  director  of  the  village  schools  at  Clifton.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
local  post  of  the  Grand  Amiy  of  the  Republic  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Though  now  in  his  eightieth  year  Mr.  Baker  retains  much 
of  his  aforetime  physical  vigor  and  is  hale  and  hearty  beyond  his  vears. 

On  February  22,  1872,  Dan  Baker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Susan 
E.  Waymire,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  Anna  (Stebbins)  Waymire,  of 
Dayton,  both  of  whom  were  also  born  in  this  state  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  Mrs.  Baker  having  had  two  brothers,  John  and  Daniel,  and 
three  sisters,  Mary,  Elizabeth  and  Anna.  Mrs.  Baker  died  on  November 
8,  1907.  To  her  and  her  husband  were  born  seven  children,  namely : 
Joseph,  deceased:  Huldah,  deceased;'  Mrs.  Mary  Donovan,  of  this  county; 
John,  deceased;  Mrs.  Bessie  Dallas,  who  lives  near  Xenia  and  has  one  child, 


414  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  son,  Donald ;  and  Evan,  who  is  married  and  resides  in  Springfield.  To 
Evan  Baker  and  wife  four  children  have  been  born,  one  of  whom,  Harold,  is 
deceased,  the  others  being  Mildred.  Thelma  and  Gladys. 


JACOB  THOMAS  JACOBS. 

Jacob  Thomas  Jacobs,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  section  26  of  Miami 
township,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  on 
that  farm  and  has  lived  there  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  July  30,  1856,  son  of  Ahimaaz  and  Emily  (Trollinger)  Jacobs,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Allegany  county,  Maryland,  the  former  on  October  13, 
1 82 1,  and  the  latter,  April  4,  1826,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  the 
farm  here  referred  to  and  on  which  they  had  settled  not  long  after  their 
marriage  in  the  '40s. 

Ahimaaz  Jacobs  was  a  son  of  Gabriel  and  Margaret  (Jackson)  Jacobs, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Maryland,  the  former  on  July  7,  1781, 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children.  Gabriel  Jacobs  worked  as  a 
carpenter  during  the  earlier  years  of  his  manhood,  but  later  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  and  his  last  days  were  spent  on  the  farm  he  owned  in 
Allegany  county,  in  his  native  state,  his  death  occurring  there  on  October 
II.  184S.  His  widow  later  came  to  this  county,  her  son  Ahimaaz  mean- 
while having  settled  here,  and  here  her  last  days,  were  spent,  her  death 
occurring  on  October  20,    1855. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Maryland.  Ahimaaz  Jacobs  received  his 
schooling  in  the  ]iriniitive  schools  of  that  time  and  place,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  when  he  accompanied  his  elder 
brother.  Samuel,  to  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  and  was  there  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  cou]3le  of  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  Mar}lan(l  and  was  there,  on  March  10,  1846.  married  to  Emily  Trollinger, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Sallie  (Jacobs)  Trollinger.  natives  of  that  state  and 
the  latter  of  whom  died  there.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  his  wife  Jacob 
Trollinger  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  this  county,  where  he  spent  the  rest 
of  hii  lite.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children.  After 
his  marriage  Ahimaaz  Jacobs  settled  dfivrn  on  a  farm  in  in's  home  county. 
in  Maryland,  but  some  years  later  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and  settled 
.';n  the  farm  in  section  26  of  Miami  township,  this  county,  where  his  son, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  now  living.  There  he  developed  a  tract  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-two  acres  of  land,  and  on  that  farm  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  rest  of  tiieir  lives,  her  death  occurring  on  August  19.  1888, 
and  his,  January  27,   1905.     They  were  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  415 

of  which  Mr.  Jacobs  was  for  years  one  of  the  trustees,  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Prohibition  party 
Mr.  Jacobs  threw  his  support  in  that  direction  and  was  one  of  the  active 
workers  in  the  cause  of  temperance  in  his  neighborhood.  For  years  he 
was  a  member  of  the  local  school  board  and  in  one  campaign  was  elected 
supervisor  of  his  home  township,  but  declined  to  serve.  Of  the  six  chil- 
dren born  to  him  and  his  wife  four  grew  to  maturity,  namely:  J.  Cicero, 
a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Will- 
iam Austin,  who  died  on  January  20,  1901,  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  Mary 
L.,  who  on  May  26,  1891,  married  John  P.  Confer  and  who  died  on  Sep- 
tember 25,  1904. 

Jacob  T.  Jacobs  was  reared  on  the  farm  on ,  which  he  was  born  in 
Miami  township.  He  completed  his  schooling  by  attendance  at  Antioch 
College  during  the  years  1873-74  and  then  continued  his  labors  on  the  farm 
for  a  few  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Nebraska  and  was 
there  engaged  in  the  employ  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  Railroad  Com- 
pany, working  both  in  the  passenger  and  freight  departments  of  that  road 
until  1884,  when  he  returned  to  the  home  farm  in  this  county  and  there 
has  since  been  engaged  in  farming,  having  established  his  home  there  after 
his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1891.  Mr.  Jacobs  is  now  serving  as  a  member 
of  the  school  board,  to  which  office  he  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  191 7.  He 
is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Yellow 
Springs. 

On  October  14,  1891,  Mr.  Jacobs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Frances  Berg,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Clifton, 
in  this  county,  February  14,  1871,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  Cath- 
erine (Ward)  Berg,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 
Joseph  Berg  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  this 
county  for  many  years.  He  died  on  May  10,  1900,  and  his  widow  is  now 
living  in  California,  where  two  of  her  children  also  reside.  Joseph  Berg 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.,  all  of  whom  are  living  and 
of  whom  Mrs.  Jacobs  is  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as 
follow :  Jacob  Elmer,  who  is  li\ing  in  Xe\'ada ;  Jessie,  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia ;  Mrs.  Allie  Glenn  Dawson,  of  Yellow  Springs ;  William  Flenrv,  of 
Nevada;  John  Ward,  also  a  resident  of  Ne\'ada;  Mrs.  Rebecca  Elizabeth 
Bodell,  who  lives  in  North  Carolina;  Carl  Chester,  of  Nevada,  and  Mrs. 
Georgetta  Thomas,  of  Los  Angeles,  California.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacobs 
three  children  have  been  born,  sons  all,  namely :  Albert  Leroy,  born  on 
August    10,    1892,  who  married   Clara   R.    Martin,  has   one   son,   Clitus    T-, 


4l6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

born  January  19.  1918,  and  is  living  on  a  farm  southeast  of  Yellow  Springs: 
Omar  Kenneth,  February  12,  1895,  who  died  on  December  26,  1912,  and 
Leslie  Berg,  October  13,  1904,  who  is  in  school. 


HARRY  N.  HEIFNER. 


Harry  N.  Heifner,  proprietor  of  the  W^ickersham  Hotel  at  Jamestown, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  November  16. 
1883,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Early)  Heifner,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  1855  and  the  latter  in  1858,  who  are  still 
living  on  the  old  home  place  a  mile  east  of  Jamestown,  where  'Sir.  Heifner 
has  been  for  years  engaged  in  general  farming  and  in  the  live-stock  business, 
W'ith  particular  reference  to  the  shipment  of  hogs.  To  Samuel  Heifner  and 
wife  three  children  have  been  born,  one  of  whom,  a  son,  Charles  D.  Heifner, 
is  now  deceased,  the.  subject. of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Stella,  born  on 
March  5,  1878,  who  married  W.  W.  Barnett,  of  Jamestown. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Harry  N.  Heifner  completed  his  schooling 
in  the  Jamestown  schools  and  for  a  short  time  thereafter  was  engaged 
on  his  father's  farm,  remaining  there  until  he  was  past  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Dayton  and  became  engaged  there  as  a  street  rail- 
way motorman,  but  he  did  not  find  that  sort  of  a  vocation  to  his  liking  and 
he  presently  returned  home  and  became  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business 
in  association  with  his  fatlier,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  some  months 
after  his  marriage,  when  he  moved  to  Jamestown  and  became  the  proprietor 
of  the  Wickersham  Hotel,  in  succession  to  C.  H.  Xeil.  It  was  on  March 
I,  1914,  that  Mr.  Heifner  boueht  the  furniture  and  fixtures  of  the  Wicker- 
sham Hotel  and  in  the  following  December  he  bought  the  hotel  building 
and  has  since  continued  as  sole  proprietor  and  manager  of  that  popular 
hostelry.  The  Wickersham  Hotel  occupies  a  corner  that  has  been  devoted 
to  hotel  purposes  ever  sipce  the  .village  was  platted,  the  first  building  erected 
there  having  been  the  pioneer  tavern  that  was  conducted  by  Thomas  Watson, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Zina  Adams.  In  after  years  the  old  ta\ern  was  replaced 
by  a  more  commodious  hotel  building  called  the  Parker  House  and  which 
served  as  hostelry  in  the  village  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  at  the  time 
of  the  disastrous  confla.gration  that  swept  the  town  on  the  night  of  June  18, 
1878.  The  historic  corner  wjis  unoccupied  after  that  fire  until  in  the  spring 
of  1880,  when  .\1.  Wickersham.  at  that  time  one  of  Jamestown's  public- 
spirited  citizens  and  who  still  retains  interests  there,  though  now  a  resident 
of  Denver,  Colorado,  commenced  the  erection  of  the  building  which  still 
bears  his  name.  The  hotel  building  is  of  brick,  with  stone  trimmings,  of  an 
attractive  style  of  architecture,  is  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  length  by 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  417 

forty  wide,  two  stories  in  height  and  besides  ample  office  and  dining  room 
contains  twenty-five  sleeping  rooms,  as  well  as  thr-ee  rooms  that  are  used 
for  commercial  purposes.  Mr.  Heifner  has  in  his  wife  competent  aid  in 
the  operation  of  the  hotel. 

On  October  3,  1913,  Harry  N.  Heifner  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Helen  K.  Bradds,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of  Jamestown,  daughter  of 
Richland  and  Margaret  (McFarland)  Bradds,  the  former  of  whom  is 
deceased  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Jamestown,  and  to  this 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Frederick  Russell,  born  on  March 
19,  1917. 


PAUL  WILLIAM  WEISS. 

Paul  William  Weiss,  senior  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Weiss  & 
Wead,  of  Yellow  Springs,  has  had  many  years  of  mercantile  experience,  and 
has  been  engaged  in  business  at  Yellow  Springs  since  the  summer  of  1915. 
He  was  born  at  Xenia,  on  June  2,  1880,  son  of  Paul  and  Josephine  (Schury) 
Weiss,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  and  the  latter  in  the  city 
of  Xenia. 

The  elder  Paul  Weiss  was  born  on  May  9,  1844.  When  he  came  to  this 
country  he  located  in  Greene  county,  Ohio.  On  February  17,  1874,  he  mar- 
ried Josephine  Schury,  who  was  born  at  Xenia  on  October  28,  1855,  and 
who  died  on  May  23,  1895.  To  that  union  were  born  eight  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Emma  Elizabeth,  bom  on  November  30,  1875;  Edgar 
Henry,  January  13,  1878,  who  died  on  August  27,  1881 ;  Eva  Charlotte, 
February  8,  1882;  Mabel  Rose,  January  13,  1886,  who  died  on  February  5, 
1910;  Bertha  Grace,  December  9,  1888;  an  infant,  February  24,  1891,  who 
died  on  March  3,  1891,  and  Mary  Ruth,  January  14,  1893.  For  twenty-five 
years  the  elder  Paul  Weiss  was  employed  at  the  powder  mills,  moving  from 
Xenia  to  Goes  in  1887,  and  continued  to  make  his  home  at  the  latter  place 
until  his  removal  to  Springfield,  where  he  is  now  living,  in  the  employ  of 
the  American  Seeding  Machine  Company. 

Paul  William  Weiss  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Xenia  to  Goes  and  in  the  latter  place  he  received  his  schooling.  When 
sixteen  years  of  age  he  began  working  in  the  general  store  known  as  Shoe- 
maker's, and  there  acquired  his  initial  experience  in  the  mercantile  line.  He 
afterward  was  employed  in  stores  both  at  Xenia  and  at  Dayton,  but  returned 
to  Goes  and  there  remained  until  in  October,  1909,  when  he  moved  to  Yel- 
low Springs  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  partner- 
ship with  D.  A.  Brewer,  the  firm  doing  business  under  the  name  of  Brewer 


4l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

&  Weiss,  an  arrangement  that  continued  for  three  years  and  three  months, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  Mr.  Weiss  retired  from  business  and  moved  to  a 
farm,  where  he  remained  for  nineteen  months.  He  then  returned  to  Yel- 
low Springs  and  for  six  months  thereafter  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter,  in 
association  with  his  brother-in-law.  continuing  thus  engaged  until  June  i6, 

1915,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Prof.  Ralph  O.  Wead,  superin- 
tendent of  the  Yellow  Springs  schools,  and  again  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Weiss  &  Wead,  he  and  his  partner  having 
bought  the  old  established  business  of  J.  H.  Birch  at  Yellow  Springs.  Mr. 
Weiss  is  the  general  manager  of  the  store.     He  is  a  Republican. 

On  June  18,  1902,  Mr.  Weiss  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louise  Geiger, 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Burkhart  Geiger  and  wife, 
natives  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  deceased,  and  to  this 
union  four  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Kenneth  Burkhart,  born  on 
February  4,  1904.  who  is  now  in  high  school;  Mary  Ella,  Septeml)er  25, 
1908;  Mabel  Louise,  October   11,   1910,  and  Hester  Pauline,  September  9, 

1916.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weiss  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  their 
older  children  also  being:  members  of  the  church. 


GUY  H.  FOGG. 


Guy  H.  Fogg,  of  the  vicinity  of  Yellow  Springs  and  the  proprietor 
of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  just  west  of  that  village,  is 
a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  at  Grape  Grove,  eight  miles  east  of  Cedarville,  August  3,  1854,  son 
of  Andrew  and  Naomi  (Litde)  Fogg,  the  former  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire and  the  latter  of  Virginia,  who  later  became  residents  of  the  Yellow 
Springs  neighborhood  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  the  farm  on  the 
Dayton  pike  which  their  son,  Guy  H.  Fogg,  owns,  just  west  of  the  village. 

Andrew  Fogg  was  born  in  1804  and  became  a  skilled  cabinetmaker  and 
gunsmith.  When  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  located  at  Cincinnati  and  there 
became  engaged  as  a  cabinet-maker,  but  did  not  long  remain  in  that  city, 
presently  coming  into  Greene  county  and  locating  at  Xenia,  where  he  became 
engaged  as  a  gunsmith.  Some  time  after  his  marriage  he  located  at  Grape 
Grove,  where  he  remained  until  1865,  when  he  bought  a  farm  just  west  of 
the  village  of  Yellow  Springs  and  on  that  place  he  and  his  wife  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives,  Andrew  Fogg  dying  there  in  1885.  His  widow's 
death  occurred  at  the  home  place  in  1906.  Andrew  Fogg  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister, 
Elizabeth,  who  was  born  at  Grape  Grove  in  1850  and  wlio  died  in  1870. 

Guy  H.  Fogg  was  eleven  years  of  age  wlien  liis  parents  took  possession 
of  the  place  which  he  now  owns  on  Dayton  pike.     As  a  boy  he  was  trained 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  4I9 

bv  his  father  in  the  use  of  wood-working  tools  and  early  became  a  cabinet- 
maker, a  vocation  which  has  ever  been  a  pleasure  to  him,  though  his  prin- 
cipal occupation  has  been  farming.  When  sixteen  years  of  age,  in  1870, 
Mr.  Fogg  attended  Antioch  College  and  in  that  institution  pursued  a  four- 
years  course  of  study.  During  his  school  vacations  he  spent  much  of  his 
time  working  at  the  carpenter  trade,  at  the  same  time  continuing  his  assist- 
ance in  the  labors  of  developing  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1878  established  his  home  on  that  place  and  since  the  death  of 
his  father  in  1882  has  been  in  control  of  the  same.  Mr.  Fogg  is  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  land,  the  active  manage- 
ment of  which  is  now  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  Kenneth,  for  whom  he  erected 
a  fine  house  alxjut  fifty  yards  from  the  home  place,  taking  much  pleasure 
in  doing  the  better  part  of  that  construction  himself.  Mr.  Fogg's  skill  as 
a  cabinet-maker  is  in  evidence  in  numerous  handsome  pieces  of  furniture 
which  he  made  with  his  own  hands  for  his  home  and  that  of  his  son  and 
his  carpenter  shop  is  a  great  source  of  pleasure  to  him.  He  and  his  son 
have  a  fine  herd  of  Herefords. 

On  September  2,  1878,  Guy  H.  Fogg  was  united  in  marriage  to  Georgia 
Jackson,  who  was  born  at  Patriot,  in  Switzerland  county,  Indiana,  January 
6,  1850.  and  who  died  March  27,  1910,  leaving  three  children,  namely:  E. 
Kenneth,  now  managing  the  farm  for  his  father,  and  who  married  Mary 
Tresler,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  and  has  three  children, 
Helen,  Margaret  and  Kingsley ;  Ella,  unmarried,  who  is  keeping  house  for 
her  father,  and  Florence,  wife  of  Kingsley  Smith,  a  real-estate  dealer,  living 
at  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Miss  Fogg  and  her  brother  and  the  latter's  family 
are  attendants  on  the  services  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Fogg  is  a 
Republican. 


CHARLES   E.   BEATTY. 

Charles  E.  Beatty,  a  farmer  of  Miami  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
Greene  county,  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  on  March  5,  1865.  son 
of  John  and  Delilah  (Jones)  Beatty,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ulster,  and  the  latter,  of  the  state  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  in  1837.  John  Beatty  was  born  in  1812  and  was  twenty-eight 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country.  After  his  marriage  he  settled 
on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Collins  school  in  Xenia  township,  and 
there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  as  follows:  Catherine,  who  is  living  in  Xenia  township; 
William,  a  farmer,  of  Xenia  township;  James,  deceased:  John,  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  furniture  business  at  Xenia;  Margaret,  also  of  Xenia  township; 


420  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Frank,  who  is  now  living  in  Michigan,  owner  of  the  great  Kellogg  straw- 
berry farm  at  Three  Rivers,  and  Allie,  of  Xenia  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  Charles  E.  Beatty  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  Collins  school  and  as  a  young  man  laegan  farming 
on  his  own  account,  renting  farms,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  he  entered 
upon  possession  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Miami  township. 
Mr.  Beatty  served  as  school  supervisor  for  four  or  five  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Beatty  has  been  twice  married.  On  March  4,  1887,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Amanda  Burrows,  a  resident  of  the  Osborn  neighborhood, 
in  Bath  township,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three  children,  namely:  Alice, 
who  married  L.  M.  Stevenson,  now  living  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  has  one 
son,  Robert ;  Roscoe,  now  living  at  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  manager  of  a  big 
ranch  belonging  to  his  uncle,  and  who  married  Frances  Lyman  and  has  two 
children,  Alice  May  and  Francis  Edward;  and  Mary,  a  professional  nurse, 
who  continues  her  residence  at  the  old  home  in  Miami  township.  The 
mother  of  these  children  died  on  April  3,  1907,  and  on  June  28,  1910,  at 
Yellow  Springs,  Mr.  Beatty  married  Missouri  Lott,  who  was  born  in 
Perry  county,  Ohio,  July  14,  1880,  daughter  of  Bradford  and  Delilah  (Gates) 
Lott,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  deceased  and  the  former  of  whom  is  now  a 
resident  of  Fairfield,  this  county.  Bradford  Lott  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Beatty  being  as  follow :  Mrs.  Fay  Loe, 
of  Yellow  Springs:  Mrs.  Blanche  Sellers,  of  Troy;  William,  who  married 
Sarah  Frick,  sister  of  Henry  Clay  Frick,  of  New  York,  the  great  coke  and 
steel  magnate,  and  is  now  living  retired  at  Wooster,  Ohio,  and  Victor,  who 
died  in  1904  and  whose  widow  is  living  at  Xenia. 


CALVIN  L.  OGLESBEE. 

Cahin  L.  Oglesbee,  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Spring  Valley, 
was  born  over  the  line  in  Wayne  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Warren,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  section  of  the  state  all  his  life." 
He  was  born  on  March  25,  1833,  son  of  Elias  and  Mary  (Stump)  Oglesbee, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  and  who  were  mem- 
bers of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  Ohio. 

Elias  Oglesbee  was  a  son  of  Isaiah  and  Phebe  (Painter)  Oglesbee, 
Quakers,  who  in  1800,  in  company  with  four  other  Quaker  families,  the 
Kellys,  the  O'Neills,  the  Millses  and  the  Faulkners,  drove  through  from 
Frederick  county.  \'irginia,  to  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  and  formed  what 
later  came  to  be  known  as  the  Waynesville  settlement,  in  Warren  county. 
down  on  the  Little  Miami,  not  far  below  the  Greene  county  line.  In  1903 
when  the  Quakers  of  Waynesville  had  their  centennial  celebration,  descen- 


CALVIX  L.  OGLESBEE. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  421 

dants  of  these  families  from  various  parts  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  were  present. 
Isaiah  Oglesbee  got  a  tract  of  land  in  the  woods  on  what  later  came  to 
be  established  the  county  line,  between  Lumberton  and  Port  William,  there 
made  a  clearing,  put  up  a  log  cabin  and  began  to  make  a  home  in  the  wilder- 
ness. He  and  his  wife  reared  a  large  family  and  spent  their  last  days 
there.  Their  sons  were  David,  John,  Elias,  Isaiah,  Jacob,  Jonathan  and 
Eli,  the  latter  of  whom  moved  over  into  Indiana.  Jonathan  went  to  Iowa. 
For  two  years  prior  to  1817  Elias  Oglesbee  worked  at  his  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker at  Cincinnati  and  then  he  came  back  up  here,  walking  to  Painters- 
ville,  where  his  mother's  folks  were  living.  In  Virginia  he  had  married 
Mary  Stump,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  (Ramey)  Stump,  Methodists, 
who  had  settled  on  a  farm  east  of  Waynesville  in  181 7.  Daniel  Stump  and 
wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely :  Hannah,  who  married 
Jesse  Romine  and  moved  to  Indiana ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Oglesbee 
and  lived  near  Lumberton ;  Mary,  who  married  Elias  Oglesbee ;  Matilda, 
who  married  Isaac  Stump  and  lived  in  this  county;  Catherine,  who  mar- 
ried John  Henry  and  lived  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton;  Lydia, 
who  died  unmarried ;  Daniel,  who  remained  on  the  old  homestead ;  Jonas, 
who  established  his  home  in  Greene  county,  and  William,  who  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Harveysburg,  in  Warren  county. 

After  his  marriage  Elias  Oglesbee  located  on  a  tract  of  land  three 
miles  east  of  Waynesville,  but  later  became  the  owner  of  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  ef  land  near  Dunkirk,  Indiana.  He  was  a.  Quaker.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  seventh  in  order  i)f  birth,  the  others  lieing  the  following: 
Sidney,  who  married  Samuel  Stump  and  moved  to  Indiana ;  Eleanor,  who 
married  Hugh  Prater,  of  W^arren  county ;  Hannah,  who  married  Thomas 
McKee  and  moved  to  Indiana ;  Mary,  who  also  became  a  resident  of  Indiana 
and  who  was  twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  Jesse  Baker 
and  her  second,  a  Parnell ;  Ruth,  who  married  Isaac  McKinney  and  also 
moved  to  Indiana ;  Jane,  who  married  Stephen  Compton  and  moved  to 
Indiana;  Phoebe,  who  married  Jonathan  Compton  and  also  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Indiana,  and  Jonathan,  who  married  a  Piper  and  continued  to  live 
in  Warren  county.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
four  years.     The  father  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four. 

Calvin  L.  Oglesbee  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  down 
in  Warren  county,  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  little  old  log  school 
house  which  served  the  children  of  that  neighborhood  in  those  days,  sup- 
plemented that  schooling  by  a  course  of  one  term  in  the  Cedarville  schools 
and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years, 
in  1861,  after  which  he  continued  on  the  home  place  until  1865,  in  which 
year  he  became  the  owner  of  a  si.xty-acre  tract  of  his  own.     He  presently 


422  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

sold  that  place  and  bought  another  farm  of  seventy-eight  acres,  which  he 
cleared  and  improved  and  on  which  he  resided  until  1880,  when  he  sold  that 
place  and  bought  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Harveysburg,  where  he  resided 
until  his  retirement  on  April  14,  1908,  and  removal  to  Spring  \^alley,  where 
he  since  has  made  his  home.  ^Ir.  Oglesbee  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-three  acres.  He  has  served  the  public  in  the  several  capacities 
of  township  trustee,  clerk  of  the  school  board  and  as  land  appraiser. 

Mr.  Oglesbee  has  been  twice  married.  On  February  11,  1861,  in  War- 
ren county,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca  Kling,  who  was  born  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Lebanon,  in  that  county,  daughter  of  Lewis  Kling  and 
wife.  Of  the  children  born  to  that  union  two  are  still  li\ing,  Dr.  William 
Oglesbee,  of  Cleveland,  this  state,  and  Alice  May,  the  latter  of  whom  com- 
pleted her  musical  education  at  the  Cincinnati  Conservatory  of  Music  and  is 
now  a  teacher  of  music  at  Spring  Valley.  Dr.  William  Oglesbee,  who  is 
proprietor  of  a  hospital  at  Cle\eland,  completed  his  schooling  at  Antioch 
College  and  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College,  having  been  graduated  from  the 
latter  institution  in  1891,  and  after  some  preliminary  hospital  work  opened 
an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Cozaddale,  later  moving  to 
WajTiesville,  Warren  county,  where  he  continued  in  practice  until  his  removal 
to  Cleveland.  He  married  Minnie  Zangmaster.  of  Cincinnati.  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Oglesbee  died  in  1896  and  on  September  22,  1898,  Mr.  Oglesbee  married 
Martha  Ann  Morgan,  who  was  born  in  Warren  county,  May  30,  1846, 
daughter  of  William  and  Matilda  (Compton)  Morgan,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  Greene  county  on  November  16,  18 16,  and  the  latter  in  Warren 
county,  April  24,  1808.  William  Morgan  died  in  Warren  county  on  Feb- 
ruary ig,  1896.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mrs. 
Oglesbee  having  had  a  brother,  James  H.  ]\Iorgan,  bom  on  December  24, 
1844,  who  married  Anna  Sherwood  and  made  his  home  on  a  farm  two  miles 
north  of  Spring  Valley,  where  he  died  in  March,  1908.  Mrs.  Oglesbee 
received  her  early  schooling  in  Warren  county,  the  first  school  she  attended 
there  having  been  the  old  log  Quaker  church  school  on  Caesars  creek,  and 
she  completed  her  schooling  at  Earlham  College,  the  Quaker  institution  of 
learning  at  Richmond,  Indiana. 


WILLLAM  DODDS. 


William  Dodds,  last  mayor  of  the  city  of  Xenia.  former  sheriff  of 
Greene  county,  fonner  county  auditor  and  formerly  connected  with  his 
brothers,  of  the  old  firm  of  A.  &  G.  Dodds,  in  the  marble-cutting  business  at 
Xenia,  is  a  native  of  "the  land  o'  the  heather,"  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
this  country  and  of  Xenia  since  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  and  is  as  intense 
an  American  as  can  be  found  between  the  two  seas.     He  was  born  in  Rox- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  423 

boroughshire,  Scotland,  last-born  of  the  seven  children  born  to  George  and 
Isabel  (Taylor)  Dodds,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  shire  and 
the  former  of  whom  died  when  his  last-born  was  but  an  infant,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  therefore  never  having  known  the  supporting  care  of  a  father. 

Reared  in  his  native  village,  William  Dodds  completed  his  studies  in 
the  night  school  there  and  wlien  sixteen  years  of  age  came  to  the  United 
States,  his  brothers,  Andrew  and  George  Dodds,  meanwhile  having  become 
established  in  the  marble-cutting  and  general  monument  business  at  Xenia, 
and  here  he  joined  them  in  1866,  settling  down,  under  their  direction,  to 
learn  the  details  of  the  marble-cutter's  trade;  and  he  continued  thus  engaged 
in  the  Dodds  marble  works  at  Xenia  until  1882,  in  which  year  he  became 
engaged  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  fire  department.  Three  montlis  later, 
however,  he  gave  up  his  position  in  the  fire  department  and  returned  to  the 
marble  works,  but  not  long  afterward  again  left  that  establishment  and 
returned  to  municipal  employment,  becoming  a  member  of  the  police  force 
and  so  continued  until  his  appointment  to  the  position  of  court  bailiff.  During 
the  incumbency  of  Sheriff  Linkhart,  Mr.  Dodds  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff 
and  in  1890  was  elected  sheriff  of  Greene  county,  having  been  previously 
nominated  for  that  office  by  the  Republicans  of  the  county.  He  was  re- 
elected in  1892  and  thus  served  for  two  terms  in  the  sheriff's  office.  Upon 
the  expiration  of  thTs  term  ofrserv-ice,  in  September,  1895,  Mr.  Dodds  re- 
sumed his  former  connection  with  the  police  department  and  continued  that 
connection  until  his  entrance  in  1902  upon  the  duties  of  auditor  of  Greene 
county,  to  which  position  he  had  been  elected,  as  the  nominee  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  in  the  previous  election.  Mr.  Dodds  was  re-elected  to  the  office 
of  auditor  and  he  thus  continued  in  that  office  for  two  terms,  or  until  1909. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  been  elected  mayor  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  upon 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  in  the  auditor's  office  entered  on  his  new 
duties  in  the  city  hall,  as  chief  executive  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  by  suc- 
cessive re-elections  continued  to  hold  that  office  until  the  creation  of  the  city- 
manager  form  of  government  in  1918.  In  addition  to  the  formal  executive 
duties  of  his  office,  Mayor  Dodds,  by  charter  right,  also  presided  over  the 
city  police  court..  Mr.  Dodds  is  the  proprietor  of  a  livery  stable,  a  business 
in  which  he  was  long  associated  with  his  son,  the  late  Oliver  A.  Dodds, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Dodds  &  Son. 

On  May  28,  1874,  William  Dodds  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Xenia,  to 
Mary  E.  Knox,  daughter  of  Brice  Knox  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom 
formerly  was  engaged  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  business  at  Xenia,  and 
to  this  union  was  born  one  child,  a  son,  Oliver  A.  Dodds,  mentioned  above, 
who  died  at  Akron,  Ohio,  March  25,  1917.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodds  attend  the 
Presbvterian  church. 


4-4  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

CHRISTIAN  ^.[.  ZELLER,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Christian  i\I.  Zeller,  dental  surgeon,  who  has  been  practicing  his 
profession  at  Yellow  Springs  for  the  past  twenty  years  or  more,  was  born 
at  iledway,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  December  15,  1871,  son  of 
John  and  Esther  (Harnish)  Zeller,  both  now  deceased,  who  were  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  former  died  in  1912  and  the  latter  in  1913.  Esther 
Harnish  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  two  years  of 
age  when  her  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Clark  county,  where  she 
spent  the  rest  of  her  life.  John  Zeller  was  born  in  1832  and  his  youth  was 
spent  in  his  native  state.  In  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  he  came  to  Ohio 
and  located  in  Clark  county,  where  for  some  time  he  followed  his  trade  as  a 
plasterer.  After  his  marriage  he  became  engaged  in  farming  in  the  vicinity 
of  Aledway.  All  of  the  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  are  still  living 
save  one,  Lorenzo,  who  died  when  eight  years  of  age.  The  others  besides 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  are  Alonzo,  Henry.  John. 
Frank,  William  and  Cyrus. 

Reared  at  Medway,  Christian  AI.  Zeller  received  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  village  and  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  continued 
his  labors  on  the  farm.  He  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  entered  the 
Ohio  Dental  School,  second  to  the  oldest  institution  of  that  character  in  the 
United  States.  He  later  entered  the  Cincinnati  Dental  School  and  was  grad- 
uated from  that  institution  in  1897.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor 
Zeller  opened  an  ofiice  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Yellow  Springs 
and  has  since  been  located  there. 

On  August  29,  1908,  Doctor  Zeller  was  united  in  marriage  to  \'erona 
Brown,  of  South  Westerlo,  in  Albany  county.  New  York.  They  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republican,  b'raternallv. 
he  is  afiiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and 
of  tlie  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


FREDERICK  SHELLABARGER. 

Frederick  Shellabarger,  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  four  miles  east  of 
Fairfield,  in  Bath  township,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  3  out  of  Osborn,  was  liorn 
on  what  was  known  as  the  old  Galloway  farm,  over  the  line  in  Mad  River 
township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  and  has  'lived  hereabout  all 
his  life,  having  resided  there  until  he  moved  flown  to  his  present  farm  in 
Greene  county  in  1906.  He  was  born  on  September-  26,  1868,  son  of  Ephraim 
and  Jane  E.  (Dolbeer)  Shellabarger,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in 
Mad  River  township,  Clark  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  fami- 
lies in  that  section  of  the  state. 


.^r* 


r.^LM^  J}C^^/^^ayz-^^/t^ 


-ayl^Qy^£y}^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  425 

Ephraim  Shellabarger,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Clark  county  in  19 14, 
was  a  son  of  Reuben  and  Ehzabeth  (Baker)  Shellabarger,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  Mad  River  township,  Clark  county,  the  latter  a  daughter 
of  A'lelyn  Baker  and  wife,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  in  that  part 
of  the  county,  also  were  the  parents  of  Reuben  Shellabarger,  the  two  fami- 
lies, the  Shellabargers  and  the  Bakers,  having  been  identified  with  the  work 
of  development  in  the  Enon  neighborhood  almost  from  the  time  of  the  begin- 
ning of  a  social  order  there.  Reuben  Shellabarger  was  reared  on  a  pio- 
neer farm  and  upon  beginning  operations  on  his  own  behalf  took  hold  of 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  in  section  6  of  his  home  township 
and  after  his  marriage  began  housekeeping  there  in  a  log  house.  He  developed 
that  place  and  later  adding  to  his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  old  Galloway  farm  in  that  icinity.  He  was  a  Democrat,  served 
as  township  trustee  for  years  and  also  for  some  time  as.  land  appraiser,  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church,  he  serving  as  an 
elder  in  the  church  for  many  years.  His  wife  died  on  September  5,  1873, 
and  he  survived  her  for  more  than  eighteen  years,  his  death  occurring  on 
October  27,  1889,  he  then  being  past  seventy-five  years  of  age.  Reuben 
Shellabarger  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  seven 
grew  to  maturity  and  raised  families  of  their  own,  those  besides  Ephraim 
Shellabarger  having  been  Melyn,  Mrs.  Minerva  Dolbeer,  Mrs.  Sarah  Smith, 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Dunkel,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Athy  and  Mrs.  Irene  Miller,  all  of 
whom  established  their  homes  in  and  about  Enon. 

Ephraim  Shellabarger  was  born  on  the  old  home  place  near  Enon  on 
September  28,  1837,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  On  December  22,  1863, 
at  the  bride's  home  in  Alad  River  township,  he  married  Jane  E.  Dolbeer,  who 
was  born  in  New  Jersey,  a  daughter  of  Isaac  N.  Dolbeer  and  wife,  and  who 
was  but  a  child  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  this  state,  the  family  set- 
tling in  the  Enon  neighborhood  in  Clark  county,  where  for  years  Isaac  N. 
Dolbeer  later  served  as  justice  of  the  peace,  later  becoming  a  resident  of 
Springfield,  where  his  last  days  were  s])ent.  After  his  marriage  Ephraim 
Shellabarger  established  his  home  on  that  portion  of  the  home  farm  known 
as  the  Galloway  place  and  later  became  owner  of  the  same.  In  1887  he 
added  to  his  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  the  Francis  Johnson  farm  of  ime 
hundred  and  ninety-eight  acres.  He  wr.s  a  Democrat  and  frequentlv  served 
as  a  delegate  to  his  party  conventions.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Christian  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  sons,  Cliarles  R..  Fred- 
erick and  Ernest  (twins),  William  and  Raymond,  all  of  whom  are  living 
save  Ernest,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  year,  and  Raymond,  who  diefl  on 
April  14,   1918,  aged  thirty-five. 

Frederick  Shellabarger  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinitv 
of  Enon,   receiving  his  schooling  in  what  was  known   as  the   Shellabarser 


4^6  GREEXE    COUXTY.    OHIO 

school.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1898  he  continued  to  make  his 
home  there  until  in  1906,  when  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living,  about  four  miles  east  of  Fairfield,  in  Bath  township,  this  county, 
and  has  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Shellabarger  is  a  Democrat  and 
during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Clark  county  served  for  ten  years  as 
treasurer  of  the  county  board  of  agriculture.  In  1910  he  was  elected  land 
appraiser  for  Bath  township  and  is  now  serving  as  road  superintendent  in 
his  home  district. 

On  March  2,  1898,  at  Enon,  Frederick  Shellabarger  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Pearl  Viola  Miller,  of  that  place,  who  was  born  in  Darke  county, 
this  state,  but  who  has  spent  most  of  her  life  in  Greene  county,  having  been 
but  four  years  of  age  when  her  parents  moved  here.  Mr.  Shellabarger 
had  two  brothers,  Roy  and  Guy,  both  now  deceased,  and  has  a  sister.  Myrtle. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shellabarger  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Shella- 
barger is  a  membe/  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Yellow  Springs. 


HORACE  ROBERT  HA\\'KINS,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Horace  Robert  Hawkins,  superintendent  of  Washington  Hospital 
at  Xenia,  a  former  member  of  the  Xenia  city  council  and  for  years  one  of  the 
best-known  colored  physicians  in  this  part  of  Ohio,  was  born  in  Greene 
county  and  has  lived  here  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  the  Trebein  neighborhood  in  Beavercreek  township,  July  3,  1870, 
son  of  Leonard  and  Theresa  (Allen)  Hawkins,  natives  of  Kentucky,  who 
were  married  there  and  who  about  1868  came  up  into  this  part  of  Ohio  and 
settled  in  Greene  county.  Leonard  Hawkins  was  a  practical  farmer  and 
upon  his  arrival  here  he  was  given  charge  of  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Trebien 
Station.  A  few  years  later  he  was  given  charge  of  a  farm  in  the  Jamestown 
neighborhood  and  a  few  years  later  was  given  charge  of  a  farm  at  Goes 
Station.  Some  years  later  he  moved  to  Clifton,  where  his  last  days  were  spent, 
his  death  occurring  there  in  the  fall  of  1889,  he  then  being  seventy- four 
years  of  age.  His  widow  is  still  living,  now  making  her  home  with  a  son 
and  a  daughter  at  621  East  Market  street,  X^nia,  she  now  being  in  the 
eighty-third  year  of  her  age.  Leonard  Hawkins  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  sixteen  children,  of  whom  ten  are  still  living,  namelv:  Andrew  C, 
who  owns  and  operates  a  drug  store  in  Xenia.  and  who  makes  his  home  at 
604  East  Main  street  in  that  city;  Mary  E.,  unmarried,  who  makes  her  home 
in  Cleveland,  this  state;  E.  E.,  who  is  connected  with  the  Pullman  railway 
service,  with  headquarters  at  Montreal,  Canada;  Doctor  Hawkins,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch:  Amanda,  who  married  James  Taylor  and 
lives  in  Cleveland;  Ida,  unmarried,  who  also  lives  in  Cleveland;  William  X., 
foreman  an  the  factory  of  the  American  Tobacco  Company  at  Xenia ;  Hattie, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  427 

who  is  unmarried  and  who  lives  with  her  mother  in  Xenia;  Anna  May,  wife 
of  Charles  Jenkins,  of  Dayton,  and  Edward,  of  Xenia. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Horace  Robert  Hawkins  received  his  early  school- 
ing at  Goes  and  later  attended  the  high  school  at  Clifton,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1888.  Having  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the  practice  of 
medicine,  he  had  been  giving  such  time  as  he  could  to  the  reading  of  medi- 
cal works  and  upon  leaving  the  high  school  pursued  his  medical  studies  for 
a  year  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  William  Webster  at  Dayton,  after 
which  he  entered  the  Homeopathic  Hospital  College  at  Cleveland,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  with  the  second  honors  of  his  class,  in  a  class  of 
forty-eight,  in  1892.  During  his  senior  year  in  college  Doctor  Hawkins  was 
an  assistant  interne  in  the  hospital  operated  in  connection  with  the  college 
and  after  his  graduation  he  immediately  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the 
same  institution,  specializing  in  surgery  and  diseases  of  women.  Thus 
equipped  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  Doctor  Hawkins  opened  an  office 
at  Dayton  and  after  eighteen  months  of  practice  there  moved,  in  1894,  to 
Xenia,  where  he  ever  since  has  been  engaged  in  practice.  In  1906  the 
Doctor  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College 
and  Hospital  at  Philadelphia,  specializing  in  surgery,  and  in  1916  he  helped 
to  organize  the  Washington  Hospital,  which  is  located  in  his  office  building 
at  627  East  Main  street,  and  has  since  served  as  superintendent  and  chief 
of  staff  of  the  hospital,  which  has  a  capacity  of  eighteen  beds.  Doctor 
Hawkins  is  a  member  of  Miami  Valley  Medical  Society  of  Ohio.  In  1904 
the  Doctor  rebuilt  the  building  in  which  his  office  and  Washington  Hospital 
are  located,  in  East  Main  street,  and  several  years  ago  he  Ixiught  and  remod- 
eled the  house  in  which  he  now  lives  at  609  East  Main  street.  The  Doctor 
is  a  Republican  and  for  sixteen  years,  or  during  eight  consecutive  terms  of 
office,  served  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  city  council,  representing  the  fourth 
ward.  For  the  past  three  years  or  more  the  Doctor  also  has  been  serving 
as   township  physician    for   Xenia   township. 

On  September  28,  1892,  Doctor  Hawkins  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Cora  A.  Taylor,  who  was  bom  at  Kalida,  this  state,  daughter  of  Grant  and 
Carrie  V.  Taylor.  Doctor  Hawkins  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Zion 
Baptist  church  and  the  Doctor  was  formerly  president  of  the  Young  Peoples 
Society  of  the  same.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  colored  lodges  of 
the  Masons  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pvthias. 


JACOB  HAXES. 


Jacob  Hanes.  widely  known  as  Squire  Hanes,  of  Zimmermans,  one  of 
the  oldest  native-born  residents  of  Greene  county,  was  born  in  Beavercreek 
township  on  April  2,  1832,  a  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Smeltzer)  Hanes, 


428  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Maryland  in  1802  and  was  but  three  years 
of  age  when  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Mary  Hanes,  came  to  this  state  and 
settled  in  Greene  county,  locating  on  the  land  now  owned  by  their  grandson, 
Jacob  Hanes,  at  Zimmermans.  The  elder  Jacob  Hanes  became  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  181 2,  served  as  one  of  the  associate  judges  of  Greene  county  for 
seven  years,  was  for  many  years  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  other  ways 
active  in  pioneer  affairs.  He  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six.  His  widow  lived 
to  be  eighty-two.  They  had  six  children,  four  of  whom,  Jacob,  Jonathan, 
Mary  and  Frances,  lived  to  maturity  and  reared  families.  Jonathan  Hanes 
in  1 83 1  married  iMary  Smeltzer  and  established  his  home  on  a  farm  at  Zim- 
mermans, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  Luth- 
erans and  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having 
had  a  sister  Mary. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Jacob  Hanes  remained  there  until  his  mar- 
riage when  thirty-five  years  of  age,  after  which  for  two  years  he  made  his 
home  on  the  farm  of  his  father-in-law.  He  then  located  on  the  place  on 
which  he  is  now  living  and  there  has  ever  since  resided.  It  was  in  1867  that 
Jacob  Hanes  was  united  in  marriage  to  Man.'  M.  Stull,  who  also  was  born 
in  this  county,  March  9,  1847,  daughter  of  W'illiam  K.  and  Sarah  Stull, 
and  to  his  union  five  children  were  born,  Jonathan  W..  Francis  A.,  Jacob  L., 
Cassius  A.,  and  Edward  F.,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  the  latter,  who  died 
in  1905,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years.  Mrs.  Hanes  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church.  Squire  Hanes  is  a  Republican.  During  recent  years 
he  has  suffered  considerably  from  failing  sight,  but  is  still  able  to  get  about 
with  much  of  his  old-time  vigor. 

Jonathan  Hanes,  eldest  son  of  Sfjuire  Hanes  and  wife,  married  Hattie 
Flatter,  of  Hartford  City,  Indiana,  and  has  five  children,  Katie  V.,  who 
married  O.  S.  Mendenhall  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Bernice  Evelyn, 
and  Nettie  AL,  Ada  M.,  Andrew  and  Nancy.  Francis  A.  Hanes  married 
Minnie  Harner,  of  Oldtown,  and  has  had  five  children,  Raymond  J.,  Her- 
man F.  (who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years),  Thelma,  Louise  and  Edna  P. 
Jacob  L.  Hanes  married  Minnie  B.  Mendenhall  and  has  six  children,  Arthur 
L.,  Florence  Jeannette,  Albert  Louis,  Orxille  K.,  Herliert  and  Thomas"  E. 
Cassius  A.  H^anes  married  Anna  Lott  and  has  nine  children,  Harold,  Violet, 
Edwin,  .\denia,  Henry,  Gladena,  Lillian,  and  Kindle  and  Kenneth,  twins. 


JOHN  THOMPSON   HAWKER. 

The  Hawkers  have  been  represented  in  this  part  of  Ohio  since  Terri- 
torial days,  the  first  of  the  name  to  settle  here  having  come  over  here  from 
the  Hagerstown  neighborhood  in  Maryland  a  year  or  two  before  Ohio  was 
admitted  to  statehood  and  effected  a  settlement  in   what  later  came  to  be 


JOHN  T.  HAWKER. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  429 

organized  as  Beavercreek  township,  Greene  county,  the  family  thus  becom- 
ing one  of  the  r^l  pioneer  families  of  Greene  county.  The  ancestors  of 
John  Thompson  Hawker  came  from  England  and  from  the  beginning 
were  active  in  the  work  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church  and  of  the  circuit 
connected  therewith,  the  Hawker  church  gaining  its  name  by  reason  of  the 
family  influence  exerted  in  its  organization. 

The  late  John  Thompson  Hawker,  who  died  at  his  home  on  the  Shaker- 
town  pike  in  Beavercreek  township  in  the  fall  of  1913  and  whose  daughter, 
I\Iiss  Charlotte  Hawker,  is  still  living  there,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  had 
lived  there  practically  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  November  16,  1828,  son  of 
David  and  Sarah  E.  (Odaffer)  Hawker,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  and  who  had  come  to  Ohio  almost 
immediately  following  their  marriage.  David  Hawker,  who  was  a  son  of 
George  Hawker,  came  to  Ohio  in  1826,  he  and  his  wife  being  accompanied 
by  the  latter's  brother,  John  Odaffer,  who  later  settled  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Troy,  over  in  Miami  county.  Previous  to  his  definite  settlement  here  David 
Hawker  had  been  prospecting  out  here,  certain  of  his  kinsman  having  settled 
here  years  before,  and  had  bought  a  tract  of  a  fraction  more  than  one  hundred 
and  seventeen  acres  on  the  Shakertown  road  in  Beavercreek  township,  paying 
for  the  same  one  thousand  and  two  dollars.  There  he  established  his  home 
when  he  and  his  wife  arrived  here  in  November,  1826,  and  there  they  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  h'ves.  David  Hawker  added  to  his  holdings  until 
he  became  the  owner  of  about  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  The  barn  he  built 
on  that  place  in  1838  is  still  standing  and  serviceable.  The  large  farm  house 
which  ever  since  has  served  as  a  place  of  family  residence  on  the  farm  and 
where  Miss  Charlotte  Hawker  is  now  living  with  her  niece  and  the  latter's 
husband.  Russell  T.  Shultz,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  the  owner  of  the  farm, 
was  erected  by  David  Hawker  in  1852.  David  Hawker  was  one  of  the  charter 
members  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church.  Politically,  he  was  a  Democrat.  He 
died  in  November,  1864,  being  then  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and  his  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1885,  she  then 
being  eighty-three  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
namely :  Catherine,  who  married  Abraham  Darst ;  John  T.,  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch ;  Mary  Ann,  who  married  Jonas  Lesher  and  lives  at  Green- 
ville, this  state,  now  eighty-seven  years  of  age;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Abra- 
ham Darst,  husband  of  her  deceased  sister,  Catherine ;  Sarah  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried Edom  Burrows,  who  moved  to  Indiana  and  established  his  home  in  the 
Crawfordsville  neighborhood;  David,  Jr.,  a  building  contractor  and  land- 
owner, now  living  at  Dayton;  Martha  Ellen,  who  married  H.  C.  Kiler,  and 
Adaline,  who-  married  J.  T.  Leevv  and  died  at  Davton. 

John  T.  Hawker  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township 
and  lived  there  practically  all  his  life.     After  his  father's  death  he  bought 


430  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

one  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  of  the  old  home  place,  including  the  house, 
and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  J3n  November  20, 
1913.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gave  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  live  stock,  his  herd  of  Shorthorn  cattle  having  something  more 
than  a  local  reputation.  John  T.  Hawker  was  for  many  years  an  elder  in 
the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church.  He  also  took  an  active  interest  in  local 
political  afifairs,  a  Republican,  and  for  fourteen  years  served  as  trustee  of 
Beavercreek  township. 

On  October  20,  1855,  John  T.  Hawker  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Sarah  Elizabeth  Watkins,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  F.  Watkins  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Haverstick,  who 
were  residents  of  what  is  now  the  Wilberforce  neighborhood  and  who  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children.  Benjamin  F.  Watkins  came  to  this  county 
about  1830  from  the  Hagerstown  neighborhood  in  Maryland.  He  was 
a  son  of  a  wealthy  planter  and  slaveowner  and  was  reared  with  the  expecta- 
tion of  never  having  to  work,  but  after  his  settlement  in  this  county  became 
a  cabinet-maker  and  established  a  good  home.  To  John  T.  and  Elizabeth 
( W^atkins )  Hawker  were  born  three  children,  Edward  S.,  now  living  at 
Dayton ;  Charlotte,  mentioned  above  as  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  in 
Beavercreek  township,  and  Clara,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Hawker  died  in  1890  and  in  1892  John  T.  Hawker  married  Mrs. 
A.  D.  Freeman,  who  died  in  191 1  without  issue. 

Edward  S.  Hawker  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife,  who  was 
Mary  E.  Huston,  having  died  years  ago,  after  which  he  married  Minnie 
Lutz.  Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Hawker's  first  wife  Miss  Charlotte  Hawker, 
his  sister,  took  charge  of  and  reared  his  daughter,  Gertrude,  and  his  son, 
J.  T.,  Jr.,  at  the  same  time  buying  her  brother's  interest  in  the  old  home 
place,  and  has  ever  since  continued  to  reside  there.  Gertrude  Hawker  mar- 
ried Russell  T.  Schultz,  who  later  bought  the  old  Hawker  farm  and  is  now 
the  owner  of  the  same,  operating  it.  J.  T.  Hawker,  Jr.,  lives  at  Dayton, 
a  carpenter  by  trade.  Two  other  children  of  Edward  S.  Hawker  by  his  first 
marriage  were  Myrtle,  now  Mrs.  A.  F.  Gabler,  of  Dayton,  and  Clayton,  also 
a  resident  of  Dayton.  By  his  second  marriage  Edward  S.  Hawker  has  two 
.''on?,  Everett  and  Frederick. 


HENRY  F.  BAKER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Henry  F.  Baker,  of  Yellow  Springs,  the  oldest  practicing  physician 
in  Greene  count}',  has  been  a  continuous  resident  of  the  village  in  which  he 
is  now  living  for  nearly  forty  years,  with  the  exception  of  about  three  years 
during  the  earlv  '80s,  when,  on  account  of  the  declining  state  of  his  wife's 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  43 1 

health,  it  was  necessary  to  seek  a  temporary  change  of  scene.  In  August, 
1879,  Doctor  Baker  located  at  Yellow  Springs.  In  1881  he  left,  but  in  1884 
returned  to  the  village  and  has  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence,  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


COL.  JOSEPH  E.  WILSON. 

The  late  Col.  Joseph  E.  Wilson,  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  born  in  Montgomery  county,  on  October  19,  1823,  and  was  but 
three  years  of  age  when  his  father,  who  was  a  Virginian,  moved  with  his 
family  from  Maryland  back  to  the  Old  Dominion  and  located  in  Loudoun 
county,  his  birth  place,  where  he  remained  for  about  six  years.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  located  in  the  Quaker 
settlement  in  Clark  county,  he  having  been  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  Young  Joseph  was  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  pa- 
rents to  Ohio  and  he  grew  up  in  Clark  county,  supplementing  the  schooling 
he  received  there  by  attendance  at  the  Quaker  school  that  then  was  being  con- 
ducted at  Zanesville.  He  married  in  1845  and  in  1848  moved  down  to  Yel- 
low Springs,  there  erected  a  lime  kiln  and  was  for  six  years  or  more  there 
engaged  in  burning  lime.  He  then  became  interested  in  Illinois  lands  and 
in  various  other  investments  and  presently  went  to  Jackson  and  Cass  coun- 
ties, Missouri,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  place  he  was  for  two  or  three 
years  engaged  in  farming,  but  he  afterward  returned  to  Yellow  Springs  and 
there  erected  the  house  in  which  his  last  days  were  spent,  one  of  the  most  pre- 
tentious of  the  numerous  fine  houses  in  that  village.  He  did  not  long  remain 
in  Yellow  Springs  after  that  return,  however,  for  he  presently  returned  to 
Missouri  and  at  Butler,  in  Bates  county,  that  state,  became  engaged  in  the 
banking  business.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  banking  business  the  Col- 
onel returned  to  his  old  home  in  Yellow  Springs  and  there  spent  his  last 
days,  his  death  occurring  there  on  May  12,  1898.  Though  reared  a  Quaker, 
Colonel  Wilson  was  not  of  the  non-combative  sort  and  during  the  Civil  War 
responded  to  the  hundred-days  call,  helped  raise  a  regiment  and  was  mus- 
tered out  as  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio 
National  Guard. 

On  December  2,  1845.  ^^  Selma.  Ohio,  Joseph  E.  Wilson  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Delilah  Marshall,  who  was  born  at  Selma  in  1823,  daughter  of 
William  and  Catherine  (Huffman)  Marshall,  and  to  that  union  were  born 
four  children,  Emma.  Frank  E.,  William  and  Hannah,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living,  the  latter  continuing  to  make  her  home  in  Yellow  Springs  in  the  fine 
old  house  erected  by  her  father  many  years  ago.  Emma  Wilson  married 
Charles  K.  Wilson,  a  farmer  in  the  neighl)oring  county  of  Clark  and  since 
his  death  has  been  making  her  home  at  Springfield.  Frank  E.  Wilson  mar- 
ried Elina  Wright  and  has  for  years  made  his  home  in  the  West,  at  present 


432  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

residing  at  Potales.  New  Mexico.  He  formerly  was  a  resident  of  Comanche 
county,  Texas,  and  during  his  residence  there  served  as  treasurer  of  the 
county  and  for  some  years  as  sheriff.  William  Wilson  married  first  Mary 
Woodard  and  second  Etta  Drake  aiid  is  now  a  resident  of  Alberta,  Canada. 
Hannah  \\ilson  married  Edward  Winslow,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in 
Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winslow  have  a  son,  Hugh  Winslow,  who 
is  engaged  with  his  father  in  business.  Colonel  Wilson's  widow  continued 
to  make  her  home  at  Yellow  Springs  after  his  death  and  survived  him  for 

•?i6i  '6i  isnSny  uo  ajaqj  Suujhddo  ip^ap  J9U[  'sjB3i(  U33iu3.\3s  unqj  3.ioui 
She  was  a  member  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church. 


GRANVILLE  O.  PETERSON. 

The  late  Granville  O.  Peterson,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  this  county,  November  i8,  19 13,  and  whose  widow  is  still-  living 
there,  was  born  in  that  same  township  and  lived'  there  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  August  8,  1854,  son  of  Paris  H.  and  Amanda  J.  (Tressler)  Peter- 
son, both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families. 

Paris  H.  Peterson  was  born  in  Spring  \'alley  township,  son  of  Jonas  and 
Susan  Peterson,  who  had  settled  in  the  woods  in  that  township  upon  coming 
to  Greene  county  from  Virginia.  Jonas  Peterson  and  his  wife  began  their 
home-making  in  a  log  cabin  in  the  woods,  reared  their  family  there  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  John, 
Jonas,  Martin,  Christopher,  David,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Hannah,  Paris  and 
Jane.  Paris  Peterson  grew  up  on  that  pioneer  farm,  married  Amanda 
Tressler,  established  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  there  reared  his 
family,  he  and  his  wife  having  been  the  parents  of  three  children.  Granville 
O.,  David  Fudge,  who  married  Clara  Boots,  and  ^linnie  Ann,  who  married 
Levitt  McDonald. 

Reared  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Granville  O. 
Peterson  received  his  schooling  in  the  Maple  Corners  school.  He  married  in 
the  spring  of  1877  ^"d  established  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  his  widow 
is  now  living,  the  old  Alexander  Ireland  place  of  fifty  acres  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there,  as 
noted  above,  in  the  fall  of  191 3.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Gran- 
ville O.  Peterson  for  \'ears  operated  a  threshing-machine  throughout  that 
part  of  the  county  during  seasons.  He  was  a  genial  man,  made  friends 
wherever  he  went  and  at  one  time  and  another  had  held  township  offices. 

On  March  22,  1877,  Granville  O.  Peterson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mina  Boots,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  a  daughter  of  David 
and   Martha   E.    (Peterson)    Boots,   both   of  whom   also  were  born   in   this 


GRANVILLE  O.  PETERSON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  433 

county,  members  of  pioneer  families.  David  Boots  was  a  carpenter  and 
farmer.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Caesarscreek  township  in  1859,  and  his 
widow  survived  him  until  January  18,  19 17,  she  then  being  eighty-two  years 
of  age.  In  early  life  David  Boots  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Maple 
Corners  Reformed  church,  but  later  became  affiliated  with  the  Baptist  church 
at  Jamestown.  T.hey  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs.  Peterson  hav- 
ing two  sisters,  Mary  C,  wife  of  Charles  McDonald,  now  living  at.  Cottage 
Hill,  Florida,  and  Clara  Alma,  who  died  on  March  10,  1916,  and  who  was 
twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  Fudge  Peterson  and  her  second, 
John  H.  Thomas,  who  died  on  July  4,  19 17. 

To  Granville  O.  and  Mina  (Boots)  Peterson  were  born  four  sons, 
Alpheus  P.,  Jesse  F.,  Arthur  M.  and  Russell  Wayne,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living  in  this  county.  Alpheus  P.  Peterson  married  Minnie  Frances  Jones 
and  is  living  on  the  old  home  place,  managing  the  same  since  his  father's 
death.  He  also  operates  a  threshing-machine  during  seasons,  as  did  his 
father  for  so  many  years  before  him.  Jesse  F.  Peterson  married  Emma 
Thomas  and  is  farming  in  Caesarscreek  township.  Arthur  M.  Peterson  mar- 
ried Grace  Fawcett  and  is  farming  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood.  Russell 
W.  Peterson  continues  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  assisting  his 
brother  Alpheus  in  the  management  of  the  same.  Mrs.  Peterson  has  con- 
tinued her  residence  there  since  the  death  of  her  husband.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Maple  Corners  Reformed  church. 


JOHN   E.  JOHNSON. 

John  E.  Johnson,  a  retired  farmer,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and 
former  school  trustee,  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Clifton  on  April  i,  1845,  and  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life. 
He  is  a  son  of  Joseph  R.  and  Lydia  Elizabeth  (Estle)  Johnson,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  at  Lydaville,  Kentucky,  March  8,  1819.  and  was  but 
seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  left  Kentucky  and  came  up  into  this  part 
of  Ohio  in  1826  and  located  in  Greene  county,  establishing  their  home  on 
a  farm  half  way  between  Yellow  Springs  and  Clifton.  Two  years  later 
the  Johnsons  moved  up  into  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  locating  on  a 
farm  on  the  Yellow  Springs  and  Springfield  pike,  where  Joseph  K.  Johnson 
lived  until  his  father's  death  in  1830.  He  then  was  eleven  years  of  age  and 
stayed  on  the  home  place  and  later  made  his  home  with  an  elder  brother, 
W.  D.  Johnson,  who  was  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Clifton,  and 
there  learned  the  milling  business,  in  which  he  continued  engaged  for  manv 
years. 

At  Clifton  Joseph  R.  Johnson  married  Lvdia  Elizabeth  Estle,  who  was 

(27) 


434  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

born  on  January  30,  1822,  and  he  continued  to  make  his  home  at  tliat  place 
until  1861,  in  which  year  he  bought  the  Finlay-Whiteman  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres,  and  on  that  place  made  his  home  Until  he  sold  the  farm  in  1878 
and  moved  to  Springfield,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  November  6,  1892.  His  wife  had  died  on  February  29,  1880.  Joseph 
R.  Johnson  had  served  as  a  school  trustee,  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church.  They  were  the  parents  "of  eight  children, 
those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  being 
the  following:  Clemency,  born  on  October  9,  1842,  who  married  Michael 
Madden  and  died  in  191 5;  Abigail  Little,  born  in  February,  1847,  ^^^o  died 
on  April  26,  1865;  Asahel,  April  23,  1849,  whose  last  days  were  spent  at 
Vancouver,  British  Columbia;  Lydia  Elizabeth,  May  29,  1851,  who  died  on 
April  25,  1853;  Mrs.  Hannah  Miriam  Jacobe,  June  30,  1857,  who  is  living 
at  Yellow  Springs;  Ann  Maria,  June  30,  1859,  who  was  the  wife  of  Harvey 
Scranton,  now  deceased;  and  Margaret  Jane  Hand,  August  25,  1862.  wife 
of  William  Forbes. 

John  E.  Johnson  received  his  schooling  at  Clifton  and  was  sixteen  years 
of  age  when  his  father  moved  from  that  village  to  the  farm  in  1861.  He 
remained  on  the  farm  until  in  February,  1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  army  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  M,  Eighth 
Ohio  Cavalry,  and  at  once  became  active  on  detached  service.  He  was  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy  and  was  sent  to  Libby  Prison,  where  he  was  held  for 
several  months.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Johnson 
returned  to  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1867  estab- 
lished his  home  there  and  continued  there  to  reside,  in  time  becoming  the 
owner  of  the  farm,  until  191 1,  in  which  year  he  retired  from  the  active 
labors  of  the  farm  and  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where 
they  are  now  living.  Not  long  ago  Afr.  Johnson  sold  his  farm.  He  has 
served  as  school  trustee  and  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  education. 

On  November  26,  1867,  John  E.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Sarah  Jane  Weller.  who  was  born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  March  26, 
18^9,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Wyant)  Weller,  natives,  respectively, 
of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely ; 
Samuel  W..  who  has  been  twice  married,  by  his  marriage  to  Alice  Budd 
having  had  three  children.  Edna,  who  married  Austin  Smith  and  has  one 
son,  Samuel ;  Jennie,  who  married  Alonzo  Line,  and  Alice ;  and  by  his  mar- 
riage to  Arminta  Sproul  has  one  child,  a  son,  Samuel  Ross;  Gertrude  Eliza- 
beth, who  married  John  Budd,  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  has  one  child, 
Maria,  who  married  Charles  Lucas,  and  has  one  son.  Jack ;  John  Orlando, 
who  is  now  living  at  Spencer,  Idaho,  and  who  has  three  children,  Dorothy, 
John  and  .Arthur  Estle:  Joseph  R.,  who  is  married  and  is  living  at  Spring- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  435 

field,  and  Azema,  wKo  died  in  1905.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


HERMAN  N.  COE. 


Herman  N.  Coe,  a  retired  farmer  of  Greene  county,  now  living  at  Yel- 
low Springs,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for  years,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  for  more  than  forty-five  years. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Union  county  on  April  24,  1854,  son  of  Moses 
and  Martha  (Boal)  Coe,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  a  native  of  Union 
county. 

Moses  Coe  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  Washington  county 
in  1827,  and  was  eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio, 
the  family  settling  in  Union  county,  where  he  received  his  schooling,  grew 
to  manhood,  married,  established  his  home  on  a  farm  and  there  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the 
Masonic  order.  It  was  about  1849  that  he  married  Martha  Boal  and  to  that 
union  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Heber,  who  died  in  infancy;  Orra, 
widow  of  Lewis  Bland ;  Harvey  D.,  who  married  Edith  Kieth,  of  Iowa,  and 
died  in  Colorado;  Elmer  D.,  who  married  Lizzie  Scott,  of  Marysville,  Ohio, 
and  is  now  living  in  Chicago ;  Jennie,  who  married  William  Beckman  and 
who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased ;  Margaret,  who  married  A.  E. 
Gillett  and  is  now  living  at  Los  Angeles.  California,  and  Lulu,  who  died  in 
the  days  of  her  girlhood. 

Herman  X.  Coe  sjient  his  boyhood  in  Union  county,  receiving  his 
schooling  there,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  came  to  Greene  count}-  and 
became  engaged  working  on  a  farm  on  Clarks  run.  That  was  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1 87 1  and  he  continued  thus  engaged  until  after  his  marriage  in  1876, 
when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  presently  became  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  acres  on  the  road  between  Clifton 
and  Cedarville,  which  he  still  owns.  There  he  continued  farming  until  his 
retirement  in  191 5  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  since  has  made 
his  home.  Mr.  Coe  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton  and 
for  more  than  thirty  years  has  been  an  elder  in  the  same. 

Mr.  Coe  has  been  twice  married.  In  1876,  at  Urbana,  Illinois,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Christina  Davis,  and  to  that  union  were  born  two 
daughters.  Lulu  M.,  who  married  A.  E.  Swaby  and  has  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Dorris,  and  Olive,  who  is  unmarried.     The  mother  of  these  daughters 


436  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

died  in  1907  and  on  October  28,  1915,  Mr.  Coe  married  Mrs.  Sarah  (Bar- 
nett)  Currie,  of  Yellow  Springs. 


ALBERT    BURRELL. 


Albert  Burrell,  a  \'eteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  proprietor  of  a  well-kept 
farm  in  Xenia  township,  situated  on  rural  mail  route  Xo.  5  out  of  Xenia,  is 
a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  this  county,  the  Burrells  having 
been  represented  here  for  more  than  a  hundred  years.  He  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  August  18,  1846,  son  of  Marshall  and 
Rebecca  (Powers)  Burrell,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Xenia,  to  which 
city  Marshall  Burrell  had  moved  upon  his  retirement  from  the  farm. 

Marshall  Burrell  was  born  on  February  22,  1825,  son  of  John  D.  and 
Eleanor  (Marshall)  Burrell,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  John 
Marshall,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Greene  county  and  further  mention  of  whom 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  John  D.  Burrell  w-as  a  Virginian,  born 
along  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Monongahela  in  the  "panhandle"  of  what  is 
now  West  Virginia.  In  1807  he  came  to  Greene  county  and  on  October  29, 
of  that  same  year,  married  Eleanor  Marshall  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in 
what  later  came  to  be  known  as  the  Needmore  school  district,  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  where  he  was  living  when  the  call  came  for  volunteers  for  service 
in  the  War  of  1812.  He  left  his  wife  and  the  two  small  children  who  by 
this  time  had  enlarged  his  household,  and  went  to  the  front,  rendering  ser- 
vice as  a  soldier  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  and  his  wife  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives  on  that  pioneer  farm,  his  death  occurring  there  on 
May  16,  1864,  he  then  being  eighty-one  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  six  of  these  children,  five  daughters  and  the  one  son,  JNIarshall 
Burr.ell,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Marshall  Burrell  grew  up  on 
the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  eventually  be- 
came a  landowner  in  that  same  township,  establishing  his  home  there  after 
his  marriage.  He  also  was  a  successful  trader,  doing  quite  a  bit  of  business 
in  real-estate  transactions,  as  well  as  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  live  stock. 
Upon  his  retirement  from  the  farm  he  divided  his  land  among  his  children 
and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  his  death  occurred  on  February  11,  1907,  he  then 
lacking  only  eleven  days  of  being  eighty-two  years  of  age.  Marshall  Burrell 
was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  children  having  been 
Rebecca  Powers,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren  in  Seji- 
tember,  1824.  daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary  Powers,  natives  of  Ireland 
and  pioneers  in  the  upper  part  of  Warren  county,  who  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  five  sons  and  five  daughters.  To  that  union  were  born  three 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Mary  Ellen,  wife  of  Frank 
Smith,  of  Xenia  township,  this  county,  and  a  brother,  Eli  Burrell.  of  Xenia. 


ALBERT  BURRELL 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  437 

The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  June,  1894,  and  Marshall  Burrell  later 
married  Hannah  Maxey.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Albert  Burrell  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Caesars- 
creek  township  and  received  his  schooling-  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He 
was  but  a  boy  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  but  from  the  very  beginning  of 
that  struggle  his  patriotic  ardor  was  aroused  and  on  May  3,  1864,  he  then 
being  but  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  without  his  father's  knowledge 
in  a  company  of  home  guards  that  then  was  being  recruited.  It  so  happened 
that  his  father  had  enlisted  for  similar  servi-ce  in  that  same  command  on  that 
same  day  and  when  he  found  that  his  son  had  enlisted  interposed  his  legal 
objection  and  compelled  the  lad's  resignation.  The  elder  Burrell  went  with 
his  company  to  the  camp  at  Columbus  and  was  there  presently  visited  by 
young  Albert,  his  son,  who  insisted  that  the  father  return  home  and  let  him 
serve  in  his  stead,  the  father's  presence  being  greatly  needed  at  home.  The 
father  finally,  though  with  much  reluctance,  consented  to  this  plan  and  upon 
the  matter  being  laid  before  the  colonel  of  the  regiment  the  latter  agreed  to 
the  arrangement  provided  the  son  should  enter  the  service  under  his  father's 
name  in  order  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  altering  the  regimental  roster,  and 
it  was  thus  that  Albert  Burrell  rendered  service  to  his  country  during  the 
Civil  War  under  the  name  of  Marshall  Burrell,  an  apparent  discrepancy  that 
created  cjuite  a  bit  of  confusion  in  the  pension  department  when  many  years 
later  his  application  for  a  pension  was  filed  with  the  government,  though  it 
did  not  prevent  the  eventual  grant  of  the  pension.  The  command  with  which 
Albert  Burrell  thus  served  was  Company  H  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  with  that  command  he  par- 
ticipated in  the  battle  of  New  Creek,  West  Virginia,  August  4,  1864.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  military  service  Albert  Burrell  returned  home  and 
resumed  his  place  on  the  fami,  continuing  there  until  his  marriage  in  the  fall 
of  1867,  when  he  bought  a  small  farm  and  started  farming  on  his  own 
account.  \Vhen  his  father  retired  and  divided  his  land  among  his  children 
Mr.  Burrell  came  into  possession  of  a  part  of  his  father's  farm  in  Xenia 
township  and  has  since  been  living  there.  To  that  tract  he  later  added  an 
adjoining  tract  and  now  has  eighty-one  acres.  In  1902  Mr.  Burrell  suffered 
the  loss  of  his  home  by  fire,  but  he  later  erected  a  better  and  larger  house. 
He  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  a  school  director  in  his  home  district. 
Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

On  October  17,  1867,  Albert  Burrell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Phoebe 
Eleanor  Smith,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  and  who 
died  on  August  9,  191 1.  To  that  union  were  born  ten  children,  namely: 
Francis  M.,  a  farmer,  of  Sugarcreek  township;  Flora  B.,   wife  of  Robert 


438  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Charters,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Laura  Elsie,  wife  of  Charles  Clemans,  of 
Cedarville  township;  Rebecca  Maud,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  home  wit 
her  father;  Carrie  Melissa,  also  at  home;  Omar  Marshall,  who  is  now  living 
at  Springfield,  this  state;  Edna  Phoebe,  at  home;  Alberta,  wife  of  Amos 
Frame,  of  Ross  township;  Lucien  Elmer,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years, 
and  Oscar  Lee,  who  died  when  two  vears  of  asre. 


WILMOT  EARL  LITTLETON. 

Wilmot  Earl  Littleton,  a  member  of  the  furniture  and  undertaking 
firm  of  Littleton  &  Sons,  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark  on  September  16,  1877,  son  of  Granville  Eisher 
and  Clarinda  Ann  (Sparrow)  Littleton,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
state,  the  latter  in  Clark  county,  and  who  are  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Granville  Fisher  Littleton,  one  of  the  oldest  undertakers  and  furniture 
dealers  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  head  of  the  firm  of  Littleton  &  Sons  at 
Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  1850  and  his  youth  was  spent  on  a  farm.  He 
finished  his  schooling  in  a  "select"  school  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Clifton 
and  as  he  had  been  reared  to  the  ways  of  the  farm  presently  took  up  farming 
on  his  own  account  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  early  '70s  to  Clarinda  Ann 
Sparrow,  who  was  born  in  Clark  county,  her  parents  having  located  there 
upon  coming  to  this  country  from  England,  established  his  home  on  a 
farm  in  Clark  county,  later  moving  to  Greene  county.  In  the  latter  '70s 
he  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  also  undertaking, 
and  in  1881  he  took  a  course  in  the  Clark  Embalming  School,  the  first  of 
its  kind  established  in  this  country,  and  set  himself  up  in  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness at  Yellow  Springs,  where,  with  certain  intermissions,  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  business.  In  1890  Mr.  Littleton  spent  a  year  on  a  farm  in  Illi- 
nois, where  he  also  was  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  later  returning 
to  Yellow  Springs;  and  in  1894  he  went  to  Alabama,  but  in  1896  returned 
to  his  established  home  at  Yellow  Springs  and  has  been  there  continuously 
since,  for  some  years  past  having  associated  with  him  in  business  his  sons, 
the  business  being  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Littleton  &  Sons,  the 
firm  doing  business  at  the  same  corner  on  which  Mr.  Littleton  established 
himself  in  business  forty  years  ago.  Mr.  Littleton  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the 
Masons  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  now  serving  as  treasurer  of  the  former. 

To  Granville  F.  and  Clarinda  A.  (Sparrow)  Littleton  five  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Daisy  ATaude,  who  married  Lewis  Reinwald  and  who, 
as  well  as  her  hu.sband,  is  now  deceased,  her  death  in   1914  leaving  three 


GKEENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  439 

orphaned  children,  Josephine,  who  is  now  engaged  in  professional  nursing 
at  Chicago;  Lewis,  who  lives  in  Yellow  Springs,  and  Mildred,  wife  of 
Ralph  Figgins;  Wilmot  E.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch; 
Morris  Fisher,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Littleton  &  Sons,  who  married  Ella 
Figgins,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Janet ;  Harry 
Ladrew,  now  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Sabina,  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Clinton,  who  married  Susan  Dakin  and  has  one  child,  a 
son,  Roger;  Edwin,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Littleton  &  Sons,  who  married 
Ethel  Diltz,  who  then  was  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Robbins  &  Myers 
Motor  Company  at  Springfield,  and  has  two  daughters,  Dorothy  and  Mar- 
jorie. 

Wilmot  Earl  Littleton  was  reared  at  Yellow  Springs  and  from  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  has  been  interested  in  the  details  of  the  business  established 
there  by  his  father.  L^pon  completing  the  course  in  the  local  high  school 
he  entered  a  school  for  instructions  in  the  art  of  embalming,  his  brother  Harry 
and  himself  being  members  of  the  first  class  to  take  the  examination  under 
the  state  license  law,  and  afterward  became  associated  with  his  father  and 
his  brothers  in  the  general  furniture  and  undertaking  business  at  Yellow 
Springs.  Mr.  Littleton  has  served  two  years  as  master  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  also 
is  a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  March  29,  1900.  Mr.  Littleton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine 
Hutchinson,  of  Yellow  Springs,  a  daughter  of  Elder  and  Hester  (Baker) 
Hutchinson,  the  former  of  whom  died  about  1881  and  the  latter  of  whom 
is  still  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  four  daugh- 
ters. Mrs.  Littleton  having  had  three  sisters,  Nettie,  wife  of  L.  D.  Welch, 
of  Yellow  Springs ;  Stella,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Howard 
Adams,  and  Fannie,  who  is  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Littleton  have  four 
children,  Joseph  Wilmot,  born  on  Decemljer  3.  1901.  now  a  student  in  the 
high  school;  Eleanor.  November  28.  1903,  also  in  the  high  school:  Granville 
Eugene.  June  10.  1905,  and  Elizabeth.  March  19.  1917. 


J.  N.  WOLFORD. 

J.  N.  Wolford.  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Yello^u  Springs  News,  was 
born  at  Xenia  on  March  19,  1879.  son  of  John  Henry  and  America  (Mills) 
Wolford,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  is  still  livino- 
here,  for  many  years  a  resident  of  Cedarville. 

John  Henry  \\^olforcl  was  born  at  Clear  Springs.  Marylanrl.  in    1849, 


440  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  in  1866  and  became 
employed  in  the  blacksmith  shop  and  carriage  factory  of  his  uncle,  John 
Lutz,  at  Xenia,  becoming  there  thoroughly  trained  in  the  details  of  the  car- 
riage-making business.  He  later  became  engaged  in  this  business  on  his 
own  account  and  presently  opened  an  esta43lishment  at  Cedar\ille,  where  he 
remained  engaged  in  the  carriage-making  line  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  there  in  1916.  His  widow  is  still  living  at  Cedarville.  John 
Henry  Wolford  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Ber- 
nice,  who  is  living  with  her  mother  at  Cedai-ville ;  Mrs.  Ida  Turnbull,  also 
of  Cedarville ;  Mrs.  Edna  Dodds,  of  Cincinnati ;  J.  N.,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Ralph,  who  is  continuing  to  carry  on 
his  father's  old-established  business  at  Cedarville. 

J.  N.  Wolford  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  from  Xenia 
to  Cedarville  and  he  was  reared  in  the  latter  place.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  Cedarville  high  school  in  1898,  meantime  having  become  a  carriage- 
painter,  working  in  his  father's  shop,  and  after  leaving  high  school  entered 
Cedarville  College,  later  taking  a  course  in  Ohio  Northern  Universitv.  Upon 
leaving  college  he  bought  the  Yellozv  Springs  Neics,  a  once-a-week  news- 
paper that  had  been  established  at  Yellow  Springs  in  1880,  and  has  since 
then  been  engaged  in  the  newspaper  business.  Mr.  Wolford  is  a  Republican 
and  a  Mason. 

On  August  II,  1910,  Mr.  Wolford  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lucy 
Birch,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  bom, 
Leah,  born  in  1912,  and  Jane,  1916.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolford  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church. 


ABRAHAM  L.   SHUEY. 


Abraham  L.  Shue}'',  former  mayor  of  the  town  of  Fairfield  and  justice 
of  the  peace  in  and  for  Bath  township,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town 
of  Gratis,  in  Gratis  township,  Preble  county,  this  state.  On  April  5,  1864, 
he  became  a  resident  of  Greene  county  and  remained  here  until  in  Decemljer, 
1874,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  he  had  bought  on  the  national  road  a  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  Donnelsville,  in  Clark  county.  Two  years  later  he  moved 
to  Fairfield  and  in  1888  removed  from  that  village  to  a  farm  just  south  of 
the  village,  where  he  remained  until  1893,  when  he  returned  to  the  village, 
where  he  and  his  wife  have  since  resided.  Mr.  Shuey  has  served  as  mayor 
of  Fairfield  and  as  justice  of  the  peace,  as  well  as  in  other  official  capacities, 
and  is  also  a  notary  public. 

Mrs.  AL  C.  Wilson  Shuey,  wife  of  Abraham  L.  Shuey.  is  a  daughter 
of  William  Harvey  Wilson,  who  was  the  eldest  of  the  thirteen  children  of 


vS  .-^  A-^'//vr^s  i^Sr^  /^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  441 

Isaac  Wilson,  who  had  come  to  tliis  region  wtih  his  parents  from  Kentucky 
in  1801,  and  she  thus  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  very  first  famiHes  of  Greene 
county.  Isaac  Wilson  established  his  home  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Byron  and  became  one  of  the  large  landowners  of  Greene 
county.  One  of  his  sons,  Uriah  Wilson,  who  died  in  1900,  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Civil  War  and  was  the  father  of  thirteen  children,  some  of  whom  are  still 
living  in  the  Fairfield  community.  Isaac  Wilson  died  on  April  10,  i860,  and 
left  a  large  estate  to  his  family.  W^illiam  Harvey  Wilson  also  became  a  large 
landowner  and  left  a  substantial  estate  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1893. 
Three  of  his  children  are  still  living,  Mrs.  Shuey  having  two  brothers,  Cassius 
M.  Wilson,  a  veteran  auctioneer,  now  living  retired  at  Fairfield,  and  James 
M.  Wilson,  a  retired  fanner,  living  just  north  of  the  village.  Mrs.  Shuey 
has  for  many  years  been  incidentally  engaged  in  journalistic  work,  has  writ- 
ten for  a  number  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  country  and  has  contributed 
to  this  publication  in  the  way  of  providing  data  relating  to  the  histories  of  the 
Fairfield  and  Osborn  neighborhoods.  On  March. 4.  1908,  Mr.  Shuey  was 
taken  down  with  an  attack  of  la  grippe  from  which  an  ailment  of  his  left 
ankle  developed.  On  April  2  following  he  was  taken  to  the  hospital  and 
there  his  left  leg  was  amputated.  On  April  5  of  that  same  year  Mrs.  Shuey 
contracted  blood-poisoning  in  her  right  thumb,  the  trouble  quickly  extending 
to  her  left  arm  and  developing  a  condition  which  necessitated  the  amputation 
of  that  member,  the  operation  being  performed  on  May  9.  Despite  these 
physical  disabilities  and  their  advancing  years,  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shuey  are 
hale  and  hearty  and  full  of  the  joy  of  living. 


RALPH  O.  WEAD. 


^Vhen  Ralph  O.  Wead.  superintendent  of  the  public  schools  at  Yellow 
Springs,  was  a  candidate  for  clerk  of  courts,  subject  to  the  Republican  pri- 
mary, in  the  campaign  of  1916,  he  thought  it  but  fitting,  as  a  measure  of 
introduction  to  such  of  the  electorate  as  might  not  have  a  personal  acquain- 
tance with  him.  to  issue  a  personal  statement  regarding  himself  and  in  that 
statement  he  succeeded  in  reducing  the  art  of  biography,  or  autobiography, 
to  the  minimum  by  producing  "My  Credentials."  a  statement  of  facts  whicji, 
gauged  by  its  brevity,  may  properly  enough  he  said  to  have  achieved  the 
maximum  of  modesty,  in  the  following  words  and  figures : 

I  was  born,  have  always  lived,  was  married  and  am  rearing  my  family  in  Greene 
county.  I  lived  my  boyhood  years  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  in  Xenia  city. 
Early  in  life  I  discovered  that  an  education  is  a  necessity  and  if  I  was  to  have  one 
I  must  pay  for  it  myself.  During  school  years  I  worked  as  a  Gazette  carrier  boy  and 
during  college  vacations  in  the   fuse  factory,  the   shoe   factory,   as  clerk,   and   as  brakeniau 


442  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

on  a  construction  train.  I  was  graduated  from  Xenia  high  school  1899.  Completed 
course  in  Xenia  Business  College  night  school  1899.  Taught  school  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship 1901-02.  Graduated  from  Anl^ioch  College  1904.  Principal  of  Sugar  Creek  town- 
ship high  school  1904-05.  Elected  superintendent  of  Yellow  Springs  schools  1905,  which 
position   I   have   held   for   eleven  years. 

Amplifying  the  above  for  the  definite  purpose  of  this  volume,  it  may 
be  said  that  Ralph  O.  Wead  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township 
on  January  18,  1881,  a  son  of  James  V.  and  Susan  (Lewis)  Wead,  the 
former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Warren,  though  she  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  reared  in 
Greene  county,  having  been  cared  for  in  her  girlhood  by  Mrs.  Henry  Corey. 
James  V.  Wead  was  bom  on  a  farm  on  the  Xenia- Jamestown  pike  and  early 
became  a  practical  farmer.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old  Xenia 
College  on  East  church  street  and  after  his  rharriage  bought  a  small  farm 
in  Spring  Valley  township,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1889,  when  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  To 
them  four  children  have  been  born,  three  of  whom  are  living.  Superintendent 
Wead  having  two  sisters,  Lydia  May,  who  married  Joseph  Shank,  now 
living  at  Dayton.  Oliio,  and  has  one  cliikl,  a  son,  Warren,  and  Carrie  Belie, 
a  professional  nurse,  engaged  in  that  capacity  at  Dayton  and  Xenia.  The 
latter  had  a  twin  brother,  Frederick,  who  died  in  childhood. 

Ralph  O.  Wead  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Xenia. 
He  had  had  two  years  of  schooling  in  the  district  school  in  the  neighborhood 
of  his  childhood  home  in  Spring  Vallej'  township  and  upon  moving  to  Xenia 
entered  the  school  there  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  in  that  city 
in  1899,  meanwhile  spending  his  vacation  periods  in  various  industrial  activi- 
ties, as  set  out  in  the  modest  paragraph  that  introduces  this  review.  During 
the  last  year  of  his  high-school  course  he  completed  the  Ijookkeeping  course 
in  the  night  school  of  Xenia  Business  College.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he 
entered  Antioch  College  and  for  two  years  pursued  his  studies  there.  He 
then  taught  school  for  one  term  in  Cedarville  township  and  later  re-entered 
Antioch  College,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1904  with  tiie 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Following  his  graduation  he  was  engaged  as  the 
principal  of  the  high  school  at  Bellbrook  and  served  in  that  capacity  for  one 
year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  engaged  as  superintendent  of  the  pub- 
lic schooTs  at  Yellow  Springs,  which  position  he  since  has  held.  In  1905, 
the  year  of  his  marriage,  when  Mr.  Wead  took  charge  there  were  twenty- 
nine  pupils  in  the  high  school,  and  in  1918  there  were  one  hundred  and  six- 
pupils  in  tiie  high  school  and  thirty-one  in  the  graduating  class.  During 
his  incumbency  as  superintendent  of  schools  Professor  Wead  has  pursued 
his  studies  and  has  secured  all  credits  necessary  for  his  Master  degree  in 
Ohio  State  University.     He  is  a  Republican  and  in  the  campaign  of   1916 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  443 

was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  for  clerk  of  courts.  In  announcing  his 
candidacy,  subject  to  the  RepubHcan  primary,  he  frankly  declared  that  he 
was  a  candidate  "for  no  other  reason  than  because  I  want  the  position  and 
beHeve  that  my  qualifications  will  recommend  me  as  worthy  of  a  public 
trust.  I  have  always  taught  my  pupils  that  any  good  citizen  should  not 
hesitate  to  offer  his  ability  on  the  highest  market."  He  is  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Yellow  Springs.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

On  August  23,  1905,  Mr.  Wead  was  united  in  marriage  to  Edith  J. 
Hirst,  who  was  born  at  Yellow  Springs,  daughter  of  Capt.  T.  C.  Hirst 
and  wife,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and 
to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  sons  both,  Robert  H.,  born  in 
1907,  and  William  L.,  1910.  In  addition  to  his  school  work  Professor 
Wead  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Weiss  &  Wead,  which  in  the  summer  of 
19 1 5  bought  out  the  old  Birch  general  store. 


NOBEL  T.  PAVEY.  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Xobel  T.  Pavey,  member  of  the  fimi  of  Pavey  &  Kester,  dentists, 
with  offices  in  the  Xenia  National  Bank  building  at  Xenia,  wa.s  born  in 
Leesburg,  in  Highland  county,  Ohio,  January  9,  1890,  son  of  Gilbert  A.  and 
Ida  (Smith)  Pavey,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  in 
1861,  and  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at  Leesburg. 

Gilbert  A.  Pavey  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Ohio,  in  i860,  and  grew 
up  a  practical  farmer,  later  owning  and  operating  a  farm  on  the  line  between 
Fayette  and  Highland  counties,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  from  the 
fann  and  removal  to  the  neighboring  village  of  Leesburg,  where  he  became 
engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  at  the  same  time  continuing  to  manage 
his  farm.  He  is  now  living  practically  retired,  though  retaining  an  interest 
fn  the  business  in  which  he  was  long  actively  engaged.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  has  been  for  years  a 
steward  in  the  same.  They  have  three  children,  Doctor  Pavey  having  a 
brother,  Ernest  W.  Pavey,  now  general  manager  of  the  Oscar  Leer  Motor 
Company  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  a  sister,  Geneva,  wife  of  his  partner.  Dr. 
Alford  B.  Kester,  of  Xenia. 

Reared  at  Leesburg.  Doctor  Pavey  completed  his  public  schooling  in  the 
high  school  of  that  village  and  then  took  a  course  in  the  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity, after  which  he  entered  Starling  Dental  College  at  Columbus  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  class  of  191 1.  Upon  receiA-ing  his 
diploma  Doctor  Pavey  came  to  Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  for  the 


444  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

practice  of  his  profession  at  Jamestown,  where  he  remained  for  two  j'ears, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Xenia.  In  the  fall  of  1915,  by  com- 
petitive examination,  Doctor  Pavey  entered  the  government  service  as  a 
dental  surgeon  and  continued  that  service  until  the  spring  of  1916,  when 
he  and  his  brother-in-law.  Dr.  Alford  B.  Kester,  who  also  had  been  in  the 
government  service  as  a  dental  surgeon,  formed  a  partnership  and  resumed 
regular  practice. 

On  October  10,  191 1,  Doctor  Pavey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Avice 
Fishback,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette, 
daughter  of  John  and  Ida  Fishback,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  two  children,  Paul,  born  on  November  12,  19 12, 
and  Elizabeth  Jane,  October  25,  1916.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Pavey  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia  and  the  Doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  official  board  of  the  same.  The  Doctor  is  a  Scottish  Rite 
]\Iason,  afifiliated  with  Xenia  Lodge  No.  49  and  with  the  Valley  at  Dayton. 
During  his  college  days  the  Doctor  was  a  member  of  the  Psi  Omega  fra- 
ternitv. 


WILLIAM  H.  CRESWELL. 

The  beginnings  of  the  Creswell  family  in  Greene  county  date  from  the 
coming  of  Mrs.  Catherine  Creswell,  a  widow,  with  her  eight  children,  two 
sons,  James  and  Samuel,  and  six  daughters,  up  here  from  Scott  county, 
Kentucky,  in  the  days  of  the  beginning  of  the  past  century,  the  family  thus 
being  numbered  among  the  first  to  settle  here.  Mrs.  Catherine  Creswell  was 
a  Pennsylvanian,  as  was  her  husband,  James  Creswell.  They  had  settled  in 
Kentucky  and  were  there  members  of  the  widespread  congregation  of  Se- 
ceders  to  which  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong  ministered  before  he  came  up 
here  and  settled  on  Massies  creek,  many  of  the  members  of  his  congregation 
having  previously  come  up  here  to  escape  slavery  conditions  in  Kentucky  and 
more  coming  after  he  Iiad  established  his  church  on  Massies  creek  and  on 
Sugar  creek.  James  Creswell  was  slain  by  Indians  in  Kentucky  and  his 
widow  later  came  here  with  her  children  and  settled  on  what  is  now  the 
Jackson  farm  west  of  Cedarville.  Her  son  James  married  .Ann  Junkin, 
daughter  of  Lancelot  Junkin  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Galloway, 
Pennsylvanians,  who  had  come  here  with  the  Galloways  in  1797,  and  after 
his  marriage  in  181 1  settled  on  the  farm  at  what  is  now  the  crossing  of  the 
Federal  pike  and  the  Cedarville  and  Jamestown  road,  two  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Cedarville.  There  his  pioneer  mother  spent  her  last  days  and 
there  he  and  his  wife  also  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  James  Cres- 
well died  in   1866.     He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  ciiildren,  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  445 

whom  Samuel  Creswell,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  all  of  which  is  set  out,  together  with  much  additional  mat- 
ter of  a  historical  and  genealogical  character  relating  to  the  Creswells  in  this 
county,  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  James  H.  Creswell,  elder  brother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Samuel  Creswell  was  born  on  the  old  Creswell  home  farm,  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  his  son,  George  H.  Creswell,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  also 
is  presented  elsewhere,  and  there  he  spent  all  his  life,  having  established  his 
home  there  after  his  marriage  in  1846  to  Eliza  Jane  Hufifman,  who  also 
spent  her  last  days  there,  her  death  occurring  on  August  10,  1910,  she  then 
being  eighty-three  years  of  age.  Samuel  Creswell  survived  his  wife  about 
two  years,  his  death  occurring  on  July  16,  1912,  he  then  being  ninety-two 
years  of  age.  As  is  set  out  elsewhere,  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
ten  children,  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the  sketch  of  the  elder  son  referred 
to  above. 

William  H.  Creswell,  seventh  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children  born 
to  Samuel  and  Eliza  Jane  (Huffman)  Creswell,  was  born  on  the  old  Cress- 
well  farm  in  Cedarville  township  on  February  26,  1859,  and  there  grew  to 
manhood.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Cedarville  high  school  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  after  his  marriage  in  1887,  when  he  bought  a  tract  of 
sixty-five  acres  adjoining  his  father's  place  on  the  southeast,  built  a  house 
on  the  sarae.and  there  established  his  home.  Since  entering  upon  possession 
of  that  place  Mr.  Creswell  has  enlarged  his  land  holdings  until  now  he  is  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  In  1902  he  remodeled  and  enlarged 
his  dwelling  house,  which  is  equipped  with  an  electric-lighting  plant  and 
everything  "ship-shape."  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Creswell 
has  for  years  given  considerable  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Poland  China 
hogs  for  stock  purposes.  By  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican,  with 
well-defined  leanings  toward  the  principles  of  the  Prohibition  party. 

On  June  7,  1887,  William  H.  Creswell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora 
Sterrett,  \\ho  was  born  in  Muskingum  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  John 
and  Rebecca  Sterrett,  both  now  deceased,  who  many  years  ago  moved  from 
Ohio  to  Johnson  county,  Kansas,  where  their  daughter  Flora  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  where  she  married  Mr.  Creswell.  To  that  union  three  children 
have  been  born,  Howard,  Andrew  and  Helen,  all  of  whom  are  living.  How- 
ard Creswell,  who  is  now  living  on  a  part  of  his  father's  farm,  is  a  graduate 
of  Cedarville  College.  He  married  Mary  Ellen  Lownes,  also  a  Cedarville 
graduate,  and  has  two  children,  Mary  Helen  and  Alice  Rachel.  The  second 
son,  the  Rev.  Andrew  Creswell,  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  and 
from  the  United  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  at  Pittsburgh  and  is  now 
pastor  of  the  Reformed   Presbyterian   church  at  Coulter\'ille,   Illinois.      He 


446  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

married  ^[ary  Eleanor  Wilson,  of  Columbus,  this  state.  Miss  Helen  Cres- 
well  was  graduated  from  the  Cedarville  high  school  and  is  now  a  student  in 
Cedarville  College.  The  Creswells  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville,  with  the  congregation  of  which  the  family  has  been 
identified  ever  since  the  church  was  established  there  more  than  a  hundred 
vears  ago,  and  Mr.  Creswell  is  one  of  the  ruling  elders  of  the  congregation. 


TOW'XE  CARLISLE. 


Towne  Carlisle,  a  retired  lumber  dealer  of  Yellow  Springs,  where  he 
has  made  his  home  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood,  was  born  on  a  farm, 
not  far  from  Yellow  Springs,  in  Miami  township,  March  26,  1855,  a  son  of 
Jehu  and  Hettie  (Batchelor)  Carlisle,  residents  of  that  township,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Jehu  Carlisle  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Loudoun  county,  in  1816,  and 
was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  in  1836  and  located  in 
Miami  township,  in  this  county,  where  he  presently  married  and  established 
himself  on  a  farm.  When  he  settled  there  Yellow  Springs  was  known  only 
as  the  scene  of  the  medicinal  springs  which  formerly  attracted  much  atten- 
tion. He  helped  to  erect  the  first  building  put  up  there,  the  old  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  which  stood  until  in  the  late  '90s  at  the  corner  of  Corry 
and  Dayton  streets.  Jehu  Carlisle  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  He  was  a  Democrat.  Upon  his  retirement  he  continued 
to  live  on  the  farm  and  was  eighty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  widow  died  on  April  26,  1909.  She  was  born  on  what  is  now 
the  site  of  the  Old  Folks  Home  at  Yellow  Springs,  March  26,  1816,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  Batchelor  and  wife,  who  came  here  from  Pennsylvania  and 
were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  springs,  where  later 
the  thriving  little  city  sprang  up.  To  Jehu  Carlisle  and  wife  were  born  nine 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth. 
.As  most  of  these  children  lived  to  rear  families  of  their  own,  the  Carlisle 
connection  hereabout  is  a  quite  numerous  one  in  this  generation. 

Towne  Carlisle  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow 
Springs  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  village  schools.  L^pon  attaining 
his  majority  he  left  the  farm  and  became  employed  as  a  carringe-maker  in 
the  shop  of  T.  B.  Jobe.  Three  or  four  years  later  he  became  associated 
with  J.  H.  Little  in  the  luml^er  business  at  ^'ellow  Springs,  a  partnership 
that  was  maintained  until  1890,  when  Mr.  Carlisle  became  the  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  business,  which  by  that  time  had  been  developed  to  profitable 
proportions.     For  nearly  twenty-five  years  thereafter  Mr.  Carlisle  continued 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  447 

in  the  lumber  business  at  Yellow  Springs.  In  February,  1914,  he  sold  his 
old-established  plant  to  the  John  DeWein  Company  and  retired  from  busi- 
ness. In  1912  Mr.  Carlisle  built  a  fine  new  house  on  Glenn  street,  the  street 
on  which  he  had  made  his  home  for  thirty  years.  It  is  believed  that  Mr. 
Carlisle  holds  the  state  record  for  continuous  service  as  a  member  of  a  local 
school  board,  and  unless  someone  else  comes  forward  with  a  better  estab- 
lished claim  his  friends  will  continue  to  claim  for  him  that  honor.  For 
thirty  consecutive  years  Mr.  Carlisle  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
at  Yellow  Springs,  never  having  had  any  opposition  to  successive  re-election. 
In  1889  he  was  elected  township  clerk  and  by  successive  re-elections  has  also 
since  continued  to  hold  that  office. 

Mr.  Carlisle  has  been  twice  married.  In  1876  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Catherine  Howard,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Howard  and  wife,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one  child,  a  son, 
Howard  T.  Carlisle,  who  was  for  years  associated  with  his  father  in  the  lum- 
ber business  and  is  still  living  in  Yellow  Springs.  Mrs.  Catherine  Carlisle 
died  in  1878  and  on  October  13,  i88r,  Mr.  Carlisle  married  Martha  Van 
Horn,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,-July  13,  1855,  daughter  of  Edward  Van 
Horn  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom,  a  lumber  contractor  at  Cedarville,  died 
in  1900,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Edna,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Edward  J.,  now  living  at  Yellow  Sprinos,  who 
on  August  18,  1913,  married  Helen  Frank  and  has  two  children,  Phyllis. 
born  on  January  24,  1916,  and  Edward,  Jr.,  January  7,  1918:  and  Mildred 
and  Hazel,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  died  on  June  19,  19 16.  Mr.  Carlisle 
is  a  Republican,  a  Methodist,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


ALFORD  BURTQX  KESTER,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Alford  Burton  Kester,  of  the  firm  of  Pavey  &  Kester,  dentists,  with 
offices  in  the  Xenia  X^ational  Bank  building  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  De- 
troit streets,  Xenia,  was  born  at  N^ew  Carlisle,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  and  has  lived  in  tffis  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  August  .17, 
1890,  son  of  G.  E.  and  Elenora  (.Sullivan)  Kester,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  born  at  Peru,  Indiana,  in  1864,  and  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at 
New   Carlisle. 

G.  E.  Kester  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  Carlisle  in  1863. 
He  is  a  musician,  performing  oVi  both  the  cornet  and  the  violin,  and  for  vears 
was  the  leader  of  the  band  and  the  orchestra  at  New  Carlisle.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.     Three  children 


448  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

have  been  born  to  them,  but  of  these  Doctor  Kester  is  the  only  survivor,  the 
others  having  died  in  infancy. 

Reared  at  New  CarHsle,  Doctor  Kester  completed  his  local  schooling 
in  the  high  school  there  and  won  a  scholarship  to  Ohio  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity by  the  excellence  of  his  work  during  his  senior  year,  but  did  not  avail 
himself  of  the  same.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  devoting  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  dental  surgery  and  upon  leaving  high  school  he  entered  Star- 
ling Medical  College  at  Columbus  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  191 1,  his  roommate  and  classmate  having  been  his  present  partner  and 
brother-in-law,  Dr.  Nobel  T.  Pavey.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor 
Kester  returned  to  his  home  at  New  Carlisle  and  was  there  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  for  something  more  than  three  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  came  down  into  Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  at 
Jamestown.  A  year  later,  by  competitive  examination,  he  was  appointed  a 
dental  surgeon  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  army  and  continued  thus 
engaged  until  May  i,  19 16,  when  he  became  associated  with  his  brother- 
in-law  and  old  coUegemate,  Dr.  Nobel  T.  Pavey,  in  practice  at  Xenia. 

On  April  2,  1915,  Dr.  Alford  B.  Kester  was  tmited  in  marriage  to 
Geneva  Pavey,  who  was  born  at  Leesburg,  Ohio,  April  8,  1894,  daughter  of 
Gilbert  A.  and  Ida  (Smith)  Pavey,  who  are  still  living  at  Leesburg,  and 
only  sister  of  Dr.  Nobel  T.  Pavey,  Doctor  Kester's  partner.  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  Kester  are  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia. 
The  Doctor  is  a  Mason  and  during  his  college  days  was  a  member  of  the 
Psi  Omega   fraternity. 


WALTER    N.    SIPE. 


Walter  N.  Sipe,  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  something  more  than  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-six  acres  in  Bath  township,  located  on  rural  mail  route  No.  3 
out  of  Osborn,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  practically  all 
his  life,  the  exception  being  a  period  of  three  years  spent  in  Indiana,  during 
which  time  he  was  located  in  the  village  of  Dayton,  in  Tippecanoe  county, 
and  in  the  city  of  Muncie.  He  was  born  on  November  6,  1852,  son  of  Noah 
and  Mary  Ann  ( Wiant)  Sipe,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Ohio,  the 
former  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  Champaign  county,  and  whose  last 
days   were  spent  here. 

Noah  Sipe  was  torn  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  \Valter  is  now  living, 
December  29,  1820,  son  of  Christian  and  Cat-herine  (Carpenter)  Sipe,  who 
had  come  to  Greene  county  from  Virginia  and  had  become  pioneers  of  BSth 
township,  the  tract  on  which  Christian  Sipe  filed  upon  coming  here  having 
ever  since  been  in  the  family,  a  period  of  one  hundred  years,  AN^alter  Sipe's 
farm  being  a  part  of  that  original  tract.     Christian  Sipe  and  his  wife,  the 


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IM 

GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  449 

pioneers,  had  four  children,  Noah,  Emanuel,  Amy  and  Sarah.  The  first-born 
of  these  children,  Noah  Sipe,  grew  up  on  that  pioneer  farm,  receiving  his 
schooling  in  the  primitive  local  schools  of  that  place  and  period,  and  in  turn 
became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  and  spent  all  his  life  on  the  old  home 
place,  after  his  marriage  having  established  his  home  there.  His  wife  died 
there  on  October  30,  1881.  She  was  born,  Mary  Ann  Wiant,  in  Champaign 
county,  this  state,  in  1824,  the  Wiants  having  been  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  that  county.  Noah  Sipe  survived  his  wife  more  than  thirty-five  years,  his 
death  occurring  on  December  15,  1915,  he  then  being  just  a  fortnight  under 
ninety-five  years  of  age. 

Walter  N.  Sipe  grew  up  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Bath  townsip,  receiv- 
ing his  schooling  in  the  local  schools,  and  with  the  exception  of  the  period 
of  three  years,  noted  above,  during  which  he  lived  in  Indiana,  he  has  always 
made  his  home  there,  having  established  himself  there  after  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1880,  relieving  his  father  of  the  active  management  of  the  farm, 
which  he  now  owns  and  on  which  he  has  made  many  improvements.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farmmg  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  live  stock.  Mr.  Sipe  is  a  Democrat  and  for  fourteen  years  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board.     He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 

On  October  5,  1880,  at  Yellow  Springs,  Walter  N.  Sipe  was  imited  in 
marriage  to  Johanna  Hern,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  this  county,  daughter 
of  John  A.  and  Julia  (Day)  Hern,  natives  of  Ireland,  both  born  in  County 
Cork,  the  former  born  on  January  6,  1820,  and  the  latter,  June  19,  1825. 
John  A.  Hern  was  a  -shoemaker  at  Yellow  Springs.  He  died  on  November 
12,  1893,  and  his  widow  died  on  November  19,  1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sipe 
have  six  children,  namely:  William  R.,  born  on  Januar}'  8,  1882,  now  fann- 
ing in  Bath  township,  who  married  Katie  Nieffer,  of  that  township,  and  has 
five  children;  Mary  Ann,  July  5,  1883,  who  married  Vere  Le  Bann.  a  butcher 
at  Osborn,  and  has  two  children;  John  Walter,  October  26,  1885,  who  re- 
mains with  his  father,  assisting  in  the  management  of  the  home  farm ;  Frank, 
August  9,  1889,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Lillian  Hammond  and 
has  two  children:  Charles,  May  11,  1891,  also  now  living  in  Dayton,  who 
married  Nellie  Siedenstick  and  has  three  children,  and  Catherine,  July  23, 
1894,  who  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 


REV.   GEORGE  DOUGLAS  BLACK,  D.   D. 

The  Rev.  George  Douglas  Black,  D.  D.,  present  acting  president  of 
x^ntioch  College,  was  born  in  Knox  county.  Ohio,  February  12,  1858,  and 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Alt.  Vernon.  Having  decided  to  make 
the  Christian  ministry  his  calling,  he  studied  literature  and  theologv   from 

(28J 


450  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

1876  to  1880  with  Rev.  J.  W.  Marvin,  of  Knox  county.  Doctor  Black  says 
of  this  incident  in  his  Hfe :  "I  have  never  ceased  to  be  grateful  for  the 
years  of  inspiration  and  intimacy  spent  with  Mr.  Marvin.  After  the  bless- 
ing of  a  devout  father  and  mother,  no  good  has  come  to  me  in  this  world 
equal  to  the  friendship  and  instruction  of  this  man.  I  can  say  of  him,  as 
Garfield  said  of  ]\Iark  Hopkins,  my  conception  of  a  university  is  a  log  with 
a  student  at  one  end  of  it  and  ^Marvin  at  the  other.  To  feed  on  such  a  life 
is  an  unspeakable  good  to  any  young  man."  Afterward  he  attended  the 
Meadville  Theological  School  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 

When  quite  a  young  man  Doctor  Black  came  to  Yellow  Springs  as  pastor 
of  the  Christian  church,  which  was  then  the  college  church.  At  this  place  he 
had  two  pastorates,  and  he  resigned  in  1892  to  accept  the  editorship  of  the 
Herald  of  Gospel  Liberty,  the  organ  of  the  Christian  denomination,  pub- 
lished at  Dayton,  Ohio.  While  at  Yellow  Springs  he  was  made  the  head 
of  the  English  department  of  Antioch  College.  It  was  while  he  was  engaged 
in  his  editorial  work  at  Dayton  that  Dr.  \\^ashington  Gladden  visited  Minne- 
apolis in  1893  and  was  asked  by  the  committee  of  the  Park  Avenue  Congre- 
gational church  to  recommend  some  one  for  their  vacant  pulpit,  this  church 
at  that  time  being  the  largest  of  the  thirty-seven  Congregational  churches 
in  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis.  Doctor  Gladden  enthusiastically  recommended 
Mr.  Black,  who  went  to  Minneapolis,  preached  one  Sunday  and  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  and  entered  upon  his  work  within  a  few  weeks  thereafter. 
The  field  was  a  large  one  and  the  demands  upon  the  pastor's  time  and 
strength  were  incessant.  He  traveled  all  over  the  Northwest,  giving  lectures 
and  addresses,  and  in  addition  to  his  work  as  a  speaker  was  associated  with 
a  group  of  men,  among  whom  were  Doctor  Gladden,  Doctor  Zeublin,  Presi- 
dent George  A.  Gates,  B.  Fay  Mills  and  Prof.  John  Bascom,  in  the  editor- 
ship of  The  Kingdom,  a  weekly  publication  devoted  to  the  awakening  of  a 
new  social  consciousness  in  the  church.  For  this  paper  Doctor  Black  wrote 
an  editorial  every  week.  After  five  years  of  this  strenuous  life  he  offered 
his  resignation  to  his  church,  but  it  was  unanimously  rejected.  He  realized 
that  the  pace  he  was  going  was  telling  seriously  on  his  strength,  but.  unwill- 
ing to  leave  a  people  whom  he  deeply  loved  and  among  whom  he  had  a 
delightful  uplifting  work,  he  continued  for  another  year,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  suddenlv  the  physical  break  came.  Suffering  from  a  nervous  break- 
down and  knowing  that  he  could  not  take  up  continuous  pulpit  work  again, 
Doctor  Black  moved  with  his  family  from  Minneapolis  to  a  farm  near 
Yellow  Springs,  where  he  remained,  slowly  recovering  his  health,  till  in 
1009  he  was  asked  to  take  a  chair  in  Antioch  College  devoted  to  teaching  the 
Xew  Testament  and  comparative  religions.  A  few  years  before  he  had  been 
elected  a  trustee  of  the  college,  and  was  chosen  as  secretarv  of  that  bodv- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  45 1 

Soon  after  taking  up  his  work  in  the  college,  owing  to  the  long  absence 
of  the  president,  Dr.  S.  D.  Fess,  who  was  serving  a  term  in  Congress,  Doc- 
tor Black  was  made  the  vice-president,  a  position  in  which  he  served  until 
the  resignation  of  Doctor  Fess  in  1917.  Following  Doctor  Fess's  resigna- 
tion Doctor  Black  was  made  the  acting  president  of  the  college,  as  he  declined, 
on  account  of  his  health,  to  accept  anything  more  than  a  temporary 
responsibility  for  the  management  of  the  college. 

Doctor  Black  has  contributed  to  the  Nczv  England  Magadnc,  The  Out- 
look, the  Christian  Endeavor  World,  the  Christian  Register  and  the  Biblical 
World  of  the  University  of  Chicago.  His  deep  interest  in  farming  and  ani- 
mal industry  has  led  him  to  write  extensively  on  those  subjects  and  he  has 
contributed  to  the  Breeder's  Gazette  and  the  Cojintry  Gentleman,  while  for 
fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  regular  writer  for  the  Ohio  Farmer.  In  1912 
Merom  College  (Indiana)  conferred  on  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity. 

On  January  i,  1870,  Doctor  Black  was  married  to  Flora  Bflle  Hanger, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Andrew  C.  Hanger,  minister  of  the  Christian  church. 
Doctor  and  Mrs.  Black  have  three  children,  Georgia  Evelyn,  Wendell  Mar- 
vin and  Russell  Collins,  the  former  of  whom  married  Pierre  W.  Drake,  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Virginia  E.  Wendell  Marvin 
Black  was  graduated  from  Antioch  College  and  afterwarl  took  his  Master's 
degree  there.  He  married  Lydia  Elder  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Elea- 
nor D.  Russell  Collins  Black  also  was  graduated  from  Antioch  College  and 
has  since  given  his  life  to  music.  He  married  Hazel  Ashley,  and  has  a 
daughter,  Helen  A. 


HARRY  L.  HACKETT. 


Harry  L.  Hackett,  general  manager  of  the  National  Feed  Mills  Com- 
pany at  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  has  been  continuously  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  nearly  twenty  years,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived 
here  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Yellow  Springs  since  i8g8.  He  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Clifton  on  September  13,  1879,  a  son 
of  James  and  Ellen  fCavenaugh)  Hackett,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  were  mar- 
ried in  Springfield,  Ohio,  and  who  later  located  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township, 
this  county,  where  the  former  died  in  October,  19 16,  and  where  the  latter 
is  still  living.  James  Hackett  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last  born,  and  further  mention  of 
whom,  together  with  additional  details  of  the  history  of  the  Hackett  family 
in  this  county,  is  made  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  Charles  H. 
Hackett,  postmaster  at  Yellow  Springs,  the  fourth  son  and  sixth  child  of 
James  Hackett,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


45-  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  IMiami  township,  Harry  L.  Hackett  received 
his  schoohng  in  the  CHfton  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school 
there  in  1897.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Nelson's  Business  College  at  Spring- 
field and  on  December  19,  1898,  became  employed  in  the  grocery  store  of 
George  H.  Drake  at  Yellow  Springs,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  three 
years  and  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  transferred  his  services 
to  the  general  store  of  C.  C.  Stevenson  &  Company  and  was  connected  with 
that  concern  for  three  years.  He  then  spent  a  year  in  the  grocery  and  meat 
market  of  Jacob  Diehl  and  after  that  became  associated  with  his  elder 
brother,  Charles  H.  Hackett,  now  postmaster  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  the 
general  hardware  business,  continuing  that  connection  until  November  10, 
1913,  when  he  became  the  manager  for  the  John  Dewein  Company,  since 
April,  1 914,  the  National  Feed  Mills  Company,  at  Yellow  Springs,  manufac- 
turers of  poultry  and  dairy  feeds  and  engaged  in  the  general  grain  and  coal 
business,     for  thirteen  years  Mr.  Hackett  has  been  serving  as  village  clerk. 

On  August  5,  1902,  Mr.  Hackett  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lottie  J. 
Loe,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Minerva  (Sutton)  Loe.  of  Yellow  Springs,  who 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Hackett  being  William 
Loe,  of  Yellow  Springs ;  John  and  Harry  Loe.  who  are  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business  at  Springfield,  and  Cora,  who  died  when  about  eleven  years  of 
age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackett  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  They  have 
five  sons,  Ralph  and  Harold,  twins,  born  on  January  4,  1904;  Roger,  Janu- 
ary 22,  1910;  Howard.  May  23.  1914.  and  Paul  E.,  January  i,  1918. 


WILLL\M    BALLARD. 


Among  the  farmers  of  New  Jasper  township  whose  influence,  in  a  gen- 
eration now  past,  lent  stability  to  that  community,  there  were  few  who  left 
better  memories  at  their  passing  than  did  the  late  William  Ballard,  who  died 
at  his  home  in  that  township  in  the  fall  of  1894  and  whose  daughter,  I\Iiss 
Luella  Ballard,  now  a  resident  of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  still  owns  the 
old  home  place  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  New  Jasper  township. 

William  Ballard  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  all  his  life  was  spent  in 
this  state.  He  was  Ixjrn  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Adams  county  on  March  23, 
181 1,  son  of  the  Rev.  Lyman  and  Sarah  (Hanover)  Ballard,  early  settlers 
in  that  county,  who  later  became  residents  of  Greene  county,  where  their 
last  days  were  sjjent.  The  Rev.  Lyman  Ballard  was  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts,  born  in  November,  1783.  In  the  days  of  his  young  n^an- 
hood  he  came  to  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  and  located  in  Adams  county, 
where  he  married  Sarah  Hanover  and  where  he  remained  until  1822,  in  which 
year  he  came  with  his  famil_\-  up  into  Greene  county  and  bought  from  William 


WILLIAM  BALLARD. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  453 

Frazer  a  tract  of  land  in  Ross  township,  about  three  miles  north  of  the  village 
of  Jamestown,  where  he  established  his  home  and  where  he  and  his  wife 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  in  June,  1873.  The 
Rev.  Lyman  Ballard  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  man  in  Ross  township  to 
own  a  wagon  and  four-horse  team  and  when  he  used  to  go  to  mill,  driving 
up  to  Clifton  with  his  "grist,"  his  neighbors  would  utilize  this  conveyance 
as  a  means  of  getting  their  "grist''  taken  to  mill,  so  that  his  wagon  usually 
was  well  filled  before  he  had  gone  far  on  his  journey.  As  a  preacher  in  the 
old  Bethel  church  he  for  years  exerted  a  wholesome  influence  in  the  com- 
munity. He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
having  been  Joseph,  Nathan,  John,  Elizabeth,  Jackson  and  Martin.  Jackson 
Ballard  became  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead  place  in  Ross  township  after 
his  father's  death. 

WilHani  Ballard  was  but  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  settled 
with  their  family  in  this  county  in  1822,  and  he  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
home  place  in  Ross  township.  He  had  begun  his  schooling  in  his  native 
county  of  Adams  and  completed  the  same  in  the  schools  of  Greene  county; 
early  became  licensed  to  teach  school  and  for  some  years  spent  his  winters 
teaching  in  the  local  district  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of 
1842  Mr.  Ballard  and  his  wife  began  housekeeping  in  a  house  adjoining  that 
of  the  former's  father  in  Ross  township,  but  after  awhile  moved  to  another 
farm  in  that  same  neighborhood  and  there  resided  tmtil  1856,  when  they 
moved  to  the  farm  in  Xew  Jasper  township  referred  to  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  this  memorial,  where  both  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  W'ill- 
ian  Ballard  was  for  many  years  director  of  schools  in  his  home  district. 

On  April  21,  1842,  in  Cedarville  township,  William  Ballard  was  united 
in  marriage  to  ^largaret  Cunningham,  who  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia,  February  14.  1820,  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  her  parents, 
James  and  Mar\-  (Leach)  Cunningham,  came  to  Greene  county  with  their 
family  and  settled  in  Cedarville  township.  James  Cunningham  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Mrs.  Ballard  having  had  two  brothers.  Nel- 
son and  Jolin,  and  two  sisters.  ^lartha  and  Sarah.  To  William  and  Margaret 
(Cunningham)  Ballard  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Rufus  H..  who 
died  on  September  14.  1914,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Jamestown; 
Aniel  M.,  who  died  on  September  22,  1874;  Elizabeth,  widow  of  S.  F.  Evans, 
and  Luella,  the  latter  of  whom  still  retains  the  old  home  farm  in  New  Jasper 
township,  though  now  living  at  Jamestown,  to  which  village  she  moved  on 
Mar^h  10,  1914,  and  where  she  lives  with  her  sister,  Airs.  Evans.  Tlie  mother 
of  these  children  died  on  October  9,  1862,  about  six  years  after  the  family 
moved  to  the  New  Jasper  township  farm,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 


454  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

at  Jamestown.  William  Ballard  survived  her  for  many  years,  his  death 
occurring  on  the  old  home  farm  on  October  i8,  1894,  and  his  body  also  was 
laid  in  the  burying  ground  at  Jamestown.  He  was  well  past  eighty-three 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death  and  more  than  seventy  years  of  his  life 
had  been  spent  in  Greene  county,  which  he  came  to  know  as  well  as  any 
man  in  the  county.  He  had  been  twice  married,  on  March  i,  1865,  having 
married  Anna  Ellis,  of  Clinton  county,  a  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Sarah 
(Oglesbee)  Ellis.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
While  Mr.  Ballard  never  joined  any  church,  he  always  aided  church  work 
with  his  means  and  influence. 


WILLIAM  CONLEY. 


William  Conley,  who  for  many  years  has  been  the  occupant  and  man- 
ager of  the  old  Robert  Charleston  Reid  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  the 
birthplace  of  the  late  Whitelaw  Reid,  former  owner  and  editor  of  the  New 
York  Tribune  and  United  States  ambassador  to  England,  was  born  in  this 
county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life,  a  tenant  of  the  Reid  place  since  his 
marriage  in  1889  aud  since  the  death  of  Whitelaw  Reid  manager  of  that 
portion  of  the  estate,  acting  in  behalf  of  the  latter's  widow,  who  continues  to 
make  her  home  in  England  and  who  has  given  to  Mr.  Conley  full  charge 
of  the  place.  He  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedarville  on  June  23,  1859, 
son  of  Moore  and  Eliza  (Campbell)  Conley.  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  who  came  to  this  country  as  young  people,  t!ie 
Conleys  and  the  Campbells  both  coming  on  out  to  Ohio  and  settling  in 
Xenia,  where  Moore  Conley  and  Eliza  Campbell  were  married.  For  some 
time  after  coming  to  this  county  Moore  Conley  was  engaged  at  farm  labor 
and  then  he  became  a  traveling  representative  of  the  King  Powder  Com- 
panv,  traveling  out  of  Xenia,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  death  at  the 
age  of  fifty  years.  His  widow  spent  her  last  days  at  Cedarville,  where  she 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
Presbyterian  church.  There  were  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Thomas,  who 
died  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood;  Edwin,  who  became  a  hotel  chef 
and  died  in  1902;  Mary,  wife  of  John  W.  Ross,  of  Cedarville.  and  Nancy, 
who  married  Isaac  M.  Deck  and  is  now  deceased. 

William  Conley  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Cedarville  high  school 
and  upon  leaving  school  became  employed  on  the  old  Reid  place,  then  owned 
by  the  widow  of  Robert  Charleton  Reid  and  mother  of  Whitelaw  Reid  and 
now  owned  by  the  latter's  widow,  and  which  has  been  in  the  Reid  family 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  455 

ever  since  it  was  boug^ht  by  Robert  Charleton  Reid  at  the  Virginia  Military- 
Tract  land  sales  a  hundred  years  and  more  ago.  After  his  marriage  in  1889 
Mr.  Conley  rented  the  farm  and  has  since  been  in  charge.  The  Reid  farm 
is  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  situated  between  Massies  creek  and  the  Little 
Miami  river,  not  far  from  the  center  of  the  triangle  formed  by  the  three 
towns  of  Xenia,  Yellow  Springs  and  Cedarville.  The  old  Reid  house,  erected 
in  1823,  and  an  excellent  picture  of  which  is  presented  in  the  historical  sec- 
tion of  this  work,  is  one  of  the  real  landmarks  of  Greene  county.  As  left 
by  its  builder,  Robert  Charleton  Reid,  it  consisted  of  a  two-story  frame 
building  with  a  one-story  wing,  in  which  were  sitting  room,  dining  room  and 
kitchen.  Some  extensions  later  were  made  to  the  wing  and  the  whole  ex- 
terior was  repaired  and  restored  by  Whitelaw  Reid  during  his  lifetime.  The 
interior  finish  in  the  old  part  of  the  house  was  of  oiled  and  polished  black 
walnut,  with  handsome  mantels,  oak  floors,  excellent  plastering  and  windows 
with  eight-by-ten  panes  of  glass,  which  were  then  regarded  as  "a  costly  ele- 
gance," according  to  a  description  of  the  house  printed  in  "Howe's-  Histori- 
cal Collections  of  Ohio."  Every  room  on  the  first  floor  had  a  large  fireplace 
finished  in  Xenia  limestone,  but  the  original  framework  later  was  filled  in 
with  fireproof  concrete  blocks  and  the  roof  and  second  story  were  covered 
with  red  tiles.  The  house  contains  sixteen  rooms,  besides  bath-rooms,  dress- 
ing-rooms and  the  like  and  has  attractive  piazzas  and  a  porte-cochere.  Situ- 
ated on  one  of  the  highest  points  in  the  county,  the  ground  gently  sloping 
away,  the  house  gives  a  view  of  many  miles  in  every  direction.  When  Robert 
Charleton  Reid  was  married  he  immediately  took  his  bride  to  this  house. 
There  he  died  in  the  room  in  which  his  children  were  all  born  and  there  his 
widow  continued  to  live  after  he  was  gone.  The  lawn  surrounding  the  house 
has  remained  unbroken  by  the  plow  and  is  thus  the  virgin  soil  over  which  the 
Indians  roamed  in  the  days  when  this  region  was  given  over  to  its  aboriginal 
tenancy.  The  house  was  built  from  the  hard-wood  timber  that  was  cut 
away  to  make  a  place  for  it  and  at  first  stood  in  an  almost  unbroken  forest, 
for  years  after  its  completion  there  having  been  not  more  than  ten  acres  of 
cleared  land  in  sight.  This  was  one  of  the  few  pioneer  farms  that  did  not 
start  with  a  log  house,  the  above  being  the  original  house. 

In  May,  1889,  William  Conley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Belle  Mowdy. 
who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Goes  Station,  in 
Xenia  township,  daughter  of  Ambrose  and  Amanda  (Whittington)  Mowdy, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  miller.  Ambrose  Mowdy,  who  was  born  in 
Xenia  township,  March  7,  1833,  and  died  on  August  25,  1872,  was  a  son  of 
Peter  Mowdy,  who  in  1837  built  the  mill  still  standing  on  what  is  now  the 
Charles  A.  Bingaman  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilberforce  in  Xenia  township. 


456  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Amanda  W'hittington  was  born  in  October,  1833,  at  Winchester,  \'irginia, 
and  died  ^larch  24,  1912.  She  came  to  Greene  county  in  1849,  her  parents 
then  both  being  deceased.  ]\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Conley  have  two  sons,  Robert 
Moore  and  Wilber,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  a  student  in  the  Cedarville 
high  school.  Robert  Moore  Conley,  United  States  Navy,  was  graduated 
from  the  Carnegie  Technical  Institute  at  Pittsburgh  and  is  now  engaged  as 
an  inspector  of  naval  supplies  being  turned  out  at  Dayton,  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States  naval  department.  The  Conleys  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville  and  Mr.  Conley  has  served  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  church.  He  is  a  Republican  and 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  for  seventeen  years  as  super- 
visor of  highways  in  his  home  district.  Mr.  Conley  also  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Greene  County  Mutual  Insurance  Association.  In 
addition  to  managing  the  affairs  of  the  Reid  farm  Mr.  Conley  is  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Miami  township  which  he  ?ents  out. 


WILLIAM   THOMAS   LACKEY. 

The  late  William  Thomas  Lackey,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Spring 
Valley  township  on  November  30,  1916,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living 
there,  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  Ohio 
since  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county, 
\'irginia,  Alarch  2,  1850,  son  of  Isaac  and  Eliza  Ann  Lackey,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  that  county  and  who  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
three  of  whom  came  to  Ohio,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch 
having  been  Giles  Lackey,  who  made  his  home  at  Xenia,  and  Horatio  T. 
Lackey,  of  Belmont. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Virginia,  William  T.  Lackey  received  his 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  his  majority,  when  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  New  Burlington, 
on  the  lower  edge  of  this  county.  Not  long  after  his  arrival  here  he  married 
and  located  on  the  old  McKnight  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  the  place 
where  his  widow  is  now  living  and  where  she  was  l)orn,  a  fami  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  acres,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Mr.  Lackey 
was  a  Democrat  and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  Presbyterian,  a  member  of 
the  church  at  Xenia,  as  is  his  widow,  who  since  his  death  has  continued  to 
make  her  home  on  the  home  farm,  living  in  the  house  that  was  built  there  by 
her  grandfather  McKnight  in   1837. 

Mrs.  Lackey  was  born,  Elizal^eth  Janet  Lyon,  in  Spring  \'allev  town- 
ship, on  the  farm  on  which  she  is  now  living,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 


-.J^-.i^.-^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ^  457 

(McKnight)  Lyon,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  place,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Robert  and  Ehzabeth  (Fulton)  McKnight,  who  had  come  to  this  county 
from  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  in  1807,  and  had  settled  on  that  place, 
which  then  was  a  wilderness  of  deep  timber.  There  Robert  McKnight  put  up 
a  hewed-log  house  and  established  his  home,  that  house,  now  more  than  one 
hundred  and  ten  years  old,  still  standing,  used  now  as  a  stable.  In  1837  that 
house  was  supplante<l  by  the  substantial  dwelling  house  which  has  ever 
since  served  as  a  farm  house  on  the  place.  Robert  McKnight  got  possession 
of  a  thousand  acres  of  land  surrounding  his  location  there.  He  served  as  a 
soldier  during  the  War  of  181 2,  rendering  service  in  one  of  the  blockhouses. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  old  Associate  Reformed  congregation. 
He  died  on  that  place  in  1856,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  His  wife  had 
died  in  1854.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  those  besides  Mrs. 
Lyon  having  been  Margaret,  who  remained  a  spinster  and  lived  to  the  age 
of  eighty-nine  years,  and  James,  who  married  Ann  McKay  and  made  his  home 
on  a  portion  of  the  old  home  farm. 

After  his  marriage  to  Mary  McKnight,  James  Lyon,  who  was  born  in 
Rockingham  county,  Virginia,  established  his  home  on  the  old  McKnight 
place  and  took  charge  of  the  same,  continuing  to  farm  there  the  rest  of  his 
life.  Reared  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Republican  upon  the  formation  of  that 
party.  James  Lyon  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs. 
Lackey  having  had  a  sister,  Martha  C,  who  married  Henry  Hopping  and 
died  in  1 914  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years,  and  a  brother. 


THOMAS   CLARKSON   HIRST. 

Thomas  Clarkson  Hirst,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  formerly  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  at  Yellow  Springs  and  later  and  for  a  period  of  thirty 
years  engaged  as  a  traveling  passenger  agent  for  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  now  living  retired  in  the  pleasant  village  of  Yellow  Springs, 
is  a  Virginian  by  birth,  but  has  regarded  Greene  county  as  hi.s  home  ever 
since  the  days  of  his  boyhood.  He  was  born  at  Lincoln,  in  the  county  of 
Loudoun,  forty  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Washington,  August  23,  1837,  son 
of  Eli  Pierpoint  and  Hannah  (Janney)  Hirst,  both  of  whom  also  were 
natives  of  the  Old  Dominion,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Yellow  Springs. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  his  sister,  Miss  Cosmelia  Hirst,  of  Yellow  Springs,  are  living 
and  two,  Cornelia  and  John  J.  Hirst,  deceased. 

Eli  Pierpoint  Hirst  was  educated  at  Winchester  Academy,  then  pre- 
sided over  by   Prof.  John  Marvin,   where  he  received  thorough   schooling, 


458  -  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

particularly  in  higher  mathematics  and  in  the  natural  sciences.  He  devoted 
his  earlier  years  to  teaching,  in  \'irginia  and  Ohio,  and  was  the  possessor  of 
a  fiiie  collection  of  scientific  apparatus  with  which  he  illustrated  his  school 
lectures.  At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  he  went  to  that 
territory  to  engage  in  business,  going  via  New  York  City  and  the  Isthmus 
and  then  by  coastwise  steamer  up  to  San  Francisco,  the  .fare  from  New 
York  to  the  latter  city  being  then  three  hundred  dollars  in  gold.  Upon 
reaching  the  "diggings"  Mr.  Hirst  located  at  Nevada  City,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years,  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and  in  furnishing 
miners'  supplies.  Upon  his  return  from  California  in  1855  he  came  to  this 
county  and  located  at  Yellow  Springs,  being  attracted  to  that  place  by  reason 
of  the  location  there  of  Antioch  College,  which  then  was  presided  over  by 
that  great  educator,  Horace  Mann,  for  whom  he  entertained  profound  re- 
spect, and  there  he  died  two  years  later,  in  1857. 

Thomas  C.  Hirst  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  took  up 
their  home  in  Yellow  Springs  and  he  straightway  entered  Antioch  College, 
where  he  remained  in  attendance  until  after  his  father's  death  in  1857,  after 
which  he  became  engaged  in  farming  and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  Early  in  1862  Mr.  Hirst  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Ninety- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  regiment  he  served 
until  constant  exposure  brought  on  what  then  was  supposed  to  be  a  fatal 
illness  and  he  was  discharged  on  a  surgeon's  certificate  of  disability.  But 
after  remaining  for  some  time  at  home  he  recovered  his  health  to  a  great 
measure  and  determined  to  return  to  the  army  if  possible.  He  re-enlisted  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  with  that  command  served  with  such  credit  that  he  was  recommended 
for  promotion  and  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  in  Company  D,  One 
Hundred  and  Eightieth  Ohio,  and  with  this  latter  command  served  until 
disabled  bv  wounds  near  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  mustered  out  on 
June  16.  1865 

In  1866  Thomas  C.  Hirst  and  his  brother,  John  J.  Hirst,  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  in  Yellow  Springs,  under  the  firm  name  of  Hirst  Brothers, 
and  continued  in  partnership  until  the  fall  of  1881,  when  T.  C.  Hirst  was 
ofifered  the  position  of  traveling  passenger  agent  for  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company,  with  headquarters  at  Columbus,  and  had  charge  of  the  ter- 
ritory emijraced  by  the  states  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  West  Virginia  and  Vir- 
ginia, remaining  thus  connected  with  the  Union  Pacific  service  for  a  period 
of  more  than  thirty  years.  When  Mr.  Hirst  retired  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years  his  name  was  placed  for  life  on  the  pension  foils  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  Company. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  459 

JOHN  W.  ROSS. 

John  W.  Ross,  foreman  of  the  Cedarville  Lime  Company,  was  born 
in  Cedarville,  on  November  i8,  1861,  son  of  James  and  Honora  (Murray) 
Ross,  natives  of  Ireland,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Cedarville,  of  which 
place  they  had  been  residents  for  years. 

Both  James'  Ross  and  his  wife  Honora  were  born  in  County  Down, 
Ireland,  and  lived  there  until  after  their  marriage  in  1845,  when  they  came 
to  the  United  States  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  locating  at  Xenia. 
James  Ross  was  an  expert  stonemason  and  upon  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Xenia  became  there  engaged  working  at  his  trade  and  so  continued  until 
1858,  when  he  moved  to  Cedarville  and  was  working  at  his  trade  there  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Twelfth 
Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the  first  year  of  the  war  and  with 
that  command  served  until  he  was  mustered  out  on  June  18,  1865.  Mr. 
Ross  participated  in  forty-seven  battles  and  was  twice  severely  wounded, 
being  shot  once  through  the  left  shoulder  and  once  through  the  right  foot. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned  to  Cedarville  and 
resumed  his  work  as  a  stonemason,  while  thus  engaged  building  bridges 
all  over  the  county.  In  July,  1882,  he  suffered  a  fatal  sunstroke  while 
working  on  a  railroad-bridge  job.  His  widow  survived  him  until  1887. 
They  were  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Xenia  and  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  seventh  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Elizabeth,  now  deceased,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Michael  Dailey;  James,  also  now  deceased,  who  was  a  railway 
brakeman  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company ;  Rose,  wife 
of  John  Osborn,  of  Xenia;  Mary  Ellen,  deceased;  Daniel,  of  Xenia;  Kate, 
who  is  now  living  in  Darke  county,  Ohio;  William,  deceased;  Charles,  who 
is  now  living  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  where  he  is  employed  as  a  stationary  en- 
gineer; Harry,,  deceased;  Richard,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and 
Honora,  widow  of  Milton  Jones,  of  Xenia. 

John  W.  Ross  was  reared  at  Cedarville  and  received  his  schooling  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  city.  As  a  boy  he  learned  the  trade  of  painter  and 
for  some  time  worked  at  that  trade.  He  then  was  made  custodian  of  the 
public  schools  and  for  twenty-two  years  held  that  position.  On  January  1, 
1918,  he  was  made  foreman  of  the  plant  of  the  Cedarville  Lime  Company. 
Mr.  Ross  is  a  Republican.  For  thirty-five  years  he  has  rendered  service  as 
a  member  of  the  Cedarville  fire  department,  for  fourteen  years  served  as 
constable  and  for  some  time  was  a  member  of  the  common  council.  He  is 
affiliated  with  the  Cedarville  lodges  of  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  July  15,  1885,  John  W.  Ross  was  united  in  marriage  to  May  Con- 


460  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ley,  who  was  born  at  Clifton,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Etiie,  who  is  now  a  teacher  in  the  Spring  \^alley  schools;  Lillie, 
who  is  teaching  in  the  Cedarville  schools;  Bessie,  also  formerly  a  teacher, 
who  married  Ernest  Rulls,  of  Dayton,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Phyllis ; 
and  Cameron,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Cedarville  high  school  in  1915, 
taught  school  for  two  years  and  following  this  country's -declaration  of  war 
against  Germany  in  191 7  enlisted  for  service.  He  entered  the  third  officers' 
training  camp,  and  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ross  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  (Covenanter)  church  at 
Cedarville,  as  are  their  children.  The  Ross  children  early  began  to  turn 
their  attention  to  the  teaching  profession  and  for  a  time  all  at  one  time  were 
thus  engaged,  two  of  the  daughters  still  continuing  their  teaching  service 
and  the  soldier  son  expecting  to  resume  teaching  upon  the  completion  of  his 
military  service. 


GEORGE  H.  CRESWELL. 

George  H.  Creswell  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
which  he  owns,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Federal  pike  and  the  Cedarville  and 
Jamestown  road  in  Cedarville  township,  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life,  even 
as  his  father  had  done  before  him,  the  latter  also  having  been  born  there,  a 
son  of  James  Creswell,  who  was  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Widow  Creswell,  who 
had  come  up  into  this  section  of  Ohio  from  Kentucky  with  her  eight  children 
and  had  established  her  home  in  what  later  came  to  be  developed  the  Cedar- 
ville neighborhood  in  the  days  before  Greene  county  had  been  organized,  the 
Creswells  having  thus  become  numbered  as  among  the  very  first  permanent 
settlers  of  this  county.  In  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  James  H.  Cres- 
well, elder  brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  something  of  the  history  and 
the  genealogy  of  the  Creswell  family,  and  it  is  therefore  not  necessary  to  go 
into  those  details  in  this  connection  further  than  to  say  that  George  H.  Cres- 
well was  born  on  August  30,  i860,  son  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  Jane  (Huffman) 
Creswell,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  James  and  Ann  ( Junkin)  Cres- 
well, both  members  of  pioneer  families  here,  James  Creswell  having  been 
the  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (Creswell)  Criswell,  the  latter  of  whom  came 
up  here  with  her  children  after  her  husband  had  been  murdered  by  Indians 
in  Kentucky  and  became  one  of  the  members  of  that  old  Seceder  community 
on  Massies  creek  to  which  the  Re\-.  Robert  Armstrong  ministered  in  the  early 
daj'S  of  the  settlement  of  this  county.  The  Widow  Criswell  preferred  the 
name  Creswell.  to  which  she  was  bom.  to  that  of  Criswell.  her  husband's 
name,  and  after  the  tragic  death  of  her  husband  adopted  the  former  spelling 
of  the  name  and  the  Creswells  have  ever  since  been  thus  known. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  461 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  H.  Creswell  completed  his  sclioohng 
in  the  Cedarx'ille  high  school.  As  the  elder  children  of  the  family  of  ten  born 
to  his  parents  moved  away  to  make  places  of  their  own  he  remained  on  the 
farm  and  during  the  later  years  of  his  father's  life  managed  the  place,  and 
after  his  marriage  established  his  home  there.  After  the  death  of  his  father 
he  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  home  place  and  has  since 
continued  to  live  there,  the  house  which  his  father  built  there  many  years 
ago  still  serving'  as  a  place  of  residence.  One  room  of  this  house  is  a  part 
of  the  house  erected  there  by  his  grandfather  when  the  latter  settled  on  the 
place  in  1812.  In  1832  his  father,  then  a  lad  of  twelve  years,  planted  a  syca- 
more sprout  in  the  front  dooryard  and  that  tree,  now  grown  to  noble  pro- 
]3ortions,  is  one  of  the  distinctive  features  of 'the  place  and  is  thought  much 
of  by  the  family.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  old  home  place  Mr.  Cres- 
well has  added  to  the  same  by  the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract  of  twenty- 
two  acres  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  acres.  In 
his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Creswell -is  a  Republican  and  hasserved  for  eight 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Cedarville  township  school  board.  He  also  is  vice- 
president  of  the  W.  L.  Clemens  Real  Estate  Company  at  Cedarville. 

On  December  28,  1892,  George  R.  Creswell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Amanda  Blair,  who  was  born  at  Sparta,  Illinois,  March  25,  1867,  daughter 
of  J.  Franklin  and  Elizabeth  (Marvin)  Blair,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  liv- 
ing, now  a  resident  of  Cedarville,  where  she  has  made  her  home  since  191 2, 
and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Cres- 
well's  elder  brother,  James  H.  Creswell,  referred  to  above,  the  latter's  wife 
being  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Amanda  Creswell.  To  George  H.  and  Amanda  (Blair) 
Creswell  have  been  born  four  children,  Irma,  born  on  August  4,  1894;  Eula, 
July  30,  1896;  Samuel  Morton,  September  19,  1899,  ^"d  Elizabeth,  October 
21,  1905,  the  two  latter  of  whom  are  still  in  school,  the  son  attending  Cedar- 
A'ille  College.  The  Creswells  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville,  and  Mr.  Creswell  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  same  for  ten  years,  a  member  of  the  choir  since  1880  and  leader 
of  the  same  for  many  years,  having  ever  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood  given 
his  attention  to  the  afifairs  of  the  church  with  which  the  Creswell  family  have 
been  connected  ever  since  its  establishment  more  than  a  centurv  ago. 


WILLIAM  M.  HARDMAN. 

William  M.  Hardman,  former  president  of  the  Ohio  State  Corn  Improve- 
ment Association  and  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow 
Springs,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township  on  June  22,  1861,  son  of 
William  R.  and  Rebecca   (Miller)   Hardman,  both  now  deceased. 


462  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

William  R.  Hardman  also  was  born  in  Bath  township,  a  son  of  pioneer 
parents,  his  father,  Peter  Hardman,  having  settled  in  this  county  in  1808 
upon  his  arrival  here  from  Virginia.  Peter  Hardman  was  born  on  July  23, 
1776,  a  son  of  German  parents,  who  had  located  in  Hardy  county,  in  that 
portion  of  the  Old  Dominion  now  comprised  within. the  bounds  of  West 
Virginia,  upon  coming  to  this  country  in  1764  and  had  there  established  their 
home.  Upon  coming  to  Greene  county  he  established  his  home  on  a  tract 
of  land  in  Bath  township,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  July  30,  1859,  h^  then  being  eighty-three  years  of  age,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Mitman  cemetery  near  Fairfield.  \\'illiam  R.  Hardman 
grew  to  manhood  on  the  pioneer  farm  on  winch  he  was  born  and  in  turn 
became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account.  He  married  Rebecca  Miller,  who 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  her  parents  came  to 
this  county  in  pioneer  days,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four  children, 
namely :  Charles  L.,  now  living  in  Dayton,  who  married  Carrie  ^lentel  and 
had  one  child,  a  son,  Walter  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years; 
Lee  A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years ;  William  M.,  the  immediate  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Harriet,  who  makes  her  home  at  Yellow 
Springs,  but  who  is  emploved  in  the  office  of  the  Hooven-Allison  Company 
at  Xenia.  In  1876,  William  R.  Hardman  moved  to  the  farm  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  his  son  William  M.,  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death 
occurring  on  December  26,  1907.     His  widow  died  on  March  30,  1918. 

Mrs.  Rebecca  Hardman  was  a  member  of  the  first  band  of  crusaders 
in  Osborn  in  the  early  '70s  and  often  told  of  a  circumstance  of  those  trying 
times.  A  saloon  keeper  poured  a  ring  of  powder  around  the  group  of  pray- 
ing women,  then  setting  it  afire,  hoping  thus  to  frighten  them  away  from 
his  place  of  business. 

There  is  another  member  of  the  family,  Delia  Burr  Hardman,  who, 
while  not  born  into  it,  yet  has  held  the  place  of  a  sister  since  her  adoption 
at  the  age  of  four  years.  She  took  care  of  Mrs.  William  R.  Hardman 
during  the  several  years  of  the  latter's  invalidism,  and  now  makes  her  home 
with   Harriet   Hardman   in   Yellow   Springs. 

W'illiam  M.  Hardiflan  spent  his  early  boyhood  on  the  farm  on  which 
he  was  born  in  Bath  township  and  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  to  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living.  After  a  four-years  course 
at  Antioch  College  he  entered  upon  a  definite  career  as  a  farmer,  giving  par- 
ticular attention  to  corn  growing.  Twenty-five  years  ago  Mr.  Hardman 
began  the  development  of  a  variety  of  corn  which  lie  e\'er  since  has  stuck  to 
and  which  he  brought  to  such  a  high  standard  that  it  commanded  the  recog- 
nition  of  corn   experts   o\er  the   state  and   became   officiallv   designated   as 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  .  463 

"Hardman's  Favorite,"  and  as  such  has  secured  wide  cultivation  through- 
out the  state.  During  this  time  Air.  Hardnian  was  taking  an  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  farmers  associations  hereabout  and  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Ohio  State  Corn  Improvement  Association  and  in  1907  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  latter  body,  an  office  in  which  he  was  continued  for  three  years. 

On  November  12,  191 2,  William  M.  Hardman  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Bertha  Currier,  of  Dayton,  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Charles  W.  and  Fannie 
(Parker)  Currier,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  living  at  Dayton.  Mrs.  Cur- 
rier is  a  daughter  of  Prof.  James  K.  Parker,  who  is  well  remembered  in 
Greene  county  by  reason  of  his  activities  in  connection  with  Wilberforce 
in  the  early  days  of  the  establishment  of  that  university.  When  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  in  1856  laid  the  foundations  for  the  creation  of  Wil- 
berforce University,  Prof.  James  K.  Parker  was  put  in  charge  of  the  school 
and  for  eighteen  months  during  the  formative  period  of  that  institution  did 
there  a  remarkable  work.  His  intense  hatred  of  the  institution  of  slavery 
and  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  enslaved  negroes  and  such  freedmen 
as  were  able  to  make  their  way  into  the  free  state  of  Ohio  seeking  light  and 
leading  through  the  sources  made  a\ailable  by  the  beneficent  operations  of  the 
mo\ement  which  led  to  the  establishment  of  Wilberforce,  caused  him  to 
throw  his  whole  soul  into  the  work  that  there  unfolded  before  him.  In 
consequence  of  these  activities  Professor  Parker  met  with  a  degree  of  oppo- 
sition and  a  persistence  of  persecution  that  is  difficult  to  understand  in  this 
generation,  but  he  would  not  be  daunted,  even  when  his  barns  were  burned, 
and  fought  it  out.  his  services  in  that  connection  giving  his  name  an  unalter- 
able place  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  have  in  the  years  since  those  trying  and 
troublous   days  been   connected  with   Wilberforce. 

The  Rev.  Charles  W.  Currier,  father  of  Mrs.  Hardman,  was  a  native 
of  Massachusetts,  born  in  the  city  of  Lowell,  December  22,  1842.  When  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and 
served  for  five  years,  finally  coming  to  be  an  ofificer  in  command  of  colored 
troops  at  Louisville.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  took  a 
course  in  a  business  college  at  Chicago  and  later  became  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Tennessee.  Meanwhile  he  had  been  turning  his  attention  to  studies 
with  a  view  of  fitting  himself  for  the  gospel  ministry  and  presently  entered 
Denison  University  at  Granville,  this  state.  L^pon  completing  the  course 
there  he  entered  the  theological  seminary  at  Newton  Center,  Massachusetts, 
and  in  due  time  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church,  his  first 
charge  as  a  minister  being  as  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church  at  Xenia. 
He  later  became  financial  secretary  of  Denison  LTniversity  at  Granville,  and 
after  a  year  spent  there  moved  to  Winfield,  Kansas,  on  account  of  his  health, 


464  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

where  he  continued  engaged  in  the  ministry  until  his  death,  April  17,  1889. 
The  Rev.  Charles  W.  Currier  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  daugh- 
ters, Mrs.  Hardman  having  two  sisters,  Edith,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who 
married  Walter  Crebs  and  has  two  children,  Frederick  and  Harriet,  and 
Helen  Currier,  who  is  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Miami  Loan  Associa- 
tion at  Davton. 


OR\TLLE  B.  ARMSTRONG. 

Orville  B.  Armstrong,  who  is  .engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Fair- 
field, manager  of  the  Fairfield  Feed  IMills,  of  which  his  father,  George  H. 
Armstrong,  who  is  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  West  Alexandria,  is 
the  proprietor,  is  a  representative  in  the  third  generation  of  the  continuous 
milling  operations  of  the  Armstrongs  in  this  county,  his  grandfather,  Samuel 
Armstrong,  having  been  the  builder  of  the  mills  at  Clifton.  He  also  has  an 
uncle.  J-  E.  Armstrong,  who  is  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Belle- 
fontaine. 

Mr.  Armstrong  was  born  at  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  April  11,  1891,  son  and  only  child  of  George  H.  and  Otilla  (Hause) 
Armstrong,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county  and  the  former, 
in  Shelby  county,  this  state.  George  H.  Armstrong,  who,  as  above  set  out, 
is  now  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  West  Alexandria,  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
Armstrong,  a  veteran  miller  of  this  section  of  the  state,  who  erected  the 
Clifton  mills  and  was  long  engaged  in  the  milling  business  in  that  village, 
he  and  his  son,  G.  H.  Armstrong,  operating  the  mill  there  in  partnership. 
Mrs.  Otilla  Armstrong,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  died  in  1898  and 
G.  H.  Armstrong  afterward  married  Emma  Fennimore.  Orville  B.  Armstrong 
was  but  an  infant  when  his  father  moved  to  Clifton  to  take  charge  of  the 
mill  there  and  he  was  reared  in  that  village,  receiving  his  schooling  there. 
From  the  days  of  his  early  boyhood  he  was  instructed  in  the  details  of  the 
milling  business,  under  the  direction  of  his  father  and  his  grandfather,  and 
in  1916  when  his  father  bought  the  mill  at  West  Alexandria  he  was  put  in 
charge  of  the  Fairfield  mill  and  has  ever  since  been  thus  engaged. 

On  June  24,  191 5,  Orville  B.  Armstrong  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Inez  Lovette.  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child, 
a  son,  George  Wendell,  born  on  May  13,  1916.  Mrs.  Armstrong  was  born 
in  this  county,  and  had  lived  at  Clifton  and  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  which 
latter  place  she  was  engaged  in  teaching  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Sh 
was  graduated  from  the  Clifton  schools,  as  was  her  husband.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Armstrong  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  465 

THOMAS  S.  STEVENSON. 

In  the  historical  section  of  this  work  considerable  attention  is  paid  to 
the  moot  point  as  to  first  actual  permanent  white  settler  in  the  territory  that 
in  1803  came  to  be  organized  as  Greene  county,  and  there  perhaps  always 
will  remain  some  doubt  relating  to  this  point,  but  of  the  very  early  settle- 
ment of  the  Stevenson  family  here  there  is  no  doubt,  for  the  coming  of  the 
three  brothers,  Thomas,  John  and  Samuel  Stevenson,  up  here  from  Ver- 
sailles, Kentucky,  in  1797.  to  take  possession  of  a  grant  of  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  that  had  been  awarded  to  their  father  in  the  Military  Tract 
here  is  well  established.  That  tract  covered  the  present  location  of  Wilber- 
force.  When  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong  came  up  here  from  Kentucky  and 
organized  the  Seceder  colony  into  a  congregation  the  Stevensons  donated  C^ 
plot  of  three  acres  on  which  to  erect  a  church  and  establish  a  cemetery  there 
on  Massies  creek  and  Stevenson's  cemetery  to  this  day  perpetuates  the  mem- 
ory of  the  thoughtful  generosity  of  the  donors.  The  old  Stevenson  school 
house  was  built  on  Stevenson  land  and  the  highway  that  was  cut  through  the 
forest  that  then  covered  the  tract  is  still  known  as  the  Stevenson  road.  In 
a  home  facing  that  ancient  highway,  his  farm  in  Xenia  township  being  a  part 
of  the  original  Stevenson  tract,  resides  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Thomas  S.  Stevenson  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  on 
the  Stevenson  road  in  Xenia  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  5  out  of  Xenia, 
September  20,  1852,  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (Knox)  Stevenson,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  the  Clifton  neighborhood  in  1807,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Jane  Knox,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  their 
respective  parents  in  the  days  of  their  youth,  were  married  here  and  became 
early  pioneers  of  the  Clifton  settlement.  Robert  Knox  had  a  farm  up  over 
the  line  in  Clark  county,  a  mile  north  of  Clifton.  He  was  a  skilled  cabinet- 
maker and  varied  his  farming  operations  by  making  much  of  the  household 
furniture  used  in  that  neighborhood  in  those  days,  as  well  as  by  making  the 
coffins  that  were  needed  in  the  settlement.  He  and  his  wife  were  Seceders 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith,  later  becoming  United  Presby- 
terians. There  were  five  of  these  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  of  these  Jane  was  the  youngest. 

James  Stevenson  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  Thomas  is 
now  living,  in  1806,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Kirkpatrick)  Stevenson,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Thomas  Stevenson  was  a  Virginian 
by  birth,  but  had  come  up  here  from  Kentucky  with  his  brothers,  John  and 
Samuel,  to  take  over  the  tract  of  land  their  father,  a  Virginian  and  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  had  been  granted  in  the  Military  Tract  here,  as  noted 
(^9) 


466  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

above,  the  Stevensons  having  some  time  earher  gone  from  Virginia  to  Ken- 
tucky and  become  pioneers  of  the  Versailles  settlement.  The  Stevensons 
were  of  the  old  Virginia  colonial  stock  and  the  paternal  grandmother  of 
the  elder  Thomas  Stevenson  was  a  Warrick.  She  was  slain  by  Indians  in 
the  V^irginia  colony.  John  Stevenson,  one  of  the  brothers  mentioned  above, 
served  for  two  years  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  1812  and  was  made  a 
major.  James  Stevenson  inherited  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  his 
father's  estate  and  there  established  his  home.  To  this  tract  he  added  by 
purchase  five  hundred  and  fifty  acres  adjoining  on  the  west  and  thus  had  a 
farm  of  more  than  seven  hundred  acres.  Reared  a  \\'hig,  he  became  a 
Repul>lican  upon  the  organization  of  the  latter  party  and  for  nine  years 
(three  terms)  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  She 
died  in  1877,  being  then  seventy  years  of  age,  and  his  death  occurred  in 
1882,  he  then  being  seventy-six  years  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  Robert  K.,  who  was  given  a  part  of  the  home  farm 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  191 1;  John 
B.,  who  also  was  given  a  part  of  the  home  farm,  erected  there  the  house 
in  which  his  brother  Thomas  is  now  living,  .later  sold  that  place  to  tlie  latter, 
bought  a  large  farm  in  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood  and  there  spent 
his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  in  19 15,  and  Mary  Jane,  who  married  R. 
R.  Knowles  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  being  now  therefore  the  only  sui-vivor  of  the  family.  Robert 
R.  Knowles,  who  formerly  and  for  years  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business 
at  Xenia,  was  educated  for  the  law  and  for  some  years  practiced  that  pro- 
fession, but  later  engaged  in  business.  He  was  a  onetime  chairman  of  the 
Greene  county  Republican  central  committee. 

Thomas  S.  Stevenson  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township 
and  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  Stevenson  school  nearby  his  home, 
supplementing  the  course  there  by  attendance  for  three  years  at  Morton's 
Select  School  at  Xenia.  In  the  division  of  the  home  acres  he  recei\ed  one 
hundred  and  thirty  acres  and  after  his  marriage  in  1877  established  his  home 
on  that  tract.  Ten  years  later,  in  1887,  he  traded  his  farm  for  that  of  his 
brother  John  on  the  Stevenson  road  and  on  this  latter  place  of  ninety-five 
acres  has  since  made  his  home.  His  wife  also  was  born  in  this  county,  .Lillie 
B.  Wolf,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  the  county,  daughter  of 
Joshua  Wolf  and  wife,  of  Byron.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  an  infant. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  have  no  children. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  467 

AARON  COY. 

Aaron  Coy,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike  in  Beaver- 
creek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  and  a  minister  of  the 
Brethren  church  at  Zimmermans,  was  born  on  that  farm,  which  is  situated 
about  four  miles  east  of  Dayton,  December  19,  1846,  a  son  of  Nicholas  and 
Charlotta  (  Shoup)  Coy,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township,  the 
former  in  the  vicinity  of  Alpha  and  the  latter  just  north  of  Mt.  Zion  church. 
Nicholas  Coy  was  born  on  January  21,  181 1,  a  son  of  Adam  Coy  and  wife, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Martin.  Charlotta  Shoup  was  born  about  1820, 
a  daughter  of  Moses  Shoup,  a  pioneer  minister  of  the  Brethren  church,  both 
the  Coys  and  the  Shoups  having  been  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Beaver- 
creek  township,  as  will  be  noted  by  reference  to  the  history  of  these  families 
presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Nicholas  Coy  inherited  forty  acres  of , 
his  father's  place  on  the  Sliakeston  pike.  After  his  marriage  in  the  latter 
'30s  he  made  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son,  Aaron,  is  now  living, 
a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres,  of  which  but  nine  acres  then 
had  Ijeen  cleared,  and  set  himself  to  the  task  of  clearing  the  place.  In  1863 
he  bought  a  tract  of  ninety-six  acres  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  there  and  in 
1S08  moved  to  the  latter  place  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  in  April,  1897.  His  wife  had  long  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  her 
death  having  occurred  on  January  25,  1874.  They  were  tl:e  parents  of  eight 
children,  whom  they  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Brethren  church,  the  family 
being  connected  with  the  church  at  Zimmermans.  Of  these  children  .\aron 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Elizabeth,  who  married 
John  Engle;  Benjamin,  who  spent  all  his  life  in  Beavercreek  township;  Jane, 
who  married  William  Nisley;  Catherine,  now  living  at  Zimmermans,  widow 
of  Franklin  M.  Haverstick :  Martin,  who  was  drowned  while  fishing;  Ella, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  Oren,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 

l^eared  on  the  home  farm,  Aaron  Coy  received  his  schooling  in  th.e 
neighborhood  schools  and  from  Ijoyhood  gave  his  attention  to  farming.  When 
his  father  moved  from  tlie  home  place  in  1868  he  and  his  brother  Benjamin 
took  charge  of  the  place  and  farmed  it  together  until  after  Aaron  Coy's  mar- 
riage in  1871,  when  he  and  his  wife  bought  the  place  and  there  established 
their  home.  .  Mrs.  Coy  died  on  October  11,  1910,  and  Mr.  Coy  is  still  living 
on  the  old  place.  For  thirty-five  years  or  more  he  has  been  serving  as  a 
minister  of  the  Brethren  church  at  Zimmermans,  an  elder  duly  elected  I;v  the 
congregation.  He  still  takes  part  in  the  operation  of  the  farm,  though  he 
some  time  ago  sold  a  part  of  the  place  to  his  son,  I.  N.  Coy.  He  is  a 
Republican. 


468  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

It  was  on  February  23,  1871,  that  Aaron  Coy  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Diana  Funderburg,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  on 
May  17,  1847,  a  daughter  of  Daniel  Funderburg  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  Kepplinger,  and  who  later  became  residents  of  Bath  township,  this 
county,  and  to  this  union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  Daniel,  who  made 
his  home  in  Beavercreek  township  and  died  on  March  4,  191 7;  Jesse,  who  is 
now  living  near  Vandalia,  Ohio :  Ira  and  Irvin,  twins,  both  continuing  to 
make  their  home  on  the  home  place  and  the  latter  of-  whom  married  Grace 
Bear;  and  Carrie,  wife  of  A.  D.  Wenrick,  who  occupies  the  farm  adjoining 
Mr.  Coy's  farm  on  the  west,  the  latter  having  nine  and  one-half  acres  of 
Aaron  Coy's  farm  on  which  they  have  their  home. 


JOHN    COY. 

Elsewhere  in  this  work  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  the  story 
of  the  coming  of  Jacob  Coy  and  his  family  from  Maryland  to  the  then 
Northwest  Territory  and  of  the  interesting  personal  history  of  Jacob  Coy 
and  of  the  establishment  of  himself  and  family  here  in  1800,  two  or  three 
years  before  Ohio's  admission  to  statehood  and  Greene  county's  formal  organ- 
ization. Jacob  Coy  was  thus  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  what  later  came  to  be 
organized  as  Beavercreek  township.  It  is  said  that  the  first  school 
conducted  in  that  township  was  opened  in  a  little  log  building  erected  on  the 
Jacob  Coy  farm  and  that  in  that  same  place  there  was  conducted  the  first 
formal  religious  services  held  thereabout,  the  present  congregation  of  the 
Reformed  church  in  that  neighborhood  being  the  outgrowth  of  those  humble 
pioneer  meetings.  Jacob  Coy  lived  to  be  ninety-three  years  of  age,  his  death 
occurring  in  1836.  His  widow,  Susanna,  survived  him  about  four  years  and 
was  eighty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  twelve  children  and  as  most  of  these  lived  to  rear  families  of  their 
own  the  Coy  connection  thus  became  one  of  the  most  numerous  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  as  will  be  noted  elsewhere  in  the  reading  of  this  volume. 

The  late  John  Coy,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship in  the  fall  of  1892  and  three  of  whose  children  are  still  living  there, 
was  one  of  the  numerous  grandsons  of  the  pioneer  couple  a1x)ve  referred  to. 
He  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township  on  September  3,  i8ri.  a  son  of  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  (Ritter)  Coy,  the  former  of  whom  was  one  of  the  sons  of 
Jacob  and  Susanna  Coy.  Peter  Coy  was  well  grown  when  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  section  of  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  in  1800.  He  had  re- 
ceived good  schooling  in  his  native  state  of. Maryland  and  became  one  of 
the  early  school  teachers  in  Greene  county.     After  his  marriage  to  EHzabeth 


JOHN   COY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  469 

Ritter,  who  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  that  neighbor- 
iiood,  he  estabhshed  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  and  there 
he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  daj'S.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the 
others  being  the  following:  .Jacob,  born  on  February  25,  1813;  Anna  Maria, 
June  5,  1814,  who  died  unmarried;  Tobias  R.,  September  2,  1816,  who  died 
in  infancy;  Sarah,  August  2,  1819,  who  married  Thomas  Young,  of  Miami 
county,  and  spent  her  last  days  in  that  county:  Emanuel,  August  10,  1822, 
who  died  in  infancy,  and  Susanna,  August  12,  1825,  who  married  Jacob 
Romspert,  of  Beavercreek  township. 

John  Coy  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  in  his  youth 
was  given  good  schooling,  his  school-teacher  father  supplementing  the  in- 
structions he  received  in  the  local  schools.  He  married  Catherine  Cosier,  who 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  daughter  of  Lewis  and 
Elizabeth  (Durnbaugh)  Cosier,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same 
county  and  the  latter  in  Greene  county,  and  after  his  marriage  established  his 
home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  His  wife  died  there 
on  May  24,  1883,  and  he  survived  her  for  nearly  ten  years,  his  death  occur- 
ring on  October  7,  1892.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church,  with 
which  the  Coys  have  been  connected  ever  since  the  organization  of  the  same 
in  this  county,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eight 
of  these  children,  namely :  Jacob  Henry,  who  married  Eliza  D.  Boroff,  became 
a  farmer  in  Beavercreek  township  and  died  in  Wayne  township,  Montgomery 
county,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years;  Sarah  Elizabeth,  now  living  in  Mont- 
gomery county,  widow  of  Jacob  Hawker,  a  farmer  of  that  county,  who  died 
on  December  20,  1907,  leaving  one  son,  Harrison  C.  Hawker,  who  married 
Clara  C.  Bullock  and  is  living  in  Montgomery  county:  Valentine  P.,  who 
married  Sevilla  Eolkerth  and  is  farming  in  Beavercreek  township;  Rebecca, 
who  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  in  Beavercreek  township,  rural  mail  route 
No.  16  out  of  Dayton:  John  A.,  who  also  still  lives  there  and  is  carrying 
on  the  operations  of  the  farm;  David  E.,  who  married  Helen  V.  Weeks  and 
is  farming  in  Montgomery  county;  Mary  C,  who  is  living  on  the  home  place 
with  her  brother  and  sister ;  and  Eflfie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 
The  Coys  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  John  A.  Cov  is  a  Re- 
publican, as  was  his  father.  The  Coslers  also  have  a  numerous  connection 
throughout  this  part  of  the  state,  the  family  of  which  Mrs.  Catherine  Coy  was 
a  member  having  been  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  this  section.  She  was 
the  seventh  in  order  of  birth  of  the  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others 
having  been  Lewis,  Henry,  John,  Daniel,  Valentine,  David,  Elizabeth,  Martha 
and  Barbara. 


470  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

JOSIAH  LAYMAN. 

Josiah  Layman,  proprietor  of  a  New  Jasper  township  farm  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Jamestown,  was  born  in  that  same  neighborhood  and 
has  lived  thereabout  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  June  25,  1849,  son  of 
Christian  B.  and  Susanna  (Spahr)  Layman,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in 
that  same  section  of  Greene  county,  in  1825,  a  daughter  of  Mathias  and 
Susanna  (Hagler)  Spahr,  further  and  fitting  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  Atathias  Spahr  having  been  one  of  the  sons  of 
Philip  Spahr,  who  had  come  over  here  from  Virginia  with  his  family  and. 
had  becom.e  one  of  the  influential  pioneers  of  the  New  Jasper  settlement. 

Christian  B.  Layman  was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Virginia,  in  18 16, 
and  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  witli  his  parents,  Jacob  and 
Sarah  H.  (Baker)  Layman,  also  Virginians,  to  Greene  county  in  1835,  the 
family  locating  at  Jamestown.  Jacob  Layman  had  been  a  tanner  in  Virginia, 
tlie  owner  of  a  tanyard,  but  upon  coming  to  Greene  county  devoted  his  ener- 
gies to  farming,  buying  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  just  at  the  south  edge 
of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1845,  iri  which 
year  he  moved  to  what  is  now  the  Samuel  Sutton  farm  on  the  Hook  road  in 
Xenia  township,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
They  were  members  of  the  New  Jasper  IMethodist  Episcopal  church  and  were 
the  ]jarents  of  the  following  children:  John,  the  eldest,  who  remained  in 
Virginia  and  there  established  his  home;  Christian  B.,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch ;  Mrs.  Betsy  Greenwood,  Mrs.  Mary  Cherry  and  David,  Henry, 
George  and  Robert,  who  went  to  Illinois  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living 
there,  a  resident  of  Christian  county  in  that  state. 

As  noted  above,  Christian  B.  Layman  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Greene  county.  After  his  marriage  in  1842  to  Susanna  Spahr 
he  rented  a  farm  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  Init  in  1849  bought 
a  farm  on  the  New  Jasper  pike,  where  he  established  his  home  and  where 
he  and  liis  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  lier  death  occurring  in 
1907  and  his  on  May  10,  1910.  Christian  B.  Layman  was  a  large  man  of 
the  weight  of  two  hundred  pounds.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  New  Jasper  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  suliject  of  this  sketcli  was  the  third 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Jacob  Milton  Layman,  unmarried,  who 
makes  his  home  with  his  brother  Josiah;  Virginia  Eliza,  who  married  Hiram 
Colder,  a  New  Jasper  township  farmer,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
is  now  deceased,  and  Mathias,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years. 

Josiah  Layman  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  on  the  New  Jasper  pike. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  471 

received  his  schooling  in  the  Zaza  district  school,  and  remained  at  home  until 
his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1874,  after  which  he  began  farming  on  his 
own  account.  Later  he  bought  a  farm  of  fifty-five  acres,  the  place  on  which 
he  is  now  living,  and  there  has  since  made  his  home.  In  1914  Mr.  Layman 
bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  land  and  now  has  one  hundred  and  eleven  acres, 
where  he  and  his  son,  Ralph  Layman,  and  his  son-in-law,  E.  H.  Huston,  are 
carrying  on  their  farming  operations.  Mr.  Layman  is  connected  with  the 
New  Jasper  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  by  political  affiliation  is  a 
Democrat. 

Mr.  Layman  has  been  twice  married.  On  June  25,  1874,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Hight,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Sarah  Hight,  of 
Jefferson  township.  She  died  in  the  following  year  and  on  April  12,  1882, 
Mr.  Layman  married  Emma  Pence,  who  was  born  in  Highland  county,  this 
state,  in  1S62,  daughter  of  Martin  and  Sarah  Pence,  who  had  come  to  Greene 
county  and  had  located  in  New  Jasper  township.  Mrs.  Emma  Layman  died 
on  .April  2.  1909.  Mr.  Layman  has  two  children,  Jessie  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried E.  H.  Huston,  living  on  part  of  the  Layman  farm,  and  has  one  child, 
a  son.  Leo,  and  Ralph,  who.  as  noted  above,  is  still  living  on  the  home  farm, 
assisting  in  the  operations  of  the  same. 


JOHN  WESLEY  C.\:\IDEN. 

John  Wesley  Camden,  a  farmer  and  horseman  of  Beavercreek  town- 
ship and  the  proprietor  of  the  old  Johns  place,  one  mile  south  of  Shoups 
Station,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  is  a  native  of  the  Old  Domin- 
ion and  was  there  reared,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Greene 
county  since  1882,  having  come  here  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood. 
He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Le.xington,  county  seat 
of  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  February  15,  1856,  son  of  George  W^  and 
Mary  (Coffman)  Camden,  both  also  natives  of  Virginia,  the  latter  of  whom 
spent  lier  last  days  in  Greene  county. 

George  W.  Coffman  was  born  in  1820,  a  son  of  Duncan  Camden  and 
wife,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who  had  made  their  home  in  the  Lexington 
neighborhood  in  Virginia,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood,  becoming  a  skilled 
carpenter  and  builder.  During  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  detailed 
to  oversee  the  carpenter  work  in  the  Jordan  iron  mills,  foreman  of  all  the 
carpenters  there  employed,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  put  in  charge 
of  the  ]5lace  by  the  government  to  keep  things  going,  and  was  thus  engaged 
at  tlio  time  of  his  sudden  death  in  1865,  he  having  worked  up  to  the  day  of 


4/2  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

his  death,  when  he  was  stricken  with  heart  disease.  His  widow,  who  was 
born  in  1831,  daughter  of  John  Coffman,  was  thus  left  with  six  small  chil- 
dren, the  subject  of  this  sketch  at  the  time  being  but  nine  years  of  age,  and 
for  some  time  her  lot  was  a  prett}'  hard  one,  but  she  kept  the  family  together 
and  all  worked  together  to  keep  up  the  home,  the  mother  and  her  two  daugh- 
ters doing  dressmaking  and  plaiting  straw  and  making  straw  hats,  while 
the  four  boys  worked  at  such  jobs  as  their  hands  could  find  to  do,  their 
winters  being  chiefly  occupied  in  boiling  down  pint  knots  and  cones  and  mak- 
ing pine  tar  for  axle  grease,  for  which  they  found  a  ready  market.  These 
six  children  of  George  W.  and  Mary  (Coffman)  Camden  were  as  follow: 
Ben,  who  died  in  1882  and  whose  eldest  son,  Wyatt  Camden,  now  living  at 
Dayton,  was  reared  by  his  uncle,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Nannie,  still 
living  in  \'irginia,  widow  of  E.  W.  Vest;  John  W.,  the  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical review ;  George,  farmer  of  New  Jasper  township,  this  county :  Lizzie, 
wife  of  J.  C.  Bare,  now  living  at  Anderson,  Alabama,  and  William,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 

John  W.  Camden  had  very  little  opportunity  for  schooling  during  the 
days  of  his  boyhood,  conditions  during  and  immediately  following  the  war 
having  thoroughly  disorganized  the  local  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
home,  and  the  only  real  schooling  he  received  was  a  term  of  "subscription" 
school  some  time  after  the  war  and  he  had  to  walk  six  miles  daily  to  and 
from  that  school.  As  noted  above,  he,  together  with  his  brothers,  spent  his 
bovhood  and  yoimg  manhood  in  such  labors  as  his  hands  could  find  to  do, 
and  he  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  to  Ohio  and  became  employed  on  the  Squire  Clemens  stock  farm  in 
New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  presently  being  made  foreman  of  the 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres,  and  for  fifteen  years  was  thus 
engaged.  In  the  meantime,  in  the  fall  of  1885.  Mr.  Camden  married  and  in 
1896  bought  a  farm  of  forty-seven  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Alpha,  on  which 
place  he  made  his  home  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought 
the  old  Johns  place  of  sixty-eight  acres,  which  place  had  been  held  in  the 
Johns  name  since  the  granting  of  the  original  patent  of  which  it  was  a  part, 
and  has  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Camden's  first  wife  died  in  the 
spring  of  1890  and  his  mother  then  came  to  keep  house  for  him  and  she  spent 
the  rest  of  her  life  with  him,  her  deatli  occurring  in  1893,  she  then  being 
sixty-two  years  of  age.  During  his  residence  in  Beavercreek  township  "SW. 
Camden  has  taken  his  part  in  the  general  affairs  of  the  community,  was  for  fi\e 
years  truant  officer  in  the  township  and  also  served  for  some  time  as  suner- 
visor  of  roads  in  his  district.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has 
ever  given  special  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  horses  and  keeps  a  regis- 
tered Perclieron  stallion. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  47^; 

Mr.  Camden  has  been  twice  married.  On  September  9,  1885,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lizzie  Aloore,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  tovvnsliip, 
daughter  of  WilHam  and  Harriet  (Wilkison)  Moore,  and  who  died  without 
issue  in  May,  1890.  On  September  28,  1892,  Mr.  Camden  married  Louie 
E.  Toland,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  J.  C. 
and  Mary  Elizabeth  (Clemens)  Toland,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living, 
a  resident  of  New  Jasper  township,  and  to  this  union  four  sons  have  been 
born,  Floyd  W.,  Fred  Leroy,  William,  who  died  on  January  3,  1918,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years,  and  Forest.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Camden  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.     Politicallv,  Mr.  Camden  is  a  Democrat. 


THOMAS  ALEXANDER  ARTHURS. 

The  late  Thomas  Alexander  Arthurs,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in 
Cedarville  township  in  1906,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  had  lived  in 
this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  count)'  since  the  days  of  his  young 
manhood.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark,  August  2,  1850,  son  of  Thomas  Alexander  and  Jane  (Taggart) 
Arthurs,  whose  last  days  were  spent  tliere. 

The  elder  Thomas  Alexander  Arthurs  was  born  in  County  Armagh. 
Ireland,  as  was  his  wife.  They  were  married  in  their  native  land  and  then, 
in  1847,  came  to  the  United  States  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  locating 
in  Springfield,  where  they  established  their  home  and  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  now  deceased,  the  subject  of  tiiis  memorial  sketch  having  had  a 
brother,  Robert,  and  a  sister,  Annie,  who  died  in  April,  191 7.  wife  of  J.  G. 
Nelson. 

The  younger  Thomas  Alexander  Arthurs  was  reared  in  Springfield  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools.  As  a  young  man  he  came  down 
into  Greene  county  and  here  was  married.  He  later  became  engaged  in 
farming  in  Cedarville  township,  farming  for  nine  years  on  one  farm  and 
for  eleven  years  on  another  and  then  in  1904  bought  the  farm  on  which  his 
widow  is  now  living,  known  as  the  Dan  McMillan  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-three  acres,  and  there  continued  his  operations  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  June  18.  1906.  Mr.  Arthurs  was  a  Democrat  and  for 
some  time  served  as  director  in  his  home  school  district.  He  was  affiliated 
with  the  Congregational  church  at  Springfield. 

On  November  6,  1876,  in  this  county.  Thomas  A.  Arthurs  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Jane  Mathison,  who  was  born  in  Perthshire,  Scotland,  and  wlio 


474  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

was  but  a  cliiltl  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents,  John  and 
Catherine  (Blair)  Mathison,  in  1852,  the  family  locating  at  Tiffin,  Ohio. 
Three  years  after  taking  up  his  residence  at  Tiffin  John  ]\Iathison  died. 
His  widow  later  married  James  Anderson  and  in  1858  came  to  Greene 
county,  where  she  spent  tlie  remainder  of  her  life,  she  being  eighty-six 
year.;  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  By  her  first  marriage  she  was  the 
mother  of  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Arthurs  was  the  last-born,  the  others 
having  been  Mary  (deceased),  John  (deceased)  and  Jessie,  who  married 
Charles  Stewart.  By  her  second  marriage  she  was  the  mother  of  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Rebecca,  wife  of  Joseph  Adams,  of  Yellow  Springs. 

To  Thomas  A.  and  Jane  ( jNIathison)  Arthurs  were  bom  five  children, 
namely :  Warren,  who  married  Genevieve  Harvey  and  is  now  living  at  South 
Charleston,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  where  he  is  engaged  as 
manager  of  the  Houston  store :  Stewart  Thomas,  who  is  at  home  running  the 
farm;  Eva  Jane,  also  at  home;  Mary  Belle,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girl- 
hood, and  Dr.  John  Robert  Arthurs,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Selma 
high  school  and  from  the  dental  department  of  Ohio  State  University  and  for 
the  past  four  years  or  more  has  been  practicing  his  profession  as  a  dental 
surgeon  at 'Dayton.  Doctor  Arthurs  married  Goldie  Line  and  has  one  child, 
a  son,  Jolm  Robert.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Airs.  Arthurs  has  con- 
tinued to  make  her  home  on  the  home  farm.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  Presbvterian  church  at  Cedarville. 


ROBERT  HARVEY  McCLELLAN. 

The  late  Robert  Harvey  ^McClellan,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in 
Beavercreek  township  in  the  spring  of  1917  and  whose  widow  and  son  are 
still  living  there,  the  latter '  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the  home  place, 
was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  and  all  his  life  was  spent  here,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  community  in  which  he  had  lived  ever  since  establishing  his  home 
there  after  his  marriage  in  1880.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek 
township  on  September  30,  1852,  son  of  Isaiah  and  Ann  (Hamilton)  McClel- 
lan,  who  had  come  up  here  from  Kentucky  and  had  established  their  home 
in  that  township,  where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Isaiah  McClellan  was  a  member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Xenia  and  his  children  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  that  com- 
munion. Isaiah  McClellan  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife,  Sarah 
Woodburn,  was  the  father  of  two  children.  Sarah,  who  died  in  19 18,  and 
Margaret,  who  died  in  1880.  By  his  union  with  Ann  Hamilton  he  was  the 
father  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ,  4/; 

last  born,    the   others   being   Wilham   H.,    Nannie   and   EUa,    who   are   still 
living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Sugarcreek  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  Robert  H.  McClellan 
completed  his  schooling  in  the  high  school  and  in  the  old  seminary  at  Xenia' 
and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1880,  when  he  bought  the  farm 
of  eighty-five  acres  on  which  his  widow  is  now  living  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship and  there  established  his  home.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  had 
turned  the  management  of  the  farm  over  to  his  son,  Robert  P.  McClellan, 
and  the  latter  and  his  mother  have  been  maintaining  the  home  since  Mr. 
McClellan's  death  on  March  7,  191 7,  he  then  being  in  the  sixty-fifth  year 
of  his  age.  Mr.  McClellan  was  a  Republican,  and  a  meml^er  of  the  Second 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

On  I'^ebruary  19,  1880,  Robert  H.  McClellan  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Laura  B.  McClellan,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  W^ill- 
iam  E.  and  Susan  (Torrence)  McClellan,  of  Spring  Valley  township.  Will- 
iam E.  McClellan  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
McClellan  mid  later  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Wooster,  whence  he  came 
to  Greene  county  and  became  a  farmer  in  Spring  Valley  township.  Upon  ' 
his  retirement  from  the  farm  he  moved  to  Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were 
spent,  his  death  occurring  there  in  February,  1900,  he  then  being  seventy-- 
two  years  of  age.  He  was  a  Rjpublican  and  a  member  of  the  Second  United 
Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  William  E.  McClellan  was  twice  married. 
By  his  union  with  Susan  Torrence  he  was  the  father  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Laura  B.  McClellan  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Edward  T.,  who  married  Lida  Hyslop  and  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  on  the  Cincinnati  pike  in  this  county;  Mary  Etta,  now 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  William  La  Fever:  Amanda,  also  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Nathan  Ramsey,  of  near  Cedarville;  Elida,  wife  of 
J.  C.  Williamson,  of  Xenia,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented 
elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Nettie,  who  married  Thomas  Bruce  and  is  now 
living  at  Catherine,  Alabama;  and  James  C,  a  traveling  man  out  of  Troy, 
Ohio.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  William  C. 
McClellan  married  Margaret  Dodd,  who  died  in  Xenia,  and  to  that  union 
one  child  was  born,  a  son,  Lee,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 

To  Robert  H.  and  Laura  B.  (McClellan)  McClellan  were  born  three 
children,  namely :  Edna,  who  married  Ralph  Ferguson,  a  farmer  of  the  Yellow 
Springs  neighborhood,  and  has  six  children,  Edith,  Ruth,  Lee,  Carl,  James 
Harvey,  and  Donald;  Anna  Grace,  wife  of  David  Kyle,  living  east  of  Xenia; 
and  Robert  P.,  who  still  makes  his  home  with  his  mother  and  is  farming 


476  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  home  place.  These  children  all  completed  their  schooling  in  the  Xenia 
high  school  and  they  and  their  mother  are  members  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church. 


CYRUS  CLAY  ARNOLD  AND  EDGAR  JAMES  ARNOLD. 

Among  the  enterprising  horsemen  in  this  part  of  Ohio  few  are  better 
known  than  the  Arnold  brothers,  Cyrus  Clay  Arnold  and  Edgar  James 
Arnold,  proprietors  of  the  old  William  Moore  farm  in  Cedarville  township, 
this  county,  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Xenia,  and  for  years  engaged  there 
in  the  breeding  of  pure-bred  Percheron  horses,  as  well  as  being  engaged  in 
the  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs.  The  Arnold  brothers  are  bachelors  and  are 
natives  of  old  Virginia,  born  in  that  part  of  the  Old  Dominion  now  com- 
prised in  Marshall  county,  West  Virginia,  sons  of  Vanlaer  and  Mary 
(Blevins)  Arnold,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  state  and  the 
latter  in  County  Armaugh,  Ireland.  Mary  Blevins  was  but  a  child  when  she 
came  with  her  father,  James  Blevins,  and  her  three  sisters  to  this  country. 
Her  mother  had  died  in  Ireland  and  when  her  father  arrived  in  this  country 
with  his  motherless  daughters  he  settled  in  Marshall  county,  Virginia,  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  Hfe.  The  other  daughters  were  Mrs.  Jane  Majors, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Collins  and  Margaret,  wife  of  William  Moore. 

Vanlaer  Arnold  was  born  in  the  vicini^  of  Wheeling,  in  Ohio  county, 
Virginia,  son  of  John  Arnold,  a  millwright,  and  became  a  boatbuilder  and 
riverman,  making  many  commercial  trips  down  the  river,  often  going  as  far 
south  as  New  Orleans.  He  later  bought  a  farm  of  five  hundred  acres  in 
Marshall  county,  Virginia,  and  there  established  his  home.  He  was  a  Pres- 
byterian. Politically,  he  had  been  reared  a  Whig,  but  uix)n  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  became  affiliated  with  that  partv  and  was  strongly 
interested  in  the  movement  which  led  in  1863  to  the  severance  of  the  civic 
ties  which  bound  western  Virginia  to  the  Old  Dominion  and  the  creation  of 
the  new  state  of  West  Virginia.  He  gave  public  service  as  county  assessor 
and  while  thus  serving  secured  the  revaluation  of  the  lands  of  his  home 
county.  Vanlaer  Arnold  was  twice  married  and  by  his  marriage  to  Mary 
Blevins  was  the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  brothers  whose  names 
appear  as  the  caption  of  this  biographical  sketch  were  the  two  last  born,  the 
others  being  the  following:  Wylie,  a  veteran  of  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  War,  who  died  on  his  farm  in  Guernsey  county,  Ohio,  in  1885;  Augus- 
tus, who  became  a  merchant  in  his  home  county  and  who  died  there  on  De- 
cember 30.  1916;  Elizabeth  Gertrude,  who  married  Miles  B.  Pierce  and  li\es 
on  a  farm  in  Marshall  county,  West  Virginia,  and  Franklin,  unmarried,  who 
is  now  living  with  his  brothers  in  Greene  county.  Franklin  Arnold  spent  his 
early  life  farming  in  his  home  county  and  then  moved  to  Somerset  county, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  477 

Maryland,  where  he  bought  a  farm,  which  he  still  owns,  and  which  he  con- 
tinued to  operate  until  his  retirement  and  reunion  with  his  brothers  in  this 
county.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1862  and  Vanlaer  Arnold 
later  married  Sallie  Ann  Barnes,  who  survived  him,  her  death  occurring  in 
1905.  Vanlaer  Arnold  died  on  his  old  home  place  in  Marshall  county,  West 
Virginia,  in  1892,  he  then  being  past  eighty  years  of  age. 

Cyrus  Clay  Arnold  and  Edgar  James  Arnold  were  reared  on  the  home 
farm  in  Marshall  county,  West  Virginia.  They  were  but  small  children  when 
the  new  state  was  created.  There  being  no  public  schools  in  their  home  neigh- 
borhood at  that  time,  they  were  instructed  by  private  teachers  employed  by 
their  father  for  five  terms,  and  after  the  establishment  of  the  free  schools 
they  became  attendants  in  the  latter.  From  boyhood  they  were  well  trained 
as  practical  farmers  and  have  always  remained  together  in  their  farming 
operations.  When  their  father  died  in  1892  they  inherited  two  hundred  acres 
of  the  home  place  and  there  they  continued  their  farming  operations  until 
1898,  when  they  came  to  Ohio  and  took  iX)Ssession  of  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  acres  they  previously  had  bought  in  Harrison  county. 
There  they  remained  until  1908,  in  which  year  they  disposed  of  their  interests 
in  that  county  and  came  to  Greene  county.  In  191  o  they  bought  the  Will- 
iam Moore  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship and  are  still  making  their  home  there.  For  years  the  Arnold  brothers 
have  been  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  pure-bred  Percheron  stock  and  their 
horses  have  been  exhibited  at  county  fairs  and  horse  shows.  They  also  carry 
on  general  farming  and  are  likewise  engaged  in  the  raising  of  cattle  and 
hogs.  The  Arnold  brothers  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia.     Politically,  they  are  Republicans. 


REV.  JAMES  GILLESPY  CARSON,   D.   D.,   LL.   D. 

The  Rev.  James  Gillespy  Carson,  D.  D..  LL.  D.,  pastor  emeritus  of  the 
Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  professor  emeritus  of  the 
Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  now  living  retired  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  the 
vicinity  of  Maryville,  in  Blount  county,  Tennessee,  February  11,  1833.  He 
is  a  son  of  the  Rev.  David  and  Jane  Walker  (Gillespy)  Carson,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eleanor 
(Cowan)  Gillespy,  prominent  residents  of  that  community,  James  Gillespy 
having  served  his  district  as  a  member  of  the  Tennessee  General  Assembly 
and  as  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  that  state. 

The  Rev.  David  Carson  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  graduated  from  Jefferson  College,  later  continuing,  for  three  years, 
his  theological  studies  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  Joseph  Banks,  of  the 


4/8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Associate  church  at  Philadelphia.  His  first  pastorate  was  in  a  church  in 
the  vicinity  of  Maryville,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  for  nine  years, 
or  until  his  election  in  1833  to  the  professorship  in  the  Associate  Presby- 
terian Seminary  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  which  seminary,  estab- 
lished in  1794,  was  later  moved  to  Xenia,  where  it  is  still  being  conducted, 
the  oldest  theological  seminary  in  the  United  States.  In  July.  1834.  the 
Rev.  David  Carson  moved  to  Canonsburg  to  enter  upon  the  discharge  of 
his  duties  in  the  seminary  and  there  died  in  the  following  September,  his 
son,  James  G.,  being  then  under  two  years  of  age.  The  Rev.  David  Carson 
was  the  son  of  David  and  Jane  (Oliver)  Carson,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
the  granddaughter  of  the  Rev.  James  Fisher,  author  of  "Fisher's  Cate- 
chism," and  a  great-granddaughter  of  Ebenezer  Erskine  (1680-1754), 
noted  Scottish  divine,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  "Secession  church,"' 
which  held  its  name  as  the  "Seceder"  or  Associate  Presbyterian  church  until 
its  merger  in  1858  with  the  Associate  Reformed  church,  thereafter  being- 
known  as  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

James  G.  Carson  was  reared  at  Canonsburg  and  was  graduated  from 
Jefferson  College  in  1849.  In  the  summer  of  1852  he  entered  the  Theolog- 
ical Seminar)-  at  Canonsburg  and  was  graduated  from  the  same  in  March. 
1855.  On  June  19,  1855.  he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  in  November.  1S56, 
v.as  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the  congregation  at  South  Buffalo, 
now  Claysville.  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
until  in  May,  1867,  when  he  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at  Can- 
onsburg. Pennsylvania,  continuing  his  ministerial  service  there  until  his 
removal  to  Xenia  in  1869.  In  1873.  he  was  elected  professor  of  homiletics 
and  pastoral  theolog}'  of  the  Theological  Seminary,  which  chair  he  occupied 
for  fifteen  years.  He  also  has  serxed  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  man- 
agers of  the  seminary,  was  for  four  years  secretary  of  the  same  and  upon 
his  retirement  was  honored  by  the  title  of  professor  emeritus.  In  1875 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Monmouth 
College.  During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  Doctor  Carson  rendered 
service  as  a  member  of  the  Christian  Commission  and  in  later  years 
(1904-06)  he  rendered  further  public  service  as  a  state  senator,  represent- 
ing this  district  in  the  Ohio  state  Senate. 


TOHX  D.  LANTZ. 


The  late  John  D.  Lantz,  for  years  a  resident  of  Beavercreek  township, 
who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  that  township  early  in  1913  and  whose  daugh- 
ters, the  Misses  Ada  and  Julia  Lantz,  are  still  living  there,  was  a  native 
of  the  stale  of  Maryland,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since  he  was  six 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  479 

years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Clear  Springs,  in  Washington  county,  Mary- 
land, December  9,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and  Catherine  (Rhodes)  Lantz,  both 
also  natives  of  Maryland,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  1836  and  here  spent  their  last 
days, 

John  Lantz  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  August  ij, 
1806,  and  there  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm.  In  1826  he  married  Catherine 
Rhodes,  who  was  born  in  1807,  daughter  of  John  and  Barbara  Rhodes,  who 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  and  after  his  marriage  continued  to 
make  his  home  in  Maryland,  engaged  in  the  milling  and  distilling  busino;-; 
at  Clear  Springs,  until  1836,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and  m 
the  fall  of  that  year  settled  on  the  Harbine  farm  in  Beavercreek  township. 
A  few  years  later  Mr.  Lantz  moved  to  Springfield  with  his  family  and  was 
there  engaged  in  the  milling  business  until  1850,  in  which  year  he  returned 
to  this  county  and  bought  the  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  on  which  his 
granddaughters,  mentioned  above,  are  now  living,  established  his  home  there 
and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  July  14, 
1 87 1.  John  Lantz  left  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres.  He 
had  served  the  public  as  township  trustee  and  in  other  local  capacitie.i.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  eleven  years,  her  death  occurring  lu  the  home 
place  in  1882.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  To  John  and 
Catherine  (Rhodes).  Lantz  were  born  six  children,  Barbara  A.;  John  D. ; 
Catherine  J.;  Mary  E.,  who  married  Ebenezer  Herring;  Jacob  L.,  and  Eliza 
E.  Barbara  A.  married  George  S.  Lafong  and  Eliza  E.  married  John  A. 
Harner.  Joseph  L.  Lantz,  who  was  born  in  1840,  served  as  a  soldier  during 
the  Civil  War,  being  mustered  out  as  a  sergeant,  was  for  more  than  twenty 
years  one  of  Greene  county's  best-known  school  teachers,  became  a  land- 
owner in  Beavercreek  township  and  served  that  township  as  trustee  for  some 
years,  besides  holding  other  local  offices  at  one  time  and  another.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Mercer. 

John  D.  Lantz,  as  noted  above,  was  but  six  }ears  of  age  when  he  came 
to  this  state  with  his  parents  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  twenty 
years  of  age  when  his  father  bought  the  farm  in  Bea\er  Creek  township 
and  moved  here  from  Springfield.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his 
home  on  that  farm  and  in  time  became  owner  of  the  same.  He  and  liis 
wife  were  members  of  the  local  Reformed  church.  Mr.  Lantz  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  at  one  time  and  another  was  elected  to  serve  in  various  official 
capacities.  John  D.  Lantz  died  on  February  5,  1913,  in  his  eighty-fouriii 
year.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  nearly  eighteen  years,  her 
death  having  occurred  on  February  22,  1895,  she  then  being  in  the  sixtieth 
year  of  her  age.     She  was  born  in  1836. 

In  1855,  John  D.  Lantz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca  Harner.  a 


480  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

daughter  of  George  and  Julia  A.  Harner,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four 
children,  namely:  Ada  B.  and  Julia  A.,  who  are  still  living  on  the  old 
home  place  in  Beavercreek  township ;  John  C,  who  married  Nettie  R. 
Meyers  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years,  leaving  three  children,  John 
L.,  Losetta  E.,  who  married  John  Lesher,  and  Edna  A.,  who  married  James 
Turner;  and  George  W.,  who  married  Matilda  A\'etzel  and  is  living  at  Zim- 
merman, where  he  is  engaged  in  the  carpenter  business.  Since  the  death  of 
their  father  the  Misses  Ada  and  Julia  Lantz  have  continued  to  maintain 
their  residence  on  the  old  home  place,  rural  mail  route  No.  10  out  of  Xenia. 
They  are  members  of  the  local  Reformed  church. 


JAMES  WILSON  AIIDDLETON. 

The  late  James  Wilson  Middleton,  who  died  at  his  home  at  Middletons 
Corners  in  Caesarscreek  township,  in  the  fall  of  191 7.  was  born  on  that  place, 
the  old  Middleton  home  farm,  and  there  had  spent  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  April  27,  1849,  son  of  James  and  Angeline  (Musetter)  Middleton,  who 
were  among  the  pioneer  residents  of  that  part  of  the  county,  where  their  la? 
days  were  spent.  James  Middleton  was  bom  in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia, 
and  in  1825  came  to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Caesars- 
creek township,  where  he  established  his  home,  his  brothers.  Thomas  and 
John,  having  settled  there  previously,  the  two  having  come  out  here  to  locate 
land,  afterward  returning  to  Virginia,  where  they  were  married  and  then  came 
back  to  Greene  county  to  make  their  permanent  home,  their  parents,  Bethuel 
and  Naomi  (Ganoe)  Middleton,  and  the  other  members  of  the  family  ac- 
companying them  to  the  new  home  in  the  then  wilderness,  the  Middletons 
thus  early  becoming  a  well-established  family  in  the  Caesarscreek  neighbor- 
hood, Middletons  Corners  thus  taking  its  name;  all  of  which,  together  with 
other  details  of  the  history  of  the  Middleton  family  in  Greene  county,  is  set 
out  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

James  Wilson  Middleton  was  the  last-born  of  the  ten  children  born  to 
his  parents  and  he  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the 
local  schools,  and  after  his  marriage  in  1871  established  his  home  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  home  place  and  there  continued  to  make  his  residence,  spending 
his  life  there,  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  the  old  Middle- 
ton  farm.  In  1888  he  erected  on  his  farm  a  substantial  farm  house  and  the 
other  improvements  on  the  place  were  in  keeping  with  the  same.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Middleton  gave  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  had  served  the  public  in 
the  capacity  of  township  trustee  and  of  land  appraiser.     He  was  affiliated 


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GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  481 

with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Middleton's  death  occurred  on 
September  12,   19 17,  and  he  left  a  good  memory  in  the  community. 

On  October  4,  1871,  James  Wilson  Middleton  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Emma  C.  Peterson,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  east  of  the  village 
of  New  Burlington,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  a  daughter  of  Jacob 
S.  and  Sarah  C.  (Ellis)  Peterson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same 
neighborhood,  on  the  Wilmington-Xenia  pike,  eight  miles  south  of  Xenia, 
daughter  of  Heniy  Ellis  and  a  granddaughter  of  Abraham  Ellis,  a  Revo- 
lutionary soldier,  who  had  settled  there  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of 
that  region  and  whose  descendants  in  the  present  generation  form  a  numerous 
connection  throughout  this  part  of  Ohio.  Jacob  S.  Peterson  also  was  a 
member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was  born 
in  Clinton  county,  where  he  grew  up  and  where  after  his  marriage  he  estab- 
lished his  home  on  a  farm,  but  later  moved  to  Wilmington,  the  county  seat, 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  He  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Middleton  was  the  first-born, 
the  others  being:  Ada,  wife  of  George  A.  McKay,  of  Xenia;  Orville,  a  real- 
estate  dealer  at  Pamplin  City,  Virginia,  who  has  been  married  twice,  his 
first  wife  having  been  Luella  Oglesbee  and  his  second,  Evelyn  Greene;  Alice, 
who  married  Horace  McMillen  and  continues  to  live  in  Clinton  county: 
Jacob  Elmer,  who  married  Viola  Farcpiahar  and  has  been  a  teacher  all  his 
active  life,  now  connected  with  the  public  schools  at  Brookneal,  Virginia, 
and  Grace,  widow  of  Frank  Colvin.  For  years  Mrs.  Colvin  has  been  matron 
of  the  girls  section  of  the  college  at  Delaware,  this  state. 

To  James  W.  and  Emma  C.  (Peterson)  Middleton  were  born  two  sons, 
Orville  P.  and  J.  Raymond,  both  of  whom  are  farming  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  the  latter  farming  the  homestead  tract  where  his  mother  still  makes 
her  home.  Orville  P.  Middleton  married  Laura  Haines  and  has  four  chil- 
dren, Wayne,  Marion.  Grace  and  Clara.  J.  Raymond  Middleton  married 
Lydia  Maria  Haines  and  has  two  sons,  Allen  and  Paul.  Since  the  death  of 
her  husband  Mrs.  Middleton  has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  home 
place  at  Middletons  Corners.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Maple  Corners  Re- 
formed church. 


JESSE  CLYDE  TOWXSLEY. 

Jesse  Clyde  Townsley,  famier  and  stockman,  proprietor  of  the  old 
John  A.  Barber  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  in  Cedarville 
township,  and  former  trustee  of  that  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the 

(30) 


482  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Townsley  road  in  Cedarville  township,  July  5,  1874,  son  of  John  and  Mahnda 
(  Kershner)  Townsley,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  in  Cedarville.  She 
was  born  at  Yellow  Springs,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Marian  (Kulp) 
Kershner,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Greene  county  and  the 
latter  in  Pennsxlvania.  Jonathan  Kershner  was  a  carpenter  at  Yellow 
Springs  and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  His  widow  died 
on  July  4,  1916,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  They  were  members  of  the 
Yellow  Springs  Christian  church  and  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
those  besides  Mrs.  Townsley  being  James,  now  a  resident  of  Mattoon.  Illi- 
nois ;  Dross,  who  lives  in  Cedarville ;  Emanuel,  deceased ;  John,  deceased ; 
Cowray,  deceased;  Ford,  a  carpenter  at  Yellow  Springs,  and  Charles,  who 
lives  in  the  West. 

The  late  John  Townsley,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  on  Sep- 
tember 19,  191 5,  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  east  of  that  place  on  Janu- 
ary 4,  1850,  a  son  of  James  and  Clarissa  (Harper)  Townsley,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  that  same  township  in  1821.  James  Townsley  was  born 
in  1825  at  Cortsville,  up  over  the  line  in  Clark  county,  son  of  John  Towns- 
ley,  one  of  the  eight  children  of  John  Townsley,  who  with  his  brother 
Thomas,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  had  come  up  here  from  Kentucky  and 
settled  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Cedarville  township,  the  first 
permanent  settlers  of  that  section  of  Greene  county.  James  Townsley  was 
one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  all  now  deceased.  He  located  on  what  is 
still  known  as  the  James  Townsley  homestead  in  Cedarville  township  and 
lived  there  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  about  1887  and  removal  to 
Cedarville.  where  his  death  occurred  in  August,  1907.  He  had  been  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Clarissa  Harper,  who  received  from  her 
father  a  part  of  the  farm  above  referred  to.  She  was  the  youngest  of  the 
three  daughters  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  Mrs.  D..  H.  Marshall, 
deceased,  and  Mrs.  Thursa  Townsley,  who  is  now  living  at  Jamestown,  aged 
ninety.  James  and  Clarissa  (Harper)  Townsley  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  those  besides  John  being  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Owens  and 
died  on  August  25.  1913:  Lila  M.,  wife  of  J.  O.  Spahr,  of  the  Jamestown 
neighborhood;  Emma,  wife  of  T.  N.  Harper,  of  Dayton;  Jennie,  now:  living 
at  Xenia,  Mrs.  O.  A.  Si)ahr;  Robert  S.,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at 
Cedarville,  and  Frank,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  farm.  Fo41owing 
the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  in  December,  1868,  James  Towns- 
ley  married  Hester  Barber,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Martin)  Barber, 
of  this  county,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  farmer  and  a  soldier  of  the  W'^ar 
of  1812.     This  second  marriage  was  without  issue.     Mrs.  Hester  Tounsley 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  483 

died  in  April,  1905,  aged  eighty-four.  James  Townsley  was  a  Republican 
and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

After  his  marriage  to  Malinda  Kershner  on  February  22,  1871,  John 
Townsley  bought  a  hundred-acre  farm  adjoining  his  father's  place  and  later 
bought  an  adjoining  forty,  living  there  until  his  retirement  and  removal 
to  Cedarville.  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  He  is  buried  in  the  old  Massies 
Creek  cemetery.  He  was  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  a  trustee  of  the  church  and  a  member  of  the  official  board. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  children,  those  besides  Jesse  being  Clara, 
who  married  Prof.  Calvin  Morton,  of  the  Cedarville  schools,  and  has  one 
(laughter,  Martha  Jean :  Harry,  a  farmer  residing  just  south  of  Cedarville, 
and  Robert,  a  farmer  of  iliami  township. 

Jesse  C.  Townsley  received  his  schooling  in  the  Thorn  school  and 
remained  on  the  home  farm  until  his  marriage  in  1897,  after  which  he  rented 
his  wife's  father's  farm,  the  John  A.  Barber  place  in  Cedarville  township, 
and  continued  thus  to  operate  the  place  for  seventeen  years,  or  until  191 5, 
when  he  bought  the  place,  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres,  and  is  still  living 
there.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Cedarville.  Mr.  Townsley  is  a  Republican  and  for  six  years  served  as  trustee 
of  Cedarville  township.  Mrs.  Townsley  also  was  born  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship, Florence  Barber,  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Sarah  (Townsley)  Barber,, 
and  married  ^Ir.  Townsley  on  June  30,  1897.  Her  father.  John  A.  Barber, 
also  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  as  was  his  wife,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Enos  Townsley,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  pioneer  John  Townsley,  great-great- 
grandfather of  Jesse  Townsley  and  also,  of  course,  of  the  latter's  wife.  Enos 
Townsley's  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter  of  James  McCoy,  one  of  the  Greene 
county  pioneers.  John  A.  Barber  was  a  son  of  John  Barber,  who  was  a  son 
of  \\'illiam  Barber,  who  had  come  to  this  country  from  Ireland  and  settled 
in  Washington  county.  Pennsylvania.  In  that  county  John  Barber  was  born. 
Upon  reaching  manhood  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Xenia,  where  he 
became  engaged  in  the  Campbell  mill  on  Shawnee  creek.  In  due  time  he 
bought  a  tract  of  land  and  his  last  days  were  spent  on  the  farm.  He  married 
Sarah  Martin  and  to  him  and  his  wife  were  born  eleven  children,  ten  of 
whom  grew  to  maturity.  John  A.  Barber,  one  of  these  children,  was  twice 
married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Eliza,  daughter  of  Andrew  Galloway.  To 
that  union  two  children  were  born.  Mrs.  Eliza  Barber  died  in  1866  and  Mr. 
Barber  in  1868  married  Sarah  Townsley.  Two  daughters  were  born  to  this 
latter  union,  Mrs.  Florence  Townsley  having  a  sister,  Eva.  who  married 
Charles  H.  Ervin,  of  Xenia.  and  has  one  son,  Fred.  The  Barbers  were  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Presbvterian  church  at  Cedarville. 


484  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

DAVID  S.  WILLIAMSON. 

David  S.  Williamson,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  the  Cedarville  neighbor- 
hood, now  Hving  retired  at  Cedarville,  the  operations  of  the  farm  being 
carried  on  by  his  son,  Raymond  T.  Williamson,  is  a  member  of  one  of  Greene 
county's  old  families,  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Jamestown  on  December  29,  1851,  son  of 
John  S.  and  Jane  (Kyle)  Williamson,  and  was  the  last-born  of  the  three 
children  born  to  that  parentage,  his  mother  having  died  when  he  was  two 
years  and  eight  months  of  age.  She  was  a  daughter  and  eldest  child  of 
Judge  Samuel  Kyle,  one  of  the  foremost  pioneers  of  Greene  county  and 
further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

John  S.  Williamson  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children 
of  David  and  Catherine  (Duncan)  Williamson,  who  came  to  this  county 
with  their  family  in  1836  and  settled  in  that  part  of  the  county  now  included 
in  New  Jasper  township,  their  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  being  situated 
along  Caesarscreek  at  a  point  ec^uidistant  between  Xenia  and  Jamestown, 
as  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  a  comprehensive  narra- 
tive relating  to  the  W^illiamson  family  in  Greene  county.  In  a  biographical 
sketch  relating  to  Samuel  K.  Williamson,  elder  brother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  there  is  set  out  at  some  length  a  history  of  the  career  of  John  S. 
Williamson,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  in  the  fall  of  1898. 

David  S.  Williamson  grew  up  to  the  life  of  the  farm.  His  schooling 
was  received  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  being  completed  in  the  Cedarville 
schools,  his  father  having  moved  to  the  farm  on  the  Cincinnati-Columbus 
pike,  two  miles  west  of  Cedarville,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Williamson,  when 
he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  On  that  place  he  grew  to  manhood  and  after 
his  father's  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Cedarville  in  1873  he 
took  charge  of  the  place  and  after  his  marriage  in  1881  established  his 
home  there,  continuing  to  make  that  his  jilace  of  residence,  having  inherited 
the  farm  after  his  father's  death,  until  his  retirement  in  April,  1917,  and 
removal  to  Cedarville,  where  he  now  resides,  though  still  retaining  a  super- 
visory oversight  of  the  place,  which  he  is  accustomed  to  visit  nearly  every  day. 
As  with  several  others  of  the  Williamsons,  Mr.  Williamson  was  early  attracted 
to  the  possibilities  of  sheep  raising  and  for  many  years  his  farm  west  of 
Cedarville  has  been  largely  devoted  to  the  breeding  of  fine  Merino  sheep. 
The  work  there  inaugurated  by  him  is  now  being  carried  on  by  his  son, 
Raymond  T.  Williamson,  who  occupied  the  home  place  and  is  carrving  on 
the  operations  of  the  farm. 

On  February  9,  1881,  at  the  home  of  the  bride  about  a  mile  east  of 
Cedarville,    David    S.    Williamson    was   united    in    marriage    to    Nannie    A. 


DAVID  S.  WILLIAMSON. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  485 

McMillan,  who  was  born  on  that  place  on  Jannary  23,  1856,  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  T.  and  Rachel  McMillan,  the  former  a  member  of  the  well-known 
McMillan  family  of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  at  birth,  the  survivors  being  Mai-y  Erwin,  bom 
on  April  12,  1885,  now  at  home:  Florence  Jane,  September  6,  1887,  who  is 
now  teaching  school  at  Nevada,  Iowa,  and  Raymond  Torrence,  June  2;^,  1891, 
who,  as  noted  above,  is  now  farming  the  home  place.  In  January.  1917, 
Raymond  Torrence  Williamson  married  Fannie  Stroup  and  is  making  his 
home  oh  the  home  place,  his  parents  having  moved  into  Cedarville  about  the 
time  of  his  marriage.  The  Williamsons  are  members  of  the  Covenanter 
church  at  Cedarville.     Mr.  Williamson  is  a  Republican. 


WILLIAM  FRANKLIN  BENHAM. 

The  Benhams  became  established  here  more  than  a  century  ago  with  the 
coming  of  Peter  Benham,  who  left  the  settlement  in  which. he  was  born,  not 
far  north  of  Cincinnati,  and  came  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami, 
establishing  his  home  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life  and  where  his  descendants  in  the  present  generation  are 
still  to  be  found. 

Peter  Benham,  the  pioneer,  was  born  twelve  miles  north  of  the  then 
village  of  Cincinnati,  in  1795,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Lydia  Benham,  the 
former  of  whom,  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  had  been  an  Indian  fighter  in 
Kentucky  and  had  later  settled  at  Ft.  Washington,  building  there  the  third 
cabin  put  up  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  at  one  time  own- 
ing there  ten  acres  of  Idnd  that  is  now  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  At  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  near  Todds  Forks,  he  was  the  owner  of  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  acres  there.  One  of  his  brothers,  David  Benham,  was 
a  friend  and  companion  of  Daniel  Boone,  and  another.  Col.  Joseph  Benham, 
became  one  of  the  most  noted  attorneys  in  the  early  days  of  Cincinnati. 
Richard  Benham  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2.  He  and  his  wife  had 
four  sons,  John,  Richard,  Peter  and  Benjamin,  the  latter  of  whom  became 
a  resident  of  Indiana  and  was  tlv?  last  survivor  of  the  faniilv. 

Reared  amid  pioneer  conditions,  Peter  Benham  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  and  establi'^hed  his  home  in  Beavercreek  township,  this 
county.  On  that  farm  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  living  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
six  years.  Peter  Benham  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Catherine  Beck, 
whom  he  married  at  Centerville,  was  1x)rn  at  Waynesville  in  1800,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Beck  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Galyard.  Samuel  Beck 
was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  territorial  days  and  became 


486  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  pioneer  tavern  keeper  at  Waynesville,  in  Warren  county.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  the  sons  having  been  John, 
Samuel,  Benjamin  and  Joseph.  To  Peter  and  Catherine  (Beck)  Benham 
were  born  twel\e  children,  of  whom  eight  lived  to  maturity  and  of  whom 
but  one,  Mrs.  Lydia  Huston,  of  Alpha,  widow  of  George  \\\  Huston,  now 
survives,  the  others  having  been  Benjamin,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch ;  Joseph ;  Eliza,  who  married  Isaac  Bumgardner ;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Leonard  Coy;  Mary  J.,  who  married  Joseph  P.  B.  Johns;  Lydia  A., 
who  married  George  W.  Huston;  Peter  O.  and  Samuel.  The  mother  of 
these  children  died  in  January,  1864,  and  Peter  Benham  later  married  Cathe- 
rine Nave,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  the  daughter  of  John  Xave,  who 
had  come  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  had  settled  in  the  township  of  Spring 
Valley,  in  this  county.  Both  these  women  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
church  and  the  Benham  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  Peter  Benham 
lived  to  be  eighty-six  years  of  age. 

Benjamin  Benham  grew  up  on  the  pioneer  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
in  Beavercreek  township  and  after  his  marriage  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  for  a  time  renting  a  farm  in  that  neighborhood.  He  then  bought 
the  farm  on  which  his  son  William  F.  is  now  living,  a  mile  and  a  half  south- 
west of  Alpha,  coming  to  be  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety 
acres.  He  was  a  Republican.  He  and  his  family  were  members  of  Mt.  Zion 
Reformed  church.  Benjamin  Benham  died  in  1899.  His  wife  had  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  about  three  years,  her  deatli  having  occurred  in  1896.  She 
was  born,  Mary  Gillespie,  in  Ross  county,  this  state,  in  1821,  and  was  but 
a  small  child  wlien  her  parents  settled  on  the  tract  of  land  now  occupied  by 
the  village  of  Selma,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  where  both  parents 
died  of  "milk-sickness"  when  she  was  ten  years  of  age.  Benjamin  and  Mary 
(Gillespie)  Benliam  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  tlie  subject  of  this 
sketch  having  had  two  sisters,  Catherine,  now  living  at  Dayton,  widow  of 
Henry  Clay  Glotfelter,  and  Eliza  Jane,  who  married  \\'illiam  Masters,  of 
Beavercreek  township,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased. 

\\'illiam  Franklin  Benham,  only  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Gillespie) 
Benham,  was  born  on  the  Shakertown  pike,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  7  out  of 
Xenia.  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  X'ovember  24,  1849.  His  ele- 
mentary schooling  was  received  in  the  district  school  of  his  neighliorliond, 
the  Benham  school,  located  on  his  father's  farm,  and  he  completed  his 
schooling  in  the  old  Beaver  grade  school,  the  course  in  that  excellent  school 
at  tiiat  time  comprising  about  the  same  course  as  that  now  covered  in  high 
school.  After  his  marriage  in  1872  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the 
home  farm,  as  his  father  grew  older  gradually  taking  over  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father  in  1899  the  place  was 
divided  and  he  since  then  has  had  ninetv  acres,  including  the  old  home  build- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  487 

ings.  Of  late  years  Mr.  Benliam  has  been  practically  retired  from  the  active 
labors  of  the  farm,  having  turned  the  same  over  to  the  management  of  his 
son,  Benjamin  E.  Benham,  who  is  married  and  is  living  on  the  place. 

On  December  5,  1872,  William  Franklin  Benham  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Ellen  Coy,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of 
the  Benham  farm,  April  5,  1849,  and  who  died  in  z\ugust,  1902.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Lucinda  Coy  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  Greene  county,  the  Coys  having  been  here  since  the  days  before 
the  organization  of  Greene  county.  To  William  F.  and  Mary  E.  (Coy)  Ben- 
ham eight  children  were  born,  namely:  Edmond  C,  now  employed  in  the 
plant  of  tile  Delco  Company  at  Dayton  and  who  married  Effie  Dissingham 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mildred ;  Gertrude  Ray,  who  married  Jacob 
Seifert  and  is  also  living  at  Dayton ;  Minnie,  wife  of  Edward  Shoup,  a 
Beavercreek  farmer;  Benjamin  Earl  and  Lucinda  Pearl,  twins,  the  former 
of  whom,  as  noted  above,  is  now  operating  the  home  farm  and  who  married 
Ruth  Campbell  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Helen,  and  the  latter  of  whom 
married  Archibald  Koogler  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years :  Henry, 
who  died  in  infancy:  William  Franklin,  Jr.,  unmarried,  who  is  employed 
in  a  furniture  store  at  Dayton,  and  Aaron  Russell,  who  formerly  lived  at 
Dayton,  employed  there  in  the  Delco  Company's  plant,  but  now  (1918)  is 
in  Camp  Sherman.  The  Benhams  are  members  of  the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed 
church,  both  the  Benhams  and  the  Coys  having  been  active  in  the  work  of 
the  Reformed  congregation  in  Beavercreek  townsliip  since  pioneer  days.  Mr. 
Benham  is  a  Republican. 


CYRUS  BROWN. 


Cyrus  Brown,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  former  trustee  of  New  Jasper 
township  and  a  farmer  of  that  township,  enjoys  the  unique  distinction  of 
having  served  in  the  '90s  as  sheriff  of  Greene  county  for  the  shortest  term 
ever  noted  in  the  local  shrievalty,  his  tenure  of  ofifice  having  lasted  but  two 
weeks.  The  Legislature  had  enacted  a  law  fixing  the  beginning  of  the  terms 
of  sheriffs  in  this  state  on  September  i  instead  of  on  January  i,  this  altera- 
tion of  the  tenure  leaving  a  term  of  eight  months  unprovided  for.  The 
commissioners  of  Greene  county  appointed  Mr.  Brown  sheriff  to  fill  the 
vacancy  and  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office.  Two  week.^  later  the 
state  supreme  court  declared  the  new  law  unconstitutional  and  he  thus  was 
deprived  of  his  office,  but  he  had  been  sheriff  for  two  weeks  and  even  the 
supreme  court  was  powerless  to  deprive  him  of  that  distinction.  During 
his  term  of  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  Mr.  Brown  saved  four  hundred 
dollars  of  his  pay.  This  sum  he  ever  afterward  retained,  investing  it  as  a 
separate  fund' against  such  a  time  as  to  him  might  seem  fitting  for  its  con- 


488  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

version  to  another  purpose  of  great  moment,  and  in  Octolier,  191 7,  he  con- 
verted the  sum,  with  accrued  earnings,  into  Liberty  bonds  of  the  United 
States  government 

I\Ir.  Brown  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  Hved  here  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now  Jefferson  township  on  October 
6,  1842,  a  son  of  James  and  Rachel  (Powers)  Brown,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Belmont  county  and  the  latter  in  Clinton 
county,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Greene  county,  of  which  latter 
county  tliey  had  been  residents  since  the  days  of  their  youth- 
James  Brown  was  born  on  February  25,  1816,  son  of  Richard  and 
Elizabeth  ( Pickering)  Brown,  the  former  of  whom  was  bom  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  near  the  line  between  Virginia  and  Maryland,  and  who  had 
come  to  Ohio  about  1810  and  had  settled  in  Belmont  county.  Richard 
Brown  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  later  become  engaged  as 
a  trader  and  teamster,  hauling  goods  over  the  National  road  from  Baltimore 
west.  His  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Pickering,  died  leaving  six  children,  Sallie, 
John,  Joshua,  James,  Allan  and  Elizabeth.  He  later  married  Mary  Pick- 
ering, a  cousin  of  his  deceased  wife,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four  chil- 
dren, Rhoda,  Jacob,  William  and  Levi.  With  his  family  Richard  Brown 
came  to  Greene  county  in  1842  and  settled  in  the  Paintersville  neighborhood, 
where  in  1850  he  was  killed  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse,  his  foot  l^eing 
caught  in  a  stirrup  and  he  being  dragged  to  death.  He  was  buried  in  the 
New  Hope  cemetery  near  Paintersville.  John  Brown,  eldest  son  of  Richard 
Brown,  had  come  to  Greene  county  during  the  thirties  and  had  here  become 
engaged  as  a  building  contractor,  a  general  stone  mason  and  builder  of  brick 
houses.  In  1839  he  was  joined  here  by  his  brother,  James  Brown,  who  on 
January  2,  1842,  married  Rachel  Powers,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clinton  on  November  27,  18 12,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary 
(Wright)  Powers,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  North  Carolina  and 
who  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  in  1809  she  married  Edward  Powers, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  1773,  who  had  come  to  this  country  in  1800. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  Edward  Powers  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and 
settled  in  Clinton  county.  He  rendered  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
1812  and-continued  to  make  his  home  in  Clinton  county  until  1824,  when  he 
came  with  his  family  up  into  Greene  cOunty  and  settled  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  D.  C.  Spahr,  on  the  Hussey  pike  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Paintersville  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  he  died  about  1843.  ^^'^^  ^^'^s 
buried  in  the  New  Hope  graveyard.  Edward  Powers  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  all  now  deceased,  of  whom  ]\Irs.  Rachel  Brown  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  the  following:  Betsy, 
who  married  Robert  Oglesljee;  Alford,  who  remained  on  the  home  farm 
and  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  six  hundred  acres;  Edward,  who  also 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  489 

became  a  farmer;  Mrs.  Mary  Faulkner,  twin  sister  of  Edward;  Allan,  who 
lived  at  Paintersville ;  George,  who  made  his  home  on  a  farm ;  Rebecca,  who 
married  Marshall  Burrell  and  lived  in  Xenia  township ;  Mrs.  Emily  Devoe, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  the  West,  and  John,  who  spent  his  last  days 
in  Indiana. 

After  his  marriage  in  1842,  James  Brown  rented  a  farm  in  what  is  now 
Jefferson  township  and  there  made  his  home  for  four  or  five  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  bought  a  little  farm  just  north  of  where  he  had  been 
residing  and  not  far  from  the  place  owned  and  occupied  by  his  brother 
Joshua.  The  two  brothers  engaged  in  a  partnership  arrangement  and  for 
years  were  engaged  in  the  huckster  btisiness,  James  Brown  keeping  the 
supplies  of  groceries,  "Yankee  notions,"  and  the  like  with  which  they  stocked 
their  wagons  in  his  house.  James  Brown  was  just  a  "natural  born"  specu- 
lator and  trader  and  would  buy  or  sell  anything  that  came  to  hand,  gener- 
ally being  able  afterward  to  note  a  margin  of  profit  on  his  side  of  the  trans- 
action. In  1866  he  disposed  of  his  holdings  in  Silvercreek  township  and 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty-four  acres  in  New  Jasper  township,  the  place  on 
which  his  son  Cyrus  Brown  is  now  living.  To  that  he  added  adjoining  land, 
engaged  also  in  the  live  stock  business,  and  continued  to  make  his  home 
there  until  1881  when  he  sold  the  place  to  his  son  Cyrus,  invested  in  farm 
lands  in  Clinton  county  and  moved  to  Paintersville,  where  he  bought  a 
grocery  store  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  August  31,  1886.  His  widow  survived  him  until  May  i,  1892. 
James  Brown  was  a  Republican  and  served  the  public  in  the  capacity  of 
township  trustee  and  as  assessor.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Protestant  Methodist  church  at  Paintersville  and  for  years  Mr.  Brown  was 
a  class  leader.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely : 
Cyrus,  the  immediate  'subject  of  this  biographical  sketch ;  Mary  Elizabeth, 
widow  of  Lewis  Lane,  of  Allen  county,  Ohio ;  Loama,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  two  years;  John  J.,  deceased;  Marshall,  a  resident  of  New  Jasper  town- 
ship; Ezra,  also  a  resident  of  New  Jasper  township,  and  Racliel  .Ann,  wife 
of  Charles  Harrison,  of  Allen  county. 

Cyrus  Brown  was  reared  on  the  old  h(3nie  farm  in  Sihercreek  town- 
ship and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  of  Jefferson 
township.  From  the  days  of  his  bo3'hood  he  was  trained  in  the  ways  of 
practical  farming  and  was  engaged  in  farming  on  the  home  place  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out.  On  August  11,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Com- 
pany E,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantrv,  and  served 
until  he  was  mustered  out  on  June  5,  1865.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
military  service  Mr.  Brown  returned  home  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall 
of  1866  established  his  home  on  a  small  farm  he  had  bought  in  New  Jasper 
township,  not  far  from  his  father's  farm.     There  he  continued  to  make  his 


490  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

home  until  t88i,  in  which  vear  he  bought  his  father's  farm,  then  consisting 
of  eighty-five  acres,  moved  to  that  place,  his  father  moving  to  Paintersville 
in  that  year,  and  has  ever  since  resided  there,  very  comfortably  situated. 
Since  taking  possession  of  that  farm  Mr.  Brown  has  added  to  his  acreage 
until  he  now  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres.  In  1890  he  remodeled 
and  enlarged  his  house.  For  some  years,  in  addition  to  his  general  farming, 
he  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Berkshire  hogs 
and  was  a  successful  exhibitor  at  county  fairs.  Mr.  Brown  is  a  Republican 
and  for  years  served  as  central  committeeman  of  that  party  from  his  home 
township.  For  si.x  terms  he  served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township,  for 
eighteen  years  served  as  school  director  in  his  home  district,  a  part  of  that 
time  serving  as  president  of  the  township  board  of  education,  and  for  more 
than  ten  years  served  as  treasurer  of  the  township.  He  also,  as  set  out  above, 
for  two  weeks  served  as  sheriff  of  Greene  county. 

On  Octoljer  18,  1866,  Mr.  Brown  was  united  in  marriage  to  Aviary 
Elizabeth  Smith,  who  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Lucinda  (Spahr)  Smith,  who  for  years  made  their  home  on  the  farm 
on  which  Mrs.  Brown  was  born,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  daughters, 
Alice  Lovona,  born  on  August  16,  1867,  who  is  the  wife  of  F.  AI.  Thomas,  a 
biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  Mary 
Lucinda,  May  21,  1872,  wife  of  James  R.  Fudge,  of  whom  there  also  is  a 
biographical  sketch  on  another  page  in  this  \olume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper,  with  which 
organization  Mrs.  Brown  has  been  affiliated  since  she  was  eleven  years  of 
age.  For  many  years  Mr.  Brown  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
that  church  and  was  serving  on  the  board  when  the  present  church  edifice 
was  erected.  \\'I:en  the  new  parsonage  was  built  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  having  the  erection  of  the  same  under  its  direction.  For  many  years 
he  also  was  a  teacher  in  the  Sundav  school. 


TOHX  W.  ST.   TORN. 


John  W.  St.  John,  now  living  retired  at  his  liome  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He 
was  born  on  the  old  St.  John  farm  on  December  29,  183 1,  son  of  Daniel 
W.  and  Eliza  (Bone)  St.  John,  br.th  of  whom  were  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lebanon,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  and  who  becam*  residents 
of  Greene  county  after  their  marriage,  settling  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  some- 
thing of  the  history   of   the   St.   John    family   in   Greene   county   and   it   is 


JOHX  W.   ST.  JOHN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  49I 

therefore  not  necessar}'  to  repeat  those  details  in  this  connection  further 
than  to  set  out  that  the  family  had  its  origin  in  this  country  through  John 
and  Noah  St.  John,  brothers,  of  French  parentage,  who  came  to  the  Ameri- 
can colonies  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  and  located  in 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  where  John  St.  John  married  Anna  Lockwood 
and  was  living  when  the  colonists  declared  their  independence.  He  joined 
the  patriot  forces  and  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  later,  in  the 
last  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century,  coming  with  his  family  to  the  then 
Territory  Northwest  of  the  Ohio,  locating  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ft. 
Washington  (Cincinnati),  in  Hamilton  county,  where  he  remained  until 
1803.  when  he  came  up  into  this  part  of  the  state  and  settled  on  a  tract  of 
land  in  the  vicinity  of  Ft.  Ancient,  in  Warren  county,  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth  being  John  St.  John,  who  was  born  on  November 
28,  1778,  and  who  married  Rhoda  Wood.  John  St.  John  established  his 
home  in  Warren  county  and  there  spent  his  last  days.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Daniel 
W.  was  the  first-born.  DanieV  W.  St.  John  remained  in  ^^'ar- 
ren  county  until  after  his  marriage  to  Eliza  Bone,  when,  in 
1828,  he  came  up  into  Greene  county  and  settled  in  the  woods  in  Caesars- 
creek  township,  where  he  put  up  a  log  cabin  and  a  stable  and  set  about 
clearing  the  place.  He  later  put  up  a  good  house  and  substantial  farm  build- 
ings, got  his  place  under  cultivation  and  created  a  good  piece  of  property, 
which  later  he  sold  and  then  moved  to  a  farm  on  the  Wilmington  pike  south 
of  Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were  spent,  he  l>eing  sixty-five  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  His  wife  was  sixty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  Daniel  W.  St.  John  was  a  Whig  in  his  early  political  views 
and  later  became  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  eleven  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following :  Cyrus  Bone, 
who  married  Dorothy  Hickman  and  lived  in  Xenia  township  until  1856, 
when  he  moved  to  Jay  county,  Indiana,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life; 
Joseph,  who  married  Julia  McNair  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  this 
county  until  1887,  when  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  located  on  a  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cofifeyville,  where  he  spent  his  last  days;  William  Harrison, 
who  died  on  the  home  farm  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years ;  Daniel  Morgan, 
who  married  Eliza  Jane  Beam  and  spent  his  last  days  on  a  farm  in  Caesars- 
creek  township;  Sarah  Ann,  also  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  James 
McNair:  Charles  W.,  who  married  Martha  Peterson,  of  Xenia,  and  for  years 
lived  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  later  moving  to  Xenia,  where 


49-  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  died;  Jeniah  Franklin,  also  deceased,  whose  widow,  who  was  Ellen  Hook 
before  her  marriage,  is  now  living  at  Xenia;  Eliza  Jane,  who  married  Frank 
Peterson  and  went  to  Coffe_vville,  Kansas,  where  her  last  days  were  spent; 
Isaac  Wilson,  who  married  Rilla  Hook  and  went  to  Dunkirk,  Indiana,  where 
he  is  still  living,  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  and  Lorenzo  Raper,  who 
married  Alice  Smith  and  who,  as  well  as  his  wife,  is  now  deceased.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  the  St.  John  family,  the  descendants  in  the  present  gene- 
ration of  the  Ohio  pioneer,  John  St.  John,  and  of  his  wife,  Anna  Lockwood, 
form  a  numerous  connection.  Former  Gov.  John  P.  St.  John,  of  Kansas,  is 
a  member  of  this  famil}-. 

John  W.  St.  John  was  reared  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  place,  and  remained 
at  home  until  after  his  marriage  in  1852,  when  he  began  farming  on  his 
own  account  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son,  Joseph  Oscar  St.  John,  is  now 
living,  in  that  same  township,  buying  there  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  eleven 
acres,  then  known  as  the  David  Murphy  place,  on  which  there  was  a  log 
cabin  and  a  stable  and  but  little  else  in  the  way  of  improvement.  He  pres- 
ently erected  there  a  new  house  and  substantial  farm  buildings,  cleared  and 
drained  the  place,  expending  more  than  a  thousand  dollars  in  ditch  work, 
and  otherwise  improved  it,  and  there  continued  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock  raising  until  his  retirement  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm 
in  1907,  having  thus  been  continuously  engaged  in  farming  on  that  place  for 
about  fifty-five  years.  Since  Air.  St.  John's  retirement  from  the  management 
of  the  farm  the  work  has  been  carried  on  under  the  direction  of  his  son, 
Joseph  Oscar  St.  John,  who  makes  his  home  on  the  place!  Mr.  St.  John 
is  a  Republican,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office.  He  is  a 
member  of  Mt.  Tabor  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Mr.  St.  John  has  been  thrice  married.  On  January  15,  1852,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Phoebe  Ann  Hiney,  who  was  born  in  Sandusky  county, 
this  state,  June  21,  1833,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Delilah  Hiney.  the  former 
of  whom  was  btirn  in  \'irginia  and  the  latter  in  Sandusky  county,  this  state, 
who  later  came  to  Greene  county  and  after  a  sometime  residence  here  moved 
up  into  Clark  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  To 
that  union  were  born  twelve  children,  namely:  Thomas  \\'..  born  on  Decem- 
1;er  21,  1852,  now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedarville,  who  married  Eliza- 
beth Harris  and  has  three  cliildren,  Elmer.  Roy  and  Alice;  C.  M..  March 
17,  1856.  a  stockman  doing  business  at  Xenia,  who  married  Harriet  Arv  and 
has  two  children,  John-  A.  and  Eva:  Jacob  Daniel  and  Martha,  twins,  Janu- 
ary 16,  1854,  both  now  deceased:  Maria  L.,  June  10,  1858.  who  married 
Moses  Painter,  now  living  in  Marion  county,  Indiana,  and  has  three  children, 
Clifton,  Reba  and  Vernon;  John  Franklin,  October  24,   1859,  who  married 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  493 

Zora  Hoffman  and  moved  to  North  Dal^ota,  where  he  died  in  October,  1917, 
leaving  two  children,  Harry  and  Roland;  Emma  Jarue,  November  3,  1863, 
who  married  Lewis  R.  Jones,  a  farmer,  of  Caesarscreek  township  and  a 
biographical  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  William 
Allison,  November  18,  1866,  now  living  in  Clark  county,  this  state,  who 
married  Louise  Hiatt  and  has  three  children,  Harmon,  Grant  and  Goldie; 
Ulysses  Grant,  July  3,  1869,  now  farming  in  New  Jasper  township,  this 
county,  who  married  Lola  Sutton  and  has  one  son,  Fred;  Alma  and  Alva  L., 
twins,  September  9,  1872,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  childhood  and  the 
latter  of  whom,  now  farming  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood,  married  Anna 
Turner  and  has  four  children.  Myrtle,  Otis,  Hazel  and  Donna;  and  Joseph 
Oscar,  January  16,  1876,  now  farming  the  old  home  place,  who  married 
Minnie  Harness  and  has  one  son,  Leo.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
on  October  30,  1897,  and  Mr.  St.  John  later  married  Mrs.  Jane  (Smith) 
Devoe,  daughter  of  John  Smith  and  widow  of  Asa  Devoe,  of  Caesarscreek 
township,  and  after  her  death  married,  December  13,  1909,  Ellen  L.  Fisher, 
who  was  born  in  the  A'icinity  of  Wilmington,  in  the  neighboring  countv  of 
Clinton,  daughter  of  Jacob  W.  and  Delpha  Ann  f  Smoke)  Fisher,  who  had 
come  to  this  state  from  Virginia  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Clinton 
county,  the  former  living  to  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and  the  latter, 
to  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Though  now  past  eighty-si.x  vears  of  age,  Mr. 
St.  John  retains  much  of  his  aforetime  vigor  and  continues  to  take  an  active 
interest  in  current  affairs.  His  recollection  of  events  in  this  county  easily 
covers  a  period  of  more  than  four  score  years  and  he  has  many  interesting 
tales  to  tell  of  the  days  of  the  pioneers  and  of  the  later  procession  of  events 
which  marked  the  period  of  his  early  activities  as  an  agriculturist.  During 
all  these  years  he  has  been  a  witness  to  many  amazing  changes  in  agricultural 
methods  and  in  the  general  way  of  living  and  can  only  wonder  what  another 
eighty  years  of  progress  will  bring  about  in  the  way  of  human  invention. 


ROBERT  C.  WATT. 


Robert  C.  Watt,  of  Cedarville.  head  of  the  firm  of  R.  C.  Watt  &  Son, 
breeders  of  live  stock,  former  president  of  the  American  Duroc  Association, 
former  president  of  the  American  Southdown  Sheep  Association,  a  member 
of  the  American  Polled-Durham  Association  and  of  all  the  local  live-stock 
associations,  holder  of  a  string  of  grand-championship  prizes  and  formerly 
and  for  years  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Watt  &  Foust,  at  the  time  of  the 
dissolution  of  that  firm  in  19 16  known  as  the  oldest  continuous  breeders  of 
Duroc  hogs  in  the  United  States  and  holders  of  world  championships  in 
that  class,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life. 


494  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  tdwnsliip  in  1856,  a  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  Gordon  (Carruthers)  \\'att,  both  natives  of  Scotland,  the  latter,  born 
at  Dumfries,  having  come  to  this  countrj'  with  her  parents  in  the  days 
of  her  girlhood  to  join  her  brother,  Thomas  Carruthers,  who  previously 
had  come  over  and  had  located  at  Chillicothe,  in  this  state,  where  she  was 
living  up  to  the  time  she  married  William  Watt. 

William  Watt  was  born  in  Glasgow  in  18 14  and  there  grew  up  trained 
to  the  carpenter  trade.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio,  locating  at  Bainbridge,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  for  some  time  after  his  marriage  to  Sarah  Car- 
ruthers. He  then  moved  to  Bourneville  and  there  resided  until  1851,  when 
he  came  with  his  family  to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  cjuarter  of  a  section 
of  land  on  the  Federal  pike  in  Xenia  township,  making  his  home  there  until 
186(5.  In  that  year  he  sold  that  farm  and  bought  another  on  the  James- 
town pike,  six  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  from 
the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  died  in  June,  1894.  William  Watt 
began  to  raise  Southdown  sheep  shortly  after  he  took  up  farming  in  this 
county  and  from  the  beginning  was  singularly  successful  with  his  flocks. 
In  1874  he  began  exhibiting  his  registered  stock  and  the  Watt  Southdowns 
continued  to  be  exhibited,  the  son  continuing  the  operations  of  the  father 
after  the  latter's  death,  all  over  the  United  States  until  1916,  when  Mr. 
Watt  sold  his  Southdown  fiock  and  took  up  the  breeding  of  registered  Ram- 
bouillets.  During  that  long  period  the  Watt  flock  won  for  its  owners 
thousands  of  dollars  in  prize  money  and  thousands  of  blue  ribbons  and  was 
for  years  recognized  as  the  world's  champion  flock  of  Southdowns.  William 
Watt  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  time  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  being  Mary  E.,  now  living  at  Xenia,  widow  of  David  H.  Cherry; 
Mrs.  Jennie  Johnson,  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania;  James,  a  Chicago  merch- 
ant :  the  Rev.  John  A.  Watt,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  now  engaged  in  the 
missionary  field;  Agnes,  a  resident  of  Xenia  township,  widow  of  Harvey 
Nash,  former  county  commissioner  and  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  jire- 
sented  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  David,  a  resident  of  Xenia ;  Margaret  Ellen, 
who  died  in  the  days  of  her  young  womanhood ;  Emily  Huston,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  five  years,  and  Etta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six  months. 

Robert  C.  Watt  was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  the 
farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike  in  Cedarville  township  and  there  he  grew  to 
manhood.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and  after 
his  marriage  in  1882  continued  to  make  bis  home  on  the  farm,  his  parents 
retiring  at  that  time  and  moving  to  Xenia.     There  he  remained  until   1899, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  495 

in  which  year  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  one  mile 
south  of  Cedarville,  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  where  he  developed  a  fine  place, 
later  adding  an  adjoining  tract  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres,  and  where  he 
made  his  home  until  in  April,  1915.  He  then  bought  a  house  on  South 
Main  street,  Cedarville,  and  moved  to  that  place,  turning  the  home  place 
over  to  his  son,  \\'illiam  R.  Watt,  who  is  now  operating  it.  Mr.  Watt  also 
owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  a  mile  northwest  of  Cedarville. 
As  noted  above,  Mr.  Watt  began  to  give  his  attention  to  the  raising  of 
registered  Southdowns  even  as  a  boy  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  became 
an  exhibitor  at  state  fairs.  In  1897  he  began  raising  Duroc-Jersey  hogs 
and  has  since  kept  the  registery  of  his  herd,  distribution  from  which,  for 
stock  purposes,  has  been  made  wherever  the  fame  of  Durocs  has  pene- 
trated, for  this  herd  has  produced  the  world's  championship  boar,  this 
honor  being  awarded  to  the  great  "Tip-top  Notch"  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition  at  St.  Louis  in  1904,  and  to  the  equally  great  "Taxpayer  XIII," 
another  product  of  this  herd,  at  the  Panama-American  Exposition  at  San 
Francisco  in  1915.  At  the  St.  Louis  exposition  in  1904  another  product  of 
this  herd,  "Cedar  Vale  Queen  VIII,"  was  awarded  the. junior  sow  cham- 
pionship of  the  world.  In  1902  Mr.  Watt  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
Edward  Foust,  of  Xenia  township,  for  the  breeding  of  Duroc-Jerseys,  and 
this  arrangement  was  continued,  under  the  firm  name  of  W^att  &  Foust,  until 
1 9 16,  since  which  time  Mr.  Watt  has  carried  on  his  operations  with  his  son, 
William  R.,  better  known  as  "Billy"  Watt,  as  his  partner,  doing  business 
under  the  firm  name  of  R.  C.  Watt  &  Son.  In  1917  the  Watt  exhibit  of 
Durocs  at  the  National  Hog  Show  at  Omaha  was  awarded  the  grand 
championship,  while  prizes  from  the  International  Stock  Show  at  Chicago 
and  from  state  fair  associations  all  over  the  country  reveal  an  unbroken 
series  of  successes  for  the  Watt  herd,  which  is  recognized  as  the  oldest 
continuously  maintained  registered  line  of  Durocs  in  the  United  States. 
]Mr.  Watt's  services  have  been  called  on  as  judge  not  only  at  the  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Kentucky  state  fairs,  but  at  the  International  Live  Stock  Exhibi- 
tions. He  keeps  his  herd  up  to  about  three  hundred  head  and  ships  all  over 
the  world,  in  one  season  having  shipped  out  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
registered  boars.  For  thirty  years  Mr.  Watt  maintained  his  interest  in  South- 
down sheep,  but  sold  his  championship  flock  in  191 7  and  he  and  his  son  are 
now  taking  up  the  Rambouillet  line.  He  also  for  some  years  has  been 
engaged  in  raising  registered  Polled-Durham  cattle  and  has  a  fint  herd. 
Mr.  Watt  has  served  as  president  of  both  the  American  Southdown  Sheep 
Association  and  for  the  American  Duroc  Association,  of  which  latter  he 
afterward  was  for  several  years  a  director;  is  also  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Polled-Durham  Association  and  of  local  live-stock  associations  and  has 


496  GKEEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

done  much  in  this  time  to  develop  and  encourage  the  live-stock  industry  in 
the  United  States.  He  and  iiis  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville. 

Mr.  Watt  has  been  twice  married.  In  1882  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Martha  Beall,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Maria 
(Mainer)  Beall,  the  former  of  whom  died  while  serving  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Union  during  the  Civil  War,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four  children, 
Margretta,  wife  of  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Condon,  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  at  Uhrichsville.  this  state ;  William  R. ;  one  who  died  at  birth,  and 
Tohn  A.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  months.  The  mother  of  these  children 
died  on  June  27,  1915,  and  on  October  18,  1917,  Mr.  Watt  married  Lulu 
Barber,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,  daughter  of  Martin  and  Mary  M.  Barber. 
the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  daughter  at  the 
age  of  ninety  years.  William  R.  Watt  married  Charlotta  Sagler.  He 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presb\  terian  church. 


.     JAMES  HARRY  :\IARSHALL. 

James  Harry  Marshall,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township, 
on  the  upner  Bellbrook  jiike.  three  miles  west  of  Xenia,  rural  mail  route  Xo. 
7  out  of  that  city,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  September 
8,  1858.  son  of  James  and  Ella  (Ridenourl  Marshall,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  that  same  township  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Maryland  and 
both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  here. 

James  Marshall  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Little  Miami 
ri\er  in  what  is  now  Sugarcreek  township,  but  which  then  was  in  Silver- 
creek  township,  October  22,  1812,  a  son  of  John  Marshall,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Greene  county  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  John  Marshall  had  come  up  here  with  his  father  from  Kentucky 
about  the  year  1803  and  had  taken  a  tract  of  about  six  hundred  acres  along 
the  east  bank  of  the  river  in  what  is  now  Sugarcreek  township.  Not  long 
afterward  he  married  and  established  his  home  there,  reared  his  family  of 
three  sons  and  four  daughters,  served  during  the  '40s  as  a  member  of  the 
bench  of  associate  judges,  spent  his  last  days  on  his  farm,  dying  there  in  1866, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  and  was  buried  on  his  farm,  the  site  of  his 
grave  overlooking  the  river.  During  the  War  of  1812  he  served  as  a  soldier. 
Of  his  seven  children,  James  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having 
been  Robert,  who  died  unmarried;  Hettie,  who  married  John  Kiler;  Nancy, 
who  married  James  McConnell ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Brock ;  Jesse,  who 
establi-shed  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township,  and  Betsey,  who  married  Will- 
iam  Morgan. 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  497 

Reared  on  the  liome  farm,  James  Marshall  established  his  home  there 
after  his  marriage  when  twenty-four  years  of  age  and  after  his  father's  death 
inherited  two  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of  the  home  place,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  he  bought  the  place  of  a  fraction  more  than  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  acres  on  which  his  son  James  H.  is  now  living,  moved  to  that 
place  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  February 
12,  1889.  His  widow  died  on  July  3,  1893.  She  was  born,  Ella  Ridenour, 
in  Maryland,  February  5,  1818,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  Ohio  with  her  widowed  mother,  Susan  (Howard)  Ridenour,  and  the  other 
members  of  the  latter's  family,  the  family  consisting  of  four  sons  and  thr^? 
daugliters,  in  1830  and  located  at  Trebeins,  in  Beavercreek  township,  this 
county.  The  widow  Ridenour  came  through  from  her  old  home  in  the 
Hagerstown  neighborhood  in  Maryland,  driving  a  one-horse  wagon  contain- 
ing her  household  goods,  the  children,  including  twelve-year-old  Ella,  thus 
being  required  to  walk  the  whole  distance,  as  there  was  no  room  in  the  over- 
laden wagon  for  them.  The  widow  Ridenour  was  an  adherent  of  the  Luth- 
eran faith  and  her  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  Of  these  children, 
the  daughter  Ella,  Mrs.  Marshall,  was  the  last-born,  the  others,  now  all  de- 
ceased, having  been  David,  who  moved  to  Illinois  and  there  spent  his  last 
days;  Daniel  and  Samuel,  twins,  who  established  their  homes  in  this  county; 
William,  who  moved  to  Indiana,  and  Cassie  and  Maria,  twins,  who  re- 
mained spinsters.  ]\Irs.  Susan  Ridenour  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years,  her  death  occurring  on  April  10,  1869.  Ella  Ridenour  grew  up  at 
Trebeins  and  was  there  married  on  ]\Iay  4,  1837,  to  James  Marshall.  To 
that  union  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  .sketch 
was  the  last-born,  the  others  being  the  following:  John,  who  is  now  living 
at  Dayton,  retired;  Sarah,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one;  William  P., 
who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  not  long 
after  his  return  from  the  army,  his  death  having  been  due  to  the  exposure 
incident  to  army  life;  Mrs.  Nancy  Ann  Thorp,  who  died  in  1903,  and  two 
who  died  in  infancy. 

James  H.  Marshall  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship and  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  old  Fauber  district  school  in  that 
neighborhood,  later  attending  the  schools  in  Beavercreek  township.  After 
his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  the  home  place  and  as  his  father 
grew  older  assumed  charge  of  the  same,  having  thus  for  years  carried  on 
farming  operations  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living.  After  his 
father's  death  he  came  into  possession  of  the  farm  and  is  still  actively  en- 
gaged in  fanning,  assisted  by  his  second  son,  Charles  Haines  Marshall,  who 
is  still  at  home.  In  addition  to  their  general  farming  Mr.  Marshall  and  his 
son  give  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland  China  hogs. 

(31) 


498  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

James  H.  Marshall  married  Laura  B.  Haines,  who  was  born  in  Beaver- 
creek  township,  daughter  of  Henr}-  and  Susan  Haines,  the  former  of  whom 
was  formerly  engaged  in  farming  there,  but  later  -went  West,  where  he 
became  engaged  in  the  railway  ser\'ice,  and  to  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  namely :  Robert  Lee,  who  married  Edna  White  and  is  now  living 
in  Xorth  Dakota,  where  he  is  employed  in  the  service  of  the  Standard  Oil 
Company;  Charles  Haines,  mentioned  above  as  assisting  his  father  in  the 
operation  of  the  home  farm ;  William  Harley,  now  living  at  Bellbrook,  who 
married  Pansy  Taylor  and  has  two  children,  Howard  Lee  and  Pauline ;  and 
Agnew,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years.  Mr.  Marshall  is  a  Republican, 
as  was  his  father,  and  has  served  as  director  of  schools  in  his  home  district. 
Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at 
Xenia. 


W1LLL-\M.C.  BURR. 


William  C.  Burr,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War  and  former  trustee  of 
Jefferson  township,  was  born  in  this  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life, 
a  resident  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  for  nearly  seventy-  years, 
he  ha\ing  been  under  ten  years  of  age  when  his  father  took  possession  of 
that  farm  back  in  1848.  He  was  born  in  that  vicinity,  on  a  farm  in  what 
thert  was  .Silvercreek  township,  but  which  in  1858  was  set  off  as  the  new 
township  of  Jefferson,  September  21,  1839,  son  of  David  and  Louisa 
(Oxiey)  Burr,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Louisa  Oxley  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Culpeper  Court  House,  X^irginia, 
and  was  but  six  vears  of  age  when  she  came  with  her  parents,  John  O.xley 
and  wife,  to  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  Clinton  county.  Upon  their  re- 
tirement from  the  farm  John  Oxley  and  his  wife  came  up  into  Greene  county 
and  here  spent  their  last  days  in  the  household  of  their  son-in-law,  David 
Burr.  • 

David  Burr  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Clarksville,  in  tlie 
neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  a  son  of  Peter  and  Hannah  Burr,  pioneers 
of  that  section,  who  spent  their  last  days  in  that  county.  Peter  Burr  was 
for  years  clerk  of  courts  at  Wilmington.  David  Burr  grew  up  in  that 
county  and  early  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  coming  up  into  Greene 
county  and  acquiring  possession  of  a  tract  of  land  in  what  later  came  to 
be  organized  as  Jefferson  township  and  after  his  marriage  to  Louisa  Oxley 
established  his  home  there,  continuing  to  reside  there  until  1848,  when  he 
traded  that  tract  for  the  farm  on  which  his  son  William,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  is  now  living  in  that  same  township  and  there  he  and  his  wife 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  li\es.     David  Burr  died  at  the  age  of  si.xty-eight 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  499 

years  and  liis  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  she  having  been  eighty- 
six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  church  and  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  nine 
of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  out  of  whom  only  three  are  now  living,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  two  of  his  sisters,  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Urton,  widow 
of  William  Urton,  of  Van  Wert,  this  state,  and  Mrs.  Ella  Fawcett,  widow 
of  Levi  Fawcett,  of  Middleton,  the  others  having  been  the  following:  Mary 
Jane,  who  married  Levi  Hollingsworth ;  Peter,  who  married  Mahala  Wical; 
Lucinda,  who  married  Isaac  Steward;  John,  who  died  in  1862  and  further 
mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Hannah,  who  married 
Stephen  Cline,  and  Aaron  Sewell,  who  died  while  in  the  service  of  the 
Union  during  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted  in  September.  1861,  and  went 
with  the  Thirty-first  Ohio  to  Camp  Robinson,  Kentucky,  where  he  died  of 
brain  fever  in  the  following  November. 

^^'illiam  C.  Burr  was  about  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
to  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood,  re- 
ceiving his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  married  when  nine- 
teen years  of  age  and  after  his  marriage  continued  farming  on  the  home 
place.  During  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Home  Guard  and  in  the  spring  of  1864  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf 
of  the  Union  and  was  sent  into  West  Virginia  with  Company  H,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he 
ser\ed  for  four  months,  during  which  time  he  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Xew  Creek  and  various  engagements.  LTpon  the  completion  of  his  mili- 
tary service  Mr.  Burr  returned  home  and  resumed  farming  on  the  home 
place,  of  which  in  due  time  he  acquired  possession,  and  he  ever  since  has 
made  his  home  there,  for  the  past  ten  years  or  more  having  lived  practi- 
cally retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm.  Mr.  Burr  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Bowersville.  He  is  a  Republican,  as 
was  his  father,  and  served  for  several  terms  as  township  trustee  and  also 
as  assessor  of  the  township.  For  more  than  forty-fi\'e  vears  he  has  been  a 
member  of  tlie  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter formerly  were  connected  with  the  Daughters  of  Sebekah.  On  March 
9,  1872,  Mr.  Burr  joined  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Port  William  and  on 
September  20.  1874,  became  connected  with  the  encampment.  Patriarchs 
Militant,  at  Wilmington,  later  transferring  his  connection  to  the  encamp- 
ment at  Jamestown.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Otto  Lodge  No.  s,S9. 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  at  Bowersville,  a  charter  member  of 
the  same. 

In  December,  1858,  William  C.  Burr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel 
Ervin,    who   was   born   in   that   portion    of   Greene   county   now    comprised 


500  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

within  Jefferson  township,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Cottrell) 
Ervin,  pioneers  of  that  section,  who  had  come  up  here  from  Tennessee  and 
whose  last  days  were  spent  here,  both  dying  during  the  time  of  the  cholera 
scourge.  John  Ervin  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burr  three  children  were  born,  a  daughter  and  two  sons,  Jennie, 
who  has  always  made  her  home  on  the  home  place,  and  George  Sewell  and 
Frank  Elder,  the  latter  of  whom,  an  undertaker  at  Jamestown,  married 
Elvie  Miller  and  has  two  children,  Guy  and  Marion.  George  Sewell  Burr, 
who  became  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  this  county,  was  killed  by  the  kick 
of  a  horse  in  1887.  He  had  married  Elizabeth  Ferguson  and  after  his  death 
his  widow  married  Florence  Smith,  of  Jamestown,  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter,   Zora   P. 


GEORGE  EDGAR  JOBE. 

George  Edgar  Jobe,  former  president  of  the  board  of  control  of  the 
Ohio  State  Experiment  Station  at  Wooster,  former  president  of  the  board 
of  the  Selma  special  school  district  and  almost  continuously  connected  with 
that  board  since  the  date  of  its  organization,  and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm 
of  nearly  three  hundred  acres,  the  old  Thorne  place,  situated  on  rural  mail 
route  No.  3  out  of  Cedarville,  is  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  old  fami- 
lies, and  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life,  occupant  of  the  farm  on  which 
he  now  lives  since  his  marriage  in  1889.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Jobe  home 
place  in  Xenia  township  on  May  20,  i860,  son  of  John  Hutchison  and  Nancy 
Ellen  (Collins)  Jobe,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members 
of  pioneer  families,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

John  Hutchison  Jobe  was  born  at  Xenia  on  October  31,  1826,  son  of 
George  and  Mary  Ann  (Hutchison)  Jobe,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  on  August  31,  1786,  son  of  Isaiah  Jobe  and  wife  and  one 
of  the  six  children  born  to  that  parentage,  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 
George  Jobe  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  in  General  Harrison's 
command,  and  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Ft.  Meigs.  In  1816  he  came 
to  this  county  and  became  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wagons  at  Xenia. 
He  married  here  and  some  years  later  bought  a  farm  and  settled  in  the  Old- 
town  Run  school  district  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia  and  there  spent  the  remain- 
der of  Ills  life,  his  death  occurring  on  January  29,  1867,  he  then  being 
eighty  years  of  age.  His  widow  died  on  May  24,  1884,  she  then  being 
eighty-two  years  of  age.  Mary  Ann  Hutchison  was  living  in  the  Bell- 
brook  neighborhood  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  George  Jobe.  To  that 
union  were  born  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely:  J. 
Harvey,  who  became  a  drv-goods  merchant  at  Xenia:   Tohn  H.,   father  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  5OI 

the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Margaret  Ann,  who  married  Hugh  Boyd,  of 
this  county ;  W'ilham  H.  and  Martha  Jane,  twins,  who  died  in  childhood ; 
Samuel  H.,  who  also  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth;  George  F.,  a  biographical 
sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Rebecca  E.,  of  Xenia, 
and  Albert  A.,  who  died  in  childhood.  John  H.  Jobe  was  about  eight  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from  Xenia  to  the  farm  just  east  of  that 
place.  As  a  young  man  he  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  for  about 
five  }ears  followed  that  trade,  but  later  resumed  farming  and  so  continued 
engaged  the  remainder  of  his  active  life.  He  remained  at  home  until  after  his 
marriage  in  1859,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
on  the  Xenia  and  Jamestown  pike,  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Xenia,  and 
there  remained  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia, 
where  his  death  occurred  on  March  15,  1905.  John  H.  Jobe  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  had  served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township  and  for  some  time  as 
infirmary  director.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  First  United  Pres- 
byterian church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 

On  August  30.  1859,  in  Xenia  township,  John  H.  Jobe  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Nancy  Ellen  Collins,  who  was  born  in  that  township  on  Febru- 
ary 25,  1837,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (McClellan)  Collins,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  the  eldest  sister  of  Doctor  H.  R.  McClellan,  of  Xenia. 
Samuel  Collins  was  about- eight  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
from  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  this  county,  the  family  settling  in 
Xenia  township.  Samuel  Collins  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, those  besides  Mrs.  Jobe  having  been  the  following;  William  H., 
deceased;  John  Q.,  deceased;  James  M.,  of  Xenia  township;  Belle,  deceased 
wife  of  S.  K.  Williamson;  Jennie  M.,  wife  of  John  D.  M.  Stewart,  of 
Xenia;  Anna,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  R.  W.  Moore,  of  Xenia,  and 
Lydia,  who  died  unmarried.  To  John  H.  and  Nancy  E.  (Collins)  Jobe 
were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subj.ect  of  this  sketch  was  the  'first- 
born, the  others  being  the  following :  Samuel  Collins,  who  died  when  six- 
teen months  of  age;  Charles  L.,  a  Xenia  merchant  and  a  bi(5gTaphical  sketch 
of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume:  John  Rile}',  who  died  in 
1910  at  his  home  in  Xenia.  in  which  city  he  had  for  years  engaged  in  the 
dry-goods  business,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Jobe  Brothers;  Laura  B.,  who 
died  on  May  25,  1909;  Harvey  Homer,  who  continued  to  make  his  home 
on  the  old  home  farm  in"  Xenia  township  and  who  died  on  April  30,  1918. 
and  one  son  who  died  in  infancv. 

George  Edgar  Jobe  completed  his  schooling  at  Monmouth  College  and 
remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  1889,  when  he  established  his  home 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living.  This  is  the  old  Thorne  place, 
developed  by  a  Quaker  family  of  that  name,  and  during  the  davs  preceding 


502  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  Civil  War  was  an  important  station  on  the  "underground  railroad" 
through  this  section.  Mr.  Jobe  remodeled  the  brick  house  built  there  by 
the  Thornes  in  1846  and  in  other  ways  has  improved  the  place.  In  1892 
he  built  a  bank  barn,  forty  by  ninety-six  feet  in  dimensions  and  has  a  silo 
of  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  tons.  He  gives  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  Duroc- Jersey  hogs  and  also  feeds  a  good  many  cattle. 
Since  taking  possession  of  the  Thorne  place  he  has  enlarged  his  holdings 
there  until  now  he  has  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  I\Ir.  Jobe  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  for  some  time  he  has  been  president  of  the  board  of  control  of  the 
Ohio  Experiment  Station  at  Wooster.  When  in  1905  the  Selma  special 
school  district  was  organized,  the  district  being  created  to  accommodate  the 
pupils  of  certain  districts  in  two  of  tlie  townships  of  Greene  county  and 
two  of  the  adjoining  townships  of  Clark  county,  Mr.  Jobe  was  made  president 
of  the  special  school  board  which  erected  the  new  grade  and  high-school 
building  at  Selma  and  has  almost  continuously  since  then  been  connected 
with  the  board. 

On  February  14,  i88g,  George  E.  Jobe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alta 
Corry,  who  was  born  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  \\'illiam 
R.  and  Eliza  (Brown)  Corry,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  Cedarville  township.  \\"il!iam 
R.  Corry  was  born  at  Corry,  Pennsylvania,  a  son  of  ^latthew  and  Rachel 
( Jacoby)  Corry,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Matthew  and  Ann  (  Beatty) 
Corry,  who  were  married  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1774,  later 
moving  to  a  farm  in  Northumberland  county,  same  state,  whence,  in  1780, 
they  were  drixen  out  by  Indians  and  returned  to  Chester  county,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the  latter  dying  in  1824  and  the  former, 
in  1826,  he  then  being  seventj'-seven  years  of  age.  Matthew  and  Ann 
(Beatty)  Corr}-  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  James,  John,  Hannah, 
Eleanor.  Xancy,  Ann,  Rebecca,  Jane  and  Matthew.  The  latter,  Matthew 
Corry,  Jr.,  was  Ijorn  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  February  16.  1793,  and 
in  18 14  was  there  married  to  Rachel  Jacoby.  In  the  spring  of  1830  he  came 
to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  established  his  home  in  Miami  township,  this 
county,  where  he  died  on  May  5,  1864.  Mattiiew  Corry,  Jr.,  was  twice  mar- 
ried. His  first  wife,  Rachel  Jacoby,  died  in  1850  and  he  afterward  married 
.Ann  Bigger.  To  the  first  union  there  were  born  nine  children,  namely :  Sarah, 
born  on  May  30,  181 5,  wlio  married  William  Miller  and  died  on  May  3. 
1839;  .\nn  B.,  July  31,  1817,  who  married  James  .Allison  and  died  on  Fel)- 
ruary  21,  1896:  John  J.,  January  i,  1820,  who  married  Elizabeth  Jackson 
and  died  on  June  9,  1869:  Matthew.  December  11.  1821,  who  died  unmar- 
ried on  Ma}-  12.  1900;  James  B.,  Marcli  8.  1824,  who  married  Xanc>-  A. 
Brown  and  died  on  Decemlier  20,   1891  :  William  R..  fatiier  of  Mrs.  Jobe; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  5O3 

Henry,  July  29,  1828,  who  married  Lydia  Collins  and  died  on  August  28, 
1871 ;  Hannah,  August  24,  1831,  who  married  George  Collins  and  died  on 
October  i,  1855,  and  Rachel,  October  5,  1834,  who  married  E.  C.  Fleming  and 
died  on  September  14,  1896. 

William  R.  Corry  was  born  on  June  .10,  1826,  and  was  four  years  of  age 
when  his  parents  came  to  this  county  from  Pennsylvania  and  established 
their  home  in  Miami  township,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  where,  after 
his  marriage  on  October  18,  1848,  to  Eliza  Brown,  he  established  his  home, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  October  31,  1885.  He  was  a  Republican  and  was 
for  years  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  widow  died  on  Decem- 
ber 2,  1905.  To  William  R.  and  Eliza  (Brown)  Cory  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren, namely:  Anna  Alice,  born  on  October  5,  1849,  who  married  William 
H.  Bull  and  died  on  March  27,  1906;  Riley  J.,  January  25,  1851,  who  on 
October  17,  1878,  married  May  Garlough  and  is  living  at  Yellow  Springs; 
Matthew  ^^^,  June  9,  1853,  who  died  on  September  3,  1854;  Lee  B.,  March 
II,  1855,  who  on  September  24,  1879,  married  Nannie  J.  Stewart;  Will- 
iam Edward,  April  2,  1858,  who  died  on  September  i,  1859;  Harry  R., 
February  24,  i860,  who  on  February  18,  1886,  married  Effie  K.  Elder; 
Frank  M.,  September  9,  1861,  who  on.  September  i,  1887,  married  Clara 
L.  Anderson;  Robert  E.,  November  i,  1863,  who  on  February  27;  1888, 
married  Jessie  D.  Anderson;  Alta  (Mrs.  Jobe),  April  26,  1867,  and  Ida  May, 
February  10,  1869,  who  on  October  25,  1894,  married  Frank  Currie. 

To  George  E.  and  Alta  (Corry)  Jobe  have  been  born  three  sons,  namely: 
John  Oliver,  born  on  April  22,  1890,  who  completed  his  schooling  in  the 
Ohio  State  University  and  on  February  10,  1914,  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Edith  Barber,  daughter  of  R.  B.  and  Kate  Barber,  and  Delmer  C.  and 
Mereld  C,  twins,  October  15,  1895,  the  former  of  whom  was  graduated  in 
agriculture  at  Ohio  State  University  in  May,'  1918,  and  the  latter  of  whom 
was  attending-  Colorado  State  University  at  Denver,  where  on  April  2,  1918, 
he  was  called  to  the  United  States  service  and  is  now  stationed  at  Camp 
Sherman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jobe  and  their  sons  are  members  of  the  United 
Presbvterian  church  at  Cedarville. 


LEWIS  C.  PETERSON. 


Lewis  C.  Peterson,  proprietor  of  the  farm  in  Spring  A'allev  township 
on  which  he  is  now  living,  was  born  in  that  township  on  August  19,  1853, 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Peterson,  both  also  natives  of  this  county. 

John  Peterson  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Spring 
Valley  township  and  his  wife  was  born  in  Sugarcreek  township.  Reared 
on  a  farm,  John  Peterson  in  due  time  took  up  farming  as  his  own.  voca- 


504  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

tion  and  in  1840  established  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  Frank 
is  now  Hving  in  Spring  Valle}-  township.  There  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  in  1881,  he  then  being  fifty-seven  years  of  age. 
His  widow  survived  him  for  thirteen  years,  she  being  seventy  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  her  death  on  December  i,  1894.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  church.  John  Peterson  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  five  sons  and  a  daughter,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Sarah  J.,  David  A. 
(deceased),  Jonas,  a  grocer  at  Bellbrook;  Charles  A.,  a  carpenter,  now 
living  at  Dayton,  and  Frank,  who  is  occupying  the  old  home  farm. 

Lewis  C.  Peterson  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Spring  Valley  town- 
ship and  was  educated  in  the  local  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  1875, 
he  then  being  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count, renting  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  and  there  made  his  home 
until  in  1883,  when  he  bought  the  John  Hepford  farm  of  fifty  acres  in 
Spring  Valley  township,  moved  onto  the  same  and  has  ever  since  resided 
tliere.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  farm  Mr.  Peterson  has  made  con- 
siderable improvements  on  the  same.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he 
raises  Shropshire  sheep  and  Berkshire  hogs  and  for  the  past  ten  years  or 
more  has  been  engaged  in  the  buying  of  wool. 

In  1875  Lewis  C.  Peterson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine  Bum- 
gardner,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of 
Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Benham)  Bumgardner,  both  now  deceased  and  the 
former  of  whom  was  an  edged-tool  maker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peterson  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  Democrat, 
as  was  his  father. 


RICHARD  J.  FOWLER. 

The  late  Richard  J.  Fowler,  who  died  at  his  home,  the  old  TurnbuU 
place,  in  Cedarville  township,  March  10,  191 7,  was  a  native  of  South  Caro- 
lina, born  at  Chester,  that  state,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since 
the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  was  born  on  March  14,  1842.  son  of 
Edward  and  Martha  (Lackey)  Fowler,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
South  Carolina,  where  they  spent  all  their  lives.  Deprived  of  his  parents 
by  death  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  Richard  J.  Fowler  was  "bound  out"  to 
learn  the  trade  of  millwright  and  remained  in  his  native  state  until  he  was 
twenty-one  vears  of  age,  when,  in  1863,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Cedarville  township,  this  county.  Upon  coming  here  he  joined  the 
local  companv  of  the  Ohio  state  militia  and  was  thus  serving  at  the  time  of 
the  scare  produced  by  the  raid  of  Morgan's  cavalry  up  from  Kentucky.     He 


RICHARD  J.  FOWLER. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  S05 

went  with  that  com])any  to  Camp  Chase  to  report  for  duty  but  after  ten 
days  of  servici'  there  the  company  was  ordered  to  return  home,  the  "scare" 
having  subsided  by  that  time.  Until  1867  Mr.  Fowler  was  engaged  working 
at  various  occupations  in  and  about  Cedarville  and  then  in  that  year  he 
rented  a  small  farm'  in  Cedarville  township  and  began  farming  on  his  own 
account.  There  he  bought  five  acres  on  the  Federal  pike.  After  his  mar- 
riage in  1870  he  estabHshed  his  home  on  that  place  and  there  continued  to 
Hve  until  1874,  when  he  bought  seventy-eight  acres  of  the  old  Turnbull 
place,  including  the  stone  house  built  there  IjV  \\\  T.  Turnbull  in  182 1.  and 
there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  remodeled  the  old  stone  house 
and  it  is  still  doing  service  as  the  family  residence,  having  been  used  as  a 
dwelling  place  for  nearly  one  hundred  years.  Mr.  Fowler  also  bouglit  the 
old  John  B.  Squires  farm  of  se\^enty-six  acres  on  the  Columbus  pike,  but 
this  latter  place  he  sold  in  191.^  and  bought  land  adjoining  the  home  place, 
thus  bringing  the  acreage  nf  the  latter  up  to  one  hundred  and  forty-eight 
acres,  which  is  now  being  operated  by  Clarence  Fowler,  who  is  managing  the 
same  for  his  widowed  mother.  Richard  J.  Fowler  was  a  Republican  and 
by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church 
at  Cedarville.  of  which  he  long  served  as  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees 
and  in  which  he  did  not  miss  a  communion  service  for  fifty-five  years. 

Mr.  Fowler's  widow  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place.  She  was  born 
in  this  county,  Martha  Ellen  Silva,  daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Jeff- 
reys") Silva.  both  long  since  deceased,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  black- 
"^niith  and  farmer  in  Ceflar\-illc  township.  To  Richard  J.  and  Martha  Ellen 
(Silva)  Fowler  were  born  ten  children,  namely:  ]\lary  Elizabeth,  who  is 
now  teaching  in  a  mission  school  at  Selma,  Alabama;  Robert  McMillan 
Fowler,  who  married  Regina  Spencer  and  now  lives  in  Buffalo,  New  York, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  the  railroad  service;  Laura  Ellen,  who  is  at  home; 
Annie  M.,  a  graduate  nurse,  who  is  now  located  at  St.  Louis;  Jennie  Ethel, 
a  teacher,  now  engaged  in  the  graded  schools  at  St.  Charles,  Missouri ; 
\\'illiam  Leonard  Fowler,  who  died  in  1902;  Clarence  Fowler,  who  is  now 
managing  the  old  home  farm :  Carrie  Helen,  also  at  home ;  Howard  Sprowl 
Fowler,  who  died  on  August  19,  IQ15.  and  Edna  Irene,  a  pianist,  who  is  con- 
templating completing  her  musical  education  with  a  view  to  becoming  a 
teacher  of  piano  music.  Clarence  Fowler,  who  since  his  father's  death  has 
been  managing  the  home  farm,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  liv- 
ing. December  14,  1882.  Upon  leaving  school  he  took  up  the  studv  of  teleg- 
raphy and  was  for  some  time  thereafter  employed  as  a  telegraph  operator, 
in  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  but  since  the  death 
of  his  father  has  been  giving  his  whole  attention  to  the  direction  of  the 
home  farm. 


506  GREENE    COUNTV.    OHIO 

ANDREW  GORDON   COLLINS. 

Andrew  Gordon  Collins,  a  farmer  of  Cedarville  township,  former  presi- 
dent of  the  school  board  of  that  township,  an  elder  in  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church  at  Clifton  and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  nearly  two  hundred 
and  thirty  acres  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Cedarville,  was  born  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life,  excepting 
nine  years  that  were  spent  in  Xenia.  He  was  born  on  August  12,  1865,  son 
and  only  child  of  James  Wallace  and  Mary  J.  (Gordon)  Collins,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1830  and  died  at  her 
home  in  this  county  in  1888.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Janet 
(Wallace)  Gordon,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  York  count}',  Pennsyl- 
vania. Andrew  Gordon  was  born  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  of  Scottish 
descent  and  the  only  child  of  his  parents.  His  father  died  and  he  later  came 
to  this  country  with  a  view  to  making  a  home  here  for  his  mother,  but  before 
he  could  complete  his  plans  to  this  end  he  received  word  from  the  old  coun- 
try that  his  m.other  was  dead.  He  continued  his  efforts  to  get  along  in  this 
cr)untry  and  in  time  became  a  well-to-do  farmer  in  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  married  and  reared  his  family.  He  and  his  wife  were 
Presbyterians  and  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Mary 
J.  Collins  having  been  Elizabeth  G.  Collins,  David  (deceased),  Eleanor  G. 
Wilson,  and  Janet  \\^allace. 

The  late  James  Wallace  Collins  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Cedar\-ille  town- 
ship on  February  16,  1832,  a  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Galloway)  Collins, 
members  of  two  of  the  oldest  families  in  this  county,  as  will  be  noted  bv 
further  references  in  this  work  to  the  Collinses  and  the  Gallowavs,'  who 
had  settled  along  the  banks  of  the  river  north  of  where  Xenia  later  came 
to  be  located,  as  early  as  1797,  both  families  coming  up  here  from  Kentucky, 
among  the  first  persons  permanently  to  settle  in  this  section.  Mary  Gallo- 
way was  a  daughter  of  Squire  George  Galloway,  who  lived  to  be  ninety-si.x 
years  of  age.  William  Collins  was  born  in  1800,  one  of  the  first  white 
children  born  in  the  territory  that  later  came  to  be  incorporated  in  the  organi- 
zation of  Greene  county,  and  was  a  son  of  \\'illiam  and  Lydia  (Manifold) 
Collins,  who  were  married  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  went  from  there 
to  Kentucky  and  after  a  few  years  of  residence  in  that  state  came  up  liere 
into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  about  the  )-ear  1797  and  settled  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  ri\-er  about  seven  miles  north  of  the  present  site  of  Xenia 
and  about  two  miles  from  the  place  where  the  Galloways  had  just  previously 
.settled.  This  pioneer  couple  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Joseph,  Samuel, 
\\'illiam,  John.  James,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Eleanor,  .Grace  and  Illie,  and  tlie 
descendants  of  these  children  in   the  present  generation   form  a   numerous 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  507 

connection  liereabout.  Tlie  Collinses,  as  were  the  Galloways,  were  Sececlers 
and  when  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong  presently  came  up  here  from  Kentucky 
and  took  pastoral  charge  of  the  several  families  of  Seceders  faith  that  had 
meanwhile  settled  in  this  region,  the  land  on  which  the  old  Massies  Creek 
church  was  built  was  donated  out  of  the  Collins  lands,  William  Collins  long, 
serving  as  one  of  the  ruling  elders  of  that  congregation. 

The  }ounger  William  Collins  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  along. the  river 
and  as  a  young  man  bought  a  farm  of  about  four  hundred  acres  in  Cedar- 
ville  township,  a  portion  of  that  tract  now  forming  a  part  of  the  farm  owned 
by  his  grandson,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  After  his  marriage  to  Alary 
Galloway  he  established  his  home  there  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Associate  Presbyterian  (Seceder)  church 
and  was  for  years  an  elder  in  the  old  Massies  Creek  church.  He  was  a  very 
active  anti-slavery  man  in  the  days  when  opposition  to  the  "sacred  institu- 
tion" meant  something  to  the  persons  who  thus  dared  openly  to  confront  and 
defy  the  authority  of  the  slave-holding  power  and  cast  his  vote  against  the 
institution  when  there  was  but  one  other  man  in  the  county  to  join  him 
in  thus  registering  his  defiance.  His  home  was  one  of  the  much-frequented 
stations  of  the  "underground  railroad"  in  those  days  and  he  was  one  of  the 
active  "conductors"  in  the  humane  work  of  transferring  fugitive  slaves  from 
station  to  station  along  the  line  of  that  "road"  through  this  state.  In  the 
days  Ijefore  the  coming  of  the  railroads  he  did  much  hauling  between  this 
section  and  Cincinnati.  William  Collins  was  twice  married.  By  his  first 
wife,  Mary  Galloway,  he  was  the  father  of  four  children,  those  besides  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  been  George,  deceased,  who  was 
a  farmer  in  Cedarville  township:  Lydia,  who  is  now  living  at  Xenia,  widow 
of  Henry  Corry,  and  Martha,  who  married  David  Bradfute,  a  fanner  of  this 
county  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased.  Following  the 
death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  William  Collins  married  Catherine 
Dinsmore  and  to  that  union  were  born  four  children,  Dinsmore  S.,  now  liv- 
ing in  Colorado;  Mitchell  W.,  a  resident  of  Cedarville,  this  countv;  Clark- 
son  B.,  now  a  resident  of  California,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 

James  Wallace  Collins  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage 
to  Mary  Gordon  established  his  home  there,  buying  one  hundred  acres  of 
the  place  from  his  father,  and  later  added  to  the  same  until  he  had  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres.  In  1871  he  left  the  farm  and  with  his  faniilv  moved 
to  Xenia,  where  his  son  Andrew  grew  up  and  attended  school,  and  in  1887 
returned  to  the  farm,  which  his  son  meanwhile  had  begun  to  operate  and 
which  the  latter  presently  bought,  and  there  he  spent  most  of  the  rest  of  his 
life,  continuing  after  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1888  to  make  his  home  with 
his  son.    His  death  occurred  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Corrv  in  Xenia  on  Tanuarv 


508  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

21,  1915.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
For  years  he  retained  his  alliHation  with  the  Republican  party,  but  in  the 
later  years  of  his  life  put  in  his  lot  with  the  Prohibitionists. 

Andrew  Gordon  Collins  was  about  si.x  years  of  age  when  his  parents  left 
the  farm  and  mo\ed  to  Xenia  and  in  that  city  he  received  his  schooling. 
Upon  leaving  the  high  school  he  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm  and  in  due 
time  bought  the  same  and  has  continued  ever  since  to  make  his  home  there, 
having  definitely  established  his  home  cm  the  place  after  his  marriage  in  the 
fall  of  1891.  In  1913  he  built  a  handsome  new  house  of  the  bungalow  type 
on  the  place.  Since  taking  possession  of  the  old  home  place  JMr.  Collins  has 
added  to  the  same  by  purchase  of  adjoining  land  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres.  Though  "independent"  in  his  general 
political  vieW'S,  Mr.  Collins's  sentiments  incline  him  strongly  to  the  cause 
of  the  Prohibition  party  and  he  is  an  earnest  champion  of  the  rapidly  grow- 
ing anti-liquor  movement.  For  the  past  ten  years  Mr.  Collins  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Cedarville  township  school  board.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
board  at  the  time  of  the  erection  of  the  consolidated  school  building  at  Cedar- 
ville, a  building  regarded  as  the  finest  of  its  type  in  the  state,  in  comparison 
with  the  population  supporting  it,  and  naturally  feels  some  pride  in  the  action 
of  the  board  in  that  matter.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  United. 
Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  or  more  he 
has  been  one  of  the  ruling  elders  of  that  congregation. 

On  November  12,  1891.  Andrew  G.  Collins  was  united  in  marriage  to 
^lary  M.  Rife,  who  was  born  in  Miami  township,  this  countv,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Kitchen)  Rife,  both  nov.^  deceased,  and  to  this  union  eight 
children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mary  Dorothy,  born  on  October  25,  1894, 
who  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  and  is  now  teaching  school 
in  Butler  county;  John  Wallace,  December  i,  1895,  who  was  graduated  from 
Cedarville  College  in  1917  and  is  now  a  .sergeant  of  the  national  army; 
Willian'i  Rife,  January  4,  1897,  who  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College 
in  the  spring  of  1918;  .Andrew  Roger,  November  12,  1898,  who  is  now 
attending  Cedarville  College;  Marion  Earl,  June  22,  1903,  a  junior  in  Cedar- 
ville high  school;  Margaret  Pauline,  July  24.  1904,  a  student  in  the  Cedar- 
ville high  school;  Ruth  Gordon,  June  2S.  1907,  and  James  Rol)ert,  Februarv 
16,  igio. 

John  Rife,  father  of  Mrs.  Collins,  was  born  on  September  24,  1832,  in 
Adams  county,  Pennsylvania,  not  far  from  the  Mandand  line,  son  of  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Foreman)  Rife,  and  there  early  learned  the  trade  of  blacksmith. 
When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  came  to  Ohio  to  join  his  brother,  who  some 
time  previousi}-  h;i(l  come  out  here,  and  some  time  later  he  went  to  Logans- 
port,  Indiana,  and   thtnce  tn  Springfield,   Illinois,  continuing  tn  work  at  his 


GREKNE    COUNTY,    OHIO  5O9 

trade,  but  after  awhile  returned  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Pitchin,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  where  he  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop.  While 
living  there,  in  the  fall  of  1856,  he  married.  Two  years  later  he  moved  down 
to  Selnia  and  there  continued  blacksrnithing  until  1862,  when  he  leased  the 
Taylor  tract  of  twelve  hundred  acres  in  Clark  and  Greene  counties  and  for 
five  years  thereafter  operated  the  same,  eventually  effecting  a  sale  of  the 
estate  in  behalf  of  the  heirs.  Meanwhile,  in  the  spring  of  1866,  Mr.  Rife 
had  bought  a  part  of  the  Randolph  farm  in  Miami  township,  this  county,- 
and  in  1867  located  on  that  place,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  on  Christmas  Day,  1899.  For  some  years  Mr.  Rife  served 
as  trustee  of  Miami  township  and  for  more  than  fifteen  years  was.  a  member 
of  the  Clifton  school  board.  Reared  a  Democrat,  he  became  an  Aljolitionist 
and  then  a  Republican,,  but  in  1888  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition 
party.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
at  Clifton  and  he  was  for  years  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  congregation  and 
one  of  the  teachers  in  the  Sunday  school.  In  addition  to  his  property  inter- 
ests in  this  county  Mr.  Rife  owned  several  hundred  acres  of  farming  land 
in  Kansas.  During  the  trial  of  the  Hopkins-Fidelity  Bank  cases  in  the  fed- 
eral court  at  Cincinnati  in  1888-89,  Mr.  Rife  was  the  foreman  of  the  jury 
which  convicted  Hopkins. 

On  September  25,  1856,  at  the  home  of  the  bride  in  Clark  county,  John 
Rife  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  J.  Kitchen,  a  school  teacher,  who  was 
born  in  that  county,  August  11,  1836,  twin  sister  of  Erasmus  J.  Kitchen,  and 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Martha  M.  (Jones)  Kitchen,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  but  whose  parents  subse- 
quently came  over  into  Greene  county,  where  she  was  living  when  she  mar- 
ried Abraham  Kitchen  in  1829.  Abraham  Kitchen  was  born  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Warren  in  1808,  his  parents,  Stephen  and  Ann  { Bacaw) 
Kitchen,  Pennsylvanians,  having  been  among  the  pioneers  of  this  section 
of  Ohio,  and  after  his  marriage  located  on  a  farm  in  section  4  of  Greene 
township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  but  two  years  later  bought  a 
larger  farm  in  that  same  neighborhood  and  on  this  latter  place  he  and  his 
wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both  dying  in  1888,  the  latter  on  May 
28  and  the  former  on  June  28.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  five  grew  to  maturity,  married  and  reared  families,  those  besides 
Mrs.  Rife  having  been  Margaret  Ann,  who  married  John  McCollough ;  J.  S., 
who  made  his  home  in  Springfield,  Ohio;  I.  N.,  who  remained  a  famier  in 
Greene  township,  and  Erasmus  J.,  twin  brother  of  Mrs.  Rife,  who  served 
.  from  September,  1861,  to  July  30.  1865,  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during 
the  Civil  War,  and  who  also  remained  a  farmer  in  Greene  township,  Clark 
county.     Mrs.  Rife  survived  her  husband  for  a  little  more  than  five  vears 


5IO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

her  death  occurring  in  February,  1905.  John  Rife  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Colhns  having  been  George  W., 
who  married  Jennie  Garlough;  Stephen  K.,  who  married  Ada  Stormont 
and  moved  to  Kansas;  John  Bruff,  of  Greene  county;  Frederick  F.,  who 
moved  to  Kansas;  Anna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years;  Frank  A.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years;  \\'illiam  C,  who  is  hving  on  the  home 
place;  Alargaret  B.,  also  at  home,  and  Lee  E.,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 


LOI>lEXZO  D.  WELCH. 


Loreixzo  D.  \Velch,  president  of  the  Miami  township  joint  school  board, 
superintendent  of  roads  in  his  district  in  that  township  and  owner  of  a  farm 
one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  bom  in  Miami  town- 
ship on  March  25,  1871,  son  of  Jasper  L.  and  Barbara  A.  (Flatter)  Welch, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  and  who  spent  practically  all 
their  lives  here,  their  last  days  being  spent  in  Yellow  Springs,  to  which  vil- 
lage they  had  moved  upon  their  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1891. 

Jasper  L.  \\'elch  was  born  en  July  21,  1833,  on  a  farm  in  that  ])art  of 
Greene  count\'  now  comprised  in  Xevi'  Jasper  township,  where  his  ]5arenls 
had  settled  upon  coming  here  from  ^laryland.  He  grew  up  in  this  county 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  years  spent  in  Darke  county,  this 
state,  continued  to  make  his  home  here.  On  March  5,  1857,  he  married 
Barbara  A.  Flatter,  who  was  born  in  Xenia  township  on  January  15,  1833, 
and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township 
and  there  continued  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement  in  1891  and 
removal  to  \'ellow  Springs,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives.  Jasper  L.  Welch  died  on  October  6,  1906,  and  his  widow  died 
on  January  i,  19 14.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  four  of  whom 
died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  as  follow:  Agnes,  born  on  Xovember  29, 
1S57,  who  married  Alorris  Beal.  of  this  county,  and  died  on  April  9,  191 7; 
Harriet.  July  6,  1867,  who  is  now  making  her  home  in  California,  having 
interests  both  in  that  state  and  in  the  state  of  Xevada;  Lorenzo  D.,  the 
immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  ^Margaret,  December  7,  1873, 
who  died  on  June  5,  1900,  and  Grace,  April  7,  T877,  who  married  Orman 
Roe  and  is  now  living  in  Chicago. 

Lorenzo  D.  Welch  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Miami  township  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools.  He  was  married  when  twent}- 
two  years  of  age  and  he  and  his  bride  began  housekeeping  on  a  farm  in 
Xenia  township.  The  next  year  they  moved  to  the  Baker  place  in  Miami 
township  and  were  there  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
moved  to  another  rented  farm  and  there  made  their  home  for  three  vcars. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  5II 

They  then  moved  to  town  and  after  a  residence  of  about  a  year  there  re- 
sumed farming  and  for  six  years  thereafter  made  their  home  on  the  Plyde 
farm.  Mr.  Welch  then,  in  October,  1903,  bought  tlie  farm  of  seventy-five 
acres  on  which  he  is  now  Hving,  a  mile  south  of  Yellow  Springs,  established 
his  home  there  and  has  ever  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  In 
addition  to  the  home  tract  he  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  acres  just  across  the  road  from  his  home.  Mr.  Welch  is  a  Re- 
publican. Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Yellow  Springs.  He  and  his  family  are  atiiliated 
with  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Yellow   Springs. 

On  March  23,  1893,  ^^  Yellow  Springs,  Lorenzo  D.  Welch  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Nettie  Hutchison,  of  that  place,  who  also  was  born  in  Miami 
township,  daughter  of  James  Elder  and  Esther  (Baker)  Hutchison,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families.  James 
Elder  Hutchison  met  his  death  in  a  tragic  manner  on  April  4,  1882,  being 
killed  by  a  premature  blast  while  blowing  up  stumps  along  the  Xenia  pike. 
He  and  was  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  daughters,  Mrs.  Welch  having  five 
sisters,  Stella,  Daisy,  Fannie,  Josephine  and  Elda.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welch 
have  six  children,  namely:  Elder  Leroy,  born  on  January  20,  1894,  who  is 
a  farmer;  Esther,  born  on  March  10,  1895,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  Yellow 
Springs  schools;  Ruth,  September  2J.  1897,  who  is  at  home;  Florence, 
April  19,  1900,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Yellow  Springs  high  school  in 
1918;  Kenneth,  March  2,  1903,  a  member  of  that  same  class,  and  Margaret, 
.September  6,  1914.  There  also  was  a  child  who  died  in  infancy,  August 
17,    1901. 


JOHN  STAKE. 

John  Stake,  veteran  furniture  dealer  at  Bellbrook,  a  former  member  of 
the  common  council  of  that  village  and  formerly  and  for  years  engaged 
there  in  the  business  of  manufacturing  furniture,  was  born  at  Bellbrook,  on 
September  26,  1847,  son  of  John  M.  and  Harriet  (Shriver)  Stake,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  the  former  in  1808,  who  were 
married  in  that  state  in  182S  and  a  few  years  later  came  to  Ohio  and  located 
at  Bellbrook,  in  this  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their -lives. 

John  M.  Stake  was  an  undertaker  and  cabinet-maker  and  upon  locat- 
ing at  Bellbrook  opened  an  establishment  of  that  character  there,  later  ex- 
tending his  cabinet-making  business  to  include  a  general  furniture  factory, 
which  was  continued  by  his  son,  John  Stake,  up  to  about  fifteen  years  ago, 
the  old  firm  name  of  J.  M.  Stake  &  Son  being  maintained  to  the  end.  John 
M.   Stake  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 


512  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ject  of  this  sketch  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following :  George,  deceased ;  Catherine,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Ellen  McGann,  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Caroline  Stonebreaker,  now  living  at  Hagerstown,  Indiana; 
Thomas,  deceased;  Mary,  deceased,  and  Henry,  a  resident  of  Bellbrook. 

John  Stake  was  reared  at  Bellbrook  and  in  the  schools  of  that  village 
received  his  schooling.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  was  trained  in  the 
craftsmanship  of  his  father's  furniture  factory  and  became  a  skilled  cabinet- 
maker, taking  charge  of  the  factory  after  his  father's  death  and  continuing 
the  same  until  about  fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  inroads  being  made  on  local 
concerns  by  the  big  furniture  factories  of  the  country  made  it  no  longer 
commercially  profitable  to  continue  the  business.  In  the  meantime,  how- 
ever, he  had  established  a  furniture  store  at  Bellbrook  and  has  siitse  con- 
tinued that  business.  In  earlier  days,  Mr.  Stake  also  was  engaged  with  Uis 
father  and  brother  in  the  undertaking  business,  but  long  ago  dropped  that 
end  of  the  business.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  served  for  some  years  as  a 
member  of  the  village  council  and  is  now  a  trustee  of  the  local  cemetery 
association.  Mr.  Stake  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Bellbrook. 

On  February  24,  1885,  John  Stake  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Hower,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Eli  and  Catherine 
(Baumgartner)  Hower,  of  Beavercreek  township,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  Greene  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased.  Mrs.  Stake  died  in  1890  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery 
at  Bellbrook.  She  left  one  child,  a  son,  Harry  Mason  Stake,  who  turned 
his  attention  to  music  and  is  still  living  at  Bellbrook. 


B.  FRAXK  HAWKINS. 


The  Hawkins  family  lias  been  represented  in  Greene  county  since  the 
year  1814,  when  Mounce  Hawkins,  an  adventurous  lad  of  seventeen  and  a 
cousin  of  David  Crockett,  the  famous  scout  and  explorer,  left  his  home 
in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  in  Virginia,  and  came  out  here  to  put  in 
his  lot  with  the  hardy  settlers  who  had  preceded  him  into  this  fair  valley 
of  the  Little  Miami,  Mounce  Hawkins  was  born  in  1797.  In  Virginia  he 
married  Mary  Allen,  who  also  was  born  in  that  state,  a  daughter  of  Davis 
and  Elizal>eth  (Antrim)  Allen,  who  came  over  here  and  settled  in  Xenia 
township,  where  Davis  Allen  bought  a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land, 
paying  for  the  same  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars.  Mounce  Hawkins 
became  interested  with  his  father-in-law  in  the  development  of  that  tract  and 
in  time  became  a  well-to-do  landowner.  He  died  in  1834  and  was  buried 
at  Xenia. 


GREENE  -COUNTY,    OHIO  513 

Reuben  Hawkins,  son  of  Mounce  and  Mary  (Allen)  Hawkins  grew 
up  on  that  farm  and  in  turn  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  after  his 
marriage  moving  from  the  old  home  place  to  a  farm  on  what  had  come  to  be 
known  as  the  Hawkins  road,  where  he  established  his  home  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  September  15,  1870.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia.  Reared  a 
Democrat,  he  later  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republican  party  and  for  some 
time  served  as  director  of  schools  in  his  local  district.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  nearly  twenty-five  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1894  and  her  body 
was  laid  beside  that  of  her  husband  in  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia.  She 
was  born,  Lydia  Fallis,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  a  daughter 
of  Jonathan  Fallis,  who  later  became  a  resident  of  Greene  county.  Upon 
coming  up  here  from  Clinton  county  Jonathan  Fallis  settled  in  Xenia  town- 
ship, but  later  moved  to  a  farm  in  the  East  Point  neighborhood  in  Cedarville 
township.  Afterward  he  purchased  a  tract  of  land  below  Clifton  and  there 
erected  what  for  years  was  known  as  the  Fallis  mill,  which  he  operated  for 
some  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  tliis  county 
and  moved  to  Indiana,  becoming  there  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  and 
in  the  flour-milling  business  at  Attica,  from  which  place  he  moved  to 
Dowagiac,  Michigan,  where  his  last  da}'s  were  spent,  his  death  occurring  there 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 

To  Reuben  and  Lydia  (Fallis)  Hawkins  were  born  six  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the  others 
having  been  Joseph  G.,  Mary  E.,  Hannah  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  Sarah  E.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  James  F.,  who  died 
in  infancy.  Joseph  G.  Hawkins  enlisted  his  services  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  he  then 
being  but  twenty  years  of  age.  Mary  E.  Hawkins  married  Preston  Machael 
and  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  old  home  place,  where  she  died  in 
March,  1901.  She  was  the  mother  of  three  children,  Jessie,  who  married 
Earl  Butt,  a  Xenia  township  farmer;  Harry,  unmarried,  who  makes  his  home 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butt,  and  Robert,  deceased. 

B.  Frank  Hawkins,  eldest  son  of  Reuben  and  Lydia  (Fallis)  Hawkins, 
was  born  on  December  12,  1841,  and  is  living  in  the  brick  house  which  his 
uncle  erected  on  the  home  place.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  school  of 
district  No.  i,  Xenia  township,  the  school  house  there  having  been  erected 
on  land  donated  for  that  purpose  by  his  grandfather,  Mounce  Hawkins., 
In  time  he  assumed  the  management  of  the  home  place,  gradually  relieving 
his  father  of  the  responsibility  of  farm  management,  and  still  owns  an  inter- 
est in  the  Reuben  Hawkins  estate,   which  remains  undivided.      In  addition 

(32) 


514  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

to  this  interest,  Mr.  Hawkins  is  also  the  owner  of  several  other  farms  in 
Xenia  township  and  in  Beavercreek  township  and  has  long  given  considerable 
attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  opera- 
tions. Politically,  Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  Republican.  His  home  is  on  the  old 
Ankeny  Mill  road,  now  the  Fair  Grounds  road,  rural  mail  route  No.  10 
(/L'.i  of  Xcnia. 


DAVID  HILT. 


David  Hilt,  now  living  retired  at  Yellow  Springs,  is  of  European  birth, 
but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  country  and  of  this  section  of  Ohio'  ever 
since  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  and  therefore  feels  as  much  a  citizen  of 
Ohio  as  though  born  here.  He  was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Wurtemberg 
on  March  5,  1846,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Regina  Barbara  (Schaefer)  Hilt,  also 
native  Wurtembergers,  who  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Swarts.  now  deceased, 
and  still  has  a  brother,  Jacob,  living  in  Wurteml^erg. 

Reared  in  his  native  land,  David  Hilt  received  his  schooling  there,  com- 
pleting the  first-year  course  in  the  high  school,  and  when  past  nineteen  years 
of  age,  in  1865,  came  to  the  United  States  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio, 
locating  in  Clark  county,  where  he  began  working  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Springfield,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  five  years  or  more,  or  until  after 
his  marriage  in  1871,  when  he  rented  a  farm  three  miles  north  of  Spring- 
field, where  he  and  his  wife  began  their  housekeeping.  Five  years  later 
Mr.  Hilt  bought  a  farm  of  fifty-two  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Clark 
county  and  farmed  there  from  1878  to  1895,  during  all  of  that  period  also 
operating  a  threshing-machine  in  season.  In  1895  he  moved  down  into 
Greene  county  and  rented  the  B.  F.  Shigley  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  acres  in  Miami  township,  and  in  1897  bought  that  farm.  The  next 
year  he  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  thirty-five  acres  off  the  Dawson  farm 
and  now  has  tiiere  a  fraction  more  than  two  hundred  and  seven  acres  of 
land,  besides  the  farm  he  still  owns  in  Clark  county.  In  1904  Mr.  Hilt 
retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm  and  bought  a  tract  of  eleven 
acres  at  the  edge  of  the  city  of  Yellow  Springs,  built  a  comfortable  house 
there  and  there  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living.  His  farms  are  rented  to 
responsible  tenants  and  he  is  in  a  position  to  "take  things  easy"  in  die 
declining  vears  of  his  life.  For  twelve  years  during  the  time  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Clark  county  Mr.  Hilt  was  a  member  of  his  local  school  l)oard 
and  for  eight  years  since  he  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  he  served 
in  a  similar  capacity.  He  formerly  and  for  years  took  an  active  interc-t 
in  the  affairs  of  the  Grange  and  was  a  member  of  the  National  Grange  at 


MR.  AND  MRS.  DAVID  HILT. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  515 

Washington,  D.  C.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Bethel  Lutheran  church,  on  the  Yellow  Springs  and  Spring- 
field pike,  and  for  twenty-four  years  Mr.  Hilt  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  of  the  same. 

On  December  6,  1871,  David  Hilt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nancy 
Ann  Humberger,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Mad  River  township,  Clark 
county,  June  27,  1846,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Kinney)  Hum- 
berger, and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Elizabeth, 
who  married  Milton  Craybill,  a  Clark  county  farmer,  and  has  one  child,  a 
son,  Ralph  David;  Henry,  who  married  Estella  Pentoney  and  lives  on  his 
father's  farm  east  of  Yellow  Springs  and  has  an  adopted  daughter.  Alma 
B. :  Mary,  who  married  Sebastian  Gerhart,  of  Clark  county  and  has  three 
children.  Fern,  Philip  David  and  Anna;  Anna  Regina,  who  married  Charles 
D.  Clayton,  a  farmer  of  Greene  county,  and  has  one  child,  a  son  David  WayTie; 
and  David  Elmer,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  six  months. 


GEORGE  R.   BARGDILL. 

The  late  George  R.  Bargdill,  for  years  a  merchant  at  Jamestown,  who 
recently  died  at  his  home  in  that  village  and  whose  widow  is  still  living 
there,  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  had  spent  the  greater  part  of 
his  life  here.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township  on ^ April  13, 
1862,  son  of  Cyrus  and  Harriet  (Spahr)  Bargdill,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  here. 

Cyrus  Bargdill  was  bom  on  September  7,  1829,  and  grew  up  on  a  farm, 
becom'ing  a  farmer  on  his  own  account  in  Silvercreek  township,  where  he 
established  his  home  after  his  marriage  and  where  he  died  on  December 
3,  1865.  His  widow  moved  to  Jamestown  with  her  children  after  the  death 
of  her  husband  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  her  life,  her  death  occurring  on 
June  28,  191 2.  She  was  born,  Harriet  Spahr,  December  5,  1830.  To  Cyrus 
Bargdill  and  wife  were  born  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  memorial 
sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Margaret,  born  on  September  3,  1858,  who  mar- 
ried William  F.  McMillan  and  who  died  in  August.  1885. 

George  R.  Bargdill  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
he  grew  up  at  Jamestown,  to  which  village  his  mother  moved  after  the  death 
of  her  husband.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  grade  schools  there  he 
became  employed  at  the  postoffice  and  after  a  while  transferred  his  services 
to  the  dry-goods  store  of  M.  O.  Adams,  where  he  remained  until  the  early 
'90s,  when  he  moved  to  Ft.  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  there  became  connected 
with  the  wholesale  millinery  establishment  of  J.  A.   Armstrong,  continuing 


5^6  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

that  connection  for  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Tames- 
town  and  bought  the  dry-goods  store  of  Alexander  &  Spahr.  He  carried  on 
that  business  for  eighteen  years,  or  until  in  September,  1916,  when  he  sold 
the  store  to  L.  S.  Farquahar  &  Company  and  retired  from  active  business. 
He  and  his  wife  spent  the  succeeding  winter  in  Florida,  the  condition  of  ]\Ir. 
Burgdill's  health  requiring  a  change,  but  he  received  no  permanent  benefit 
from  the  change  and  upon  his  return  to  his  home  in  Jamestown  continued  to 
decline  and  died  there  on  December  15,  1917,  he  then  being-  in  the  fifty-sixth 
year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Bargdill  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Jamestown,  as  is  his  widow,  and  had  for  years  been  an  office  bearer 
in  the  church,  a  member  of  the  official  board  and  of  the  board  of  trustees. 

On  July  22,  1885,  George  R.  Bargdill  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carrie 
Neiberger,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Madison,  a  daughtc- 
of  Dr.  J.  A.  and  Caroline  (Moss)  Neiberger.  Since  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band ^Irs.  Bargdill  continues  to  make  her  home  at  Jamestown. 


SIMEON  CAREY,  M.  D. 

The  late  Dr.  Simeon  Carey,  who  for  forty  years  was  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Spring  \'alley,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living 
in  that  village,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  all  his  life  was  spent  in  this 
state.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Utica,  in  Licking  county,  September 
5,  1830,  son  of  Joel  and  Rhoda  (Graham)  Carey,  who  later  moved  to  War- 
ren county,  where  their  last  days  were  spent.  Joel  Carey  was  twice  married, 
his  second  wife  ha\ing  been  Amanda  Watson.  By  his  first  marriage  he  was 
the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Carey  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  having  been  Samuel,  Amos,  Ocie,  Rachel  and  Alice,  all  of 
whom  made  their  homes  in  Warren  countv. 

Reared  in  Warren  county,  Simeon  Carey  received  preliminan,-  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  that  county  and  early  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of 
medicine,  presently  entering  the  Cincinnati  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  in  due  time  graduated.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Carey 
opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Clio,  but  not  long  after- 
ward came  up  into  Greene  county  and  located  at  Spring  \'alley,  where  he 
continued  engaged  in  practice  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there 
on  May  8,  1900,  he  then  having  been  engaged  in  practice  at  that  place  for  a 
period  of  forty  years.  During  the  last  year  of  his  life  he  had  associated 
with  him  in  practice  his  son-in-law,  the  late  Dr.  Samuel  Edward  Dyche 
Doctor  Carey  also  was  well  known  as  a  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.     He  was  a  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  that  order 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  5,17 

at  Xenia,  and  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  at  Spring  Valley. 

On  December  31,  1857,  in  Warren  county  Dr.  Simeon  Carey  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ruth  Ann  Cornell,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Waynesville,  in  that  county,  in  1833,  daughter  of  Sylvanus  and  Sarah  (Flora) 
Cornell,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  October  17,  1798, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  the  Waynesville  neighborhood. 
Sylvanus  Cornell  was  born  in  Canada,  July  29,  1797,  but  had  come  to  Ohio 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  but  a  child,  the  family  settling  near  Mt.  Holly, 
on  the  old  state  road  between  Cincinnati  and  Columbus.  As  a  boy  he  took 
part  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  grew  up  a  farmer  and  in  time  became  the 
proprietor  of  several  farms.  He  was  for  years  a  local  power  in  Democratic 
politics  "and  he  and  his  wife  were  earnest  workers  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children  of  whom  Mrs.  Carey  was 
the  ninth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  John,  Sarah  J..  William, 
Sylvanus,  Jesse,  Daniel,  Samuel,  Mary  Ann,  George  and  David.  To  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Carey  were  born  three  children,  Frank  C,  Flora  Alice,  and  Delia. 

The  late  Frank  C.  Carey,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Waynesville  on 
April  14,  19 1 7,  was  educated  in  the  high  school  at  Xenia  and  at  Wilmington 
and  became  a  farmer  in  the  Waynesville  neighborhood,  later  becoming  post- 
master of  that  village.  He  married  Viola  Thomas  and  was  the  father  of 
a  son  and  two  daughters.  Pearl,  Alice  and  Raymond,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
in  1897  ^t  the  age  of  two  years.  Frank  C.  Carey  was  a  Mason,  an  Odd 
Fellow  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Flora  Alice  Carev  received  her  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Spring 
Valley  and  Xenia  and  on  June  21,  1881,  was  married  to  Dr.  Samuel  Edward 
Dyche,  who  was  born  at  Berkley  Springs,  Virginia,  February  21,  1847.  ^"^J 
whose  parents  moved  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  when  he  was  but  a  babe  in 
arms.  He  grew  up  in  that  city,  early  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of 
medicine  and  after  his  graduation  from  the  Louisville  Medical  College  was 
for  a  time  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Tennessee.  Doctor 
Dyche  later  returned  to  Louis\"ille  and  after  a  brief  period  of  practice  there 
came  up  into  Ohio  and  located  at  Lytle,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  War- 
ren, where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  until  1899,  when 
he  became  associated  in  practice  at  Spring  A/'alley  with  his  father-in-law, 
Doctor  Carey,  who  died  a  year  later.  Doctor  Dyche  died  on  July  27,  1909. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  at  Xenia  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow,  who  continues  to  make  her 
home  in  Spring  Valley.  To  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Dyche  one  child  was  born,  a  son, 
Howard  Edward,  born  on  June  19,  1884,  who  was  graduated  from  the 
Spring   Valley  high   school,   later  attended   the   Ohio   State   Universitv    for 


5l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

five  years  and  the  university  at  Pittsburgh  for  four  years,  completing  there 
his  studies  in  electrical  engineering,  and  then  became  connected  with  the 
works  of  the  Westinghouse  plant,  which  service  he  abandoned  to  accept  the 
position  of  professor  of  electrical  engineering  in  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh, which  chair  he  has  occupied  for  the  past  four  years.  Professor  Dyche 
is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason  and  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  married 
Edith  May  Guy  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Howard  Edward,  Jr.,  born  on 
May  14,  1916. 

Delia  Carey  grew  up  in  Spring  Valley,  born  on  January  11,  1887,  mar- 
ried Leroy  S.  Davis,  of  near  Xenia.  They  now  reside  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
and  have  three  children,  Herbert,  Ernest,  and  Lawrence. 


JOHN   McCONNELL. 

John  McConnell,  former  internal  revenue  storekeeper  for  this  district, 
formerly  and  for  some  years  engaged  in  business  at  Xenia  and  a  land  land- 
owner of  Greene  county  now  living  retired  at  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Sugarcreek  township,  November  28,  1845,  ^"d  ^''^s  lived  in  this  county  all  his 
life.  Mr.  McConnell  is  affiliated  with  two  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene 
county,  his  parents,  who  were  married  here,  having  been  members  of  pio- 
neer families,  and  the  farm  he  owns  in  Sugarcreek  township  is  a  part  of 
the  tract  his  grandfather  Marshall  settled  on  there  in  1803,  the  same  thus 
having  been  in  the  family  continuously  since  this  county  became  a  civic 
unit  considerably  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago. 

In  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  David  McConnell,  of  Osborn,  elder 
brother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length 
something  of  the  history  of  James  M.  McConnell,  father  of  these  brothers, 
and  of  John  Marshall,  their  maternal  grandfather,  and  it  therefore  hardly  will 
be  necessary  to  go  into  the  details  of  Mr.  McConnell's  genealogy  here,  further 
than  to  say  that  John  Marshall,  who  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812 
and  who  later  served  as  one  of  the  associate  judges  of  this  county,  was  a 
Kentuckian,  born  in  tiie  vicinity  of  Lexington,  in  1784,  and  was  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  up  into  this  valley  in  1803  and  secured  a  patent  to  si.x 
hundred  acres  of  land  along  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami,  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  this  county,  on  which  after  his  marriage  he  established  his  home 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  in  1866,  he  then  being  past  eighty-two 
years  of  age,- and  his  body  was  buried  on  his  farm,  overlooking  the  beautiful 
valley  of  the  Little  Miami.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely :  Nancy,  who  married  James  M.  McConnell  and  was  the  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Sarah,  who  married  John  Brock ;  Hester,  who 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  519 

married  Captain  Kyler,  of  Dayton;  Betsy,  who  married  William  Morgan; 
James,  who  remained  on  the  farm,  and  Jesse,  who  also  remained  on  the 
farm  and  was  the  grandfather  of  Judge  J.  C.  Marshall,  present  judge  of  pro- 
bate for  Greene  county. 

James  M.  McConnell,  father  of  John  McConnell,  was  a  Virginian,  born  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  salt  springs  in  Kanawha  county,  in  the  Old  Dominion, 
February  14,  1817,  a  son  of  David  and  Nancy  (Munn)  McConnell,  who 
were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  in  1787  and  the  latter,  in  1789, 
who  were  married  in  that  county  on  January  5,  1815,  and  who  became  the 
'  parents  of  three  children.  David  McConnell  met  his  death  while  still  a  com- 
paratively young  man  by  falling  from  the  "natural  bridge"  in  Virginia  and 
his  widow,  with  her  three  young  children,  later  moved  to  Cincinnati,  where 
James  M.  McConnell  spent  his  youth  and  received  his  schooling,  later  coming 
up  jnto  Greene'  county  and  locating  in  the  McClellan  settlement  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  where  he  met  and  presently  married  Nancy  Marshall,  daughter  of 
John  Marshall,  the  pioneer,  mentioned  above.  She  had  received  from  her 
father  a  tract  of  about  one  hundred  acres,  a  part  of  his  original  patent  there, 
and  after  his  marriage  James  McConnell  established  his  home  on  that  tract. 
He  later  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  James  M. 
McConnell  was  one  of  the  first  men  in  the  county  successfully  to  raise  tobacco 
and  for  years  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  tobacco  growers  hereabout. 
He  was  a  Democrat  and  for  a  long  time  the  only  partisan  of  that  political 
faith  in  his  school  district.  Late  in  life  he  became  an  adherent  of  the  Quaker 
church  and  died  in  that  faith.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  She  died  on  March  8,  1874.  and  he  survived  until  August 
12,  1889.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  his  brother  having  had  a  sister,  Sarah  Frances,  who  married  Thomas 
Ginn,  of  Jamestown,  and  died  in  1916. 

John  McConnell  was  reared  on  tiie  farm  on  which  he  was  born  in  Sugar- 
rreek  township  and  received  liis  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood. 
From  boyhood  he  was  a  valued  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the 
farm  and  after  his  marriage  when  twenty-five  years  of  age  continued  to 
make  his  home  there  until  1883,  when  he  mo\'ed  to  Xenia  and  there  became 
engaged,  in  association  with  his  elder  brother  David,  in  the  agricultural-imple- 
ment and  seed  business,  the  brothers  doing  business  under  the  finn  name  of 
McConnell  Brothers.  During  the  first  Cleveland  administration  Mr.  McCon- 
nell was  appointed  internal  revenue  storekeeper  for  this  district  and  upon 
completing  that  term  of  service  became  a  traveling  salesman  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  several  years,  having  in  1891  helped  to  organize  the  Tippecanoe 
Whip  Company,  at  Tippecanoe,  this  state,  one  of  the  leading  stockholder? 
in  the  same,  and  represented  that  company  "on  the  road."     Some  years  later 


520  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  disposed  of  his  interest  in  that  company  and  then,  in  association  with  the 
Hon.  John  Little,  became  engaged  in  the  general  wholesale  tobacco  busi- 
ness at  Xenia,  buying  from  the  growers  and  shipping  to  the  central  tobacco 
markets.  For  several  years  Mr.  McConnell  was  thus  engaged  in  business 
in  Xenia.  In  the  meantime  he  had  retained  ownership  of  his  farm  and  since 
retiring  from  business  he  has  devoted  his  time  to  the  general  management 
and  oversight  of  the  same.  Mr.  McConnell  is  a  Democrat  and  during  the 
memorable  campaign  of  1892  was  chairman  of  the  Greene  county  Democratic 
central  committee.  He  was  one  time  made  the  nominee  of  his  party  for 
auditor  of  the  county  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  cutting  down  the  normal 
Republican  majority  of  twenty-four  hundred  to  seven  hundred.  Mr.  ^IcCon- 
nell  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Dean,  and  family  are  members  of  the  First 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

On  June  30,  1870,  John  McConnell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cordelia 
Flemming,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of  New  Burlington,  on  the  Greene- 
Clinton  county  line.  Her  father  was  a  carriage  painter,  who  later  moved 
to  Craw  fords  ville,  Indiana,  where  he  died;  his  widow  later  marrving  \\"i\\- 
iam  Tate.  Mrs.  McConnell  died  on  March  24,  191 2,  she  then  being  si.xtv- 
three  years  of  age.  Mr.  McConnell  still  occupies  his  old  home  on  West 
Market  street,  Xenia,  together  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Dean.  Mr.  McCon- 
nell has  two  daughters,  Imogene,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Robert  W.  Burnside,  pastor 
of  the  Fifth  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Philadelphia,  and  Olive  K.,  wife 
of  Walter  Levi  Dean,  former  county  auditor  of  Greene  county  and  now  a 
bond  salesman  living  in  Xenia.  Mr.  McConnell  had  a  son,  James,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  two  children  have  been 
born,  Flemniing  AI.,  who  is  now  attending  Muskingum  College,  and  Imogene, 
at  home.  Mrs.  Dean  is  one  of  the  leaders  in  local  social-service  movements 
and  during  the  recent  state-wide  prohibition  campaign  was  indefatigable  in 
her  labors  in  that  behalf,  working  literally  night  and  day  for  the  cause. 
She  is  superintendent  of  the  department  of  Christian  citizenship  of  the  Ohio 
Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 


JOHN  FDMUND  MUNGER. 

John  Edmund  Munger,  of  Beavercreek  township,  proprietor  of  a  farm 
on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike,  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  nati\-e 
"Buckeye"  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county 
and  of  Beavercreek  township  since  the  days  of  his  lx)yhood.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  just  north  of  Piqua  in  Miami  county,  April  i,  1855,  son  of  Harris 
and  Elizabeth  (Cartwright)  Munger,  both  of  whom  were  members  of  pio- 
neer families  in  this  section  of  Ohio  and  whose  la,st  days  were  spent  on  their 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  521 

farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  where  they  both  died  of  pneu- 
monia in  February,  1907,  and  were  buried  in  a  single  grave  in  the  Beaver- 
creek cemetery. 

Harris  Alunger  was  born  on  a  farm  east  of  Dayton,  in  jNIontgomery 
county,  in  1828,  son  of  Festus  and  Mary  E.  (Harris)  Alunger,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  son  of  Gen.  Edmund  Munger,  pioneer  o  fthe  Dayton  district, 
who  was  commander  of  the  Ohio  troops  during  the  War  of  1812  until  super- 
ceded by  General  Hull.  The  Mungers  are  of  an  old  Kentish  family  and  have 
been  established  in  this  country  since  the  year  1639,  when  the  first  of  the 
name  to  come  to  the  American  colonies  settled  in  New  England,  as  will  be 
noted  in  a  further  and  more  comprehensive  reference  to  this  family  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  General  iNIunger,  who  had  settled  in  the  Synimes 
Purchase  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Montgomery  county  in 
1798,  was  the  father  of  twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  lived  to  rear  families 
of  their  own.  Festus  Munger  and  his  brother  Reuben  married  sisters,  daugh- 
ters of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Bingham)  Harris,  New  Englanders  who  had 
become  pioneers  of  this  section  of  Ohio,  Festus  marrying  jMary  Harris  and 
Reuben  marrying  Laura  Harris.  The  late  Judge  Edmund  Harris  IMunger, 
of  Xenia.  was  one  of  the  three  children  born  to  this  latter  union  and  the 
only  one  of  the  three  to  grow  to  maturity.  After  his  marriage  Festus 
Munger  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  just  east  of  the  then  village  of  Dayton. 
He  and  his  wife  were  Presbyterians  and  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  Harris  Munger,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the 
first-born,  the  others  being  the  following :  Felix,  whose  last  days  were  spent 
at  Piqua,  this  state;  Timothy,  who  died  in  California;  Lyman,  who  is  still- 
living,  now  a  resident  of  Kokomo,  Indiana;  Alvin,  and  Laura,  the  latter  of 
whom  also  is  still  living,  wife  of  Doctor  Hayes,  of  Albany,  in  Delaware 
county,  Indiana. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Montgomery  county,  Harris  Munger  there 
married  Elizabeth  Cartwright,  who  was  born  in  1829  and  who  was  reared 
in  the  household  of  Reuben  Munger,  mentioned  above,  her  parents  having 
died  when  she  was  a  child.  After  his  marriage  Harris  Munger  moved  over 
into  Preble  county  and  bought  a  farm  there,  but  presently  sold  the  same  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Miami  county,  making  his  home  on  the  latter  place  for 
ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  closed  out  his  interests  there  and 
bought  a  farm  in  Champaign  county,  later  returning  to  Montgomerv  countv 
and  buying  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  three  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Dayton,  not  far  from  his  boyhood  home,  and  there  continued  farming 
for  nine  years.  He  then  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  bought  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  in  Beavercreek  township  on  which  he 
established  his  home.     There  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 


522  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lives,  both  dying,  as  noted  above,  in  February,  1907,  the  former  then  being 
seventy-nine  years  of  age  and  the  latter,  seventy-eight.  Both  Mr.  Hunger 
and  his  wife  originally  were  Presbyterians,  but  upon  coming  to  Greene 
county  became  affiliated  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Alpha.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
second  in  birth,  the  others  being  Matilda,  widow  of  A.  F.  Herring,  of  Beaver- 
creek,  township ;  Dr.  Perry  H.  Munger,  a  physician,  now  living  at  St.  Paul 
Park,  Minnesota;  Dr.  William  Munger,  an  osteopathic  physician,  now  liv- 
ing at  Carlsbad,  New  Mexico,  and  Mary,  wife  of  B.  G.  Smith,  a  Dayton 
photographer. 

John  Edmund  Munger  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  due  to  the  several 
moves  made  by  his  father  previous  to  the  definite  establishment  of  the  family 
in  this  county,  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Miami  county,  Mont- 
gomery county  and  Greene  county,  completing  the  same  in  the  grade  high 
school  in  Beavercreek  township.  He  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage 
in  1878.  he  then  being  twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  rented  a  farm 
in  his  home  township  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  continuing 
to  farm  as  a  renter  until  in  1896,  when  he  bought  the  Weaver  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-three  acres,  on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike  in  Beaver- 
creek township,  and  there  established  his  home.  Since  taking  possession  of 
that  place  Mr.  Munger  has  made  numerous  improvements  on  the  farm, 
remodeling  the  farm  house,  building  a  new  and  modern  barn  and  erecting 
on  the  place  a  new  house  for  his  son,  John  H.  Munger,  who  is  now  man- 
aging the  place,  his  father  having  practically  retired  from  the  direct  labors 
of  the  farm.  Since  taking  up  his  residence  there  Mr.  Munger  has  added 
to  the  acreage  of  his  farm  by  the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract  and  now 
has  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing he  for  twelve  years  carried  on  a  pretty  extensive  dair^^  business.  Mr. 
Munger  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father,  and  for  the  past  fifteen  years 
has  been  serving  as  treasurer  of  Beavercreek  township.  He  gave  his  three 
sons  the  benefit  of  schooling  in  Ohio  State  University. 

In  1878  John  E.  Munger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Ellen  Weaver, 
who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Boot) 
Weaver,  Virginians  both,  but  residents  of  this  county  since  the  days  of 
their  childhood,  their  respective  parents  having  come  here  from  Virginia 
many  years  ago.  John  M.  Weaver  was  but  nine  years  of  age  when  he  came 
here  with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  in  Spring  Valley  township.  For 
years  after  his  marriage  he  lived  on  a  farm  on  the  Fair  Ground  road,  a 
mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Xenia,  and  then,  in  1866,  moved  to  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Mr.   Munger  in  Beavercreek  township.     He  later  bought  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  523 

farm  on  the  Cincinnati  pike  and  there  died  in  1892.  His  wife  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  nearly  ten  years,  her  death  having  occurred  in  1883.  They 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  but  two  now  survive,  Mrs.  Hun- 
ger, the  last  in  order  of  birth,  having  a  sister,  Olivia,  second  in  order  of 
birth,  wife  of  Frank  Hupman,  of  Xenia ;  the  others  having  been  Martha 
and  John.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Munger  have  four  children,  Elsie,  Ralph  W..  John 
H.  and  Walter,  the  former  of  whom  is  unmarried  and  is  at  home  with  her 
parents.  Ralph  W.  Munger,  who  married  Florence  Jackson  and  had  been 
making  his  home  at  Alpha,  was  recently  appointed  agricultural  agent  for 
Shelby  county  and  has  taken  up  his  residence  in  that  county.  John  H.  Mun- 
ger, who  married  Laura  McClellan,  is  living  on  the  home  place,  as  noted  above, 
and  for  some  time  has  had  general  direction  of  the  farm  operations.  Walter 
Munger,  who  married  Minerva  Tate,  is  now  living  at  Cincinnati,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  business  as  a  landscape  gardener  and  tree  surgeon.  The 
Mungfers  are  members  of  the  Beaver  Reformed  church. 


WILLIAM   HENDRICKSON   BURR. 

William  Hendrickson  Burr,  a  Jefferson  township  farmer,  formerly  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business  at  Bowersville,  was  born  in  Greene  county, 
and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
village  of  Spring  Valley  on  November  20,  1852,  son  of  John  H.  and  Hen- 
rietta (Morris)  Burr,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  part  of  the  county 
now  comprised  in  Jefferson  township,  their  respective  parents  having  been 
among  the  early  settlers  of  that  section. 

John  H.  Burr  was  a  son  of  David  and  Louisa  (O.xley)  Burr,  who  had 
come  over  here  from  Virginia  after  their  marriage  and  had  established 
their  home  in  that  section  of  the  county  which  in  1858  was  set  off  as 
Jefferson  township,  previous  to  that  time  having  been  included  in  the 
boundaries  of  Silvercreek  township.  There  these  pioneers  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  their  lives,  David  Burr  living  to  the  age  of  eighty-four  years 
and  his  wife  to  the  age  of  eighty-six.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  ten  grew  to  maturity.  Reared  on  the  home  place,  John 
H.  Burr  remained  there  until  his  marriage  to  Henrietta  Morris,  after  which 
he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  there 
remained  until  his  death  in  1861,  he  then  being  thirty-three  years  of  age. 
His  widow  survived  him  but  six  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1867.  They 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first-born,  the  others  being  Louisa  E.  (deceased),  who  was  the  wife  of  John 
Miller;  Mary  E.,  who  married  E.  E.  Horney  and  who,  as  well  as  her  hus- 


524  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

band,  is  now  deceased;  Hannah  B.,  wife  of  A.  L.  Smith,  of  Jamestown,  this 
county,  and  John  H.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years. 

William  H.  Burr  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
was  fourteen  at  the  time  of  his  mother's  death.  He  then  made  his  home 
with  his  grandfather  Burr  until  the  latter 's  death,  after  which  he  made  his 
home  with  the  family  of  his  uncle,  W'illiam  C.  Burr,  until  he  started  out 
for  himself.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  early 
learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  at  which  he  worked,  in  the  shop  of  I.  C. 
Stewart  at  Bowersville,  for  three  years,  or  until  his  marriage  in  1874,  when 
twenty -one  years  of  age.  after  which  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson 
township,  two  miles  northeast  of  Bowersville,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
for  twent}-  }'ears,  or  until  1894,  when  he  bought  the  Thomas  Smith  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  five  acres,  later  selling  part  of  the  same  to  his  son, 
Dwight  D.  Burr,  who  now  owns  it.  In  1894  Mr.  Burr  became  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business  at  Bowersville,  but  two  years  later  returned  to  farm- 
ing. Not  long  afterward  he  became  engaged  as  a  salesman  for  the  Inter- 
national Harvester  Company,  covering  local  territory,  and  for  four  years 
continued  thus  engaged.  Since  then  Mr.  Burr  has  been  living  practically 
retired,  continuing,  however,  to  make  his  home  on  the  farm  in  Jefferson 
township.  Mr.  Burr  is  a  Republican  and  for  twenty  years  served  as  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church  at  Bowersville,  with  which  congregation  Mr.  Burr  has 
been  connected  for  more  than  forty  years,  an  office  bearer  in  the  church 
for  more  than  twenty  years. 

On  January  8,  1874,  William  H.  Burr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora 
B.  Hussey,  also  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  Greene  county,  and 
to  this  union  the  following  children  have  been  born :  Charles  M.,  a  farmer 
in  Silvercreek  township;  Femmie  M.,  who  married  \\'.  F.  Lewis,  a  Silver- 
creek  township  farmer;  Fred  E.,  a  Jefferson  township  farmer;  Horace,  a 
farmer  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette;  Henry  S.,  a  Jefferson  town- 
ship farmer;  Dwight  D.,  who  now  owns  part  of  the  old  home  place;  Kate 
L.,  who  married  Charles  Miley,  a  Jefferson  township  farmer,  and  Mary, 
who  married  Earl  Garringer,  a  Silvercreek  township  farmer. 

.Mrs.  Burr  was  born  on  the  old  Hussey  place  in  that  part  of  what  then 
was  Silvercreek  township,  now  compriserl  within  the  bounds  of  Jefferson 
township,  a  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Catherine  (Lockhart)  Hussey,  the 
former  of  whom  had  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  he  was  twelve 
or  thirteen  years  of  age.  having  come  up  here  from  Tennessee  with  his 
parents,  Chri-stopher  and  Mary  Hussey,  in  1807,  the  family  settling  in  Sil- 
vercreek township  among  the  very  first  settlers  in  that  portion  of  that  town- 
ship that  in  1858  was  set  off  as  Jefferson  township.     The  elder  Christopher 


GREENE    COrXTY,    OHIO  525 

Hussey  and  his  wife  were  Virginians  who  had  estabHshed  their  home  ni 
Tennessee,  where  they  resided  for  some  years  before  coming  up  here  into 
Ohio,  where  they  acquired  a  large,  tract  of  land.  The  elder  Christopher 
Hussey  died  in  1874.     He  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812. 

The  junior  Christopher  Hussey,  for  many  years  known  throughout 
the  community  as  Squire  Hussey,  for  he  served  for  forty  years  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  township,  was  born  on  June  12,  1794,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Jefferson  township  on  March  8,  1874,  and  was  buried 
in  the  Hussey  graveyard.  As  noted  above  he  was  but  a  lad  when  he  came 
up  here  from  Tennessee  with  his  parents  and  he  and  his  brothers  continued 
the  work  of  developing  the  home  tract  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  where 
the  village  of  Bowersville  presently  came  to  be  established.  The  old  log 
liouse,  circular  in  form,  built  bv  the  Hussevs  upon  taking  up  their  residence 
there,  remained  one  of  the  familiar  landmarks  of  that  section  for  many 
years  and  served  as  a  place  of  residence  until  in  good  time  a  brick  house  was 
built  on  the  place.  In  the  family  of  the  pioneers,  Christopher  and  2\Iary 
Hussey,  there  were  seven  children,  who  grew  to  maturity,  hence  the  Hussey 
connection  in  the  present  generation  is  one  of  the  most  numerous  hereabout. 
The  original  homestead  tract  of  the  Husseys  contained  twenty-seven  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  bought  for  one  dollar  an  acre,  and  the  junior  Christopher 
Hussey,  or  Squire  Hussey,  as  he  was  better  known,  in  time  came  to  be  the 
owner  of  eleven  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  his  own.  Reared  a  Wliig, 
he  became  a  Republican  upon  the  formation  of  the  latter  party.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

Following  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Squire  Hussey  married  Catherine 
Lockhart,  who  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  daughter  of  Samuel  Lock- 
hart,  a  Virginian  and  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812,  and  to  that  union  were 
born  the  following  children:  Henry  M.,  who  married  Polly  Ann  Reeves 
and  is  now  Hying  in  the  vicinity  of  Bridgeport.  Indiana ;  Narcissa.  who  mar- 
ried James  Compton,  and  who.  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased; 
Lydia  Ann,  now  living  at  Ellsworth,  Michigan,  widow  of  Gilbert  Bentley; 
Eveline,  now  living  at  Mt.  Vernon,  this  state,  widow  of  Joseph  H. 
Huffaker;  James  W..  who  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  ha\ing 
been  Christina  \\"althall  and  his  second.  Narcissus  Bass,  and  who  is  now  a 
ranchman  and  a  dealer  in  lumber  and  brick  at  Starr,  Idaho;  Albert  M.,  who 
married  Rosa  Green  and  who,  as  well  as  his  wife,  is  now  deceased;  Flora 
B..  wife  of  Mr.  Burr;  Joseph,  who  married  Anna  Hall  (deceased)  and  is 
now  living  in  western  Colorado,  and  Catherine,  who  is  now  living  in  Pauld- 
ing county,  this  state,  widow  of  Frank  Huston.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren survived  her  husband  for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  on  C'ctober 
.18,  1889,  she  then  being  eighty-two  years  of  age. 


526  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

CHARLES  E.  REAM,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Charles  E.  Ream,  who  for  nearly  twenty-five  years  has  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Bowersvihe,  is  a  native  "Buckeye"  and  has 
Hved  in  tliis  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  at  Centerfield,  in  Highland 
county,  September  22,  1866,  son  of  John  and  Christiana  (CoUins)  Ream, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county,  November  10,  1830.  John 
Ream  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Ross,  March  9,  1824,  a  son 
of  John  Ream,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from  Reamtown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  settled  in  Ross  county.  After  his  marriage  the  younger  John  Ream  located 
at  Centerfield,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  her 
death  occurring  on  July  i,  1889,  and  his,  April  21,  1901.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Doctor  Ream  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  William  Layton,  born  on  August  g, 
1855,  who  died  on  June  21,  1857;  Effie  Alice,  April  21,  1859,  who  died  on 
Tuly  3.  1872;  Addie,  December  22,  1862,  who  is  now  living  in  Highland 
county,  this  state,  wife  of  Clarence  Baldwin,  and  Myrtle.  June  11,  1870, 
who  is  unmarried  and  makes  her  home  at  Greenfield,  Ohio. 

Reared  at  Centerfield,  Charles  E.  Ream  received  his  early  schooling 
there  and  at  Hillsboro,  later  took  a  course  in  the  college  at  Lebanon  and 
then  entered  the  Cincinnati  Eclectic  Medical  Institute,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  1894  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Upon 
receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Ream  came  to  Greene  county  and  opened  an 
office  at  Bowersville,  where  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society, 
of  the  Ohio  State  ^Medical  Society  and  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
The  Doctor  is  a  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  that  order  at  James- 
town, and  is  also  affiliated  v.ith  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Bowersville.  The 
Doctor  owns  town  property  and  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  a  mile  and  a  half 
southwest  of  Bowersville. 

On  Ume  24,  1897,  Dr.  Charles  E.  Ream  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Carrie  E.  Conklin,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  James  Gilbert  and  Catherine  (Hussey)  Conklin,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  the  neighlioring  county  of  Clinton,  the  former  at  Luniberton 
and  the  latter  in  the  Port  William  neighborhood.  James  Gilbert  Conklin 
came  to  this  county  after  his  marriage  to  Catherine  Hussey  and  located 
on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  later  moving  to  a  farm  a  little  mor" 
than  a  mile  .south  of  Bowersville.  where  he  is  still  livin?".  His  first  wife 
died  in  1S80  and  he  later  married  Alice  E.  Elliott.     To  the  first  union  thr-"' 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  527 

children  were  born,  those  besides  Mrs.  Ream  being  a  son,  now  deceased,  and 
May,  now  Mrs.  H.  C.  Wilson,  of  Cleveland.  To  the  second  union  were 
born  four  children,  namely:  ^ora,  wife  of  Clyde  Sutton,  of  Dayton;  Guy, 
who  married  Ruth  Sheley  and  is  farming  in  New  Jasper  township,  and 
Dorothy  and  Robert,  at  home.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Ream  have  two  children, 
sons  both,  Charles  Gilbert,  born  on  March  14,  1900,  who  was  graduated 
from  the  Bowersville  high  school  with  the  class  of  19 18  and  is  now  handling 
the  local  agency  for  an  automobile  concern,  and  Arthur  Bailey,  March  5, 
1903. 


THEODORE  PAULLIN. 

Theodore  Paullin,  a  former  grain  dealer  at  Jamestown,  now  living  retired 
in  that  village,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  Novem- 
ber 2"],  1864,  son  of  Enos  and  Sarah  (Round)  Paullin,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  when  her  son  Theodore  was  but  an  infant.  Enos  Paullin  also  was  born 
in  this  county,  a  son  of  David  and  Susan  (Smith)  Paullin,  who  were  among 
the  pioneers  of  Ross  township,  the  former  having  been  a  resident  of  that 
township  since  the  year  1813.  Enos  Paullin  was  twice  married.  By  his, 
union  with  Sarah  Round  he  was  the  father  of  three  children,  Minnie  O., 
wife  of  E.  N.  Shigley,  who  lives  on  the  Cedarville  pike  about  midway  between 
Cedarville  and  Jamestown;  Otis,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  and 
Theodore.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  Enos  Paulin 
married  Malinda  Moorman,  of  Silvercreek  township,  and  to  that  union  were 
born  three  children,  namely :  C.  Oscar,  who  is  living  at  Washington,  D. 
C. ;  Matilda,  who  married  George  Little,  of  Xenia,  and  is  now  deceased, 
and  Flora,  who  married  E.  M.  Harper  and  continues  to  live  on  the  old  home 
farm  in  Ross  township. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township,  Theodore  Paullin  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Jamestown  and  after  completing  the 
course  in  the  high  school  there  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  Upon 
leaving  college  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm  and  after  his  marriage  in 
1884  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  continuing  thus  engaged  in  Ross 
township  for  fourteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged 
in  the  grain  business  at  Jamestown,  moving  to  that  village,  and  there  con- 
tinued thus  engaged  until  1903,  when  failing  health  compelled  his  retire- 
ment. During  the  period  of  his  activity  Mr.  Paullin  served  as  a  public  officer 
in  several  capacities,  among  the  offices  held  by  him  having  been  that  of 
township  treasurer.  He  also  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  school 
board. 


528  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  December  24.  1884,  Theodore  Paullin  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Bessie  Bozarth,  who  was  born  in  McLean  county,  IlHnois.  daughter  of 
Alfred  and  Harriet  (Brooks)  Bozarth,  both  ijpw  deceased.  Alfred  Bozarth 
died  in  1872.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Paullin 
and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Dora  Rusmissell,  are  the  only  ones  now  living,  the 
others  having  been  Charles  and  \\'illiam  and  twins,  the  latter  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Alfred  Bozarth's  widow  married  J.  D.  Ritenour,  of  this  county, 
but  continued  to  make  her  home  in  Illinois.  By  her  second  marriage  she  was 
the  mother  of  three  children,  Frank  (deceased),  Effie  and  Frederick 
(deceased).  Air.  and  Mrs.  Paullin  have  two  children,  Fern  and  Carl,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Ross  township.  Fern  Paullin  married  Charles  Reeder, 
of  South  Charleston,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  and  has  three 
children.  Brooks,  Louise  and  Harriet.  Carl  Paullin  completed  his  school- 
ing at  Cornell  L'niversity,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated.  Fol- 
lowing the  government's  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  the  spring 
of  1917  he  enlisted  his  services  and  was  assigned  to  the  officers'  training 
camp  at  Ft.  Benjamin  Harrison,  Indianapolis,  and  in  due  time  received  a 
commission  as  lieutenant,  afterward  being  stationed  at  Camp  Dodge  dowa), 
in  preparation  for  service  abroad.  The  Paullins  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church. 


JOSEPH  C.  HUNTER. 


Joseph  C.  Hunter,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  nearly  two  hundred  acres  in 
Bath  township,  this  count}',  residing  on  rural  mail  route  Xo  2  out  of  Yellow 
Springs,  is  a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  Williamson  county,  that  state, 
October  10,  i860,  son  of  Jerome  Lilly,  a  Cherokee  Indian,  and  Dorcas  Hunter, 
a  slave  of  Henry  Hunter.  The  mother  died  in  1897  and  the  father  is  now 
living  in  Toronto,  Canada.  Reared  on  a  farm  in  Tennessee,  Joseph  Hunter 
was  schooled  in  the  district  schools  and  upon  reaching  manhood's  estate 
began  farming.  He  married  in  1883  and  for  twenty-one  years  thereafter 
continued  farming  in  Tennessee,  sixteen  years  of  that  period  also  being 
engaged  in  the  threshing  business  during  seasons.  In  1904  he  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  in  Greene  county,  the  next  year  buying  the  farm  on  which  he 
now  lives,  and  on  which  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church  at  Yellow  Springs. 

On  December  27,  1883,  at  Union  City,  Tennessee.  Joseph  Hunter  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ellen  Johnson,  of  that  place,  daughter  of  Lee  Eddings 
and  Sarah  X.  Johnson,  both  of  whom  are  still  living,  and  to  this  union  have 


JOSEPH  C.  HUNTER. 


GREKNE    COUNTY,    OHIO  529 

been  born  ten  children,  namely:  Savannah,  who  married  William  Edwards, 
now  farming  in  Miami  township,  this  county;  Robert,  who  is  assisting  his 
father  in  the  management  of  the  home  farm  and  who  married  Winnie  Petti- 
ford  ;  Queen  Esther,  who  married  Clayton  G.  Mills,  now  living  at  Clifton ; 
Herman,  who  was  pursuing  his  studies  with  the  design  of  entering  the  medi- 
cal profession  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  is  now  connected  with  the  medi- 
cal corps  of  the  United  States  army ;  Clay  Evans,  who  was  graduated  from 
Wilberforce  University  in  1917  and  is  now  (1918)  a  second  heutenant  in 
the  National  Army  of  the  United  States,  stationed  at  Camp  Funston ;  Joseph, 
who  is  assisting  on  the  fann ;  Cecil,  who  is  now  a  student  in  Wilberforce 
University;  Ruby,  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  Fairfield,  and  Lester  and 
Waudell,  also  in  school.  Joseph  Hunter  has  one  hundred  and  ninety-seven 
and  six-tenths  acres  in  his  farm,  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Holstein  cattle 
and  has  a  fine  herd  of  thirty  head  on  his  place. 


REV.  THOMAS  BEVERIDGE,  D.  D. 

The  General  Assembly  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  in  the  United 
States  was  in  session  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  Doctor  Beveridge  in  the 
spring  of  1873  and  upon  receipt  of  the  news  of  his  death  adjourned  as  a 
mark  of  respect  for  his  memory  and  later  adopted  resolutions  expressive  of 
the  church's  profound  esteem  for  this  venerable  leader.  Xenia  Presbytery 
at  its  next  meeting  following  the  death  of  Doctor  Beveridge  also  adopted 
resolutions,  declaring  "that  in  his  lovely  Christian  character  and  life,  as  a 
man  and  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  has  left  behind  him  a  shining  testimony 
to  the  beauty  and  excellence  of  that  gospel  which  he  so  long  professed  and 
preached,  and  an  example  worthy  of  admiration  and  imitation  by  all."  The 
Christian  Instructor  carried  a  biographical  reference  to  Doctor  Beveridge  fol- 
lowing his  death,  the  general  tone  of  which  is  indicated  by  the  conclud- 
ing paragraph :  "Dr.  Beveridge  had  hVed  long.  Not  one  of  the  ministers 
that  took  part  in  his  licensure  or  ordination,  and  not  one  of  the  signers 
of  his  call  to  the  church  in  Xenia,  are  now  living.  All  his  associates  in 
study  are  gone,  and  nearly  all  with  whom  he  took  part  in  his  early  ministrj' ; 
an.d  no  one  has  ever  been  more  identified  with  almost  all  the  great  movements 
of  the  church  in  the  last  fifty  years.  Most  emphatically  is  it  the  feeling 
of  all  who  knew  him,  Dr.  Beveridge  was  a  good  man,  and  most  faithfullv 
and  usefully  filled  his  day  and  place.  All  honor  to  his  memory."  In  the 
same  strain  the  Xciiia  Ga::ctfc  said:  "Dr.  Beveridge  died  without  an  enemv. 
We  hazard  little  in  saying  he  never  had  an  enemy.  \\'e  cannot  conceive 
that  he  could  even  give  an  offense  or  do  a  wrong  to  anv  one.     He  was  pre- 

(33) 


530  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

eminently  a  good  man  and  went  about  doing  good.  Unassuming,  unpre- 
tentious, none  knew  him  but  to  respect  and  love  him.  As  a  minister,  Dr. 
Beveridge  had  nothing  of  the  sensational  about  him.  He  was  not  a  pulpit 
orator  of  the  modern  style.  He  preached  the  gospel — the  gospel  oiiiy, 
simply  and  plainly,  but  with  power.  He  fed  his  hearers  with  meat  and 
not  with  milk.  From  a  well-cultivated  and  richly  stored  mind  and  a  heart 
overflowing  with  love  to  God  and  man,  he  brought  forth  things  new  and  old, 
and  "gave  each  and  all  a  portion  iii  good  season.  In  his  death  the  church 
loses  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments,  and  the  community  a  most  exemplary 
citizen." 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Beveridge,  D.  D.,  whose  ministerial  labors  at  Xenia 
began  in  1820  and  who  later  became  head  of  the  old  Associate  Theological 
Seminary  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  returning  to  Xenia  when  that  insti- 
tution was  removed  from  Canonsburg  to  Xenia  in  1855,  the  rest  of  his  life 
being  spent  here,  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  church  and  from 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  his  life  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  church. 
He  was  born  at  Cambridge,  New  York,  son  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Beveridge 
and  Janet  Fotheringham  Beveridge,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Scotland, 
the  former  at  Eastside,  in  the  parish  of  Fossoway,  Fifeshire,  in  1749.  The 
elder  Thomas  Beveridge  was  ordained  by  the  Associate  presbytery  of  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland,  September  23,  1783;  arrived  in  America  in  the  spring  of 
1784;  went  to  Cambridge,  New  York,  that  fall;  settled  there  on  Septem- 
ber 10,  1789,  and  died  at  Barnet,  Vermont.  July  23,  1798,  in  his  forty-ninth 
year. 

Some  years  before  his  death  Doctor  Beveridge  had  written  a  quite  com- 
prehensive review  of  his  life  and  after  his  death  this  autobiography  was 
printed  by  his  son,  John  A.  Beveridge, -for  private  circulation,  and  it  is  on 
those  memoirs  that  the  following  narrative  is  based.  "Both  my  parents 
were  emigrants  from  Scotland,"  wrote  Doctor  Beveridge.  "My  mother  cam: 
over  when  about  eleven  years  of  age.  She  was  from  Fifeshire.  and  born 
about  the  year  1763.  Her  mother  (Janet  Lourie,  daughter  of  John  and  .\nn 
Gilmore  Lourie)  was  one  of  the  first  Seceders  from  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land. .  She  imited  with  them  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  in  opposition  to  the  views 
of  the  rest  of  the  familv,  though  after  some  time  they  all  followed  her 
example.  She  was  first  married  to  a  Air.  fGeorgel  Beveridge.  by  who-i 
she  had  several  children.  *  *  *  After  the  death  of  her  first  Inishimd. 
my  grandmother  wns  married  to  a  Mr.  George  Fotherinsame  or  Fothering- 
liam  (I  find  the  name  spelled  both  ways).  My  mother.  Jennet  Fotheringanie, 
was  the  only  issue  of  this  second  marriage.  After  the  death  of  my  grand- 
mother's   second   husband,  one  of  her  sons,  Andrew  Beveridge,  resolved  to 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  531 

emigrate  to  America,  and  as  he  had  probably  been  a  favorite  son,  his  mother 
concluded  to  accompan}'  him  and  took  with  her  two  daughters,  Ann  Bever- 
idge,  afterwards  married  to  James  Small,  who  was  for  many  years  an  elder 
of  the  Associate  congregation  of  Cambridge,  and  her  youngest  child,  Jen- 
net, my  mother.  *  *  *  ^j[y  grandmother,  with  her  three  children,  made 
their  way  to  New  York  state.  Andrew  finally  settled  in  Hebron,  where  he 
became  the  father  of  eight  sons  and  two  daughters.  [It  may  be  noted  by 
way  of  parenthesis  that  the  late  Gen.  John  Lourie  Beveridge,  former  gov- 
ernor of  Illinois,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Hollywood,  California,  in  1910, 
was  a  grandson  of  this  Andrew  Beveridge.]  Ann,  as  has  been  stated,  mar- 
ried James  Small,  of  Cambridge,  and  became  the  mother  of  two  sons,  Edward 
and  George,  and  two  daughters — the  elder  of  them  was  married  to  William 
McGeoch,  the  younger  to  Robert  Law.  [By  way  of  further  parenthesis,  it 
may  be  noted  that  the  late  Rev.  Gilbert  Small,  who  died  at  his  home  in 
Idaville,  Indiana,  in  1904,  and  who  for  eight  years  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  managers  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Xenia,  was  a  great-grand- 
son of  the  James  Small  here  referred  to.] 

•'*  *  *  As  I  was  not  quite  two  years  of  age  when  my  father  died,  I 
have  no  recollection  of  him,  but  hope  that  his  prayers  for  me  have  not  been 
altr;gether  in  vain.  My  mother  inherited  a  small  amount  of  property  from 
lier  father  and  after  her  marriage  insisted  on  investing  it  in  a  farm.  *  *  * 
I  was  sent  to  school  at  an  early  age  and  learned  the  common  branches 
of  English  education  with,  I  suppose,  tolerable  readiness.  From  my  earliest 
recollection  of  things  my  friends  always  spoke  of  me  as  one  who  must  be 
a  minister  of  the  gospel.  My  fa-ther's  library  had  always  been  kept  in 
the  hope  that  one  of  his  sons  might  succeed  him  in  his  office,  and  my  brothers 
having  died  in  their  youth,  it  seemed  as  if  I  must  be  the  one.  The  first 
actual  movement  in  this  direction  was  made  by  my  pastor.  Doctor  Bullions. 
Soon  after  iiis  settlement  in  Cambriflge.  he  took  some  notice  of  me  at  a 
public  examination,  and  was  urgent  for  my  engaging  in  study  with  a  view 
to  the  ministrv.  He  persuaded  me  to  recite  to  him  in  the  Latin  Grammar, 
hut  after  making  some  progress  in  it  I  became  discouraged,  and  signified  +0 
him  that  I  would  prefer  to  labor  on  the  farm.  O^e  reason  of  my  abandon- 
ing the  Latin  was  that  I  did  not  comprehend  or  relish  it.  Another  was  t''- 
situation  of  the  family:  my  brothers  being  dead,  there  was  no  one  but  myself 
left  to  attend  to  the  farm  and  the  support  of  the  family.  Our  farm  was 
managed  by  hired  hands,  and  I  had  seen  enough  of  the  management  of  most 
of  them  to  know  that  it  was  an  unprofitable  business.  My  mother  also 
■was  not  in  circumstances  to  meet  the  expenses  of  my  education.  Ab'"-" 
a  year  after  this,  Mr.   (now  Rev.  Dr.)  Andrew  Heron  came  into  the  neigh- 


532  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

borhood  and  engaged  in  teaching  the  common  school  at  which  I  attended. 
As  he  was  acquainted  with  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  my  friends  agaii: 
urged  me  to  engage  in  the  study  of  the  Latin.  My  uncle,  ^Ir.  James  Small, 
who  had  always  been  a  kind  friend  to  the  family,  called  one  day  and  urged 
me  to  embrace  the  present  opportunity  of  obtaining  a  classical  education. 
I  told  him  what  he  already  knew  very  well,  that  ni)-  mother  needed  my 
services  on  the  farm  and  could  not  at  all  meet  the  expenses  of  my  educa- 
tion. When  I  add  that  his  reply  was  the  turning  point  in  my  life,  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  it.  ■Tammy,"  said  he, 
'if  ye'U  only  go  to  the  learning,  ye  shall  ne'er  want  sae  lang  as  I  hae  a  cent." 
Knowing  him  to  be  quite  able  to  fulfill  his  promise,  my  hesitation  was 
overcome,  and  I  immediately  commenced  the  Latin  a  second  time,  being, 
I  suppose,  about  thirteen  years  of  age.  By  the  time  the  school  closed  I 
had  attained  a  pretty  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Latin,  and  made  a  com- 
mencement in  the  Greek.  *  *  *  After  the  closing  of  the  school  I  spent 
a  winter  with  Doctor  Bullions,  chiefly  engaged  in  the  study  of  Greek,  and 
in  company  with  him,  my  uncle,  ]\Ir.  Small,  and  my  room-mate,  Mr,  Peter 
Dunlap,  I  went  to  Union  College,  Schenectady.  This  was  in  September.  iSii, 
when  a  little  less  than  fifteen  years  of^  age.  *  *  *  It  has  since  been  a 
source  of  regret  to  me  that  I  entered  college  so  young.  *  *  *  Still, 
when  graduated.  August,  i<St4,  in  a  class  of  more  than  forty,  and  many 
of  them  fully-grown  young  men.  my  standing  was  next  to  the  twelfth  in  the 
list  of  honors." 

Doctor  Beveridge's  autobiography  then  recounts  ho\y  upon  leaving  college 
he  was  admitted  by  Cambridge  Presbytery  to  the  study  of  theology  and  hew 
during  the  succeeding  winter  he  taught  in  the  Cambridge  Academy  in  order 
to  obtain  means  to  prosecute  those  studies.  "The  school  was  small,"  he 
writ<"s,  "the  labor  excessive,  and  the  remuneration  inconsiderable.  *  *  * 
During  the  succeeding  summer  my  studies  were  prosecuted  under  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Cambridge,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  I  set  out  for  the  Theo- 
logical Hall  at  Service,  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania."  Doctor  Beveridge's 
description  of  that  journey,  which  required  twenty-four  days  of  arduous 
travel,  is  a  most  interesting  recountal  of  the  difficulties  of  travel  in  those  days. 
Upon  his  arrival  at  Service  he  took  board  with  Dr.  John  Anderson,  the  sole 
])rofes?or  of  the  institution.  At  the  close  of  the  session,  in  March,  iSiTi. 
he  found  an  opening  for  teaching  a  school  in  a  neighboring  congregation  and 
tluis  occupied  his  summer.  "The  next  summer."  lie  writes,  "T  was  induced 
bv  the  ]iromi?e  of  much  better  wages  to  undertake  the  teaching  of  a  classical 
.school  at  New  Athens.  Ohio ;  but  both  the  school  and  the  compensation  pro^e'l 
to  he  quite  small.     I   was  a^-a'n   induced  by  the  ho^e  of  a   lars'e  .increase 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  533 

of  both  to  remain  during  the  winter  and  the  succeeding  summer,  but  still 
very  little  of  this  hope  was  realized.  This  school  formed  the  commencement 
of  what  became  Franklin  College.  *  *  *  jj-^  ^^g  spring  of  1819  the 
Associate  Synod  appointed  me  to  be  taken  on  trial  for  license  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  Chartiers.  *  *  *  My  first  trial  discourses  were  delivered  in  the 
church  of  Mt.  Pleasant.  *  *  *  ]\jy  remaining  trials  were  given  at  a 
subsequent  meeting  of  the  Presbytery,  in  Chartiers,  August  18,  1819,  at 
which  time  I  was  licensed.  My  first  appointments  were  in  the  Presbytery 
of  Chartiers,  which  at  that  time  included  not  only  the  congregations  in  Wash- 
ington county,  but  in  Pittsburgh  and  beyond  it  in  the  East  to  the  Alleghany 
mountains.  It  reached  over  into  Ohio__as  far  as  Wooster  and  was  without 
limit  in  that  direction." 

Following  his  licensure  the  young  minister  started  out  on  his  long  circuit, 
traveling  horseback,  and  his  description  of  his  travels  and  of  his  experiences 
while  preaching  to  the  widely  separated  congregations  of  Seceders  included 
in  the  circuit  which  embraced  western  Pennsylvania,  eastern  and  southern 
Ohio,  Kentuckv  and  southern  Indiana,  provide  a  most  interesting  narrative 
regarding  certain  phases  of  pioneer  living  at  that  time,  but  must  be  passed 
as  lacking  local  application,  the  i>ersonal  narrative  being  taken  up  again  fol- 
lowing the  writer's  recoimtal  of  his  experiences  at  "a  place  near  Columbus, 
called  Truro,  now  Reynoldsburg,  where  I  spent  two  Sabbaths.  The  people 
were,  with  hardly  an  exception,  emigrants  from  my  father's  congregation 
in  Cambridge.  From  this  place  I  proceeded  to  Xenia,  where  I  preached  on 
the  first  Sabbath  of  November.  Here  I  remained,  for  the  first  time,  about 
four  weeks  in  the  same  congregation,  i.  e.,  in  the  Xenia  and  Sugar  Creek, 
at  that  time  a  united  charge.  *  *  *  From  Kentucky  I  returned  to  Xenia 
and  spent  there  the  third  and  fourth  Sabbaths  of  January."  The  young 
minister  then  started  East,  preaching  on  his  way,  and  late  in  the  spring 
reached  his  home  in  Cambridge  quite  ill  after  an  absence  of  four  years,  and 
the  succeeding  summer,  following  his  recuperation,  was  spent  by  him  in 
filling  vacancies  in  his  home  state. 

"Whether  any  of  these  vacancies  would  have  given  me  a  call,"  Doctor 
Beveridge's  autobiography  continues,  "I  cannot  tell,  for  I  still  told  any  per- 
son who  spoke  to  me  on  the  subject  that  my  mind  was  made  up,  and  that 
I  wished  them  to  receive  me  the  same  as  if  I  were  a  settled  minister.  *  *  * 
It  is  true  the  congregation  of  Xenia  and  Sugar  Creek  had  not  given  me 
a  call  at  the  time  I  left  them,  but  they  had  petitioned  for  the  moderation  of 
a  call  and  had  no  other  candidate  before  them,  and  I  had  concluded,  unless 
something  not  foi^een  or  anticipated  should  occur,  that  this  was  to  be  the 
field  of'my  ministerial  labor.     This  region  of  country  had  manv  attractions; 


534  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  people  were  intelligent,  pious,  kind  and  every  way  agreeable.  However, 
after  my  settlement,  my  experience  here  was  like  that  of  my  journey  home — 
my  anticipations  of  comfort  in  such  a  pastoral  charge  were  too  high  and  had 
too  much  influence  on  my  mind.  *  *  *  The  years  of  my  pastoral  labors 
here  were  attended  with  more  discomfort  than  any  other  years  of  my  life. 

"The  call  to  the  congregation  of  Xenia  and  Sugar  Creek  was  made  out 
February  28,  1820,  and  forwarded  to  the  meeting  of  the  Associate  Synod  at 
Huntingdon  the  following  May,  but  not  being  present  at  the  meeting  I  had 
not  an  opportunity  of  accepting  it  till  August  2nd.  *  *  *  \s  ^-^g  mem- 
bers of  the  Kentucky  Presbytery,  as  it  was  then  called,  were  so  distant  from 
each  other  that  meetings  were  almost  impracticable,  it  had  been  arranged  that 
I  should  undergo  trials  for  ordination  in  the  Presbytery  of  Cambridge.  The 
Presbytery  of  Kentucky  consisted  of  only  three  ministerial  members,  ^lessrs. 
Armstrong,  Hume  and  Kennedy,  yet  extended  over  the  southern  part  of 
Ohio  and  all  the  states  of  Indiana,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  I  accordingly 
remained  at  home  and  gave  my  trials  for  ordination  during  August  and  on 
September  4,  1820,  set  out  to  take  charge  of  my  congregation,  *  *  * 
which  I  reached  October  5,  thirty-one  days  after  leaving  home.  The  first, 
or  nearly  the  first,  letter  received  from  home  contained  an  account  of  the 
death  of  my  mother,  which  took  place  November  8,  1820.  Her  last  message 
to  me  was,  'Tell  him  I  am  entering  into  the  joy  of  my  Lord.' 

"The  state  of  things  when  I  arrivjd  at  Xenia  was  very  uncomfortable. 
There  had  been  strange  doings  about  the  house  of  the  Rev.  Robert  Arm- 
strong; who  was  the  pastor  of  Massies  Creek,  a  short  distance  from  Xenia. 
Stones  were  thrown  upon  the  house,  threatening  letters  dropped  near  it.  and 
some  outbuildings  set  on  fire.  Many  began  to  blame  the  family  as  engaged 
in  this  mischief  for  the  purpose  of  frightening  Mr.  A.  and  inducing  him  to 
remove  from  the  farm  to  Xenia.  Mr.  A.,  as  was  very  natural,  regarded 
these  insinuations  as  slanderous.  The  excitement  at  last  became  so  great 
that  he  had  desisted  from  the  exercise  of  his  ministry  in  the  congregation. 
This  was  only  one  or  two  Sabbaths  before  my  arrival.  The  excitement  also 
extended  to  my  pastoral  charge  and  made  my  entrance  among  them  unpleas- 
ant. Perhaps  I  had  not  patience  enough  to  bear  with  the  clamors  against 
the  family,  and  especially  Mr.  Armstrong,  against  whom  nothing  could  be 
alleged  but  his  discrediting  what  was  charged  against  his  wife  and  children. 
I  reached  Xenia  in  October,  but  was  not  ordained  till  the  following  January. 
Mr.  Hume  came  all  the  way  from  X'ashville,  and  I  was  ordained  by  him 
and  Mr.  Armstrong  Jan.  9th,  1821,  Mr.  Hume  preaching  and  Mr.  Arm- 
strong giving  the  charge  to  me  and  the  congregation.     I  believe  it  was  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  C35 

last  time  they  met  together,  and  the  last  time  either  of  them  sat  in  the  pres- 
bytery. Mr.  Hume  soon  afterward  united  with  the  Presbyterian  cliurch  and 
Mr.  Armstrong  died  the  next  fall.  At  the  time  of  my  settlement  the  two 
branches  of  the  charge  numbered  138  communicants.  During  my  ministry 
60  were  received  by  examination,  31  by  certificate,  17  removed,  16  died,  10 
adults  were  baptized.  I  kept  no  record  of  the  baptism  of  infants.  In  the 
spring  of  1822  I  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Associate  Synod  at  Philadelphia 
and  was  appointed,  together  with  Mr.  Hanna,  to  go  as  a  missionary  to  Upper 
Canada.  I  accepted  this  appointment  the  more  willingly  in  the  hope  that  it 
might  benefit  my  health.  In  this,  however,  I  was  disappointed.  *  *  *  My 
health  still  declining,  b_v  the  advice  of  some  members  of  the  congregation, 
I  resorted  once  more  to  a  journey,  with  a  view  to  its  recovery.  In  the  fall 
of  the  next  year  (1823)  I  set  out  on  horseback  for  Blount  county,  in  eastern 
Tennessee.  *  *  *  After  spending  two  months  with  this  people  I  returned 
to  my  charge,  but  not  with  any  sensible  improvement  in  health.  *  *  * 
I  preached  a  few  Sabbaths  after  returning  from  Tennessee,  but  soon  felt 
compelled  to  desist,  and,  having  become  altogether  discouraged  in  respect 
to  the  recovery  of  my  health,  concluded  to  resign  my  charge  and  return 
to  my  sisters  to  end  my  days  with  them.  Having  called  a  meeting  of  the 
congregation  and  preached  to  them  a  sermon  on  Phil,  i  :27,  I  gave  them 
notice  of  my  intention  and  a  few  days  afterwards  set  out  for  what  I  still 
called  my  home.  This  was  in  the  month  of  February,  1824.  *  *  *" 
The  young  minister  found  benefit  in  the  return  to  the  home  farm  and 
there  being  vacancies  in  the  Cambridge  Presbytery  there  were  still,  as  his 
autobiography  states,  "opportunities  for  exercising  my  ministry  without  being 
confined  to  the  labors  of  a  pastoral  charge."  Two  or  three  years  later  he 
accepted  a  call  to  the  Associate  church  at  Philadelphia  and  for  nearly  ten 
years  continued  as  pastor  of  that  church,  being  thus  engaged  when  in 
October,  1835,  Synod  elected  him  professor  of  the  Theological  Seminary  at 
Canonsburg,  and  in  the  following  November  he  and  his  family  took  up  their 
residence  at  Canonsburg.  there  remaining  until  the  Associate  Synod  removed 
the  seminary  to  Xenia  in  1855,  when  Doctor  Beveridge  found  himself  thus 
restored  to  the  scene  of  his  first  pastorate,  and  here  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  His  autobiography,  written  in  1S66,  concludes  as  follows:  "Here  I 
ha\-e  had  no  pastoral  charge,  but  have  preached  most  of  the  time  in  vacancies 
until  within  about  a  year  past.  There  has  been  of  late  little  or  no  call  to 
supply  in  vacancies,  and  the  infirmities  of  age  admonished  me  that  my  time 
for  active  service  in  the  church  is  nearly  ended.  I  have  done  but  little,  yet 
not  without  the  hope  that  this  little  has  been  accepted  of  the  Master,  and 
not  wholly  without  fruit  in  his  Vineyard." 


536  GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO 

DAXIEL  H.   HART-MAN. 

Daniel  H.  Hartman,  of  Beavercreek  township,  is  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone state,  bnt  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  since  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  8,  1859,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  Ann  (\\^alker)  Hartman, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county  and  there  spent  all  their  lives. 

Jacob  Hartman  was  a  farmer,  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  were 
members  of  the  Church  of  God.  In  his  younger  days  he  made  a  trip  over 
into  Ohio  on  a  visit  to  kinsfolk  in  the  vicinity  of  Wooster,  in  Wayne  county, 
walking  there  and  back.  After  his  marriage  he  bought  the  old  Hartman 
home  place  in  York  county  and  there  lived  until  1863,  when  he  sold  that  farm 
and  bought  another,  five  miles  south,  and  on  this  latter  place  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  April,  1883,  he  then  being 
sixty-four  years  of  age.  After  his  death  his  widow  and  her  only  daughter 
and  a  son,  Jerry  Jacob,  moved  to  Harrisburg,  the  state  capital,  and  in  that 
city  the  widow  spent  her  last  days,  her  death  occurring  in  1892,  she  then 
being-  sixty-three  years  of  age.  Jacob  Hartman  and  wife  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  \\'illiani,  deceased;  Lydia  .\.,  who 
married  James  Nesbit  and  died  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania:  Samuel  W..  a 
farmer,  now  living  at  Alpha,  this  county,  and  Capt.  Jerry  Jacob  Hartman,  a 
master  painter,  living  at  Harrisburg. 

Daniel  H.  Hartman  was  reared  on  the  home  fann  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  to 
join  his  brother  Samuel,  who  some  time  previously  had  come  out  here  and 
was  working  for  Horace  Ankeny  in  Beavercreek  township.  His  brother 
secured  for  him  a  place  on  the  farm  of  Capt.  William  H.  Glotfelter  and  on 
that  place  he  worked  for  eleven  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was 
gi\en  a  place  on  the  Ankeny  farm,  where  he  remained  for  two  _\ears  and 
ten  months.  He  then  married  and  liegan  farming  on  his  own  account, 
renting  the  Cline  farm  south  of  Alpha.  Three  years  later  he  mo\-ed  from 
there  to  the  Harbine  farm  and  thence,  some  time  later,  to  the  Puterbaugh 
farm,  where  he  remained  until  he  bought  the  farm  of  forty-two  and  one-half 
acres  on  whidi  he  now  lives,  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Sj^ring  Valley. 
.Since  taking  possession  of  that  farm  Mr.  Hartman  has  made  numerous  im- 
provements on  the  same.  He  is  a  Republican  with  a  very  friendly  feeling  for 
the  Prohibition  movement  and  for  six  years  has  served  as  school  director  in 
his   home   district. 

On  December  22,  1881,  Daniel  H.  Hartman  was  united  in  marriage  to 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  537 

Lucinda  Jane  Ward,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  twelve  miles  from  W'ooster 
in  Wayne  county,  this  state,  daugliter  of  Jolin  and  Caroline  Ward,  and  to 
this  union  have  been  born  three  children.  Ward,  Charles  and  Mary,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  at  home  with  her  parents.  Charles  Hartman  is  farming  in 
Beavercreek  township  and  his  older  brother,  the  Rev.  Ward  Hartman,  is  now 
in  China  \\'here  for  seven  years  he  has  been  rendering  service  as  an  evangelist 
in  behalf  of  the  mission  field  of  the  Reformed  church,  his  station  being  at 
Shuchow,  Hunan.  The  Rev.  \\'ard  Hartman  was  educated  at  Heidelberg 
College  at  Tiffin  and  in  the  Central  Theological  Seminary  at  Dayton  and 
earl}-  devoted  himself  to  labor  in  the  mission  field.  The  H^artmans  are  mem- 
bers of  the  \lt.  Zion  Reformed  church  and  for  the  past  twelve  years  Mr. 
Hartman  lias  been  an  elder  in  the  same. 


JAMES  R.   FUDGE. 


From  "Pencilings  From  the  Senate"  (Ohio),  published  in  1852,  the 
following  is  taken :  "John-  Fudge  represents  the  counties  of  Fayette,  Clinton 
and  Greene  in  the  Senate  of  Ohio.  He  is  a  Whig,  and  physically  the  largest 
man  in  the  Senate,  weighing  250  pounds.  He  is  a  hale  man,  looking  young, 
and  not  yet  gray,  although  55  years  old.  He  has  filled  a  seat  in  the  Legis- 
lature several  times,  and  as  a  Senator  is  something  of  a  model." 

The  Hon.  John  Fudge,  thus  mentioned,  was  the  great-grandfather  of 
the  gentleman  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this  biographical  sketch. 
He  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Botetourt  county,  in  the  Old  Dominion,  April 
13,  1796,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  this  section  of  Ohio,  locating 
at  a  point  on  Caesars  creek  six  miles  southeast  of  Xenia,  in  this  county, 
where  he  purchased  a  considerable  tract  of  land  and  where  he  erected  a 
tanner}',  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the  latter  industry  in  addition  to 
farming.  For  many  years  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his 
home  township,  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  for 
}eai-s  and  in  1852  was  appointed  by  Governor  Bebb  an  associate  judge  for 
this  judicial  district.  As  noted  in  the  above  "Pencilings  From  the  Senate," 
he  served  several  terms  in  the  Ohio  General  Assembly,  both  in  the  House 
and  in  the  Senate.  He  served  as  administrator  for  something  like  three 
hundred  estates  and  was  for  many  years  an  ofifice  bearer  in  the  Methodist 
church.  Judge  Fudge  died  suddenly,  death  coming  from  a  paralytic  stroke 
on  September  15,  1868.  He  had  been  three  times  married.  His  first  wife 
was  Catherine  Sellers,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  who  bore  him 
five  children.  His  second  wife  was  Temperance  Spahr,  who  died  two  years 
after  her  marriage,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,   Morgan  Fudge,   who  became 


538  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

editor  of  the  Bellbrook  Moon.  On  Februar}'  25,  1846,  Judge  Fudge  mar- 
ried Susan  Barnett.     This  last  marriage  was  without  issue. 

One  of  the  children  born  to  Judge  John  and  Catherine  (Sellers)  Fudge 
was  Joseph  H.  Fudge,  who  was  born  on  February  15,  1824,  in  this  county, 
and  who  married  Cinderella  Sutton,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county. 
August  17,  1826.  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  Sutton.  Joseph  H. 
Fudge  spent  his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  New  Jasper  township,  dying 
at  his  home  there  on  April  26.  1888.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly 
three  years,  her  death  occurring  on  Februarj'  16,  1891.  Of  the  children 
born  to  their  union,  John  W.  Fudge  was  born  on  the  old  paternal  farm  on 
March  23,  1846,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  and  continued  actively  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Xenia, 
where  he  is  now  living.  John  W.  Fudge  is  a  Republican  and  in  1895  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  He  was  re-elected 
and  became  president  of  the  board  which  erected  the  new  court  house  at 
Xenia,  tearing  down  the  old  edifice  which  his  grandfather.  Judge  Fudge, 
had  aided  in  building  while  on  the  board  of  commissioners  more  than  a  half 
century  before.  The  new  structure  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  and  ]Mr.  Fudge  made  several  trips  to  New  York  City  and 
other  places  in  search  of  information  that  would  prove  beneficial  in  the 
erection  of  the  new  temple  of  justice.  ^Ir.  Fudge  also  served  as  trustee 
of  New  Jasper  township  for  fourteen  years,  in  1890  was  elected  real-estate 
appraiser  and  in  1895  was  elected  infirmary  director,  an  office  in  wliich  he 
served  for  three  years.  On  June  26,  1866,  in  New  Jasper  township,  John 
W.  Fudge  was  united  in  marriage  to  Amanda  J.  Smith,  who  also  was  born 
in  that  township,  daughter  of  Nelson  Smith  and  wife,  and  to  that  union 
were  born  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  still  living,  namely:  William,  a 
farmer,  of  New  Jasper  township;  James  R.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch;  Charles  N.,  who  is  operating  the  old  home  place  one  mile  south  of 
Jasper,  and  Ray  S.,  who  is  also  living  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township. 
The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  October  31,  19 15.  She  w^as  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  her  husband,  and  their  sons  were 
reared  in  that  faith. 

James  R.  Fudge  was  born  on  the  old  home  place  in  New  Jasper  town- 
ship on  December  10,  1869.  He  supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in 
the  local  schools  by  a  course  at  Valparaiso  University  in  Indiana,  and  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  vears  began  teaching  school,  in  the  meanwhile  giving  his 
attention  to  the  farm  during  the  summers.  For  eleven  years  Mr.  Fudge 
continued  teaching  school,  during  all  but  one  year  of  this  period  being  thus 
engaged  in  his  home  township.  In  1892  he  married  and  established  his 
home  on  the   farm,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  residence  until   1907, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  539 

in  which  year  he  bought  the  WilHam  Anderson  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
six  acres  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  in  his  home  township,  and  there  has  since 
made  his  home.  Mr.  Fudge  is  a  member  of  the  Grange.  PoHtically,  he  is  a 
RepubHcan  and  for  ten  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  New  Jasper  town- 
ship board  of  education. 

On  May  25,  1892,  James  R.  Fudge  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  L. 
Brown,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Mary  E.  (Smith)  Brown,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  on  their  farm  in 
that  township,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Miriam,  who  was  born  on  July  3.  1896,  and  who  on  August  i,  1917,  mar- 
ried Paul  Turnbull,  who  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  schools  at  St.  Marys, 
West  Virginia,  and  who  is  now  serving  in  the  National  Army,  first  sergeant 
of  Company  F,  Three  Hundred  and  Thirtieth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  in  camp  at  Camp  Sherman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fudge  are  members 
of  the  New  Jasper  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  which  Mr.  Fudge  is  one 
of  the  stewards.  He  also  has  served  as  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  and  is  now  serving  as  recording  steward  for  the  New  Jasper 
circuit  of  the  local  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  following 
in  that  office  his  father,  who  served  in  that  capacity  for  more  than  thirty 
years. 


EDWIN  KNEISLY. 


Edwin  Kneisly,  blacksmith  at  Fairfield,  is  a  native  of  this  county,  born 
on  a  farm  in  Bath  township,  June  20,  1859,  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren born  to  Daniel  and  Eliza  (Dice)  Kneisly,  both  of  whom  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Daniel  Kneisly  was  born  on  September  26,  1823,  and  came  as  a  boy 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Greene  county.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  in 
farming,  which  occupation  he  followed  for  some  years,  after  which  he  went 
into  the  milling  business  at  Hufifersville,  this  county,  where  he  continued 
in  this  business  for  four  years.  He  then  resumed  farming,  in  which  occu- 
pation he  continued  until  191 1,  when  he  moved  to  Hampton,  but  later  he 
again  removed  to  the  farm, .where  his  death  occurred  in  1916.  In  the  latter 
'50s  he  married  Eliza  Dice,  who  was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  m 
1835,  who  came  with  her  parents  to  Greene  county  in  an  early  day.  Her 
death  occurred  on  December  23,  1907.  Both  had  been  previously  married. 
To  their  union  there  were  born  six  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  being  Aaron  S.,  a  farmer  living  near  Dowden,  in  Clark  county, 
this  state:  John  F.,  a  molder  living  in  Springfield,  Ohio;  Mrs.  Jennie  Trout, 


540  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  widow  living-  at  Enon,  Clark  county ;  Airs.  Lulu  B.  Smith,  a  resident  of 
Dayton,  and  Clyde,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Edwin  Kneisly  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  home 
township,  assisting  his  father  with  the  work  on  the  farm,  and  after  leaving 
school,  decided  to  take  up  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  which  occupation  he  has 
followed  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  lived  eight  years  at  Sulphur  Grove, 
in  Montgomery  county,  and  also  for  some  time  in  Springfield,  in  both  of 
which  places  he  carried  on  his  business  of  blacksmithing.  While  living  in 
Clark  county,  he  owned  and  operated  a  farm  for  about  four  years,  and  moved 
from  there  to  Fairfield  about  three  years  ago,  since  which  time  he  has  con- 
tinued at  his  trade. 

On  September  14,  1882,  ]\Ir.  Kneisly  was  married  to  L'lary  A.  Shrodes, 
who  is  a  native  of  this  county,  born  ,  i  a  farm  south  of  Fairfield.  To  this 
union  four  children  have  been  born.  Floyd  D.,  Ralph,  Wayne  W.,  still  living 
at  home  with  his  parents,  and  Ethel,  who  died  in  childhood. 

Air.  Kneisly  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
Air.  Kneisly  served  as  elder  in  the  local  congregation  for  some  years.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


ED\\"ARD  ^^■ILLIAAI  HAYSLETT. 

The  late  Edward  William  Hayslett,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  \\'ar,  who  for 
years  was  engaged  in  wagon-making  at  Clifton  and  who  died  at  his  home  in 
that  village  on  January  17,  1916,  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  but 
had  been  a  resident  of  this  county  practically  all  the  time  since  the  days  of 
his  young  manhood.  He  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  April 
12,  1827,  and  there  resided  until  he  was  past  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when, 
in  1848  or  1849,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  became  engaged  in  farming  in  the 
vicinity  of  Jamestown,  in  this  county.  He  was  married  in  1850  and  not 
long  afterward  went  to  Springfield  and  there  became  engaged  in  wagon- 
making.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out  his  patriotic  impulses  were  stirred 
and  on  December  2-,.  1861,  he  enlisted,  at  Xenia,  for  service  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  and  while  thus  .-^rving  was  so  seriousH-  disabled  that  on  June  10, 
1862,  he  received  his  honorable  discharge.  Upon  the  completion  of  liis  mil- 
itary service  Mr.  Hayslett  resumed  his  trade,  setting  up  an  establishment  at 
Clifton,  but  presently  disposed  of  his  interest  there  and  moved  to  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  however.  After  coming  back  to  Greene 
county  he  made  one  more  trip  to  Illinois  and  remained  there  until  1877, 
when  he  again  located  at  Clifton,  resuming  there  his  wagon-making  indus- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  54I 

try  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  Hfe,  dying-  there  in  his  eighty-ninth  ye?r. 
Mr.  Hayslett  was  a  member  of  the  ]\Ie.hodist  Episcopal  chiircli  and  t)y  poht- 
ical  persuasion  was  a  Republican. 

Air.  Hayslett  was  twice  married.  In  1830,  not  long  after  coming  to 
tliis  county,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Morris,  of  the  C^htton 
neighborhood,  who  died  in  1867.  To  that  union  were  born  six  children, 
two  of  whojn  died  in  early  youth,  the  others  being  Margaret,  who  died  in 
the  "90s;  William  A.  and  Henry  H.,  now  residents  of  Germantown,  this 
state,  and  Madison,  deceased.  On  April  17,  1877,  ?ilr.  Hayslett  married 
Mrs.  Cynthia  A.  (House)  \\'agner,  widow  of  George  Wagner,  her  first 
marriage  ha\-ing  been  solemnized  in  April,  1S64,  and  to  this  second  union 
four  children  were  born,  namely :  Francis  Marion,  who  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, after  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  IMillie  Rankin,  having  married  Mamie 
Baldman;  Robert  Elder,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Lucy  House 
and  has  three  children,  Clarence  Leroy,  Ruth  Merle  and  Ethel  May ;  Ole 
Bull,  who  married  INIyrtle  Bolman  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county, 
and  Jennie  Lind,  who  married  John  Franklin  Cultice,  of  Clifton,  and  has 
four  children,  Dulcie,  Dorothy,  Gertrude  and  Leonard.  Since  the  death  of 
her  husband  Mrs.  Hayslett  has  continued  to  make  her  home  in  Clifton.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church. 


JOSEPH  T.  HUTCHISON. 

Joseph  T.  Hutchison,  proprietor  of  a  Beavercreek  township  farm  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  and 
has  lived  here  all  his  life,  occupant  of  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  since 
1896.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  on  May  20,  1871,  son  of 
Joseph  Andrew  and  Isabella  (Harner)  Hutchison,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of 
the  city  of  Xenia. 

Joseph  Andrew  Hutchison,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  W'ar,  was 
born  on  a  fann  in  Aliami  township,  not  far  from  the  border  of  Xenia  town- 
ship, Alarch  12,  1837,  son  of  Joseph  B.  and  Ann  ( Tenl:)roek )  Hutchison, 
who  had  come  to  this  county  from  Chester  county,  Pennsvh-ania,  where 
both  were  born,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here.  Joseph  B.  Hutchison 
was  born  in  1802  and  grew  up  in  Chester  coimty,  Pennsylvania,  remaining 
there  until  after  his  marriage,  when,  in  1826,  he  came  to  Greene  countv,  he 
and  his  wife  driving  through  in  a  small  covered  wagon  with  their  belong- 
ings, and  settled  on  a  plot  of  ground  now  owned  by  Frank  Corrv  on  the 
Clifton  pike  in  Miami  township.     He  was  a  blacksmith  bv  trade  and  for  a 


542  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

while  after  coming  here  followed  that  trade,  but  presently  bought  a  farm  on 
the  Clifton  pike  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  remained  until  his  retirement, 
when  he  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  on  October  29,  1877.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  eleven  grew  to  maturit}',  namel\-:  Eleanor, 
who  became  the  wife  of  J-  G.  G.  Adams,  of  Miami  township;  John  K..  who 
married  Catherine  Townsley  and  moved  to  Garnet,  Kansas;  Xancy  T.,  who 
married  Isaac  Shearer  and  moved  to  Indiana;  Elizabeth  M.,  who  married 
Frederick  Shoemaker,  of  Goes  Station;  Sarah  Ann,  -who  died  unmarried 
in  1897;  Joseph  A.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Margaret,  who 
married  James  M.  Stevenson  and  moved  to  Kansas;  Mary  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  Crapp  and  moved  to  Indiana;  Matthew,  who  married  Ella  Gos- 
sett  and  is  now  living  at  Xenia;  William  H.,  who  married  Jennie  Bull  and 
established  his  home  in  Xenia  township,  and  James  Elder,  who  married 
Hester  P.  Baker  and  established  his  home  at  Yellow  Springs,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent. 

Reared 'on  the  home  farm,  Joseph  Andrew  Hutchison  remained  there 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Union  and  for  three  years  and  nine  months  served  as  a  soldier,  being  mus- 
tered out  as  a  member  of  Company  L,  Third  Xew  York  Cavalry.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Hutchison  returned  home  and  after 
'  his  marriage  went  to  Sedalia,  Missouri,  where  he  remaineil  for  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Greene  count}-  and  bought  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  twelve  acres  across  the  pike  from  his  father's  place  in 
Xenia  township,  where  he  remained  until  1880,  in  which  year  he  sold  that 
farm  and  bought  1  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  eight  acres  in  Beaver- 
creek  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  July  29,  1901.  His  widow  is  now  living  at  Xenia.  She  was  born 
in  Xenia  township,  this  county.  May  16.  1848,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Mary  (Morgan)  Harner,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Mrs.  Hutchison  is  a  member  nf  the  Pres])yterian  church,  as  was 
her  husband,  he  having  been  an  elder  in  the  church.  By  political  persua- 
sion he  was  a  Republican,  but  was  not  an  office  seeker.  To  Joseph  Andrew 
and  Isabella  (Harner)  Hutchison  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  1)eing  the 
following:  Charles  H.,  born  on  December  29,  1868.  who  married  Alice 
Dilts  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Logansport,  Indiana;  Frank  R., 
who  married  Margaret  Phillips  and  is  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at 
Xenia;  Leigh  A.,  born  on  February  i.  1877,  who  married  Jennie  Moore 
and  is  living  on  a  farm  on  the  Bellbrook  pike  in  Spring  Valley  township; 
Ralph  W.,   September  23,   1880,  who  married  Anna  Fierstein  and  lives  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  543 

Xenia  township;  Carrie,  March  4,  1884,  who  is  now  (  191S)  attending  the 
College  of  Osteopathy  at  Kirksville,  jMissouri,  and  Dr.  Elder  Hutchison,  a 
graduate  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  who  married  Ann  Kincade  and  who 
upon  the  declaration  of  war  against  Germany  in  1917  volunteered  his  serv- 
ices in  the  National  Army  and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Taylor,  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  preparatory  to  service  abroad. 

Joseph  T.  Hutchison  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  su.pplemented  his 
schooling  in  the  local  schools  by  taking  a  commercial  course  in  .\ntioch  Col- 
lege. After  leaving  college  he  rented  a  farm  and  began  farming  on  his 
own  account.  Three  years  later  he  married  and  a  year  afterward  bought 
the  old  Smith  place  of  ninety-five  acres  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  has 
ever  since  made  his  home  there.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Air. 
Hutchison  has  erected  a  new  set  of  buildings,  his  residence  having  JDcen 
built   in    19 14. 

On  April  25,  1895,  Joseph  T.  Hutchison  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Carrie  Andrew,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township  and  who  is  the 
adopted  daughter  of  Samuel  G.  and  Keziah  Andrew,  who  '•eared  her  from 
childhood,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  Samuel  Andrew, 
born  on'  August  20,  1899;  Lois  Belle,  May  31,  1901,  and  Joseph  Ersle,  May 
21.  1903,  all  of  whom  are  now  students  in  the  Xenia  high  school.  The 
Hutchisons  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia.     Mr.  Hutchison  is  a  Republican. 


WILLL\M  L.   CARLLSLE. 

\\'illiam  L.  Carlisle,  who  has  lived  in  bis  present  honu'  near  Byrun  for  a 
period  of  thirty-six  years,  was  born  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  on  May  9.  1850, 
the  son  of  Jehu  and  Hester  (Batchelor)  Carlisle.  Jehu  Carlisle  was  a  native 
of  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  born  November  16,  1S16.  As  a  young  man  he 
made  the  journey  from  Virginia  to  Ohio  with  a  fi\-e-horse  team,  spending  five 
weeks  on  the  way.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Ohio,  following 
the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  died  at  the  home  of  his  son  on  March  0, 
1896,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty  years.  In  1S37  Jehu  Carlisle  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Hester  Batchelor,  who  was  a  native  of  this  county,  born 
March  26,  1817,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Yellow  Springs  hotel,  and  was  one 
of  nineteen  children  born  to  her  parents.  Her  father.  Robert  Batchelor, 
was  born  in  1750,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  being  twice 
wounded  in  that  struggle.  Jehu  Carlisle  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  Robert  B.,  George  A.,  John  A.,  James  B.,  Julia  A.,  Margaret  S., 
Howard,  William  and  Jessie  D.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  April 
26,  1908. 


544  GREEXE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

William  L.  Carlisle  received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  home  township  in  Greene  county  and  after  leaving  school  took  up 
farming,  which  occupation  he  has  followed  continuously  since,  having  lived 
on  the  Baker  farm  in  Bath  township,  near  Byron,  for  many  years.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  has  been  government  crop  reporter  for  his  district.  He 
has  also  served  his  township  as  supervisor. 

On  February  i6,  1897,  William  L.  Carlisle  was  married  to  Esther 
Dilly,  a  nati\-e  of  Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  (Hart)  Dilly,  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  To  this  union  ha\e 
been  born  two  children,  Paul,  born  on  December  11,  1897,  who  is  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm,  and  Ada  Frances,  born  February  23,  1905,  who  is 
in  school. 


THOMAS  C.  BERRYHILL. 

Thomas  C.  Berryhill,  former  trustee  of  Sugarcreek  township  and  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  south  of  Bellbrook,  is  a 
native  "Buckeye"  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  ^Greene 
county  since  he  was  nine  years  of  age  and  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living  since  he  \\as  fifteen.  He  was  born  in  Preble  county,  October  25,  1845, 
son  of  the  Rev.  Franklin  and  Nancy  (Sloan)  Berryhill,  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  this  county,  of  which  the  former  had  become  a  resident  in  181 5. 

The  Rev.  Franklin  Berryhill,  a  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  (old  school) 
church,  was  born  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  March  i,  181 1,  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Rachel  (Thompson)  Berryhill,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  niece 
of  Charles  Thompson,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  secretary  to  the  first  Con- 
tinental Congress.  Alexander  Berryhill  was  born  in  \'irginia  and  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  }-ears  volunteered  his  ser\-ices  in  behalf  oi  the  patriot  ami}-  during 
the  I\e\olutionan-  War  and  was  attached  to  the  cnnimaud  of  General  Greene. 
At  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court  House  he  \\as  captured  by  the  enemy  and 
was  held  prisoner  for  two  years,  or  until  his  exchange.  During  that  battle 
he  was  severely  wounded  by  a  sword  blow  on  the  head  and  the  scar  of  that 
wound  he  carried  to  his  grave.  At  the  <:lose  of  his  military  service  he  re- 
turned to  farming  pursuits  and  after  his  marriage  to  Rachel  Thompson  set- 
tled on  a  farm  in  .\ugusta  county,  in  the  Old  Dominion,  and  there  remained 
until  1815,  when  he  came  with  his  familv  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  tract  of 
land  south  of  Bellbrook  in  this  county,  where  he  died  in  1823  and  was  buried 
in  the  Pioneer  graveyard  at  Bellbrook.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  eleven  children,  eight  sons  and  three  daughters.  Franklin  Berryhill  was 
the  youngest   of  these   eight  sons.      The  others  were  as  follow :   James,  who 


■,:.^^.K^i>^: 


THOMAS  C.  BERRYHILL 


MRS.   LUELLA  B.   BERRYHILL 


■^4 


*C' 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  545 

•  married  Estlier,  a  daughter  of  William  Turner  and  established  his  home  in 
Sugarcreek  township:  W'illiam  T.,  who  also  made  his  home  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  where  he  died  on  April  27.  1874,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Bellbrook  cemetery :  John,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812,  married  Rachel  James  and  located  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship: Alexander,  Jr.,  who  moved  to  Miami  county,  this  state;  Samuel,  who 
died  in  1840  and  was  buried  at  Bellbrook;  Archibald,  who  died  on  July  7, 
1877,  aged  seventy-five,  and  was  buried  at  Bellbrook,  and  Matthew,  who 
died  on  September  2~,.  1898.  he  then  being  ninety-two  years  of  age,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Bellbrook  cemetery. 

Ha\ing  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  came  to  this  county  from  Vir- 
ginia, Franklin  Berryhill  was  reared  on  the  pioneer  farm  in  Sugarcreek 
township.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  evinced  unusual  aptitude  in  his 
studies  and  in  due  time  was  matriculated  at  Hanover  College,  in  Indiana, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1837.  He  completed  his  theo- 
logical studies  under  the  preceptorship  of  Doctor  Matthews,  who  was  his 
tutor  for  three  years,  and  was  then  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  and  for  ten  or  twelve  years  thereafter  was  actively  engaged  in 
this  high  calling.  His  health  then  began  to  fail  and,  securing  honorable  re- 
tirement from  the  ministr_\-,  he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bellbrook  and  sought  recuperation  on  the  farm ;  continuing,  however,  his 
ministerial  labors  as  local  occasion  required  and  ever  maintaining  his  active 
interest  in  church  and  Sunday  school  work.  His  father  had  settled  on  and 
led  in  the  development  of  a  tract  of  about  seven  hundred  acres  in  Sugar- 
creek township  and  in  the  ultimate  division  of  that  tract  the  Rev.  Franklin 
Berryhill  shared  to  the  extent  of  a  good  fami  and  his  needs  were  amply  pro- 
vided for,  he  coming  to  be  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  seven  acres  of 
choice  land.     He  died  on  that  farm. 

On  January'  21,  1841,  the  Rev.  Franklin  Berryhill  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Nancy  Sloan,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  w'ho  also  was  a 
member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families,  and  to  that  union  were 
born  five  children,  namely:  Theodore  B.,  now  deceased:  Thomas  C,  the  im- 
mediate subject  of  this  biographical  sketch:  Caroline,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  years;  Elmira,  wife  of  William  Rupert,  of  Westville,  this  state, 
and  Mrs.  Finette  Fox,  of  Dayton.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on 
July  13,  1864,  and  in  1865  the  Rev.  Franklin  Berryhill  married  Julia  A. 
Cooper,  of  Bellbrook,  which  second  union  was  without  issue. 

Thomas  C.  Berr^diill  was  about  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  re- 
turned to  Greene  county  in  1854  and  was  about  fifteen  when  they  located  on 
the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  i860.  He  completed  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1887  established  his 

(34) 


546  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

home  on  the  home  place,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  which  he  now  owns,, 
and  has  ever  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  In  addition  to  his  gen- 
eral farming  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock. 
Mr.  Berr}hill  is  a  Republican  and  served  for  two  terms  as  trustee  of  his 
home  township.  He  was  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Grange.  His 
youngest  son,  Robert,  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics. 

On  November  3,  1887,  Thomas  C.  Berryhill  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Luella  E.  ^filler,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  daughter  of  Aaron 
and  Emma  (Karr)  Miller,  of  that  county,  and  v,ho  died  on  February  29, 
ic)i2.  lea\ing  four  children.  Emily,  Esther,  John  and  Robert,  all  of  whom 
are  at  home  with  their  father  sa\e  John,  who  is  now  (  1918)  a  soldier  of  the 
National  Army,  stationed  at  Camp  Sherman.  ^Ir.  Berryhill  and  his  family 
are  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 


CHARLES   WALKER   DEAN. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  a  his- 
tory of  the  Dean  family  in  Greene  county.  Charles  Walker  Dean,  a  build- 
ing contractor  at  Cedar\-ille,  was  born  in  the  northwestern  comer  of  New 
Jasper  township,  this  county,  September  5.  1861,  son  of  John  Campbell  and 
Emily  Louisa  (Hagler)  Dean,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same 
township  on  December  31,  1838,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Jane  f Fudge) 
Hagler,  the  former  of  whom  M'as  a  son  of  Leonard  and  Mary  Susan  (Peter- 
son) Hagler,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Hardy  covinty.  \^irginia.  The 
Haglers  are  of  Swiss  descent.  In  181 7  Leonard  Hagler  and  family  came  to 
Greene  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  of  near  five  hundred  acres  at  the 
forks  of  Caesars  creek.  Leonard  Hagler  was  an  old-fashioned  Methodist. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Samuel  was 
the  eldest.  The  latter  carried  on  farming  operations  until  his  death.  His 
wife  was  a  daughter  of  Christian  and  Elizabeth  (Nicholas)  Fudge,  who 
had  come  to  this  part  of  Ohio  from  Botetourt  county,  \'irginia.  abtnit  the, 
time  the  Haglers  had  settled  here. 

John  Campbell  Dean  was  born  in  that  part  of  Greene  county  that  later 
became  organized  as  New  Jasper  township,  December  28,  1830,  a  son  of 
Daniel  and  Jane  (Campbell)  Dean,  of  whom  more  is  noted  elsewhere,  and 
was  the  first-born  of  that  parentage,  he  ha\ing  had  a  brother  David,  who 
lived  in  Xenia ;  another  brother,  Levi,  who  continued  farming,  and  a  sister 
who  died  in  youth.  As  the  eldest  son,  John  C.  Dean  became  the  mainstay 
of  his  widowed  mother  after  the  death  of  his  father  and  for  some  time 
continued   to   operate   the   home    farm.     He   presently   bought   a    farm    of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  547 

eighty-three  acres  on  the  Stringtown  road  and  after  his  marriage  on  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1855,  to  Emily  Louisa  Hagler,  who  was  then  but  sixteen  years  of 
age.  estabHshed  his  home  in  a  two-room  log  house  on  that  place.  On  that 
farm  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  on 
April  I,  1891,  .and  hers,  September  5,  1903.  He  was  a.  Republican  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Charles  W.  was 
the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Samuel  Edgar,  born  on  April  14, 
1856,  who  is  now  living  at  Enon;  Aruia  Jane,  July  10,  1857,  wife  of  A.  C. 
Grieve,  a  New  Jasper  township  farmer;  Emily  Luella,  October  20,  1858, 
who  died  on  April  9,  1882;  Moses  Allen,  January  26,  i860,  now  a  resident 
of  Xenia;  David  Oscar,  February  14,  1863,  who  also  lives  in  Xenia;  Laura 
Etta,  December  24,  1864,  who  died  on  October  4,  1865;  John,  August  13, 
1866,  a  resident  of  Xenia;  Ida  May,  March  8,  1874,  who  also  lives  in 
Xenia,  and  James  Ralph,  August  21,   1877,  a  Xenia  township  farmer. 

Charles  Walker  Dean  received  his  schooling  in  the  Hazlip  school  and 
remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  became 
employed  with  the  contracting  firm  of  A.  G.  Elerick  &  Sons  at  Cedarville 
and  for  three  years  was  thus  employed.  Fie  then  became  employed  with  the 
Tarbox  Lumber  Company  at  Cedarville  and  in  1894  became  a  partner  of 
W.  J.  Tarbox  in  the  operation  of  a  lumber  yard  there,  continuing  thus  en- 
gaged for  a  couple  of  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  his  interest 
in  the  concern  and  entered  the  general  building  contracting  business  on  his 
own  account,  a  business  in  which  he  ever  since  has  been  engaged,  during 
this  time  having  erected  numerous  dwelling  houses  in  the  Cedarville  neigh- 
borhood besides  more  than  fifty  barns.  ^Ir.  Dean  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served,  at  various  terms,  fifteen  years  as  a  member  of  the  Cedar\'ille  com- 
mon council.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church. 

Mr.  Dean  has  been  twice  married.  In  May,  1887,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Lydia  Barber,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Jackson)  Barber, 
and  to  that  union  two  daughters  were  born.  Bertha  May,  now  a  bookkeeper 
in  the  Cedarville  P'xchange  Bank,  and  Mary  Louisa,  wife  of  Milton  .'An- 
trim, of  Dayton,  a  bookkeeper  in  the  Wright  aeroplane  factory.  The  mother 
of  these  daughters  died  on  August  12,  1891,  and  on  January  20,  1898,  Mr. 
Dean  married  Clara  Ellis,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born,  Charles  Frederick,  who  was  born  en 
October  16,  1898,  and  Hester  Frances,  February  8,  1904.  Mrs.  Dean  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  Clifton,  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Mary  (Mendenhall) 
Ellis,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  February,  1913,  and  the  former  of  whom 
is  now  making  his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean.     Aaron  Ellis  was  born 


548  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  this  county  and  has  resided  here  all  his  life.  His  wife  was  born  in  Mary- 
land and  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  with  her  parents,  Samuel  and  ?vlary 
(Whittington)  Mendenhall,  to  this  county.  Samuel  Mendenhall  was  a 
miller,  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Springfield.  To  Aaron  Ellis  and  wife 
four  children  were  born,  Mrs.  Dean  having  a  brother,  James  S.,  living  at 
Oakdale,  and  two  sisters,  Ida,  wife  of  Frank  Goe,  of  West  Liberty,  and 
Lucy,  wife  of  Joseph  P.  Berg,  of  Round  Mountain,  Nevada,  whose  son, 
Chester  Berg,  a  L^nited  States  soldier,  was  one  of  the  susvivors  of  the 
transport  "Tuscania,"  which  was  torpedoed  by  a  German  submarine  early 
in  1918. 


TOHX  :\L   DIFFEXDAL. 


John  Diffendal,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  the  Clark  county  line,  in  Ross  township,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Maryland,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  and  of  Greene  count)'  since  1884.  He  was  born  on  June  10,  1857, 
son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Eyler)  Diffendal,  who  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  seventh  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following :  Charles,  a  retired  farmer,  now 
living  at  South  Charleston,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark:  Elizabeth, 
who  died  when  eighteen  years  of  age ;  Martin,  who  established  his  home  on 
an  Indiana  farm  and  there  died  in  191 7;  Margaret,  who  died  in  the  days 
of  her  girlhood;  Amanda  C,  who  died  in  1914;  Samuel,  a  farmer  of  Ross 
townsliip,  this  county;  Lewis,  a  resident  of  South  Charleston,  and  an  infant 
who  died  in  1863,  the  mother  dying  at  the  same  time. 

John  Diffendal  was  about  six  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died.  He 
received  his  schooling  in  his  native  state  and  remained  on  the  home  farm 
there  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  South 
Charleston  being  his  objective  point,  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  place 
and  over  in  Madison  county  he  was  engaged  at  farm  labor  until  his  mar- 
riage in  1 88 1,  after  which  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1884 
he  moved  into  Greene  county  and  rented  a  farm  in  Ross  township,  con- 
tinuing farming  as  a  renter  until  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living  in  1904.  This  is  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  acres 
situated  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  South  Charleston  and  since  taking 
possession  of  the  same  Mr.  Diffendal  has  made  numerous  improvements  on 
the  same.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  he  has  given  considerable 
attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  Mr.  Diffendal  is  a  Democrat  with 
"independent"  leanings  and  for  some  \ears  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 


JOHN  M.   niFFKXDAL. 


MRS.  ELIZABETH  J.  DIFFEXDAL. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  549 

board  in  his  home  township.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  at  Jamestown.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  December  17,  1881,  John  Dififendal  was  united- in  marriage  to  Eliza- 
beth J.  ]\linnix,  of  Fayette  county,  this  state,  and  to  this  union  six  children 
have  been  born,  nameh' :  Frank,  who  is  farming  in  Ross  township  and  who 
married  Florence  Dement  and  has  two  children,  John  Roy  and  Franklin 
R. ;  Dais}-,  who  married  Scott  Cheney,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark, 
and  has  four  children,  Emmet,  Helen,  Ruth  and  John  Milton;  Louis  M., 
who  is  farming  in  Ross  township  and  who  married  Theresa  Dennehy  and 
has  four  children,  Lucile,  Louis,  Elizabeth  and  Rachel ;  Nellie,  who  married 
Audrey  Gordon,  of  Fayette  county,  and  has  two  children,  Donah  and  Mar- 
jorie:  Jolm  E.,  who  is  at  home  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of 
the  farm,  and  Catherine,  who  married  Dr.  Foye  Troute,  of  Jamestown, 
and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Ralph. 


CHRISTOPHER  K.  ELLIS. 

Christopher  K.  Ellis,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  3, 
out  of  Jamestown,  where  he  has  made  liis  home  f(ir  the  past  twenty-eight 
years,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  or  rather  in  that  portion  of  Caesars- 
creek  township  that  in  the  summer  of  1858  came  to  be  set  off  as  Jefferson 
township,  December  24,  1856,  son  of  Silas  and  Mary  B.  (Kinsey)  ElHs, 
both  of  whom  were  members  of  pioneer  families  hereabout. 

The  Ellis  family  has  been  represented  in  Greene  county  since  the  year 
1807,  when  Christopher  Ellis,  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
came  here  with  his  family  from  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  and  settled  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  county,  a  mile  north  of  Port  William.  Christopher 
Ellis  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  of  Dutch  stock,  January 
II,  1763.  He  married  Eliza  Caney,  who  was  born  on  September  5,  1769,  and 
made  his  home  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  until  he  came  to  this  county 
in  1807.  He  traded  a  horse  for  fifty  acres  of  land  north  of  Port  William 
and  thus  got  a  start  upon  which  he  improved  until  at  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1836  he  was  the  owner  of  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  region. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  twel\-e  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  on  September  5,  1822,  and  he  later  married  Nancy  Overly. 
To  this  latter  union  four  children  were  born,  Martha,  Tilden,  Angeline  and 
Daniel.     By  his  marriage  to  Eliza  Caney,  Christopher  Ellis  was  the  father 


550  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  twelve  children,  Jacob,  Abraham,  Isaac,  John,  Samuel,  William,  George,' 
James,  IMary,  Joseph,  Christopher  and  Elizabeth. 

Samuel  Ellis,  sixth  son  of  Christopher  and  Eliza  ( Cane}' )  Ellis,  grew 
up  on  the  home  place  north  of  Port  William  and  there  spent  all  his  life, 
having  established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Oglesbee. 
who  was  bom  in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families.  Sam- 
uel Ellis  died  at  his  home  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  on  December 
II,  1880,  he  then  being  eighty  years,  two  months  and  seven  davs  of  age. 
Samuel  Ellis  was  thrice  married.  By  his  union  with  Elizabeth  Oglesbee  he 
was  the  father  of  six  children,  namely :  Preston,  who  became  a  merchant  and 
millman  at  Bell  Center  and  there  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age :  Polly 
Ann,  who  married  John  Early:  Silas,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
Joseph,  Almira,  who  married  Daniel  Early,  and  Isaiah,  who  made  his  home 
in  Clinton  county.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children, 
Samuel  Ellis  married  Keziah  Woolman,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  seven  children,  namely :  Eli,  who  went  to, 
the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of 
Company  B,  Fortieth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  com- 
mand he  served  for  three  years,  and  was  killed  at  one  of  the  later  battles  at 
Ringgold,  Georgia :  Susan,  who  married  James  Bone ;  Sarah  Jane,  who  mar- 
ried John  Jenkins ;  Simon  Peter  and  Samuel  Newton,  twins,  both  of  whom 
sen-ed  as  soldiers  of  the  Union  during  the  Ci\il  War,  the  former  a  member 
of  Company  F,  Sixtieth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  taken  pris- 
oner and  for  eleven  months  suffered  confinement  in  Andersonville  and  Libby 
prisons,  and  the  latter  a  member  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  Ohio ;  Joshua,  now  living  on  a  part  of  the  old  home  place  in  Jeffer- 
son township  and  who  also  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  Civil  War,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sixtieth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  IMartha,  whu 
died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  thirteen  days.  Following  the  death  of 
the  mother  of  these  children,  Samuel  Ellis  married  Mrs.  Providence  Sewell, 
which  union  was  without  issue. 

Silas  Ellis  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  north  of  Port  ^^'illiam  and  received 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  After  h.is  marriage  to  Mary  B. 
Kinsey,  of  Port  William,  he  bought  a  small  farm  in  that  neighborhood,  but 
later  moved  to  Clinton  county,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  During  his 
active  operations  he  bought  and  sold  a  good  deal  of  land  and  also  dealt  in 
horses.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Silas  Ellis  dieci  on  the  3rd  day  of  February,  1896,  he  then  being  sixty-eight 
years,  seven  months  and  three  days  old,  and  his  widow  survived  him  to  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  551 

being  the  following:  Hiram,  now  a  resident  of  Concordia,  Kansas; 
Maria,  wife  of  Benjamin  Strickle,  of  Clinton  county;  one  who  died  in 
infancy ;  Ida  Ann,  w[fe  of  Nathan  Woolford,  of  Clinton  county ;  Jonathan, 
a  mechanic,  now  living  in  Nebraska,  and  Silas  Andrew,  who  owns  a  farm  in 
Warren  county  and  resides  there. 

Christopher  K.  Ellis  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Spring 
Valley  and  Jefferson  townships  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in 
1880,  after  which  he  made  his  home  for  a  while  in  Clinton  county.  He  then 
came  back  to  Greene  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
where  he  remained  for  eight  years,  or  until  1890.  when  he  bought  the  Daniel 
Bayliff  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living,  in 
Jefferson  township,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there.  To  his  original  hold- 
ings there  Mr.  Ellis  has  added  by  purchase  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of 
three  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  and  his  sons  also  have  farms  in  that 
neighborhood.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Ellis  has  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Aber- 
deen-Angus cattle  and  heavy  draft  horses.  He  also  is  a  stockholder  and 
a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Wilson  Engineering  Company  at 
Xenia. 

On  February  5,  1880,  Christopher  K.  Ellis  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Medora  Adams,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  daughter  of  Jack- 
son and  Eliza  (Ary)  Adams,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship. Jackson  Adams  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1827  and  was  four  years  of 
age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  Nimrod  and  Susan  (Linkhart)  Adams, 
to  this  county  in  1831,  the  family  settling  in  Caesarscreek  township.  Nimrod 
Adams  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Jackson  was 
the  first-born,  the  others  being  the  following:  Ella,  who  married  John 
Borden ;  Joseph,  who  established  his  home  on  a  farm  north  of  Paintersville ; 
Harriet,  who  married  Jonathan  Bales;  Harry,  who  died  unmarried,  and 
Josephine,  who  remained  a  spinster  and  is  still  living  on  a  part  of  the  old 
home  place.  After  his  marriage  to  Eliza  Ary.  Jackson  Adams  established 
his  home  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  there  died  in  1891.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  twenty  j^ears,  her  death  occurring  on  September  8, 
191 1.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church.  Jackson 
Adams  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Ellis  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Luella,  who  died  in  the  days  of 
her  girlhood;  James  D.,  who  married  Flora  M.  Harness  and  is  farming  in 
Jefferson  township;  Lydia  J.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Hattie,  who  died  in  youth, 
and  Sarah,  wife  of  George  Babb.  of  Caesarscreek  township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  have  two  sons,  Orville  J.  and  Charles  S.,  the  former 
of  whom  remains  at  home,  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 


552  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

home  place.  He  also  owns  a  farm  of  his  own.  Charles  S.  Ellis  also  has  a 
farm  in  Jefferson  township,  on  which  he  makes  his  home.  He  married  Iva 
E.  Sheely  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Lawrence  \^ictor,  horn  on  .\pril  g,  1914. 
Mrs.  Ellis  is  a  member  of  the  ]\Iethodist  Protestant  church.  Mr.  Ellis  is  a 
Republican,  as  are  his  sons,  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
lodge  at  Tamestown  and  with  the  Kniehts  of  Pythias  lodee  at  Port  \\'illiani. 


REV.  JOHN  AI.  PIDGEON. 

The  late  Rev.  John  M.  Pidgeon,  who  at  the  time  of  his  death  at  his 
home  in  Jefferson  township  in  the  spring  of  1918  was  the  oldest  minister 
of  the  Wilmington  yearly  meeting  of  the  Society  of  P'riends,  was  born  ni 
Guilford  county.  North  Carolina,  February  2,  1834,  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Catherine  Pidgeon,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  state,  the  former 
on  March  i,  1806,  and  the  latter,  November  23,  18 10,  and  who  were  mar- 
ried there  on  November  8,  1829.  During  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  Charles 
Pidgeon  came  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  settled  in  Clinton  county,  -(vhere 
he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days,  dying  near  Wilmington.  They  were 
the  parents  of  twelve  children,  those  besides  John  'M..  the  third  in  order  uf 
birth,  being  Emily,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Briggs;  Mrs.  Mary 
Jane  Cammack,  deceased:  Hannah  E.,  who  married  William  Charles  and  is 
also  deceased;  Julia  A.,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilmington,  widow  of 
William  Henry;  Samuel  T.,  now  living  retired  at  Jamestown,  this  county; 
David,  who  lives  at  Whittier,  California;  Jeffrey  H..  who  died  in  ch'ddliood; 
Louisa  M.,  wife  of  Adin  Starbuck;  Charles  A.,  who  died  in  young  manhood; 
Henry  H.,  who  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  near  Wilmington,  and  /Cor- 
nelia, wife  of  Bruce  Sprague,  of  Wilmington. 

John  M.  Pidgeon  completed  his  schooling  at  New  Garden  Boarding 
School,  now  Guilford  College,  and  for  many  years  taught  school.  He  had  a. 
birthright  in  the  Society  of  Friends  and  in  1866,  not  long  after  the  coming 
of  the  family  to  Ohio;  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Friends  church,  a  posi- 
tion he  occupied  until  his  death.  In  1875  Mr.  Pidgeon  bought  the  fifty-acre 
farm  in  Jefferson  township,  where  his  widow  is  now  living,  and  there  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  IMarch  20,  1918,  and 
he  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Jamestown. 

The  Rev.  John  M.  Pidgeon  was  twice  married.  On  July  4,  1858.  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Caroline  Priscilla  Thompson  and  to  that  union 
were  born  three  children,  Ida  May.  born  on  January  11,  i860,  who  married 
Henry  Pearson  and  died  on  July  11,  1910.  leaving  two  daughters,  Fleta 
Belle  and  Maude  Mav:  Carl  .A..,  Tnlv  11.  1861,  who  married  Belle  Venneinin 


CAUL  A.  PirxJEOX  VERXOX  PIDGEOX 

LAUREL   V.   PIDGEOX  REV.    JOHX    M.    PIDGEOX 

FOUR  GEXERATIOXS   OF  THE   PIDGEOX   FAMILY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  553 

and  has  five  children,  Vernon,  Charles,  Arthur,  John  Vance  and  Egbert; 
and  Charles  T.,  February  12,  1863,  now  engaged  in  the  wholesale  millinery 
business  at  Ft.  \Vayne,  Indiana,  who  married  Maud  Keplinger  and  has  one 
daughter,  Mervyn.  Mrs.  Caroline  Pidgeon  died  on  December  11,  1908,  and 
on  December  14,  1910,  Mr.  Pidgeon  married  Airs.  Catherine  (Stethem) 
Hughes,  of  Hillsboro,  who  survives  him.  Airs.  Pidgeon  is  a  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Martha  (Allen)  Stethem.  Her  first  husband.  Frank  Hughes,  was 
born  at  Hillsboro  in  November,  1866,  and  by  her  first  marriage  she  has  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Grace  D..  Avho  on  January  i,  191 1,  married  William  N. 
Linton,  a  hardware  merchant  at  Bowersville,  and  has  two  children,  Cath- 
erine, born  on  December  23,  191 1,  and  Mary  Elizabeth,  March  19,  1914. 


HORACE  STEELE  KEMP. 

Horace  Steele  Kemp,  former  trustee  of  Sugarcreek  township,  whose 
tragic  death  in  the  summer  of  1915  by  reason  of  a  farm  accident  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township  proved  a  shock  to  the  whole 
community,  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  in  this  part  of  Ohio, 
the  Kemps  having  settled  in  the  Dayton  neighborhood,  over  in  Montgomery 
county,  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  that  section.  He  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  Mad  River  township,  Montgomery  county,  April  17,  1872,  son 
of  Louis  A.  and  Hester  (Taylor)  Kemp,  both  of  whom  were  Ijorn  in  that 
same  county. 

Louis  A.  Kemp  was  born  on  the  old  Kemp  farm,  just  east  of  Dayton, 
now  a  part  of  the  city  corporation,  and  remained  there  until  t!ie  year  1875, 
when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Sugar- 
creek township,  where  he  continued  farming  until  about  1889,  when  he  re- 
tired from  the  farm  and  moved  to  the  village  of  Bellbrook,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1891.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch  being  the  following:  Stephen  A.,  now  a  rancher  in  New 
Mexico;  John,  who  died  in  infancy;  Josephine,  wife  of  W.  E.  Strain,  of 
Dayton;  Augustus,  who  also  is  a  rancher  in  New  Mexico,  and  Ada,  wife  of 
Walter  Weller,  living  one  mile  south  of  Bellbrook,  in  this  county. 

Horace  S.  Kemp  was  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to 
Greene  county  and  he  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  remained  there 
until  grown  and  then  went  to  Kansas  and  became  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business  in  the  vicinity  of  Emporia,  where  he  married  and  where  he  re- 
mained for  some  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
there  and  returned  to  Ohio,  for  a  year  thereafter  being  engaged  in  the  bak- 


554  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ery  business  at  Greenville.  He  then,  in  1890,  returned  to  the  home  farm 
in  this  county,  his  father  having  retired  from  the  farm  about  that  time, 
and  resumed  farming  there,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  his  tragic  death 
on  June  22.  19 15.  I\Ir.  Kemp  was  at  the  barn  of  his  brother-in-law,  ]\Ir. 
W'illers.  v.here  men  were  haying,  when  the  pully  of  a  hayfork  broke  and 
he  was  struck  on  the  head  by  the  flying  missile.  He  was  hurriedlv  taken  to 
a  hospital  at  Dayton,  but  surgical  skill  was  powerless  to  give  him  relief  and 
he  died  that  same  evening.  He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Bellbrook 
and  the  funeral  was  one  of  the  most  largely  attended  ever  held  in  that 
communit}-,  there  being  no  fewer  than  one  thousand  sympathizing  friends 
present.  IMr.  Kemp  was  a  Democrat  and  had  served  as  township  trustee 
several  terms  and  also  for  several  terms  as  a  member  of  the  district  school 
board.  He  was  a  member  of  the  ;\It.  Zion  Reformed  church  and  was  affil- 
iated with  the  Grange  and  with  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics. 

Mr.  Kemp  was  twice  married.  During  the  time  of  his  residence  at 
Emporia,  Kansas,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ida  David,  of  that  citv. 
To  that  union  two  children  were  born,  Lawrence  and  Helen,  both  of  whom 
are  now  in  high  school.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  Januarv  20, 
1905,  and  on  June  13,  1907,  Mr.  Kemp  married  Lora  Kemp,  daughter  of 
Joseph  W.  and  Mary  (Pearson)  Kemp,  of  the  Dayton  neighborhood.  The 
late  Joseph  W.  Kemp  was  a  farmer  living  near  Dayton  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children.  To  Horace  S.  and  Lora  (Kemp)  Kemp 
were  bom  two  children,  John,  born  on  November  8,  1908,  and  Hester,  ]\Iay 
28,  191 1.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  ]Mrs.  Kemp  has  continued  to 
make  her  home  on  the  home  farm  on  rural  mail  route  Xo.  i  out  of  \\'aynes- 
ville. 


GEORGE  DODDS  AXD  SOXS. 

The  business  now  conducted  by  the  George  Dodds  &  Sons  Granite  Com- 
pany at  Xenia  was  established  in  the  year  1864  and  has  for  more  than  half 
a  century  been  carried  on  continuously  from  its  present  headquarters  in 
that  city.  George  Dodds,  from  whom  the  company  derives  its  name,  was  one 
of  the  original  founders  of  the  business,  and  his  six  son?  have  grown  up 
with  knowledge  of  its  various  branches.  The  business  was  incorporated  in 
191 1,  under  its  present  name.  During  the  same  year  the  Victoria  White 
Granite  Company  was  organized,  with  quarries  and  cutting  plants  at  Keene, 
New  Hampshire.  The  properties  of  the  Milford  Pink  Granite  Quarries,  at 
]\Iilford.  ^Lissacliusetts,  have  also  been  acquired  by  the  Dodds  brothers,  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  555 

transaction  having  been  mentioned  by  a  leading  trade  journal  at  the  time 
as  "the  greatest  granite  deal  of  this  generation."  The  Milford  Pink  Granite 
Company  is  also  incorporated.  The  executive  offices  of  all  these  companies 
are  in  Xenia,  all  are  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Ohio,  and  in  all  of  them 
the  Messrs.  Dodds  own  a  controlling  interest.  The  president  of  the  George 
Dodds  &  Sons  Granite  Company  is  Earl  C.  Dodds,  now  in  charge  of  the 
Victoria  White  Granite  Company's  general  offices  at  Keene,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  who  for  nearly  ten  years  past  has  been  the  general  executive  head 
of  the  business  at  Xenia.  He  also  is  vice-president  and  treasurer  of  the 
Victoria  White  Granite  Company  and  treasurer  of  the  Milford  Pink  Granite 
Company.  John  Charles  Dodds,  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the 
company,  as  well  as  president  of  the  Victoria  ^^'hite  Granite  Company  and 
president  of  the  Milford  Pink  Granite  Company,  resides  in  Xenia,  but  is 
kept  traveling  much  of  the  time  looking  after  the  company's  interests.  Leslie 
J.  Dodds,  second  vice-president,  was  for  some  years  in  the  engraving  depart- 
ment and  is  now  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  departments  of  the  wholesale 
house  of  Wilson  Brothers  at  Chicago,  in  which  city  he  resides.  Ralph  C. 
Dodds,  third  vice-president,  was  for  many  years  a  salesman  for  the  whole- 
sale house  of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Company  at  Chicago,  but  is  now  devoting  his 
entire  time  to  the  sales  department  of  the  GeoTge  Dodds  &  Sons  Granite 
Company,  in  charge  of  the  territory  adjacent  to  Indianapolis,  with  headquar- 
ters in  Indianapolis.  Frank  W.  Dodds,  secretar)'  of  the  company,  is  now  in 
charge  of  the  company's  executive  offices  at  Xenia.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Ohio  State  University  College  of  Law  and  was  for  years  a  student  of  art 
and  architecture  at  home  and  abroad.  He  also  is  secretary  of  the  Milford 
Pink  Granite  Company  and  assistant  secretary  of  the  Victoria  \\'hite  Granite 
Company.  George  F.  Dodds,  treasurer  and  superintendent  of  construction 
of  the  company,  secretary  of  the  Victoria  White  Granite  Company  and  vice- 
president  of  the  Milford  Pink  Granite  Company,  is  also  located  at  Xenia 
and  has  charge  of  the  manufacturing  plant  there,  as  well  as  of  the  work 
of  setting  up  important  work  outside. 

The  late  George  Dodds,  founder  of  the  business  above  referred  to  and 
father  of  the  six  brothers  who  are  now  in  charge  of  the  same,  was  a  native 
of  Scotland,  but  had  been  a  resident  of  this  country  since  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  most  of  his  life  being  spent  in  Xenia,  where  he  died  on  Novem- 
ber 17,  1914.  He  was  born  at  Primside  Mill,  near  the  village  of  Yetholm, 
in  Roxboroughshire,  February  19,  1837,  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  seven 
children  born  to  George  and  Isabel  (Taylor)  Dodds,  who  were  born  in  that 
same  community  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there,  and  he  remained  in  his 
nati\'e  Scotland  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  v.'hen,  in  response  to 


556  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  request  of  his  elder  brother,  Andrew  Dodds,  who  three  years  before  had 
come  to  this  country  and  was  then  engaged  as  foreman  of  a  marble-cutting 
esablishment  at  Aladison,  Indiana,  he  came  over  and  joined  his  brother  at 
Madison.  It  was  on  July  ii,  1854,  that  George  Dodds  sailed  from  Glasgow 
and  sixteen  days  later  he  landed  at  the  port  of  New  York,  losing  little  time 
thereafter  in  joining  his  brother  in  Indiana.  Under  his  brother's  direction 
George  Dodds  became  an  expert  marble-cutter.  In  1859  the  two  brothers 
left  IMadison  and  came  over  into  this  part  of  Ohio  and  set  up  a  marble  shop 
in  the  vicinity  of  Antioch  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  this  county,  where  they 
remained  until  1864,  in  which  year  they  mo\-ed  to  Xenia  and  there  enlarged 
their  facilities  for  monumental  work  and  erected  a  plant  for  general  marble 
cutting,  doing  business  under  the  firm  nanie  of  A.  &  G.  Dodds.  In  the 
spring  of  1866  Andrew  Dodds  returned  to  his  native  Scotland  and  sent 
back  a  large  quantity  of  Scotch  granite,  the  Dodds  brothers  thus  becoming 
the  first  importers  of  this  quality  of  granite  west  of  New  York  City.  In 
the  meantime  they  had  established  a  branch  house  af  St.  Louis  and  in  1867 
Andrew  Dodds  moved  to  that  city  to  take  charge  of  the  business  there, 
George  Dodds  remaining  in  charge  of  the  plant  at  Xenia.  The  partnership 
thus  being  dissolved,  George  Dodds  continued  in  business  alone  until  1871, 
when  he  admitted  to  partnership  Alexander  Caskey  and  in  the  next  year 
established  a  branch  house  at  Pittsburgh,  of  which  Mr.  Caskey  took  charge 
in  1873,  ^^^-  Dodds  thus  again  being  left  alone  in  charge  of  the  business  at 
Xenia,  and  from  1873  to  1897  he  conducted  the  business.  In  the  year  last 
mentioned  j\Ir.  Dodds  took  into  partnership  with  him  his  son,  John  Charles 
Dodds,  present  general  manager  of  the  George  Dodds  &  Sons  Granite  Com- 
pany, and  thereafter  extended  the  operations  of  the  concern,  making  more 
of  a  specialty  of  the  architectural  phase  of  the  business  than  theretofore,  the 
original  operations  of  the  plant  ha\"ing  been  confined  largely  to  monumental 
work,  and  this  business  has  since  been  extended  from  year  to  year  until  now 
it  is  recognized  as  the  greatest  establishment  devoted  to  architectural  and 
mortuary  art  in  the  world. 

George  Dodds  was  twice  married.  On  October  11,  1861,  at  Madison, 
Indiana,  he  .was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  I.  Ferguson,  of  that  place, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  two  children.  George  Fremont  Dodds,  present 
treasurer  and  superintendent  of  construction  of  tiie  George  Dodds  &  Sons 
Granite  Company,  of  Xenia,  and  one  .w  ho  died  in  infancy.  ]\Irs.  Elizabeth 
I.  Dodds  died  on  August  20,  1865,  while  on  a  visit  to  her  mother  at  Madison, 
and  on  October  16,  1866,  Mr.  Dodds  married  Mary  E.  Brown,  of  Xenia, 
daughter  of  Hiram  and  Rebecca  Brown,  the  former  of  whom,  an  architect 
and  builder,  had  come  to  Xenia  to  superintend  the  erection  of  the  old  court 
house.     To  that  union  were  born  eiglit  children,  three  daughters  besides  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  557 

five  sons  mentioned  above,  Carrie  B.,  widow  of  the  Rev.  George  H.  Geyer 
and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Mary  Alice, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  one  vear,  and  Jessie  K.,  who  resides  at  the  family 
residence  in  Xenia.  Mr.  Dodds  was  a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  was  for  many  years  recording  steward  of  the  congregation  with 
which  he  was  affiliated  and  was  a  leader  in  the  work  of  the  Good  Templars 
during  the  days  of  that  organization's  strength.  Mrs.  Dodds,  who  died  on 
October  lo,  1913,  was  for  years  contributor  to  the  cause  of  temperance  here- 
about through  her  activities  in  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
of  which  organization  she  was  for  some  time  the  president. 


PROF.  DEWALT  S.  LYNN. 

Prof.  Dewalt  S.  Lynn,  district  superintendent  of  the  Beavercreek  and 
Bath  township  schools,  is  a  native  of  the  old  Keystone  state,  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  Ohio  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  on  October  14,  1876,  son  of  Andrew  R.  and  Elizabeth  (  Schultz) 
Lynn,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  that  state,  the  former  in  1847  '^"'^^  the 
latter  in  1S52,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Fair- 
field, this  county.     The  latter  died  on  h'ebruary  22,  19 17. 

Andrew  R.  Lynn  was  reared  as  a  farmer  in  his  native  state  and  followed 
that  vocation  there  until  1895,  i"  which  year  he  came  with  his  family  to 
Ohio  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  where  he  con- 
,  tinned  farming  until  his  retirement  and  remo\al  to  the  village  of  Fairfield, 
where  his  wife  died  and  where  he  is  still  living.  To  them  six  children  were 
born,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  Frances,  wife  of  Samuel  A.  Weaver,  a  farmer,  of  Bath  town- 
ship, this  county;  Anna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years;  Claude,  a 
locomotive  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
who  married  Jessie  Hoffman  and  is  living  at  Xenia;  William,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  and  the  Rev.  Ralph  Lynn,  minister  of  the 
Reformed  church,  who  married  Irene  Bell  and  is  now  pastor  of  the  Caesars- 
creek  charge,  including  Maple  Corner  and  Hawker's  church. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  Dewalt  S.  Lynn  received  his  early  schooHng  in  the 
schools  of  his  home  neighborhood  in  his  native  state  and  when  the  family 
moved  to  this  county  he  entered  the  Bath  township  high  school  afid  after 
two  years  of  further  instruction  there  began  teaching  school,  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  entered  Heidelberg  Uni- 
versity at  Tiffin,  this  state,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution,  after 
a  four-years  course,  in  1906.    He  then  accepted  the  position  of  superintendent 


55^  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  the  village  schools  at  Basil,  in  Fairfield  county,  this  state,  and  after  three 
years  of  service  in  that  capacity  returned  home  and  was  for  a  year  there- 
after engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Bath  township  schools.  He  then  accepted 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Jel¥erson  township,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  and  was  there  thus  engaged  for  four 
years,  or  until  191 4,  when  he  returned  to  Fairfield  and  has  since  been  engaged 
as  district  superintendent  of  the  schools  in  Bath  and  Beavercreek  townships, 
the  present  enrollment  of  pupils  under  Professor  Lynn's  charge  being  three 
hundred  from  the  former  township  and  four  hundred  from  the  latter. 

On  June  21,  1906,  in  Bath  township,  this  county,  Prof.  D.  S.  Lynn  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Clara  Tobias,  daughter  of  Martin  L.  and  ^Mary  (Barn- 
hart)  Tobias,  of  that  township,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  making 
her  home  with  her  youngest  son,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  two  sons, 
Leroy,  born  on  February  22,  1909,  and  Carl,  January  12,  1916.  Professor 
and  Mrs.  Lynn  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  reside  at  Fairfield. 
The  professor  is  a  member  of  the  local  grange.  By  political  persuasion  he 
is  a  Democrat,  but  reserves  the  right  to  maintain  an  independent  attitude  on 
local  issues. 


EDWIN   H.   SCHAUER. 

Edwin  H.  Schauer,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  a  part  of 
the  old  Confer  place  on  which  he  was  born,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  April  3,  1867,  son  of  Isaac  and  Mary  (Confer) 
Schauer,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  Bath 
township  and  the  latter  in  Miami  township  on  the  farm  above  referred  to. 

Isaac  Schauer  was  born  on  November  i.  1832,  a  son  of  Samuel 
Schauer  and  wife,  early  settlers  in  tlie  Byron  neighborhood.  Samuel 
Schauer  had  a  brother,  Jesse,  and  a  sister,  Elizabeth.  Isaac  Schauer  was 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  seven  children  born  to  his  parents,  the 
others  having  been  John,  Jacob,  George,  Sarah,  Samuel  and  Simon,  all  now 
deceased.  In  1862  Isaac  Schauer  was  married  to  Mary  Confer,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Confer,  of  ]VIiami  townsliip,  who  was  the  father  of  three  children, 
Mrs.  Schauer  having  had  two  brothers,  Hiram  and  Henry.  After  his  mar- 
riage Isaac  Schauer  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  and 
presently  took  up  the  cultivation  of  nursery  stock.  For  a  time  during  the 
later  sixties  he  conducted  a  hotel  at  Yellow  Springs,  but  in  1870  returned 
to  the  old  Schauer  farm  in  Bath  township  and  there  remained  for  nine  ^■ears, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  and 
there  was  engaged  in  farming  for  thirteen  years.  About  the  year  1897  he 
retired   from  active  labors  and  moved   to  Yellow   Springs,   where  he  spent 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  559 

his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  on  May  7,  1907.  His  widow  is  still 
living.  To  Isaac  and  Mary  (Confer)  Schauer  were  born  six  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  is  now  the  only 
survivor,  the  others  having  been  Lulu,  who  died  in  infancy;  Ida,  wlio  mar- 
ried William  Beatty  and  died  before  she  was  twenty-three  years  of  age,  and 
Clinton,  George  and  Clifford,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Edwin  H.  Schauer  received  his  schooling  in  the  school  at  Byron  and  in 
the  Ludlow  school  in  Beavercreek  township.  In  the  week  following  the 
attainment  of  his  majority  he  married.  For  three  years  thereafter  he  re- 
mained on  the  home  place  and  then  bought  his  present  farm,  on  which  he 
has  ever  since  been  living,  a  part  of  the  old  Confer  place,  formerly  the 
Walker  farm,  bought  during  the  '50s  by  his  grandfather,  Samuel  Confer. 
Mr.  Schauer  owns  there  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  and  in  addi- 
tion to  his  general  farming  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
live  stock.  Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland  China  liogs  being  his  specialty.  He 
is  a  Republican  with  independent  leanings. 

On  April  10,  1888,  Edwin  H.  Schauer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza- 
beth Morgan,  of  Xenia  township,  who  was  born  on  March  25,  1869,  daugh- 
ter of  David  and  Rose  (Greene)  Morgan,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
this  county,  the  former  in  Xenia  township  and  the  latter  in  Beavercreek 
township,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  those  besides  Mrs. 
Schauer  being  the  following:  John  Morgan,  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Xenia; 
Emma,  wife  of  Richard  Bull,  a  farmer  on  Clarks  run  in  Xenia  township; 
Joseph,  a  1)uilding  contractor  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee;  Rose,  wife  of  Wesley 
Swadener,  a  fanner  of  the  Oldtown  neighborhood  in  this  county;  Clinton, 
who  is  now  the  manager  of  a  poultry  farm  in  Indiana,  and  Margaret,  wife 
of  James  Shaw,  a  farmer  of  the  Oldtown  neighborhood,  and  two  who  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schauer  have  nine  children,  namely :  Ethel,  born 
on  April  24,  1889,  who  married  Warren  Carpenter,  a  Aliami  township 
farmer,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Marjorie ;  J.  Myrtle,  Januarj'  22, 
1892,  who  married  James  Hoffman,  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  and  has 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Marie;  Goldie,  August  6,  1893,  who  married  Prof. 
Gilbert  Funderberg,  now  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  at  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Joe;  Luther,  May  15,  1895,  a  soldier  of 
the  National  Arm.y,  now  (1918)  in  camp  at  Camp  Custer  at  Battle  Creek, 
Michigan;  Ida,  April  14,  1898,  at  home;  Isaac  Lester.  September  25,  1900, 
at  home,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1918,  Yellow  Springs  high  school;  Clar- 
ence, December  5,  1902,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1920,  same  school;  Fern, 
February  26,  1905,  and  Catherine,  December  22,  1910.  The  .Schauers  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Schauer  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  his  church  for  more  than  twenty  years. 


560  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


WARREN  B.   STEEL. 


For  more  than  a  hundred  years  the  Steels  have  been  represented  in  Greene 
county  and  particularly  in  the  Beavercreek  neighborhood,  where  the  family 
became  established  in  an  early  day  in  the  settlement  of  that  part  of  the  county, 
the  first  of  the  family  to  settle  in  this  county  having  bought  a  tract  of 
timber  land  there  upon  coming  over  here  from  Maryland,  paying  three  dol- 
lars an  acre  for  the  same,  and  there  established  his  home,  he  and  his  wife, 
the  latter  of  whom  before  her  marriage  was  Ann  Palmer,  spending  the  rest 
of  their  lives  in  that  neighborhood.  This  pioneer  Steele  cleared  a  portion 
of  his  land  and  in  his  declining  days  sold  the  place  to  his  son  Ebenezer, 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  moved  to  Alpha,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent.  Ebenezer  Steel  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten 
children  born  to  his  parents,  the  others  having  been  John,  Jacob,  Harvey, 
William,  :\Iar}-,  Sarah,  Ann.  Elizabeth  and  Martha.  As  most  of  these  chil- 
dren reared  families  of  their  own  it  is  apparent  that  the  descendants  of  this 
pioneer  couple  must  form  a  numerous  connection  in  the  present  generation. 

Ebenezer  Steel  was  born  on  the  pioneer  farm  above  referred  to  on 
April  6,  1 82 1,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  married  Catherine  Shuey, 
who  was  born  in  April,  1818,  and  after  his  marriage  bought  his  father's  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  and  one-half  acres  and  there  made  his  home 
until  1875,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  this  county  and- moved  to 
northwestern  Missouri,  buying  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Lathrop,  in  Clinton 
county,  that  state,  where  he  died  in  May,  1886.  His  widow  survived  him 
for  more  than  fifteen  years,  her  death  occurring  in  January,  1902.  Ebenezer 
Steel  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed 
church.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely :  John,  who  enlisted 
his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Ninet3''-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Buzzard  Roost,  Georgia;  Henry 
Erman,  who  married  Sarah  J.  Ross  and  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he  died 
leaving  one  child,  a  son,  Edgar  Ross  Steel;  Joseph  Granville,  who  married 
Salomie  Palmer  and  became  a  farmer  in  Noble  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
died  on  February  11,  1916,  leaving  two  children,  Ada,  who  married  Forest 
Moore,  and  Stacy;  Melvin  David,  who  died  unmarried  in  Missouri,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five  years;  Ebenezer  Cattie,  a  farmer  in  Clinton  county,  Mis- 
souri, who  married  Elizabeth  Trice  and  has  six  children,  Harry,  Frank, 
John,  Maude,  Eva  and  Mary;  and  Oliver  Perry  Morton,  who  married  Car- 
rie Trice  and  later  became  established  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  and  where  he  also  served  as  deputy 
county  clerk  and  who  died  in  1915,  leaving  two  sons.  Dr.  Guy  Steel,  now  a 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  S6l 

dentist  at  Indepenclence.   JMissouri,   and  Hugh,   who  is  now  serving  in  the 
national  arm}-. 

Warren  B.  Steel,  fpurth  child  and  third  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Catherine 
(Shuey)  Steel,  was  born  on  the  old  Steel  place  in  Beavercreek  township  on 
February  17,  1847,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  recei\-ing  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools  and  remaining  there  until  after  his  marriage  in 
1870,  when  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  as  a  renter,  and  was 
thus  engaged  in  this  county  and  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  for  some 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Xoble  county,  Indiana,  but  after 
two  }-ears  of  residence  there  returned  to  this  county  and  bought  a  seventy- 
acre  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ludlo\v  school  house.  On  this  latter  place 
he  made  his  home  for  thirteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  disposed 
of  the  farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  became  engaged  as  an  inspector 
in  a  handle  factory  and  later  was  employed  as  an  inspector  of  sidewalks  and 
sewers,  in  the  municipal  service,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  four  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time,  in  1905,  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living 
in  Beavercreek  township,  four  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Xenia.  rural  mail 
route  'No.  10  out  of  Xenia,  and  has  since  made  his  home  there,  though  of 
late  years  he  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  Jabors  of  the 
farm,  renting  his  fields.  Mr.  Steel  has  one  hundred  and  three  acres  and  since 
taking  possession  of  the  same  has  created  there  an  entirely  new  farm  plant, 
building  new  buildings  and  making  other  improvements.  In  addition  to  his 
general  farming  he  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Hol- 
stein  cattle,  Poland  China  hogs  and  Cottswold  sheep.  Mr.  Steel  is  a  Repub- 
lican and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  witli  the  Masonic  order.  He  was  made 
a  Mason  forty-six  years  ago  in  the  lodge  at  Yellow  Springs,  but  is  now 
connected  with  the  lodge  of  that  order  at  Xenia. 

On  October  16,  1870,  Warren  B.  Steel  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Harner,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  a  member 
of  one  of  the  old  families  of  Greene  county,  as  will  be  noted  by  reference  to 
a  comprehensive  sketch  of  the  Harner  family  in  this  county  presented  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Steel  is  a  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Anna  ( Snider) 
Harner,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  the  former 
a  son  of  George  and  Sarah  (Koogler)  Harner,  pioneers  of  that  township 
and  the  latter  of  whom  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  five  years  of  age.  Anna 
f  Snider)  Harner  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Sarah  (Miller)  Snider,  who 
had  come  to  this  county  from  Maryland  and  had  settled  on  a  farm  in  th 
vicinity  of  Trebeins,  where  Jonathan  Snider  also  operated  a  mill.  IMr^^. 
Steel  was  one  of  the  four  children  born  to  her  parents,  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Refonned  church.  Mr.  and 
(i5) 


562  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Mrs.  Steel  liave  two  sons,  Daniel  Frederick  and  Joseph  I.,  neither  of  whom, 
however,  are  now  residents  of  this  county.  Daniel  Frederick  Steel  was  born 
on  November  3,  1875,  completed  his  schooling  in  Antioch  College,  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  insurance  busmess  at  \'isalia,  California.  He  married  Grace 
Robertson  and  has  two  children.  Helen  and  Harry  D.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steel'.^ 
second  son.  Joseph  I.  Steel,  was  born  on  October  7.  1885,  completed  his 
schooling  in  the  high  school,  went  to  Joplin.  Missouri,  and  is  now  engaged 
as  a  linotype  operator. 


GILBERT  L.  DILLIXGHA:\r. 

In  the  memorial  annals  of  the  village  of  Jamestown  and  of  the  James- 
town neighborhood  in  Greene  county  there  are  few  names  held  in  better 
remembrance  than  that  of  the  late  Gilbert  L.  Dillingham,  who  became  engaged 
in  the  jewelry  business  in  that  little  village  in  the  early  '40s  of  the  past  cen- 
tury and  thus  continued  in  business  there  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Gilbert  L.  Dillingham  was  born  in  the  city  of  Boston,  Massachusetts, 
May  4,  1821,  and  his  parents  also  were  born  in  that  city,  both  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  the  high  school  in  Boston  and 
early  became  an  expert  jeweler  and  watchsmith.  When  he  was  through  with 
school  and  had  completed  his  apprenticeship  at  the  jeweler's  bench  he  decided 
to  come  to  Ohio  and  to  here  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account :  and  with 
that  end  in  view,  he  then  being  but  nineteen  or  twenty  years  of  age,  he  located 
at  Jamestown  and  there  opened  a  jewelry  store,  continuing  in  business  there 
the  rest  of  his  life,  Ins  death  occurring  there  on  May  5.  1864.  he  then  being 
forty-three  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Dillingham  was  twice  married.  In  1846,  five  or  six  years  after  he 
took  up  his  residence  in  Jamestown,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Melvina 
Dwinell.  of  Middletqwn,  this  state,  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, Angeline.  Prudence.  Atta.  Levi.  Jackson  and  Horace,  all  of  whom  are 
now  deceased  save  Mrs.  Atta  Johnson,  a  widow,  still  living  at  Jamestown, 
and  Levi,  who  is  married  and  is  living  at  Bloomington.  Illinois.  The  mother 
of  these  children  died  about  1859  and  is  buried  at  Middletown.  .Al^out  i86r, 
at  Jamestown.  Mr.  Dillingham  married  Susan  Taylor,  of  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, who  died  in  1877.  and  to  this  union  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  \^ica,  who  in  1899  married  James  Cooper,  a  farmer  of  Greene 
count}';  Josephine,  who  died  when  about  five  years  of  age,  and  Frances,  who 
on  December  25,  1889,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Oscar  E.  Bales,  who  for 
the  past  twenty-seven  years  has  been  engaged  as  a  locomoti\e  engineer  on 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  running  out  of  Xenia.     Mr.  Bales  is  a  native  son 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  .  563 

of  Greene  county,  born  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  February  2,  1864, 
son  of  John  S.  Bales,  a  retired  farmer  of  this  county,  now  Hving  in  Xenia,  and 
further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Bales 
was  for  some  years  and  until  recently  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  at  Xenia, 
proprietress  of  the  Francess  Inn  on  Detroit  street. 


REUBEN  G.  BATDORF. 

The  late  Reuben  G.  Batdorf,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  farmer 
of  Bath  township,  this  county,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Fairfield  and  practically  all  his  life  was  spent  in  this  county,  the  exception 
being  a  sometime  residence  during  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  at  Dayton, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  commercial  activities,  and  a  later  residence  of  a 
few  years  in  the  then  Territory  of  Montana.  He  was  born  on  December  4, 
1843,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  M.  (Mitman)  Batdorf,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  born  in  1816  and  died  on  November  6,  1866.  Peter  Batdorf  was  born 
in  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1843  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a 
farm  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Fairfield,  in  Bath  township,  this 
county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  died  there  on  April  10, 
1880,  being  then  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  Mitman 
cemetery  at  Fairfield. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Reuben  G.  Batdorf  received  his  schooling  in 
the  Fairfield  schools  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  enlisted  his  services  in 
behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  in  that  behalf 
served  for  three  years.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he 
returned  home  and  not  long  afterward  became  engaged  in  a  wholesale  mil- 
linery establishment  at  Dayton  and  later  with  a  drygoods  store  at  Osborn, 
in  this  county :  later  making  a  trip  West  and  spending  a  few  years  in  the  then 
Territory  of  Montana,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  his  home  in 
this  county  and  after  his  marriage  located  on  the  farm  in  tlie  Byron  neigh- 
borhood where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  November 
6,  1896.  and  he  was  buried  in  the  Byron  cemetery.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  church  at  Byron,  as  is  hi^  widow. 

On  October  3,  1869,  Reuben  G.  Batdorf  was  united  in  marriage  to  .\lice 
A.  Harner,  who  was_born  on  a  farm  north  of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township,  this 
county,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Araminta  (White)  Harner,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  Greene  county,  the  former  in  Beavercreek  township  and 
the  latter  in  Xenia  township,  members  of  pioneer  families  hereabout.  The 
Harners  are  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  countv  and  further  refer- 
ence to  the  family  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.     To  Reuben  G.  and 


564  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Alice  A.  (Harner)  Batdorf  were  born  eight  children,  namely:  01i\ia,  born 
on  July  II,  1870.  who  is  still  living  in  Bath  township  and  who  lias  been 
twice  married,  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  William  Wolf,  she  hav- 
ing married  Fred  Kuhn;  Daisy,  born' on  January  7,  1875,  "o^^'  deceased; 
Stella,  October  22.  1878,  also  deceased:  R.  Dewitt,  December  14,  1880,  a 
resident  of  the  \-illage  of  Byron:  Jvlellie.  April  27,  1883,  who  married  Will- 
iam Bowers  and  is  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow  Springs :  Carrie, 
July  30,  1885,  deceased;  Florence,  September  27,  1887,  who  is  living  in  Bath 
township,  widow  of  the  late  Ira  Poland,  and  Jennie,  deceased.  Mrs.  Batdorf 
has  fourteen  grandchildren  and  three  great-grandchildren. 


ISAAC  N.  KABLE. 


Isaac  N.  Kable,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Bea\-ercreek  township,  situated 
•on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has 
lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  April  5,  1855,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Catherine  (Garver)  Kable,  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter 
of  Maryland,  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  the  farm  on  which  their  son 
Isaac  is  now  living. 

Samuel  Kable  was  born  at  Kabletown,  in  Jefferson  county,  Virginia, 
now  a  part  of  West  Virginia,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  later  coming 
to  Ohio  with  his  brother  James  and  locating  in  Greene  county,  for  a  time 
the  brothers  making  their  home  here  with  the  family  of  Moses  Shoup.  Not 
long  after  his  arrival  here  Samuel  Kable  married  Catherine  Garver  and  made 
his  home  at  Osborn,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  milling  business.  He 
later  moved  from  there  to  a  point  northwest  of  Carlisle,  down  in  Warren 
county,  where  he  began  to  operate  a  mill  and  was  thus  engaged  there  until 
the  fall  of  1854,  when  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  the  farm 
on  which  his  son,  Isaac,  is  now  living  in  Beavercreek  township.  That 
place  then  included  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres  and  was  but  partly 
improved.  Samuel  Kable  made  improvements  on  the  place  and  there  died 
in  November,  1864.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  ten  years,  her 
death  occurring  in  1873.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
she  was  a  member  of  the  Dunker  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-l^orn,  the  others 
being  Ann  Rebecca,  Mary,  Joseph,  Ella,  Martha  J.  and  John,  of  whom  all 
are  living  save  the  first  three.  Ann  Rebecca  Kable  married  David  Merrick, 
a  farmer  of  this  county,  who  died  in  1904.  She  died  in  February,  IQ17.  Mary 
Kable  married  Hiram  Roscell  and  died  in  May,  i86c).  Joseph  Kable  mar- 
ried Harriet  Hawker,  became  a  farmer  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark 


Ii<AAC   X.   KABI.K. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  565 

and  there  died  in  1910.  Ella  Kable  was  married  in  Octoljer,  1864,  to  Henry 
H.  Stafford,  of  Miami  county,  who  tliree  years  later  .came  to  Greene  county 
and  after  living  for  some  years  on  a  rented  farm  bought  the  farm  of  ninety 
acres  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Beavercreek  township.  Henry  H.  Stafford 
was  born  in  Miami  county,  son  of  William  E.  and  Harriet  (Newell)  Stafford, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  in  1848  and  the  former  in  1849,  who  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  of  whom  three  are  still  living,  Mr.  Staft'ord  having  a 
brother,  William,  living  in  Indianapolis,  and  a  sister,  Mary,  living  in  St. 
Louis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stafford  have  six  children,  namely:  Catherine,  who 
married  W.  J-  Engle,  a  Montgomery  county  florist,  and  has  four  children, 
Elberta  H.,  W.  S.,  Paul  and  Elizabeth;  Franklin  K.,  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Crawford  county,  this  state,  who  married  Viola  Dill  and  has  two  sons, 
Carl  and  James;  Edwin  L.,  who  is  now  farming  the  home  place  and  who 
married  Ella  B.  Shultz  and  has  five  children,  Jerome,  Florence,  Irene,  Henry 
and  Paul;  Carrie  Edith,  who  died  in  1890  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
and  Herbert  S.  and  Harry  H.,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  married  Louise 
Pierce  and  is  now  living  at  Hollidaysburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  is  engaged 
as  secretary  of  the  local  branch  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
at  that  place.  Dr.  Harry  H.  Stafford  married  Gertrude  Pierce  and  is  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  Dayton.  Martha  J.  Kable  married  David 
Hawker,  now  living  at  Dayton,  and  has  four  children,  Herbert  K.,  William 
S.,  Marietta  and  Bessie  M.  John  Kable,  a  farmer  of  Sugarcreek  township, 
this  county,  married  Jane  Ferguson  and  has  three  children,  Gertrude,  Charles 
R.  and  Carrie. 

Isaac  N.  Kable  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  nine  years  of  age  and  he  thus  early  assumed  responsibilities  that  ordi- 
narily do  not  fall  upon  the  shoulders  of  boys.  He  was  but  eighteen  when 
his  mother  died  and  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  farm,  after  his 
marriage  establishing  his  definite  home  there  and  in  due  time  bought  from 
the  other  heirs  their  interests  in  the  place  and  thus  became  the  owner  of 
the  farm,  which  he  has  since  improved,  remodeling  the  house  and  barn.  Mr. 
Kable  has  enlarged  the  original  acreage  of  his  father's  place  by  purchase 
of  a  bit  of  land  adjoining  and  now  has  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres, 
besides  a  tract  of  forty-five  acres  north  of  his  home  place.  In  addition 
to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Kable  has  gi\-en  considerable  attention  to  the 
raising  of  live  stock,  beef  and  dairy  cattle  of 'the  Durham  and  Holstein  strains 
and  Duroc- Jersey  hogs.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after 
public  office. 

Isaac  N.  Kable  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Lafong,  who  also  was 
born  in  Beavercreek  township,  a  daughter  of  Orlander  B.  and  Rebecca  (  Black) 


566  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Lafong,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  ]\Iary 
(Koogler)  Black,  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  To  this  union  four  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Oscar,  who 
continues  to  reside  on  the  home  farm,  assisting  his  father  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  same;  Pearl,  wife  of  Howard  Cosier,  a  Beavercreek  township 
farmer;  Clay,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  Ella  Marie.  The 
Kables  are  members  of  the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Kable  is 
an  elder  in  the  church. 


CHARLES  E.  ANKENEY. 

Charles  E.  Ankeney,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township, 
situated  on  rural  mail  route  No.  10  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship on  December  6,  1853,  son  of  Nelson  and  Elizabeth  Ankeney,  the  latter 
whom  is  still  living.  She  was  born  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Bellbrook 
in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Hannah  (Crumley)  Sidney,  who  came 
to  this  county  from  Virginia  and  located  in  the  Spring  Valley  neighbor- 
hood, later  moving  to  a  farm  north  of  Bellbrook,  where  Jacob  Sidney  died 
in  1835.  His  widow  married  Aaron  Paxton  and  spent  her  last  days  in 
Beavercreek  township,  her  death  occurring  there  on  I\Iarch  4,  1883.  she 
then  being  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to  Jacob 
and  Hannah  (Crumley)  Sidney,  Mrs.  Ankeney  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the 
others  having  been  Aaron,  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil 
War,  who  lost  an  arm  in  service  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  the 
South:  Joseph  M.,  who  lived  in  Michigan:  W^illiam  H.,  who  made  his  home 
in  Spring  Valley;  Clarissa  M..  who  married  John  LaValley;  Rebecca  Ann, 
who  married  George  Clymer,  and  Harriet  Jane,  who  died  unmarried. 

Nelson  Ankeney  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Clear  Springs  in  Washing- 
ton county,  Maryland,  September  15,  1825,  and  was  but  five  years  of  age 
when  his  parents,  David  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Ankeney,  came  to  this 
county  with  their  family  in  1830  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township,  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Albert  Ankeney.  On  the 
2nd  of  November  of  that  same  year  David  Ankeney  died  from  a  paralytic 
stroke,  he  then  being  forty-two  years  of  age.  His  widow  kept  the  family 
together  and  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  place  on  which  she  and  her 
husband  had  settled.  There  she  died  on  December  23,  1851,  being  tlien 
sixty-two  years  of  age.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  as 
was  her  husband,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were 
ten  of  these  children,  Samuel.  Mary.  Henry,  Margaret,  Sarah,  John,  Nelson, 
Martha,  Jacob  and  David,  and  the  descendants  of  this  family  in  the  present 
generation  form  a  numerous  connection  hereabout. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  567 

As  noted  above,  Nelson  Ankeney  was  but  a  child  when  he  came  to  this 
county  with  his  parents  from  Maryland  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood. 
After  his  marriage  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  a  place  a  half 
mile  north  of  Trebeins,  later  returning  to  the  home  place  and  thence,  after 
a  while,  to  another  place,  where  he  remained  for  thirteen  years,  or  until  1876, 
when  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  widow  is  now  living  and  there  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  October  7,  1902.  He  was 
a  I-iepublican  and  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  as  is  his  widow . 
Of  the  four  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Emma  L.,  now  living  with  her 
mother  and  who  is  the  widow  of  Abram  W.  Warner,  a  farmer  of  Starke 
county,  this  state,  who  died  on  December  20,  1901 ;  Lewis  W.,  a  Beaver- 
creek  farmer  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  and  Clara  J.,  unmarried,  who  makes  her  home  with  her  brotlicr 
Lewis. 

Charles  E.  Ankeney  was  reared  on  the  farm,  received  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1880  made 
his  home  on  a  part  of  the  home  place  until  1895,  when  he  bought  the  place 
on  which  he  is  now  living,  moved  to  the  same  and  has  since  made  that  his 
place  of  residence,  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-three 
acres.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Ankeney  has  erected  a  ten- 
room  house,  a  barn  36  x  64  feet  in  dimensions  and  has  made  other  improve- 
ments. In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  livestock  and  is  ably  assisted  by  those  of  his  sons  who  are 
still  at  home. 

On  October  26,  1880,  at  Alpha,  Charles  E.  Ankeney  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Emma  Kershner,  daughter  of  Eli  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Steele)  Kershner, 
the  latter  of  whom  also  wa«  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  old  families  in  that  part  of  the  county.  Eli  Kershner  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Maryland,  and  in  1828  came  to  this  county,  becoming 
engaged  as  a  cabinet-maker  at  Xenia,  later  moving  to  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, where  he  continued  active  in  that  vocation  and  where  he  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  at  Alpha  at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  many  years,  her  death  having  " 
when  she  was  forty-four  years  of  age.  They  also  were  members  of  the 
Reformed  church  and  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mrs.  Ankeney  now 
alone  surviving,  the  other  child  having  died  in  youth.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ankeney  have  been  born  nine  children,  namely:  Stella  K.,  wife  of  Doctor 
McCormick,  of  Xenia;  Nellie,  who  is  at  home;  Ray,  wife  of  H.  R.  Arm- 
strong, of  the  Fairfield  neighborhood;  Eli  H.  and  Nelson  H.   (twins),  both 


S68  .  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

deceased ;  Winfield,  now  a  student  of  Miami  University ;  Harrv,  who  died 
in  youth,  and  John  and  Carl,  at  home.  The  Ankeneys  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  church.     j\Ir.  Ankeney  is  a  RepubHcan,  but  is  not  an  office  seeker. 


SAMUEL  HARNER. 


Samuel  Harner,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War  and  proprietor  of  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  in  Beavercreek  township,  situated  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived 
there  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  a  period  of  four  years  during  the  "70s, 
when  he  lived  in  Missouri.  He  was  born  on  jMarch  7,  1838,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Nancy  (Watts)  Harner,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship, members  of  pioneer  families  in  that  part  of  the  county. 

Samuel  Harner  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  ( Heffley )  Harner,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Greene 
county.  Jacob  Harner  was  a  native  of  Germany,  who  upon  coming  to 
this  country  made  his  way  out  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county,  where 
he  presently  married  Mary  Heffley  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  those  besides  Samuel  having  been  Charles, 
Abraham,  William,  George,  Jacob,  Mary,  Catherine  and  Sarah  J.,  the  descen- 
dants of  whom  in  the  present  generation  form  a  numerous  connection. 
Samuel  Harner  grew  up  on  that  pioneer  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  and 
in  addition  to  becoming  a  good  farmer  became  skilled  in  the  use  of  tools, 
his  services  in  that  line  being  of  value  to  his  neighbors,  for  whom  he  made 
plows,  grain  cradles  and  various  articles  of  agricultural  or  domestic  use. 
He  married  Nancy  Watts  and  in  1822  settled  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son 
Samuel  is  now  living,  building  there  a  frame  house  which  served  as  a  resi- 
dence for  the  family  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1857,  after  which  he 
erected  the  brick  house  which  has  ever  since  served  as  the  farm  house  and 
in  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  living.  The  bricks  for  that  house 
were  burned  on  the  place  and  while  the  house  was  being  erected  the  family 
lived  in  the  work  shop  which  Samuel  Harner  maintained  on  his  place.  On 
that  farm  the  senior  Samuel  Harner  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  187 1.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring in  1906.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Jacob,  George,  Mary  Ann,  Xathan, 
William  and  Nelson. 

The  junior  Samuel  Harner  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Beaxercreek 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  569 

township,  receiving  his  schoohng  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  hving 
there  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  while  thus  serving  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  enemy  at  New  Creek  Station,  Virginia,  and  for  four  months  thereafter 
was  confined  in  the  rebel  prisons  at  Belle  Isle  and  Richmond,  later  requiring 
several  weeks  of  hospital  attention  at  Richmond,  his  condition  being  regarded 
as  critical  when  he  finally  was  transferred.  When  i\Ir.  Harner  entered  the 
sen'ice  he  "tipped  the  beam"  at  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds.  When 
he  was  sent  from  Libby  Prison  he  weighed  but  eighty  pounds,  a  mere  shallow 
of  his  former  self,  and  he  has  ever  since  suffered  more  or  less  from  the  effects 
of  the  privations  he  was  compelled  to  undergo  in  the  rebel  prison  pens..  In 
the  spring  following  his  return  from  the  army  Mr.  Harner  was  married. 
After  his  marriage  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place  until  in 
the  "70s,  when  he  mo\'ed  with  his  family  to  Missouri,  making  the  journev 
of  se\'en  hundred  miles  by  wagon,  and  located  in  Clinton  county,  that  state. 
Four  years  later  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  resumed  his  place  on  the 
old  home  farm,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  For  more  than  fifteen 
years  Mr.  Harner  has  lived  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  the 
place  now  being  operated  by  his  eldest  and  only  surviving  son,  W.  Harry 
Harner,  who  is  married  and  lives  there. 

On  March  14,  1865,  Samuel  Harner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Campbell,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  July  5,  1845, 
a  daughter  of  James  and  Drusila  (Clarke)  Campbell,  who  later  became  resi- 
dents of  Greene  county,  where  they  spent  their  last  days.  James  Campbell 
dying  here  in  1850,  his  daughter  Mary,  last-born  of  the  twelve  children  born 
to  him  and  his  wife,  being  then  five  years  of  age.  The  widow  Campbell 
survived  her  husband  for  many  years.  Of  her  twelve  children,  but  three 
are  now  living,  Mrs.  Harner  having  a  brother,  Stephen  Campbell,  living 
at  Ludlow  Falls,  and  a  sister,  Rebecca,  living  at  Bellbrook.  To  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Campbell)  Harner  three  children  have  been  born,  W.  Harry,  Samuel 
L.  and  Ada  May.  The  first  of  these,  W.  Harry  Harner,  as  noted  above, 
is  now  operating  part  of  the  home  farm.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  having  been  Luella  Charlton  and  the  second  Emma  Moody,  and 
they  have  three  children,  \VilIiam  L.,  Ada  Belle  and  Iva  May.  The  second 
son,  Samuel  L.  Harner,  who  died  on  April  6,  19 17,  also  was  a  farmer  and 
operated  part  of  his  father's  place.  He  married  Sarah  Jane  Hickman  and 
had  eleven  children,  Ernest,  Everett,  Mabel,  Elwood,  Beulah,  Helen,  Ken- 
neth, Alberta,  Neoma,  Louise  and  Muriel  D.  The  only  daughter,  Ada  May 
Harner,  married  Owen   Swadner,  of  Oldtown,  and  has  had  nine  children. 


570  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Etta,  Ethel,  Esther,  Carrie,  Clarence,  Herman,  Alice,  Margaret  Lucile  and 
Ada  Louise,  the  latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  three  years.  The  Harners 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Oldtown.  Mr.  Harner  is 
a  Democrat  and  has  held  some  local  offices,  including  for  some  years  mem- 
bership on  the  school  board.  Mr.  Harner  saw  the  first  train  of  cars  enter  Xenia 
upon  the  completion  of  the  railroad  from  Springfield  to  that  city  and  has 
witnessed  the  development  of  this  county  through  all  the  wonderful  change 
that  has  taken  place  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 


HUSTON  HANNA  CHERRY. 

Huston  Hanna  Cherry,  farmer  and  stockman  and  a  veteran  of  the 
Spanish- American  War,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living, 
in  the  eastern  part  of  Xenia  township.  December  21,  1879,  son  of  David  H. 
and  Mary  E.  (Watt)  Cherry,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Ohio  and  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  1903,  in  which  year 
she  moved  from  the  farm  to  that  city  with  her  husband,  the  latter  spending 
his  last  days  there,  his  death  occurring  about  twelve  years  after  his  retire- 
ment from  the   farm. 

David  H.  Cherry  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Hook  road  in  Xenia  town- 
ship, February  25,  1839,  a  son  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Greenwood)  Cherry, 
Virginians,  who  were  married  in  the  Old  Dominion  on  April  12,  181 5,  and 
soon  afterward  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  the  Laughead  settlement  three 
miles  east  of  Xenia,  near  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  James 
Cherry  was  born  on  May  12,  1789,  and  died  on  December  24,^1851.  His 
widow,  who  was  born  on  April  25.  179),  -iiixived  him  for  more  than  ': 
years,  her  last  days  being  spent  in  the  home  of  her  son  David,  where  she 
died  on  May  14,  1883.  James  Cherry,  the  pioneer,  and  his  wife  were 
adherents  of  the  old  Scotch  Seceder  faith  and  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  David  Haslip  Cherry  was  the  last-born  and  all  of  whom 
are  now  deceased,  the  others  having  been  the  following:  William,  born  in 
1816;  Mary  Ann,  December  13,  1817.  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years; 
Jane,  December  9,  1819.  who  became  the  wife  of  Robert  Crawford;  Rachel, 
December  5,  1821,  who  became  the  wife  of  William  Kyle;  James  O.,  October 
8,  1823:  Robert,  December  29,  1825;  John.  February  20,  1828;  Benjamin, 
July  30,  1830:  Andrew  Louis,  December  13,  1832,  and  Isaac  New,  ALiy 
22,  1836.  The  Cherrys  and  the  Laugheads  were  old  friends  and  neigh- 
bors in  Virginia  and  it  was  this  acquaintance  that  led  James  Cherry  to  settle 
here,  where  the  David  Laugheads  had  previously  settled,  after  his  marriage 
in  18 1 5.     The  old  Indian  trail  between  the  two  chillicothes  (Indian  villages), 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  57I 

Oldtown  and  the  present  city  of  Chillicothe,  passed  through  die  farm,  whicii 
is  now  occupied  by  Huston  Cherry. 

Reared  on  that  pioneer  farm,  David  HasHp  Cherry  grew  up  to  manhood 
there  and  after  liis  marriage  made  his  home  on  the  home  place  for  about 
ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  the  Watt  homestead  (where 
his  wife  had  hved  since  she  was  six  years  of  age),  buying  the  farm  from  a 
Mr.  Tressler,  who  had  purchased  the  land  from  William  Watt,  father  ox 
Mrs.  Cherry,  in  time  having  there  a  tine  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  on  the  Federal  pike,  now  owned  by  his  widow  and  operated  by  his  son, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  connection  with  his  general  farming,  David 
H.  Cherry  for  years  gave  attention  to  the  raising  of  full  blood  cattle  and 
sheep  and  his  sons  have  continued  this  line.  He  remained  on  the  farm  until 
his  retirement  in  1903  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  spent  his  last  da\.-, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  October  7,  1914.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church,  as  is  his  widow,  who  is  still  living  at  Xenia,  and 
had  served  as  a  trustee  of  his  local  congregation.  Mrs.  Cherry  was  born 
at  Bainbridge,  in  Ross  county,  this  state,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
Gordon  (Carruthers)  Watt,  natives  of  Scotland,  the  former  born  in  Glas- 
gow and  the  latter  in  Dumfrees,  who  were  married  at  Chillicothe,  this  state, 
and  later  came  to  Greene  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives,  as  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mary  E.  Watt  was  about  six  years 
of  age  when  her  parents  came  to  Greene  county  and  she  grew  to  womanhood 
on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  where  she  was  living  when,  on  Decem- 
ber 21,  1865,  she  was  married  to  David  H.  Cherry.  To  that  union  were 
born  five  children,  namely:  William  J.,  who  is  living  on  a  farm  adjoining 
the  old  home  place  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 
pure-bred  cattle  and  sheep;  Lulu,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years  and  six 
months:  Avis  Belle,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Frederick  Elliott,  a  United  Presbyte- 
rian minister,  now  stationed  at  Mansfield,  Ohio ;  Huston  Hanna.  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  David  Haslip,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Xenia,  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Galloway  &  Cherry.  Since 
the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Cherry  has  continued  to  make  her  home 
at  Xenia,  where  she  continues  her  interest  in  church  work  and  in  temperance, 
missionary  and  Red  Cross  work. 

Huston  H.  Cherry  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township  and 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  afterward  entering 
Cedarville  College  and  had  been  a  student  in  that  institution  two  years  when 
the  Spanish-American  War  broke  out.  He  straightway  enlisted  his  services 
as  a  soldier  and  in  1898  went  South  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Third 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  spending  the  summer  with  that  command  at  Tampa, 
Florida,  awaiting  service  in  Cuba,  but  was  not  called  over.     The  regiment 


57-  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

later  was  moved  to  Fernandina,  Florida;  then  to  Huntsville,  Alabama,  then 
back  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  it  was  mustered  out  in  November,  1898,  the 
brief  war  then  being  regarded  as  over,  though  the  treaty  of  peace  was  not 
made  until  the  following  December.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military 
service  Mr.  Cherry  returned  home  and  then  spent  a  year  in  study  at  Mon- 
mouth College,  after  which  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm  and  upon  his 
father's  retirement  in  1902,  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  has  so  continued, 
having  established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1903. 
Mr.  Cherrvf  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Shorthorn  cattle 
and  Dorset  sheep  and  has  a  show  flock  that  he  has  exhibited  at  state  fairs 
in  Ohio,  New  York,  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Illi- 
nois, Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Missouri  and  Kansas  and  with  which 
he  has  won  literally  "a  barrel"  of  blue  ribbons.  In  191 7  he  was  invited  to 
take  the  position  of  judge  of  sheep  at  the  International  Live  Stock  Show 
at  Chicago,  which  invitation  he  accepted.  He  is  a  director  oi  the  Dorset 
Club,  the  national  association  of  Dorset  sheep  breeders.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cherry 
are  members  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Nenia. 

On  August  14,  1903,  Huston  H.  Cherry  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clara  Gertrude  Jackson,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,  this  county,  and  who 
had  been  teaching  in  the  schools  of  her  home  town  previous  to  her  marriage. 
Mrs.  Cherry  is  a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Andrew  and  Mary  J.  (Dunlap)  Jack- 
son, both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood.  t!ie 
latter  of  whom  died  on  July  31,  1915,  and  further  mention  of  whom,  together 
with  a  comprehensive  history  of  the  Jackson  family,  is  set  out  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

On  December  17,  1868.  Andrew  Jackson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Marv'  Jane  Dunlap,  daughter  of  James  and  Jane  (Limerick)  Dunlap,  the 
former  of  whom  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Cin- 
cinnati, later  making  his  home  at  Cedarville,  where  he  died  on  January  25, 
1890,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years,  and  to  that  union  were  Ixjrn  four 
children,  of  whom  ^Irs.  Cherry  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  Pearl,  wife  of  R.  G.  George,  who  is  engaged  in  the  milling 
business  at  Jamestown,  this  County ;  Frank,  sheriff  of  Greene  county,  and 
P'annie,  wife  of  R.  L.  Baldwin,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Jackson  still  lives  in  Cedar- 
ville in  the  house  formerly  owned  by  James  Dunlap,  father  of  Mrs.  Jackson, 
to  which  home  the  latter  came  with  her  parents  from  Cincinnati  when 
seven  years  of  age,  Mrs.  Lillie  Limerick,  widow  of  Dr.  Samuel  Limerick, 
of  Seattle,  Washington,  sister  of  Mrs.  Jackson  and  only  surviving  member 
of  the  Dimlap  family,  keeping  the  old  home  for  him — the  house  in  which 
she  was  born  and  in  which  she  is  content  to  spend  her  last  days  among  the 
friends  of  her  girlhood.     As  noted  above,  Mrs.  Cherrv  was  a  school  teacher 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  573 

before  lier  marriage.  Since  then  she  has  retanied  her  interest  in  general  social- 
service  work  and  in  1908  organized  at  Xenia  a  county  branch  of  the  Inter- 
national Sunshine  Society,  of  which  branch  she  is  president.  The  object  of 
the  work  of  the  Sunshine  Society  is  to  bring  cheer,  aid  and  comfort  to  the 
ill,  shut-ins,  aged  and  lonely  and  th.ere  are  now  more  tlian  three  thousand 
branches  of  the  society  in  the  United  States.  For  the  past  ten  years  Mrs. 
Cherry  has  been  editor  of  the  Sunshine  Department  of  two-  magazines  and 
has  done  other  literary  work.  She  also  organized  in  her  neighborhood  the 
Home  Club,  an  association  of  twenty  women,  the  object  of  the  same  being 
to  afford  entertainment  of  a  literar}'  character  once  a  month,  meetings  being 
held  in  turn  in  the  homes  of  the  respective  members,  and  to  provide  during 
the  winter  months  monthly  social  evenings  for  the  husbands. 


VALENTINE  P.  COY 


Valentine  P.  Coy,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  situated 
on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  the  county,  his  great-grandfather,  Jacob  Coy,  having  settled  here 
upon  coming  into  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  with  his  family  from  Pennsyl- 
vania in  the  year  1800,  as  is  set  out,  together  with  much  else  of  an  interesting 
character  relating  to  the  Coy  family  in  this  county,  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Valentine  P.  Coy  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life.  He  was  bom  in  a  log 
cabin  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  the  place  on  which  one  of  his 
brothers  and  three  of  his  sisters  are  still  living,  February  14,  1852,  son  of 
John  and  Catherine  (Cosier)  Coy,  both  now  deceased,  and  further  mention 
of  NN'hom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  John  Coy  having  been  one  of 
the  sons  of  Peter  Coy,  who  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  Coy,  the  pio- 
neers, noted  above. 

,  Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Valentine  P.  Coy  received  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools  and  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  was  given  the 
management  of  the  home  place,  his  father  retiring  from  the  active  labors 
of  the  farm  at  that  time,  and  for  six  years  thereafter  farmed  there.  He  then 
took  another  place  and  continued  renting  land  until  four  years  after  his  mar- 
riage, when,  on  March  14,  1890,  he  bought  the  old  Perry  Hawker  farm  of 
seventy-three  acres  in  his  home  township,  established  his  home  there  and 
has  ever  since  continued  to  make  that  his  place  of  residence.  Since  taking 
possession  of  that  place  Mr.  Coy  has  made  numerous  improvements  on  the 
place.  On  July  26,  191 7,  his  barn  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  he  at  once 
erected  a  new  and  better  one,  a  structure  60  x  38  feet  in  dimensions.  In 
addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  live  stock. 


574  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  January  i8,  1886,  Valentine  P.  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Savilla 
Folkerth,  who  was  born  at  Dubuque,  Iowa,  daughter  and  only  child  of 
Abraham  and  Catherine  (Willison)  Folkerth,  tlie  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Montgomery  county,  tiiis  state,  and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  their 
last  days  having  been  spent  in  Dubuque,  where  Mr.  Folkerth  was  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Coy  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father, 
but  has  not  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office. 


JOHN  TURNBULL,  M.  D. 

In  the  memorial  annals  of  Greene  county  there  are  few  names  held  in 
better  remembrance  than  that  of  the  late  Dr.  John  Turnbull,  who  died  at  his 
home  in  Bellbrook  in  the  summer  of  1907  and  whose  widow  is  still  living- 
there,  her  place  of  residence  ever  since  her  marriage  at  the  close  of  the  Civil 
War.  Doctor  Turnbull  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
Civil  War  and  a  narrative  of  his  experiences  in  that  connection  would  make 
a  most  interesting  book.  He  was  graduated  from  Jefferson  Medical  College 
at  Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1861  and  had  hardly  returned  to  his  home 
in  this  county  when  the  President's  call  for  volunteers  to  put  down  the  amied 
rebellion  against  the  government  came  in  April  of  that  year.  He  at  once 
enlisted  for  service  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Companv  A, 
Seventeenth  Regiment,  Ohio. Volunteer  Infantry,  enlisted  for  three  months. 
He  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  hospital  steward  and  after  four  months 
of  service  was  mustered  out  in  West  Virginia.  He  then  served  gratuitously 
for  nearly  a  year  as  a  volunteer  assistant  surgeon  with  the  Sixty-fifth  Ohio 
and  with  the  "minute  men"  of  1862,  and  then  was  appointed  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  joining 
that  command  at  Tullahoma,  Tennessee.  July  4,  1863.  The  surgeon  of  this 
regiment,  Dr.  Charles  N.  Fowler,  being  constantly  on  detached  service  as 
medical  director.  Doctor  Turnbull  was  practically  surgeon  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Ohio  until  the  close  of  the  war  and  during  that  period  of  service 
rendered  his  professional  offices  witli  a  skill  and  a  kindliness  of  manner  that 
endeared  him  tn  all  members  of  the  command.  During  the  furious  charges 
of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  Surgeon  Turnbull  was  on  duty  with  his  regi- 
ment and  two  men  were  shot  while  he  was  dressing  their  wounds.  After 
the  battle  was  over  he 'was  left  to  look  after  the  wounded  and  was  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy,  but  two  weeks  later  was  released  and  sent  through  to 
the  Union  lines  at  Chattanooga.  While  thus  a  prisoner  the  Doctor  served 
friend  and  foe  alike,  but  his  kindly  offices  in  behalf  of  such  of  the  enemy 
as  stood  in  need  of  surgical  attention  did  not  prevent  a  squad  of  Confederate 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  575 

cavalry  from  robbing  him  of  his  coat,  hat,  boots,  money,  case  of  instru- 
ments— in  fact,  everything  he  had  save  his  shirt  and  trousers,  the  rebels 
giving  him  an  old  pair  of  shoes  in  exchange  for  the  good  pair  they  took 
from  him.  So  completely  stripped  was  he  that  ,in  afterward  describing  the 
act  the  Doctor  quaintly  observed  that  the  "rebs"  had  taken  from  him  "about 
ever3fthing  except  his  hope  of  salvation,  which  was  so  small  they  did  not 
find  it."  In  consequence  of  the  exposure  thus  entailed  Doctor  Turnbull  was 
confined  for  several  weeks  in  a  hospital  at  Chattanooga. 

Dr.  John  Tunibull  was  a  native  son  o£  Greene  county,  a  member  of 
one  of  the  oldest  families  in  the  county,  both  his  father  and  his  mother 
having  been  representatives  of  pioneer  families  in  this  section.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  March  lo,  1840,  son  of  John  and  Catherine 
Margaret  (Kyle)  Turnbull,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  bom  here,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Ruth  (Mitchell)  Kyle,  the  former  of  whom  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  bench  of  associate  judges  for  Greene  county.  Joha 
Turnbull  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  "Hermitage,"  .Andrew  Jack- 
son's retreat  in  the  vicinity  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  February  17,  1801,  and 
was  still  in  his  "teens"  when  his  parents,  \\'illiam  Turnbull  and  wife,  came 
up  here  with  their  family  in  181 7  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  on  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Columbus  pike,  in  Cedar\alle  township,  about  three  miles 
from  the  village  of  Cedarville.  Of  the  children  born  to  the  pioneer  Will- 
iam Turnbull  and  wife  six  sons,  Alexander,  Thomas,  Gilbert,  John,  James 
and  David,  and  two  daughters,  Betsey,  who  married  Joseph  Sterritt,  and 
Isabella,  who  married  John  Chalmers,  grew  to  maturity  and  reared  families 
of  their  own,  hence  the  Turnbull  connection  hereabout  became  a  numerous 
one,  as  well  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  ]\Ionmouth,  Illinois,  to  which  latter 
place  William  Turnbull  and  his  sons,  Alexander,  Gilbert  and  Daxid,  moved 
in  1833,  establishing  their  homes  there.  John  Turnbull  grew  tn  manhood  on 
the  pioneer  farm  in  Cedarville  township  and  on  February  21,  1824,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Catherine  Margaret  Kyle,  one  of  the  daughters  if 
Judge  Kyle.  After  his  marriage  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  I'U 
a  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  erecting  there  a  I07  cabin  for  the  reception 
of  his  bride.  In  1842  he  supplanted  the  log  house  by  a  good  sized  two- 
story  frame  house,  which  on  the  night  of  the  day  on  which  it  was  finishel 
was  nearly  destroyed  by  fire  communicated  from  a  blaze  which  had  broken 
out  in  the  adjoining  and  abandoned  log  cabin.  The  damaged  house  was 
then  restored  as  a  one-story  house  and  in  it  the  family  lived  until  later  a 
brick  addition  was  erected.  John  Turnbull  lived  to  be  nearly  eightv  years 
of  age,  his  death  occurring  on  .\ugust  12,  1880,  and  he  was  buried  in  the 
Cedarville  cemetery.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  died  in 
1852,  after  which  he  married   Margaret  J.    .\llen,   daughter  of   Hugh   an-i 


576  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Catherine  Allen,  and  was  the  father  of  nineteen  children,  all  of  whom  grew 
to  maturity  save  three.  The  home  place  came  into  the  possession  of  Samuel 
K.  Turnbull,  who  rebuilt  the  house,  tearing  away  the  brick  addition  and  erect- 
ing a  two-story  frame  house.  The  Turnbulls,  originally  Seceders,  became 
affiliated  with  the  United  Presbyterian  church  following  the  "union"  of 
1858. 

The  }'ounger  John  Turnbull  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Cedarville 
township,  received  his  elementary  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools. 
and  early  turned  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine,  presently  entering 
Jefferson  Medical  College  at  FhiJadelphia.  from  which  institution  he  wa^ 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1861,  at  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Almost  imme- 
diately thereafter  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  arms,  as 
noted  in  the  opening  paragraph  of  this  memorial  sketch,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Doctor 
Turnbull  returned  to  Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  for  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  the  village  of  Bellbrook,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  July  19,  1907.  Doctor  Turnbull  servetl 
for  some  time  as  president  of  the  local  board  of  education,  as  a  member  01 
the  town  council  and  at  one  time  was  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic  part- 
in  this  district  for  a  seat  in  the  Ohio  General  Assembly. 

On  September  9,  1865,  Dr.  John  Turnbull  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Josephine  Kyle,  daughter  of  Dr.  John  and  Caroline  (Bullard)  Kyle,  of 
Xenia,  and  to  this  union  were  born  two  children,  Jesse,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  and  Pearl  A.,  who  married  Harry  Armstrong,  attorney- 
at-law,  Xenia,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Josephine.  Since  the  death 
of  her  husband  ]\Irs.  Turnbull  has  continued  to  make  her  home  at  Bellbrook. 


WILLIAM  W'IlSLEV  WHITEKER. 

William  Wesley  Whiteker,  cashier  of  the  Spring  Valley  National  Bank 
of  Spring  Valley,  this  county,  was  born  at  Cynthiana.  county  seat  of  Harri- 
son county,  Kentucky,  a  son  of  Benjamin  F.  and  .Vmanda  M.  (  King)  \\'hite- 
ker,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  members  of  old  families 
in  that  section  of  Kentucky.  Benjamin  I'.  Whiteker  was  a  well-to-do  land- 
owner, farmer  and  tobacco  merchant.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Freewill  Baptist  church. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely :  Edward  J.,  a  farmer  in 
the  vicinity  of  Cynthiana;  Ella  K.,  wife  of  John  Barlow,  of  Havilandsville, 
Harrison  county.  Kentucky ;  William  Wesley,  subject  of  this  l)iographical 
sketch:  Charles  R.,  a  farmer  and  stockman  at  Cynthiana;  Joseph   D.,  also 


WILLIAM    W.    WHITKKEK    AND    FAMILY. 


<r^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  577 

a  farmer  and  stockman  at  that  place,  and  Eureka,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  connected  with  one  of  the  savings 
banks  in  that  city. 

Reared  at  Cynthiana,  WilHam  W.  Whiteker  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  that  city  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the 
University  of  Kentucky,  after  which  he  was  for  two  or  three  years  engaged 
as  deputy  county  clerk  in  his  home  county.  In  1905  he  became  connected 
with  the  Farmers  National  Bank  at  Clarksville,  Ohio,  and  was  thus  engaged 
for  eight  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  up  into  Greene  county 
and  was  made  cashier  of  the  Spring  Valley  National  Bank  at  Spring  Valley, 
which  position  he  still  occupies.  Mr.  Whiteker  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  blue  lodge  at  New  Burlington  and  of  the  chapter  and  coun- 
cil, Royal  and  Select  Masters,  at  Xenia.  He  was  made  a  Mason  while  living 
in  Kentucky,  member  of  Thomas  Ware  lodge  at  Claysville,  and  transferred  his 
membership  upon  coming  to  Greene  county.  Mr.  Whiteker  is  past  noble 
grand  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Spring 
Valley  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Bellbrook. 

On  September  30,  iQi:3,  at  Spring  Valley,  William  W.  Whiteker  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Laura  Clark  Alexander,  who  was  born  at  that  place 
and  who  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  in  1896.  Mrs.  Whiteker 
is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county,  her  family  having 
been  represented  here  since  the  year  1803,  the  year  this  county  was  created 
as  an  independent  civic  unit.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Perry  A.  and  Ella  M. 
(Elgin)  Alexander,  the  latter  of  whom,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  M.  B.  and  Mar- 
garet (Craft)  Elgin,  was  educated  at  Spring  Valley.  Perry  A.  Alexander 
was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township  on  September  28,  1856,  son  of  William 
J.  and  Elizabeth  (Weller)  Alexander,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that 
same  township  and  the  latter,  in  Washington  township,  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Montgomery,  April  18,  1825.  and  who  were  married  on  February 
28,  1850.  William  J.  Alexander  was  born  on  June  10,  1827,  son  of  Wash- 
ington and  Rachel  (Clark)  Alexander,  members  of  pioneer  families  in 
Spring  Valley  township,  who  were  married  in  that  township  in  1842  and 
who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children.  Washington  Alexander  was  born 
in  South  Carolina  in  1801  and  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents, 
John  and  Isabel  Alexander,  came  to  this  county,  by  way  of  Butler  county, 
and  settled  in  the  then  mere  backwoods  hamlet  of  Xenia,  John  Alexander 
there  becoming  the  first  resident  lawyer  of  the  new  county  seat,  all  of  which 
is  told  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Washington  Alexander  studied  for  the 
law,  but  never  practiced,  instead,  turning  his  attention  to  farming  and  became 
a  landowner  in  Spring  ValleV  township.     He  died  in  1867.     His  second  son, 

(36) 


5/8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

William  J.  Alexander,  also  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  open- 
ing an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Spring  Valley,  later  moving 
to  Wilmington  and  thence  to  Xenia,  where  he  died  on  April  i8,  1897.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Perry  A.  Alexander 
was  the  eldest.  The  latter  is  the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  land 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Spring  Valle}^  He  is  a  Democrat  and  in  1890 
was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  sheriff.  On  November  28,  1878,  Perry 
A.  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ella  ]\I.  Elgin  and  to  that  union 
were  born  six  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Whiteker  was  the  first-born,  the  others 
being  William  Elgin,  Cantwell  J.,  Ralph,  Margaret  and  one  deceased. 

To  ^\'illiam  W.  and  Laura  C.  (Alexander)  Whiteker  one  child  has  been 
born,  a  daughter,  Laura  Wesley,  born  on  February  3,  19 13.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Whiteker  are  meimbers  of  the  ^lethodist  Protestant  church  and  Mr.  White- 
ker is  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 


W.  EDWIN  DEAN. 


W.  Edwin  Dean,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  on  rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Cedarville  in  Cedarville  township, 
was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on 
October  6,  1S75,  son  of  Daniel  ^lilton  and  Caroline  (Haines)  Dean,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
now  a  resident  of  Cedarville. 

Daniel  Milton  Dean  was  born  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now  New  Jasper 
township.  May  19,  1831,  son  of  Joseph  and  Hannah  (Boggs)  Dean,  the 
latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Ohio,  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Boggs,  who 
had  come  to  this  country  from  the  north  of  Ireland  and  had  settled  in  Vir- 
ginia, later  coming  over  into  Ohio  and  locating  in  Jackson  county,  whence 
in  1818  he  moved  over  into  Indiana  and  located  in  Blackford  county,  where 
he  established  his  home  and  where  he  was  elevated  to  the  position  of  judge 
of  the  court.  Joseph  Dean  was  born  at  Mt.  Sterling,  Kentucky,  December 
30,  1804,"  and  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Daniel  and 
Jennie  (Steele)  Dean,  came  up  into  Ohio  in  1812  and  settled  in  that  section 
of  Greene  county  that  many  years  later  came  to  be  organized  as  New  Jasper 
township,  becoming  thus  early  recognized  as  among  the  influential  and  use- 
ful pioneers  of  that  section.  Daniel  Dean  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in 
County  Down,  Londonderry.  Upon  coming  to  this  country  he  first  located 
in  Pennsylvania,  moving  thence  after  a  while  to  Virginia,  where  he  married 
Jennie  Steele;  later  moving  to  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  until  he 
came  to  Greene  county  in  181 2,  all  of  which  is  set  out  at  considerable  length 


GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO  579 

in  tliis  volume  in  a  further  and  somewhat  more  comprehensixe  reference  to 
the  Dean  family  in  Greene  county.  Joseph  Dean  grew  up  on  that  pioneer 
farm  and  after  his  marriage  to  Hannah  Boggs  estahhshed  his  home  on  a 
portion  of  the  same,  spending  there  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  those  besides  Daniel  M.  having  been  Joseph 
N.,  Lewis,  Samuel  S.,  Mary,  who  married  John  W^right,  and  Anna,  who 
married  Simeon  W.  Oldham. 

Reared  on  the  old  Dean  home  place  on  which  he  was  born,  Daniel  M. 
Dean  remained  there  until  his  marriage  to  Caroline  Haines  when  twenty-six 
years  of  age,  when  he  started  housekeeping  on  a  part  of  the  home  farm, 
remaining  there  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  the 
Haines  farm,  the  place  where  his  wife  was  born  and  on  which  his  son  Edwin, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  is  now  living,  and  there  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life. 

Daniel  M.  Dean  was  reared  a  Whig,  but  on  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  became  affiliated  with  the  latter  and  for  twenty-five  years 
was  director  of  schools  in  his  home  district.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was 
a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  His  death  occurred  on  Decem- 
ber I,  191 2,  and  his  widow  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Cedarville.  She 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  her  son  Edwin  is  now  living  on  April  Ji, 
1838.  To  Daniel  ]M.  and  Caroline  (Haines)  Dean  were  born  five  children, 
two  sons  and  three  daughters,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
the  following:  Ella,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  R.  J.  Kyle;  Frank; 
Julia,  wife  of  the  Rev.  R.  B.  Patton,  a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  living  at  Columbus,  this  state,  and  Gertrude,  wife  of  W.  R.  Sibley, 
who  is  connected  with  the  Erie  railroad,  with  headquarters  at  Columbus. 

\\\  Edwin  Dean  was  reared  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  neighborhood  schools  by  atten- 
dance at  the  schools  of  Cedarville  and  at  Columbus.  In  1897  he  assumed 
charge  of  the  home  place  and  after  his  marriage  in  1901  established  his  home 
there.  In  1907  he  bought  the  place  and  has  since  then  added  to  the  acreage 
of  the  same  until  he  now  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Dean  gives  considerable  attention  to 
live  stock. 

On  December  18,  1901,  W.  Edwin  Dean  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Maude  A.  Beard,  who  was  born  at  Enon,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark, 
a  daughter  of  William  and  Aletha  (Russell)  Beard,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Moses  Russell,  who  formerly  and  for  years  was  the 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton,  this  county.  William  Beard 
years  ago  moved  with   his   family  down  from  Enon  into  this  county  and 


580  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

located  on  a  farm  on  tlie  Xenia  pike  in  the  neighborhood  of  Yellow  Springs, 
in  Miami  township,  where  he  is  now  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton  and  Mr.   Dean  is  a  Republican. 


ALLEN  E.  WELLER. 


Allen  E.  VVeller,  who  is  the  owner  of  four  farms  comprising  nearly 
six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Sugarcreek  township,  where  he  makes  his  home, 
was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  quarter  southwest  of  Bellbrook  on  February  8, 
1864,  son  and  only  child  of  Perry  and  Sarah  (Wilson)  Weller,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  but  who  came 
over  into  Greene  county  in  1861  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
Hves. 

Perry  Weller  was  born  on  January  28,  1838,  and  remained  in  Montgomery 
county  until  1861,  when  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and .  seventy- 
two  acres  something  more  than  a  mile  southwest  of  Bellbrook  in  this  county 
and  there  established  his  home.  His  wife  died  there  on  February  8,  1900, 
and  in  1913  he  bought  the  old  White  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Bell- 
brook, moved  onto  the  same  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  August,  1 9 14. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Sugarcreek  town.ship.  Allen  E.  Weller 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  supple- 
mented the  same  by  a  course  in  the  schools  at  Centerville,  over  in  Mont- 
gomery county.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1887  he  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account  and  has  ever  since  been  thus  engaged,  though  of 
late  years  he  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of 
the  farm,  his  sons  and  responsible  tenants  taking  charge  of  his  farms.  Mr. 
Weller  is  now  the  owner  of  four  farms  in  Sugarcreek  township,  his  hold- 
ings comprising  five  hundred  and  ninety-two  acres.  He  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  not  been  a  seeker  after  public  office. 

Mr.  Weller  has  been  twice  married.  On  March  23,  1887,  at  Center- 
ville, he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jessie  F.  Bradford,  who  was  born  in 
that  village,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Cynthia  (Browning)  Bradford,  the 
former  of  whom  is  still  living  at  Centerville,  and  to  that  union  were  born 
five  children,  namely:  Henry  Bradford,  born  in  1890,  who  is  living  on  the 
home  farm,  taking  charge  of  the  same  for  his  father;  Edna,  born  in  1892, 
who  married  George  Carey,  of  West  Milton,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Vin- 
cent;  Perry,  born  in  August,  1893,  ^^'^o  is  at  home  with  his  father;  Sarah. 
born  in   1895,  who  married  Walter  Dinwiddle  and  is  now  living  at  Dayton, 


AIXEX  E.  WELLEU 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  581 

and  Raymond,  born  in  1896,  now  living  on  one  of  his  father's  farms  south- 
west of  Bellbrook  and  who  married  Ruth  Mills  and  has  one  child,  a  son, 
Bvron.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1903  and  was  buried  at  Center- 
ville.  In  1906  JNlr.  Weller  married  Nellie  Printz,  of  Waynesville.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weller  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  For 
the  past  six  or  seven  years  Mr.  Weller  has  been  a  member  of  the  local 
school  board. 


FRED  C.  BARR. 


Fred  C.  Barr,  chief  electrician  in  charge  of  the  electrical  equipment 
of  the  three  power  houses  of  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company  m 
Dayton,  also  the  power  houses  owned  by  that  company  in  several  other  towns, 
including  the  electric  power  plant  at  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county 
and  one  of  the  products  of  the  scholastic  and  industrial  training  given  at 
the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  who  points  with  pride  and 
pleasure  to  the  early  instruction  he  received  in  that  institution.  In  passing, 
it  is  but  fitting  to  say  that  Mr.  Barr's  wife  also  received  her  early  schooling 
in  that  institution  and  both  remain  firm  friends  and  supporters  of  the  noble 
work  that  is  there  being  carried  on.  Mr.  Barr  was  bom  at  Cedarville  and 
was  but  a  small  child  when  his  mother  died.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
but  five  years  of  age  and  he  later  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Soldiers  and 
Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia,  his  father  having  been  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War.  In  that  institution  he  remained  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  acquiring  there  the  rudiments  of  the  mechanical  and  engineering  training 
which  he  later  put  to  advantage  in  perfecting  iiimself  as  an  electrician,  and 
it  is  noteworthy  that  he  later  was  called  back  to  his  old  school  and  was 
there  installed  as  assistant  chief  engineer,  a  position  he  occupied  some  time, 
or  until  he  was  called  to  wider  fields  of  endea\or. 

On  both  his  mother's  side  and  that  of  his  father,  Mr.  Barr  is  of  old 
Greene  county  stock,  the  Barrs  and  the  McHattons  and  the  Mitchells — his 
mother  having  been  a  IMitchell — having  been  here  since  pioneer  days.  He  was 
born  at  Cedarville  on  December  17,  1877,  son  of  Samuel  and  Lizzie  L. 
(Mitchell)  Barr,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  at  Cedarville,  the  latter  a 
daughter  of  John  Mitchell  and  wife.  Samuel  Barr  was  born  on  March 
14,  1843,  son  of  James  A.  Barr  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  McHat- 
ton.  a  daughter  of  Col.  John  McHatton,  who  was  a  son  of  Gen.  Alexander 
McHatton,  both  of  which  officers  held  commissions  under  General  Wash- 
ington during  t^e  Revolutionary  War  and  who  were  the  recipients  of  con- 
siderable grants  of  land  in  Ohio  by  reason  of  their  service  in  behalf  of 
the    patriot    cause.     James    A.   Barr  was  born  in  this  state  and  became  a 


582  GREEXE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

resident  of  Cedar\-ille.  Of  the  children  born  to  him  and  his  wife  three  are 
still  living,  Albert  Barr,  of  Cedarville;  James  Barr,  of  Dayton,  and  INIrs. 
Sallie  E.  Mitchell,  wife  of  the  brother  of  Lizzie  L.  Alitchell. 

Samuel  Barr  grew  up  at  Cedarville  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil 
War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  sers-ice  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member 
of  the  Tenth  Ohio  Light  Artillery.  While  serving  with  that,  command  he 
was  severely  wounded  and  was  given  an  honorable  discharge,  but  upon  recov- 
ering from  his  disability  he  re-enlisted  and  again  went  to  the  front  as  a 
member  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military 
service  he  returned  to  Cedarville  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  contracting 
business.  He  also  served  for  some  time  as  town  marshal.  His  deatli 
occurred  at  that  place  on  September  16,  1882,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  at 
that  time  being  under  five  years  of  age.  On  November  12.  1868,  Samuel 
Barr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lizzie  L.  ^Mitchell,  of  Cedarville,  who  pre- 
deceased him  two  or  three  years.  She  was  a  member  of  a  considerable  fam- 
ily and  of  the  children  born  to  her  parents,  John  Mitchell  and  wife,  two  are 
still  living,  Mrs.  Nellie  Bishop,  of  Dayton,  and  Frank  ISIitchell,  of  South 
Charleston.  Samuel  Barr  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Cedarville  and  of  the  local  post  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  that  place.  He  and  his  wife  are  Iniried  at 
Cedarville.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  one  of  whom,  a  son, 
died  in  infancy.  A  sister  of  the  subject  of  this  .sketch,  Claude  ]\L,  married 
Henry  Denny  and  died  on  August  9,    1890. 

As  noted  above,  the  mother  of  Fred  C.  Barr  died  when  he  was  but  a  small 
child  and  his  father  died  when  he  was  under  five.  For  a  year  thereafter 
he  was  cared  for  by  his  grandmother  and  then  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Nenia,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Da}-ton,  wliere  he 
became  employed  as  a  stationary  engineer  and  where,  a  }'ear  or  two  later. 
he  took  up  the  study  of  electrical  engineering.  \\'hen  twenty  years  of  age 
he  returned  to  his  childhood  home  at  Cedarville  and  was  there  charged 
with  the  construction  of  the  old  electric-light  plant,  which  he  operated  for  a 
year  after  its  installation.  He  then  was  appointed  assistant  chief  engineer 
at  the  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  and  while  thus  engaged  was 
married,  remaining  there  until  in  November,  1900,  when  he  was  made  the 
electrician  for  the  Xenia  Light  and  Power  Company,  continuing  thus  engaged 
for  a  vear,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  employed  to  install  the  equip- 
ment for  the  Hollenkamp  ice  plant  at  Xenia.  He  then  went  to  Somerset, 
Kentucky,  where  he  installed  an  electric-light  plant  and  upon  his  return  to 
Xenia  installed  there  the  first  large  gas-engine-driven  electric  plant  set  up 
in  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  was  thereafter,  until   1905,  employed  in  that  city 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  583 

as  the  superintendent  of  the  plant  for  the  Peoples  Gas  and  Electric  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Barr  then  accepted  employment  with  the  Westinghouse  Electric 
Company  of  Pittsburgh  and  for  some  time  traveled  for  that  company  out 
of  New  York  and  Boston,  engaged  in  erection  and  "trouble"  work.  He  then 
returned  to  Ohio,  having  been  given  the  position  of  superintendent  of  the 
electric  plant  at  Salem  and  was  there  thus  engaged  until  his  return  to  Xenia 
in  1907  as  superintendent  of  the  two  electric  light  and  power  plants  in  that 
city,  and  has  ever  since  been  connected  with  that  service,  for  the  past  three 
years  or  more  serving  as  station  electrician  in  charge  of  equipment  of  all 
plants  of  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company. 

In  October,  1889,  Fred  C.  Barr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ruth  Alberta 
Given,  who  was  born  at  Birmingham,  Alabama,  daughter  of  William  A. 
and  Martha  S.  (Sparks)  Given,  the  latter  of  whom  died  when  her  daughter 
was  but  a  small  child.  William  A.  Given,  who  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  returned  to  Ohio  after  the  death  of  his  wife  and 
later  placed  his  daughter  in  the  care  of  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors 
Orphans  Home,  where  she  completed  her  schooling  and  where  she  was  in 
residence  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Barr.  To  that  union  eight  chil- 
dren have  been  born,  namely:  Margaret,  born  on  November  10,  1900,  who 
died  on  May  26,  1916;  Mildred,  July  18,  1902;  Frederick,  July  7,  1905; 
Helen,  March  21,  1907;  Frances,  March  31,  1909:  Russell,  November  18, 
1910;  Ruth,  February  12.  1915,  and  Richard,  December  16,  1917.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barr  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Barr 
is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  local  chapter  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern 
.Star.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  \\'orld. 
He  is  independent  in  his  political  views. 


J.  C.   BLOTNER. 

J.  C.  Blotner,  lumber  dealer  at  Osborn,  this  county,  has  been  engaged 
in  business  there  since  the  fall  of  1910.  He  was  Ijorn  in  Darke  county,  this 
state,  January  18,  1872,  son  of  John  and  Rhoda  (Swisher)  Blotner,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  county.  John  Blotner  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1840  and  came  to  Ohio  in  the  days  of  his  youth,  marrying  in  Darke 
county.  When  the  Civil  \A^ar  broke  out  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of 
the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Fortieth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  until  he  lost 
his  right  arm  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.     He  and  his  wife 


584  ■  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ' 

were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Wilham  F.,  Louisa,  Sarah,  Sidney 
and  Alonzo. 

Reared  in  Darke  county.  J.  C.  Blotner  received  his  schoohng  in  the  pub- 
he  schools  of  that  county  and  upon  starting  out  for  himself  rented  a  farm 
for  two  years.  He  then  became  employed  in  a  lumber  yard,  his  first  wage 
in  that-  capacity  being  fifty  cents  a  day,  and  in  time  became  an  experienced 
lumberman,  continuing  thus  engaged,  working  for  others,  for  eighteen  vears. 
or  until  the  fall  of  1910,  when  he  moved  to  Osborn  and  bought  from  Mrs. 
S.  C.  Godall  the  lumber  yard  which  he  has  since  been  operating  at  that  place. 
It  was  on  September  14,  1910,  that  Mr.  Blotner  took  possession  of  that  lum- 
ber yard  and  since  then  he  has  made  additions  to  the  same. 

On  October  8,  1901,  J.  C.  Blotner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Helen 
Haack,  who  also  was  born  in  Darke  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  August 
and  Sophia  (Stierle)  Haack,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  same 
county  and  the  former  in  Germany,  he  having  come  to  this  country  when  a 
young  man  and  proceeding  on  out  to  Ohio  and  settling  in  Darke  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  where  he  spent  his  last  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Blotner  have  three  children.  Rubine.  Dorothy  Louise  and  Emma  Caroline 
They  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Blotner  is  independent  in 
his  political  views.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  Osborn. 


ELMER  NELSON  SHIGLEY. 

Elmer  Nelson  Shigley,  of  Ross  township,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on 
the  Cedarville-Jamestown  pike,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  t,  out  of  Cedarville. 
was  born  on  the  farm  on  v.hich  lie  now  lix'es  and  has  li\-ed  there  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  on  February  2^,  1861,  son  of  Joseph  and  .\nna  (  Prugh) 
Shigley.  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on  a  farm  six  miles  south  of  Dayton, 
in  the  neighlaoring  county  of  Alontgomery,  in  1826,  a  daughter  of  John  F. 
and  Rebecca  (Nicodemus)  Prugh.  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from  Maryland 
and  after  a  sometime  residence  in  Preble  county  had  moved  over  into 
Montgomery  county,  where  John  F.  Prugh  operated  a  mill  and  became  the 
owner  of  three  or  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  and  his  wife  were  orig- 
inally Methodists,  hut  later  became  affiliated  with  the  Reformed  church  in 
the  neighborhood  of  their  home.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and 
four  daughters. 

Joseph  Shigley  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  a 
half  mile  southeast  of  the  place  where  his  son  Elmer  is  now  living,  Septem- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  585 

ber  19,  1820,  son  of  George  and  Olivet  (Franklin)  Shigley,  natives  of 
Virginia.  George  Shigley  came  to  Ohio  as  a  young  man  and  located  in  Ross 
county  in  1805,  presently  moving  to  Greene  county  and  establishing  his  home 
in  Ross  township  in  181 2,  becoming  the  owner  there  of  a  farm  of  about  two 
hundred  acres.  During  the  War  of  1812  he  gave  service  as  a  soldier.  He 
and  his  wife  were  Methodists  and  the  first  services  conducted  by  the  Methodists 
in  that  community  were  held  in  their  house.  When  a  congregation  was 
organized  at  Jamestown  they  became  affiliated  with  the  same.  George  Shig- 
ley died  at  his  home  in  Ross  township  on  May  14,  1867,  he  then  being 
seventy-seven  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Jamestown. 
His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  Of  the  children  born  to  them  five  sons 
and  five  daug'hters  grew  to  maturity  and  as  most  of  these  married  and  reared 
•  families,  the  Shigley  connection  in  the  succeeding  generation  became  a  tjuite 
numerous  one  hereabout. 

After  his  marriage  in  1844  to  Anna  Prugh,  Joseph  Shigley  established 
his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  Elmer  now  lives,  buying  there  a 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres,  and  enlarged  his  holdings  until  he 
eventually  became  the  owner  of  more  than  six  hundred  acres,  which  upon 
his  retirement  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm  in  188 1  he  divided  among 
his  children  and  then  moved  to  Jamestown,  where  his  last  days  were  spent. 
His  wife  died  there  in  August,  1884.  and  he  later  married  Mrs.  Mary  Atkin- 
son, who  survived  him,  his  death  occurring  in  November,  i8go,  and  hers, 
in  1893.  Joseph  Shigley  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Jamestown.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican  and  had  served  the  public 
as  township  trustee  and  as  township  assessor.  To  Joseph  and  Anna  (Prugh) 
Shigley  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  John  W.,  who  is  now  living  retired 
with  his  children  in  Silvercreek  township;  Henr}-  F.,  who  died  at  his  home 
in  Ross  township  in  1878,  three  years  after  his  marriage;  David  C.,  a  retired 
farmer,  now  living  at  Jamestown;  Viola  C,  a  widow,  now  living  at  James- 
town, who  has  been  twice  married,  her  first  husband  ha\ing  been  S.  S.  Colle';t 
and  her  second,  Frank  Kelly ;  Ella,  now  living  at  Washington  Court  House, 
this  state,  widow  of  Jasper  L.  Chapman,  and  Mattie,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years. 

Elmer  N.  Shigley  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Oak  Grove  school,  .\fter  his  father's  retire- 
ment in  188 1  he  continued  to  live  on  the  home  farm,  making  his  home  with 
his  sister,  Mrs.  Chapman,  and  her  husband  until  his  marriage  three  years  lat'- 
when  his  father  gave 'him' a  part  of  the  farm.  To  that  portion  he  added  by 
purchase  until  he  now  is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  includ- 
ing the  tract  on  which  stands  the  brick   farm  house  erected  bv  the   father 


586  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

there  in  1854  and  in  which  he  was  born,  and  there  he  makes  his  home.  Airs. 
Shipley  is  also  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  old  families,  the  Paullins, 
further  mention  of  which  pioneer  family  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
She  also  was  born  in  Ross  township,  Minnie  Paullin,  daughter  of  Enos 
and  Sarah  Paullin,  both  now  deceased,  and  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Shigley 
on  November  6.  1884.  Mr.  and  ]Mi"S.  Shigley  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church  at  Jamestown  and  he  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  same.     Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  as  was  his  father. 


JOHN  CHARLTON  SPAHR. 

John  Charlton  Spahr,  proprietor  of  "Oak  Grove  Farm,"  in  Ross  town- 
ship, was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives  and  has  resided  there 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  July  30,  1886,  son  and  only  child  of  John  Mor- 
gan and  Ella  (Charlton)  Spahr,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  the  former  in  New  Jasper  township  and  the  latter  in  Cedarville 
township,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  li\ing,  now  a  resident  of  James- 
town. 

John  Alorgan  Spahr,  who  died  at'  his  home  in  Ross  township  on  June 
15,  1898,  was  a  son  of  John  Spahr  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
families  of  this  part  of  the  state,  the  Spahrs  having  been  prominently  repre- 
sented here  since  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Greene  county,  as  is 
set  out  elsewhere  in  this  work.  ]\lr.  Spahr's  widow,  who  was  born  Ella 
Charlton,  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  county's  old  families,  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  Charlton,  a  pioneer  miller  of  the  Cedarville  neighborhood. 

John  Charlton  Spahr  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  the 
operation  of  which  was  maintained  by  his  mother  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  he  having  been  but  twelve  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death.  He  supplemented  the  schooling  received  in  the  home  school  l)y  a 
course  in  the  Jame?t(jwn  high  schonl  and  was  graduated  frum  the  latter 
in  1905.  That  course  he  supplemented  by  a  course  in  the  Cdmmercial  Cul- 
lege  at  Dayton,  from  which  he  also  was  graduated,  and  then  he  entered  the 
agricultural  department  of  Ohio  State  University,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  19 10.  Thus  equipped  for  farm  operations  along  modern  lines,  Mr. 
Spahr  took  charge  of  the  home  farm  in  behalf  of  his  mother  and  has  since 
maintained  his  residence  there,  having  established  his  home  there  after  his 
marriage  in  the  spring  of  1914.  "Oak  Grove  Farm''  is  a  place  of  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  acres  and  since  taking  charge  of  the  same  Mr,  Spahr 
has  made  many  improvements,  including  a  new  farm  house  and  farm  build- 
ings in  keeping  with  the  same.      Mr.  Spahr  also  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  587 

one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  south  of  Jamestown  and  in  addition  to  his 
general  farming  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  hogs  and 
Aberdeen-Angus  cattle.  He  also  is  a  stockholder  in  several  corporations. 
On  April  i8,  1914,  John  Charlton  Spahr  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ethel  McCallister,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinify  of  the  city  of  Wilmington, 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  but  was  reared  at  Xenia,  her  parents 
having  died  when  she  was  a  small  child.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spahr  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Jamestown  and  Mr.  Spahr  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  at 
Xenia.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  his  party  as  a  delegate 
to  state  conventions. 


ELMER  H.  SMITH. 


Elmer  H.  Smith,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  nearly  one  hundred  acres  in 
Silvercreek  township,  was  born  on  a  fann  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1880,  son  of  John  B.  and  Sarah  (Baynard)  Smith,  both  of  whom 
are  still  living,  now  residents  of  the  city  of  Xenia. 

John  B.  Smith  is  a  Virginian,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  His  mother  died  when  he  was  a  small 
cliild  and  his  father  afterward  married  and  a  few  years  later  died.  The 
stepmother,  accompanied  by  the  son  John  B.  and  his  two  sisters,  then  came 
to  Ohio,  locating  south  of  Xenia,  in  this  county,  where  John  B.  Smith 
remained  until  his  marriage  to  Sarah  Baynard,  after  which  he  rented  a  farm 
in  New  Jasper  township  and  later  moved  to  Caesarscreek  township  and  Ijegan 
farming  on  his  father-in-law's  farm.  He  later  bought  a  farm  in  Caesars- 
creek township  and  there  resided  until  failing  health  compelled  his  retire- 
ment and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living  on  North 
Detroit  street.  John  B.  Smith  is  a  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They  have  six  children,  of  wliom  the  sul:»- 
ject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  ^Nlary  J., 
wife  of  ^\'i^iam  Fudge,  a  farmer  of  New  Jasper  township;  Walter  B.,  a 
carpenter ;  George,  who  is  the  manager  of  the  Walker  coal  yard  at  Xenia : 
Hazel,  wife  of  O.  C.  Colvin,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  and  .\lber- 
tus  D.,  who  is  now  (1918)  with  the  American  Expeditionary  Force  in 
France,  a  member  of  the  Sixteenth  Company,  Second  Motor  Mechanics 
Regiment,  national  army  of  the  United  States,  in  the  war  against  Germany. 

Elmer  H.  Smith  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  local  schools.  After  his  marriage  in  1908  he  took  charge  of  the 
place  he  now  owns  and  has  since  been  operating  the  same,  since  taking  pos- 
session having   made  numerous   improvements,   including  a  new   barn.      In 


588  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

addition  to  liis  general  farming  Mr.  Smith  gives  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  registered  big-type  Poland  China  hogs,  Shorthorn  cattle  and 
horses  of  a  good  strain.     In  his  political  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican. 

On  December  26,  1908,  Elmer  H.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Alice  Haughey,  who  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  David  P.  and  Rose  (Early)  Haughey,  the  Haugheys  being  one  of  the 
old  families  in  Greene  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  daughters  both,  Zora  Lucile  and  Mary  Alice.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith 
are  member  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Bowersx'ille  and  Mr.  Smith 
is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Eellows  lodge  at  Xenia. 


CLYDE  C.  BEAM. 


Clyde  C.  Beam,  proprietor  of  a  stone  quarry  at  Yellow  Sprmgs,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Liberty  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton, 
November  15,  1883.  He  is  a  son  of  \\'illiam  O.  and  Sarah  Elizabeth  (Place- 
maker)  Beam,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Greene  county  on  November 
29,  1856,  and  the  latter  in  1863,  who  are  now  living  in  the  village  of  Port 
William. 

William  O.  Beam  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  this  county  and  here  received 
his  schooling.  After  his  marriage  in  1882  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm 
in  Liberty  township,  Clinton  county,  and  there  remained  until  aljout  1893, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  on  the  farm  and  moved  with  his  family 
to  Port  \Villiam  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  for  about 
five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  the  old  landmark  mill  at 
Port  William,  tore  down  the  old  mill  that  had  been  standing  for  more  than 
a  hundred  years,  replaced  it  with  a  new  and  modern  mill  and  is  still  engaged 
there  in  the  milling  business.  He  and  his  wife  have  five  children,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  is  the  eldest,  being  Jennie,  who  is  now 
attending  business  college  at  Springfield ;  Cleo,  Joseph  Daniel  and  Geneva. 

Having  been  but  about  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
the  farm  to  Port  William,  Clyde  C.  Beani  cor.ipleted  his  early  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  village  and  afterward  took  the  high-schc^ol  course  at 
Wilmington  College,  later  taking  a  year  at  Jacob's  University  at  Dayton.  In 
tile  meantime  he  had  become  experienced  in  the  milling  business,  but  not 
caring  to  continue  in  that  line  presently  became  engaged  in  tlie  stone-crush- 
ing business,  giving  particular  attention  to  county  work,  mostly  road  work, 
doing  considerable  work  for  the  state  on  the  construction  of  the  inter-county 
higlnvays.  and  in  1914  moved  to  Yellow  Springs  and  has  since  carried  on 
his  operations  from  that  point,  owning  a  quarry  just  outside  the  city  limits. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  589 

on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad  south  of  town,   which  he  has  equipped   with 
stone  crushers  and  all  necessary  machinery. 

On  August  10,  1904,  Clyde  C.  Beam  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hettie 
M.  Powers,  who  was  born  in  this  county  February  15,  1886,  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Ella  (Mason)  Powers,  who  are  now  living  in  Clinton  county 
and  who  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Beam  being 
Robert,  who  is  married  and  lives  in  Clinton  county ;  Jessie,  wife  of  Lee 
Woolery,  also  of  Clinton  county ;  Foy,  who  is  at  home  with  his  parents,  and 
Emma,  who  is  making  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beam  at  Yellow  Springs. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beam  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  They  have  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Virginia  L.,  born  on  August  i,  1905.  Mr.  Beam  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Yel- 
low Springs.     Politically,  he  is  "independent." 


JOHN  ALEXANDER. 

John  Alexander,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  rural  route  No.  2  out  of  Yel- 
low Springs,  in  Miami  township,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  township 
of  Bath  and  has  lived  in  that  neighborhood  and  in  the  adjoining  county  of 
Clark  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  February  13,  1866,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Lydia  (Hess)  Alexander,  who  were  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  later  came 
to  Ohio,  the  rest  of  their  lives  being  spent  in  Greene  county  and  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Clark. 

It  was  in  the  year  185 1  that  Samuel  Alexander  and  his  wife  came  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  Clark  county.  Two  years  later,  in  1853,  they  came  down 
into  Greene  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township,  where  they 
remained  until  1870,  in  which  year  they  returned  to  Clark  county,  established 
their  home  on  a  farm  there  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Samuel  Alexander  died  in  1892  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  about  seven 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1899.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
of  whom  four  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  sixth  in  order 
of  birth,  having  a  sister,  Mary,  widow  of  Joseph  Flatter,  of  Clark  county, 
and  two  brothers,  William  Alexander,  who  lives  in  the  West,  and  Samuel 
S.  Alexander,  who  is  engaged  in  the  meat-packing  business  at  Denver,  Colo- 
rado. 

John  Alexander  was  four  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Bath  township,  this  county,  up  into  Clark  county  and  in  the  latter  county 
he  was  reared  and  had  his  schooling,  remaining  at  home,  engaged  in  farming, 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  A  year  later  he  married  and  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Miami  township, 


590  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

this  county,  and  ever  since  has  made  his  home  there.  ^Ir.  Alexander  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  in  connection  with 
his  general  farming  operations.  He  has  served  his  district  as  supervisor 
of  highways  and  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  complaint 
under  the  new  Warren  taxing  law. 

On  February  27,  1888,  John  Alexander  was  united  in  marriage  to  Emma 
Oster,  daughter  of  Martin  and  Eva  (Slate)  Oster,  of  this  county,  and  to  that 
union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  Margaret,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
George,  also  deceased;  Lena,  w'ho  is  at  home  with  her  father;  Charles  M., 
who  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the  home  farm,  and  Arthur, 
who  is  now  engaged  as  the  official  tester  of  the  Clark  County  Dairy  Asso- 
ciation.    The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  January  23,  1918. 


DAVID  H.   :McFARLAXD. 

David  H.  McFarland,  mayor  of  Cedarville,  justice  of  the  peace  in  and 
for  Cedarville  township,  a  former  member  of  the  town  council  and  for 
years  a  building  contractor  at  Cedarville,  was  born  in  that  village  and  has 
lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  December  16,  1850,  son  of  Robert 
Patterson  and  Emily  (Booth)  McFarland,  both  of  whom  were  members 
of  pioneer   families  in  that  part  of  the   county. 

Robert  Patterson  ]\IcFarland  was  born  on  a  farm  two  and  one-half 
miles  east  of  Cedarville,  a  son  of  Robert  McFarland  and  wife,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  White  and  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky.  ■  Robert  McFarland  was  a  son  of  Arthur  McFarland,  who 
came  to  this  country  from  Scotland,  the  land  of  his  birth,  and  after  a 
sometime  residence  in  Kentucky  came  up  into  Ohio  with  his  family  and 
settled  on  a  track  of  land  south  of  Cedarville,  in  this  county,  where  he  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  Arthur  McFarland  and  wife  were  members  of 
the  Christian  church  and  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  Clark,  Joseph, 
Lewis,  Robert,  William.  James,  Priscilla,  Ann,  Lavina,  Emily  and  Cyn- 
thia. Robert  McFarland  estalDlished  his  home  on  a  farm  two  and  one- 
half  miles  east  of  Cedarville  and  there  he  and  his  wife  reared  their  family 
and  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  he  living  to  be  eighty-three  years  of  age. 
Their  son,  Robert  P.  McFarland,  grew  up  on  that  farm  and  afterward 
became  a  wagon-maker,  establishing  a  shop  at  Cedarville,  where  for  many 
years  he  was  thus  engaged.  He  was  a  Republican  and  held  various  public 
offices  of  a  local  character.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  Methodist. 
Robert  P.  McFarland  married  Emily  Booth,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedar- 
ville township,  a  daughter  of  Caleb  Booth,  who  died  at  his  home  five  miles 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  59I 

east  of  Cedarville  when  forty-five  years  of  age.  Caleb  Booth  was  twice 
married.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Rainey. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  he  married  her  sister  and  to  that  imion 
were  born  six  children.  Belle.  Emily,  Ann,  David,  John  and  Alfonso.  To 
Robert  B.  and  Emily  (Booth)  McFarland  were  born  five  children,  namely: 
Calvin,  deceased :  David  Henry,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch;  Alary,  wife  of  Charles  W.  Harris,  a  retired  farmer  living  at  Cedar- 
ville: Charles  B.,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark  in  February,  191 1,  and  William  Edgar,  who  is  now  farming  in 
the  vicinity  of  Everson,  Montana. 

David  H.  ]\IcFarland  was  reared  at  Cedarville  and  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  village  schools.  He  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making  under 
the  direction  of  his  father  and  for  some  years  was  engaged  in  working  in 
his  father's  shop.  In  1873  he  married  and  began  working  on  his  own 
account  as  a  building  contractor  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  that 
vocation,  many  of  the  principal  buildings  in  and  about  Cedarville  having 
been  built  under  his  direction,  among  these-  works  having  been  the  recon- 
struction of  the  A\  hitelaw  Reid  home.  Mr.  McFarland  is  a  Republican,  and 
for  the  past  six  vears  has  been  serving  as  ma3'or  of  his  home  town  and 
for  an  equal  length  of  time  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  Cedar- 
ville township.  He  also  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  common  council, 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  for  fifteen  years  as  local  health  officer. 

In  1873  David  H.  McFarland  was  united  in  marriage  tO'  Eleanor 
J.  Owen,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedarville,  daughter  of  John  S.  and  Jane 
(Butler)  Owen,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Butler  county,  \''irginia, 
and  located  at  Cedarville,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
John  S.  Owen  there  following  the  blacksmith  trade  and  the  practice  of 
veterinarv  surgery.  John  S.  Owen  and  wife  had  six  children,  those  besides 
]\Irs.  McFarland,  the  last  in  order  of  birth,  being  James  (deceased),  John 
(deceased),  Alexander,  Catherine  and  Susan.  To  David  H.  and  Eleanor 
J.  (Owen)  AIcFarland  have  been  born  six  children,  namely:  Berton  E.. 
who  married  Daisy  Ford  and  is  living  at  Cedarville,  where  he  is  engaged 
as  foreman  for  the  Cedarville  Lime  Company,  having  formerly  and  for 
years  been  the  assistant  agent  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  at 
that  place;  Arthur  B.,  a  painter,  now  living  at  Dayton,  this  state;  Aletha 
J.,  who  marriefl  William  Parkman  and  is  also  living  at  Dayton;  Merle, 
who  is  at  home ;  Albert  Raymond,  who  is  now  living  at  Columbus,  this 
state,  where  he  is  engaged  as  auditor  in  the  office  of  the  State  Savings  and 
Trust  Bank,  and  William  Leroy,  a  cartoonist,  who  was  killed  in  an  elevator 
accident  at  Columbus  in  1909,  he  then  being  twenty-four  years  of  age.  ]Miss 
Merle  McFarland  completed  her   schooling  at  Oxford  and  began  teaching 


592  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  Clark  county,  but  for  the  past  six  or  seven  years  has  been  engaged  as 
a  teacher  in  the  Cedarville  schools.     The  McFarlands  are  members  of  the 

Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


D.\NIEL  OLIVER  JOXES. 

Daniel  Oliver  Jones,  secretary-treasurer  of  the  Alpha  Seed  and  Grain 
Company,  former  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township,  a  member  af  the  Greene 
county  board  of  elections  and  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No. 
lo  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his 
life.  He  was  born  at  Trebeins  on  February  lo,  1873,  son  of  David  and 
Rachel  (Davis)  Jones,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek 
township  and  is  still  living  there,  continuing  to  make  her  home  on  the  farm 
now  owned  and  operated  by  her  only  son  Daniel,  this  being  the  old  Andrew 
farm,  on  which  she  has  lived  since  her  marriage  to  the  late  Samuel 
G.  Andrew  in  1890. 

David  Jones  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Hagerstown  in  Mary- 
land, March  17,  1849,  ^^d  was  about  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Ohio  with  his  parents,  Edward  and  Minerva  (Cook)  Jones,  the  family. locating 
at  Trebeins,  in  this  county.  Edward  Jones  was  a  mill  man  and  after  ten 
years  spent  at  Trebeins  he  moved  to  Stillwater,  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Montgomery,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business  and  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  of  whom  David  was  the  eldest.  David  Jones  grew  up  at  Trei^eins 
and  was  there  instructed  by  his  father  in  the  details  of  the  milling  Imsiness, 
a  vocation  he  followed  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  thirty-one  years,  June 
8,  1880,  leaving  a  widow  and  a  son,  Daniel  O.,  the  latter  at  that  time  being 
but  seven  vears  of  age.  The  widow  was  bom,  Rachel  Davis,  in  Beaver- 
creek township,  this  county,  August  19.  1850,  daughter  of  Daniel  and 
Rebecca  (Gerhard)  Davis,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship, in  the  .\lpha  neighborhood,  August  19,  iSto,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Elizabeth  Davis,  pioneers  of  that  section  and  both  of  whom  died  when  their 
son  Daniel  was  a  small  boy.  Daniel  Davis,  Jr.,  was  early  put  to  the  cooper's 
trade  and  as  a  young  man  followed  that  vocation.  He  married  Rebecca 
Gerhard,  who  was  born  at  Liberty,  in  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  March 
I,  1 818,  and  who  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  her  parents,  John  and 
Elizabeth  Gerhard,  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  and  settled  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  David's  church,  over  in  Montgomery  county,  where  they  estab- 
lished their  home  and  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  .After  his  marriage 
Daniel  Davis  bought  a  farm  north  of  .\lpha  and  thereafter  followed  farming 


SAMfKI,  <;.   AMiItKW 


DANIEL  O.  JOXES. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  593 

as  a  vocation  until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Alpha,  where  he  died  on 
September  12,  1877.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death 
occurring  on  July  21,  191 1,  she  then  being  past  ninety-three  years  of  age. 
They  were  members  of  the  Beaver  Reformed  church  and  both  are  buried 
in  Beaver  cemetery.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
Airs.  Andrew,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  John,  who  is  still  living  at  Trebeins; 
William  K.,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  1917:  Harriet  C.  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Samuel  Puterbaugh,  also  now  deceased ;  Rebecca, 
unmarried,  who  is  Hving  at  Trebeins;  D.  W.,  who  is  living  at  Xenia;  Ada 
M.,  wife  of  Samuel  Huston,  of  Dayton,  and  Augustus  H.,  now  a  resident  of 
Pasadena,   California. 

In  1890  Mrs.  Rachel  Davis  Jones,  widow  of  David  Jones  and  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  review,  married  Samuel  G.  Andrew,  of 
Beavercreek  township,  whose  first  wife  had  died  not  long  before,  and  she 
has  ever  since  made  her  home  on  the  old  Andrew  place,  occupying  the  brick 
house  which  was  erected  there  in  1840  and  which  was  in  those  days  regarded 
as  one  of  the  best  farm  residences  in  the  county.  The  late  Samuel  G. 
Andrew,  who  died  at  his  home  on  that  place  on  December  10,  191 2,  was 
born  in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  August  2t,.  1840,  son  of  George  and 
Jane  (Goe)  Ouinn  Andrew,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
Goe.  after  whom  Goes  Station  in  this  county  was  given  its  name,  and  widow 
of  the  Hon.  Amos  Ouinn,  who  was  representing  this  county  in  the  state 
Legislature  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1837  and  further  mention  of  whom 
is  made  in  connection  with  a  biographical  reference  to  his  daughter,  !Mrs. 
John  B.  Lucas,  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  George  Andrew  was  born 
in  South  Carolina  in  1791  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  this  county,  the  .Andrew  family  becoming  pioneers  in  Xenia  township. 
In  1817  George  Andrew  married  Elizalieth  Ann  Foster  and  to  that  union 
were  born  nine  children.  \\"illiam.  Alexander,  Martha,  who  married  James 
Turner,  Robert.  \\'illiam,  John,  Elizabeth,  Hugh  and  George.  Following 
the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  George  Andrew  married.  Decem- 
ber 22,  1839,  Jane,  widow  of  Amos  Ouinn,  and  to  that  union  were  born  two 
?ons.  Samuel  G.  and  John  Calvin,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident 
of  Xenia.  Samuel  G.  Andrew  in  time  became  the  owner  of  the  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Beavercreek  township  which  his  father  had  bought 
in  1854.  During  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  X'^ational 
Guard  company  at  Xenia  and  later  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  \"olunteer  Infantry.  In  the  summer  of 
1866  he  married  Keziah  Luse,  who  died  without  issue,  and  in  1890  he  mar- 
C37) 


594  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ried  Mrs.  Rachel  Jones,  who  survives  him,  as  noted  above.  Mr.  Andrew 
was  a  Repubhcan  and  in  1890  was  elected  to  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace 
in  and  for  his  home  township.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyte- 
rian church  and  his  widow  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  with  which 
latter  communion  her  son  and  his  family  are  also  connected. 

Daniel  Oliver  Jones  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
was  sixteen  when  his  mother  married  Mr.  Andrew,  his  home  thereafter 
being  made  on  the  Andrew  place,  which  he  now  owns,  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship. He  was  graduated  from  the  Beavercreek  township  high  school  in  189.2, 
a  member  of  the  second  class  graduated  from  that  school  after  it  received  its 
commission,  and  for  nine  years  thereafter  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  this  county,  teaching  for  seven  years  in  Beavercreek  township  and 
for  two  years  in  Xenia  township,  it  being  a  matter  of  distinct  recollection 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Jones  that  it  always  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  given 
schools  in  which  the  teachers  previously  had  had  trouble  due  to  refractory 
and  unruly  pupils,  he  apparently  being  put  in  charge  for  the  purpose  of 
restoring  order  and  maintaining  discipline.  During  this  period  he  took  a 
course  of  normal  training  at  Antioch  College  and  during  the  summers  con- 
tinued engaged  on  his  stepfather's  farm.  In  1901  he  gave  up  work  in  the 
school  room  and  became  engaged  in  the  agricultural-implement  business  at 
Trebeins,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
the  failing  health  of  Mr.  Andrew  required  that  he  return  to  the  home  farm 
and  take  charge  of  the  operation  of  the  same.  In  the  summer  of  1908  he 
married  and  established  his  home  there  and  in  igii  erected  on  the  place  a 
new  house  for  himself  and  family  adjoining  the  old  brick  house,  the  latter 
of  which  his  mother  still  maintains  as  her  home.  Following  the  death  ot 
Mr.  Andrew  in  1912  Mr.  Jones  bought  from  the  other  heirs  the  home  farm, 
except  his  mother's  interest,  and  is  now  the  owner  of  the  same,  a  place  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  In  addition  to  his  farming  operatiims  Mr. 
Jones  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  general  business  affairs  of  his  com- 
munity and  is  secretary-treasurer  and  a  member  of  the  lioard  of  directors 
of  the  Alpha  Grain  and  Seed  Company.  He  is  Republican  and  for  ten  years 
served  as  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township  and  is  now  and  for  the  past  four 
years  has  been  a  memlier  of  the  Greene  county  board  of  elections.  For  six 
vears  he  served  as  party  committeeman  for  his  precinct  and  for  fifteen  years 
has  been  serving  as  a  member  of  county  central  committee,  for  much  of  that 
time  a  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  same. 

On  lune  16.  1908,  Daniel  O.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage  to  Gertrude 
Kable.  daughter  of  John  and  Jennie  (Ferguson)  Kable,  of  the  Bellbrook 
neighborhood,  both  members  of  old  families  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  595 

two  children  have  been  born,  Miriam  Kable,  born  on  August  lo,  1909,  and 
Helen  Louise,  December  6,  1913.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  members  of  the 
Beaver  Reformed  church  and  for  more  than  thirteen  years  Mr.  Jones  has 
been  tlie  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  the  same.  He  also  has  served 
on  the  consistorv  and  as  treasurer  of  the  congregation. 


JASPER  S.  BEAL. 

Jasper  S.  Beal,  former  marshal  of  the  city  of  Yellow  Springs  and  a 
retired  farmer  now  living  in  that  city,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township,  this  county.  February  9,  1847,  son  of  Thomas  and  Priscilla  (Hop- 
ping) Beal,  both  of  wliom  also  were  born  in  this  county  and  whose  last 
days  were  spent  here. 

Thomas  Beal  was  born  on  October  26,  1821,  son  of  Thomas  Beal, 
and  on  May  2"^,  1845,  married  Priscilla  Hopping,  who  was  born  on  August 
13,  1825,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Patsy  Hopping,  also  pioneers  of  Greene 
county.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Beaver- 
creek township  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives, 
her  death  occurring  on  February  18,  1847,  when  her  son,  the  siibject  of  this 
sketch,  was  nine  days  old,  and  less  than  two  years  after  her  marriage.  She 
left  also  a  baby  daughter,  Martha  J.  Florence,  born  on  March  3,  1846,  who 
married  Martin  Harner  and  died  in  1897.  Thomas  Beal  survived  his  wife 
but  seven  years,  his  death  occurring  on  April  12,  1854,  his  son  Jasper  being 
then  but  seven  years  of  age. 

Thus  early  bereaved  of  his  parents,  Jasper  S.  Beal  was  reared  by  Jane 
Holland,  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  local 
public  schools.  In  due  time  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  on  which  he  was 
born  and  which  he  still  owns,  a  place  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  and 
after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1872  established  his  home  on  that  farm 
and  there  resided  practically  all  the  time  until  his  retirement  from  the 
farm  and  removal  in  1891  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  has  resided  ever 
since,  a  period  of  twenty-six  years.  About  1887  Mr.  Beal  left  the  farm 
for  a  while  and  went  to  Kankakee,  Illinois,  where  he  became  engaged  in 
the  confectionerv  business,  but  after  two  3'ears  of  that  sort  of  experience 
returned  to  the  farm.  Mr.,  Beal  is  a  Repulilican  and  for  two  terms  served 
as  marshal  of  Yellow  Springs. 

]\Ir.  Beal  has  been  twice  married.  On  March  27,  1872,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Martha  Jane  \\'atson,  who  died  on  June  2y,  1879,  leaving 
on  April  3,  1884.  On  October  12,  t88i,  Mr.  Beal  married  Margaret  J. 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Bessie  Jane,  born  on  November  i,  1877,  and  who  died 


596  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Hume,  who  was  born  in  Xew  York  state  and  who  was  but  an  infant  when 
her  parents,  Robert  and  Phoebe  (Sines)  Hume,  came  to  Ohio  and  located 
on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  this  county.  To  this  second  union  one  child 
was  born,  a  son,  Jasper  L.  Beal,  born  on  "December  30,  1885,  who  mar- 
ried Amy  Booth,  who  died  in  October,  19 13,  leaving-  three  children.  Alary 
Frances,  Jasper  A.  N.  and  Robert  Leon.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Beal  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and- Mr.  Beal  is  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


REV.  WILLI  A:\I  a.  cox  ROY. 

The  Rev.  William  A.  Conroy,  pastor  of  St.  Augustine  Catholic  church 
at  Jamestown,  this  county,  is  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state  but  has  been 
a  resident  of  Ohio  since  he  was  six  years  of  age  and  of  Greene  county  since 
he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  pastorate  at  Jamestown  in  the  summer  of 
1915.  He  was  born  at  Covington,  Kentucky,  Augiist  4,  1882,  first  in  order 
of  birth  of  the  four  children  born  to  his  parents,  Charles  and  Catherine 
(O'Rourke)  Conroy,  the  other  members  of  the  family  being  the  Rev.  James 
Conroy,  now  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Patrick's  Catholic  church  at  London,  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Madison;  Charles  Conroy,  Jr.,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  retail  shoe  business  at  Piqua,  this  state,  and  Nora,  wife  of  Anthony 
Hemm,  also  of  Piqua.  The  elder  Charles  Conroy  also  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
as  was  his  wife,  both  of  Irish  descent,  and  is  an  iron  moulder  by  trade. 
Years  ago  he  moved  with  his  family  from  Covington  to  Ohio  and  located 
at  Piqua,  where  his.  wife  died  in  1913,  she  then  being  fifty-two  years  of  age, 
and  where  he  is  still  living.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  as  was 
his  wife,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith,  two  of  their  sons  early 
entering  holy  orders. 

.■\s  noted  a)jo\e.  \\'illiam  A.  Conroy  was  Init  si.x  years  (if  age  when  his 
parents  moved  from  Covington  to  Piqua  and  in  the  latter  city  he  grew  to 
manhood,  receiving  his  early  schooling  in  St.  Mary's  parochial  school.  Early 
evincing  unusual  aptitude  for  study  and  a  thoughtful  concern  for  the  affairs 
of  the  church  he  was  placed  in  St.  Gregory's  Preparatory  Seminary  at  Cedar 
Point,  in  Hamilton  county,  as  a  means  of  preliminary  preparation  lor  tlie 
priesthdnd,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1904.  In  that  same 
year  the  preparatory  school  was  discontinued  at  Cedar  Point  and  the  bishop 
established  Alt.  St.  Mary's  Seminary  at  that  place  for  theological  instruc- 
tion and  it  was  in  this  latter  seminary  that  Father  Conroy  finished  his  theo- 
logical course,  being  graduated  from  the  seminary  in  1909.  On  June  16  of 
that   same  year  he   was   ordained   to  the   priesthood   and   was   straightway 


REV.  WILLIAM  A.  COXIiOY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  597 

appointed  assistant  pastor  at  St.  Peter's  cathedral  at  Cincinnati,  wliere  he 
remained  until  irt  June,  191 5.  when  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  Father  John 
Malone  as  the  pastor  of  St.  Augustine  Parish  at  Jamestown,  which  office 
he  since  has  been  filling. 

Father  Conroy  is  an  earnest  and  energetic  j-oung  clergyman  and  during 
his  pastorate  at  Jamestown  has  ilone  much  to  build  up  his  parish  and  to  create 
a  livelier  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  church.  Since  his  arrival  in  James- 
town several  new  Catholic  families  have  located  there,  with  a  resultant  addi- 
tion to  the  membership  of  the  church,  there  now  being  thirty-four  families 
in  the  parish,  and  admirable  progress  is  reported  along  all  lines  of  parish 
work.  Father  Conroy  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  affiliated 
with  the  council  of  that  order  at  Xenia,  and  takes  a  warm  interest  in  the 
aftairs  of  the  same.  His  general  manner  has  rendered  it  easy  for  him  to 
enter  into  the  life  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  been  stationed  and  during 
his  residence  of  but  little  more  than  two  years  at  Jamestown  he  has  made 
many  friends  there  and  throughout  the  county. 


JOHN  FRAXKLIX  PUTERBAUGH. 

John  Franklin  Puterbaugh,  proprietor  of  a  Beavercreek  township  farm 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  situated  on  the  Swigart  road,  rural  mail 
route  X'o.  2  out  of  Spring  Valley,  in  that  township,  was  born  on  that  farm, 
was  reared  in  Xenia  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  farm,  which  he  inherited, 
since  his  marriage  in  1899.  He  was  born  on  December  4,  1878,  son  and  only 
surviving  child  of  Samuel  and  Harriet  (Davis)  Puterbaugh,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  on  that  same  farm,  a  part  of  the  old  original  Puterbaugh 
entry,  and  the  latter  on  a  farm  adjoining,  both  in  Beavercreek  township. 

Samuel  Puterbaugh,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of 
Company  E,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  born 
on  January  13,  1844,  son  of  Samuel  Puterbaugh  and  wife,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  Hower.  The  senior  Samuel  Puterbaugh  was  a  son  of  George 
Puterbaugh,  who  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Puterbaugh,  who  was  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Greene  county  and  the  owner  of  an  original  patent,  signed 
by  James  Madison,  to  land  in  Beavercreek  township,  where  he  established 
his  home  and  where  the  Puterbaughs  have  thus  been  represented  since  pio- 
neer days.  Samuel  Puterbaugh,  Sr.,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  became  the  owner  of  about  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Beaver- 
creek township.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church 
and  gave  to  the  congregation  the  ground  on  which  the  church  was  erected. 
His  wife  was  a  Lutheran.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of 
whom  but  one  now  survives,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  Moore,  of  Xenia. 


598  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

the  only  son,  Samuel,  having  had  another  sister,  Eliza  J-.  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Shaeffer,  a  Lutheran  minister  at  Dela- 
ware, this  state. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  Samuel  Puter- 
baugh  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  was  living  there  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  service  and  upon  the  completion 
of  that  service  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  on  Noveml:)er  11,  1869,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Harriet  Davis,  who  was  born  on  the  adjoining  farm 
on  April  30,  1848.  After  his  marriage  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  a 
part  of  his  father's  farm,  the  two-hundred-and-fifty-acre  tract  of  which, 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  he  inherited,  and  on  that  place  spent 
the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  March  19,  1880.  On  Octobe;- 
25,  1882,  his  widow  married  John  G.  Ernst  and  her  last  days  were  spent 
at  Dayton,  her  death  occurring  there  on  June  23,  1886.  To  Samuel  and 
Harriet  (Davis)  Puterbaugh  were  born  three  children,  of  whom  the  suliject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the  otha's  having  been  Samuel,  Ijorn 
on  December  28,  1870,  who  died  on  January  5,  1871,  and  Ida  ^Nlay,  June 
20,  1872,  who  died  on  October  16,  1881. 

John  F.  Puterbaugh  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
was  but  seven  when  bereft  of  his  mother,  after  which  he  was  taken  in 
charge  by  his  paternal  aunt,  Mrs.  George  IMoore,  of  Xenia,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  thus  securing  his  e»rly  schooling 
in  the  Xenia  schools.  He  supplemented  this  schooling  by  a  business  course 
in  Scio  College,  in  Harrison  county,  and  in  December,  1899,  was  married. 
Following  his  marriage  ]\Ir.  Puterbaugh  established  his  home  on  the  farm 
in  Beavercreek  township,  which  he  had  inherited  from  his  father,  and  has  there 
ever  since  made  his  residence.  Since  taking  up  his  residence  there  Mr. 
Puterbaugh  has  made  numerous  improvements  on  the  place  and  has  intro- 
duced the  use  of  tractors  into  his  agricultural  operations.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Sugar  Creek  United  Presby- 
terian church  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons 
of  Veterans  at  Xenia,  with  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  }ilechanics 
at  Dayton  and  with  the  Daughters  of  America  at  Bellbruok. 

On  December  2-,  1899,  in  Harrison  county,  this  state,  John  F.  Puter- 
baugh was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  V.  Thompson,  who  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  that  county,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Palmer)  Thompson, 
both  now  deceased,  and  who  died  on  January  27,  1908.  To  that  union 
were  born  four  children,  namely:  Robert  Samuel,  born  on  May  17,  1901  : 
Julia  May,  December  13,  1902,  who  died  on  December  18,  1905;  Florence 
Irene,  September  9.  1904,  who  died  on  July  17,  1905,  and  Esther  Lois,  July 
20,  1907,  who  is  living  with  her  mother's  sister  in  Harrison  county. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  599 

BEX'JAMIN  WOLF. 

Benjamin  Wolf,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  retired  farmer  of 
Bath  township,  this  county,  now  living  at  Osborn,  was  born  in  Bath  town- 
ship on  December  15,  1842,  son  of  John  W.  and  Rebecca  (Swadener)  Wolf, 
the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  Beavercreek  township, 
and  the  former  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

John  W.  ^^'olf  was  a  memlaer  of  one  of  the  first  families  to  settle  in 
the  northern  part  of  Greene  county,  he  having  been  but  a  lad  when  his 
parents,  George  Wolf  and  wife,  came  here  from  Pennsylvania  and  settled 
in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Bath  township,  where  they  were  living, 
according  to  public  records,  when  the  first  enumeration  was  taken  in  that 
township  in  the  spring  of  1807.  George  \\'olf,  the  pioneer,  was  a  nati\e 
of  Germany.  Upon  coming  to  this  county  he  entered  a  half  section  of 
Congress  land,  the  tract  on  which  now  stands  the  village  of  Byron,  and 
there  established  his  home.  On  that  tract  he  set  apart  a  plot  for  cemetery 
purposes,  the  Byron  cemetery,  and  was  the  first  person  to  be  buried  therein, 
his  death  occurring  in  1813.  Pie  and  his  wife  had  seven  children  and  the 
Wolf  connection  throughout  this  part  of  the  countrs^  in  this  generation  is 
therefore  a  C[uite  numerous  one.  John  W.  Wolf,  one  of  the  sons  of  these 
pioneer  parents,  served  as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  1812  and  after- 
ward took  up  farming,  which  he  followed  the  rest  of  his  life.  After  his 
marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township  and  there  li\ed 
to  the  age  of  eighty-five  years  and  eight  months,  his  death  occurring  in 
June,  1877.  His  widow  survived  him  for  sixteen  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring in  1893.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  two  of  whom  are 
still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  sister  Martha. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Bath  township,  Benjamin  Wolf  received 
his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  then  was  engaged 
in  farming  with  his  father  until  his  marriage,  after  which  for  three  vears 
he  lived  on  a  rented  farm  nearby.  He  then  moved  up  into  Clark  county 
and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  returned  to  Bath  township  and  there  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  established  his  home  on  the  same  and  there  continued  to 
reside  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Osborn,  where  he 
and  his  wife  are  now  living.  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Republican  and  for  some  time 
served  as  school  director  in  his  home  district  while  li\-ing  on  the  farm. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted,  in  1864,  as  a  member  of 
Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  was  with  that  command  during  the  hundred-davs  ser\-ice. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


600  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

On  Xovember  8,  1870,  Benjamin  ^Volf  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lenora  Schauer,  who  also  was  born  in  the  vicinit}-  of  Byron,  this  county, 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine  (Brown)  Schauer,  fthe  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  this  county,  in  1825,  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of 
Alary  land,  in  1830.  George  Schauer,  who  spent  most  of  his  life  as  a  farmer 
in  Greene  county,  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Schauer,  who  had  settled  here  in 
1818,  and  he  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  Byron  neighborhood.  After  his 
marriage  he  for  a  time  lived  in  the  neightoring  county  of  Miami,  but  later 
returned  to  this  county.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  were  the  parents  of  children,  of  whom  Airs.  Wolf  was  the  second 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Sarah  C.,  wife  of  Simon  H.  ^^"olf.  cf 
Springfield,  this  state:  Samuel  Wilham,  deceased;  G.  K.,  the  seed  man,  of 
Osborn,  and  Flora,  wife  of  J.  C.  Smith,  a  dry-goods  merchant  at  Dayton. 
Air.  and  Airs.  Wolf  have  two  daughters.  Cora,  who  married  George  \\"i\\- 
iamson  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter.  Grace  Alae,  who  married  Harvey 
Ferguson  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Ricliarl  Benjamin ;  and  Harriet,  who 
married  Frank  Routzong  and  h.as  three  children,  ^^'ilfred  Wolf,  Cora  Eleanor 
and  Catherine  Louise. 


SAAIUEL  AIILTOX  SPAHR. 

The  late  Samuel  Alilton  Spahr,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beaver- 
creek  township  on  Alarch  14,  1917,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there, 
was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
hereabout,  and  all  his  life  was  spent  here.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township,  April  19,  1853,  son  of  Gideon  and  Amanda  (Hagler) 
Spahr,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Xew  Jasper  township,  son  of 
Philip  and  Alartha  (Shook)  Spahr,  who  had  settled  there  upon  coming  to 
this  countv  from  \'irginia.  Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Gideon  Spahr  remained 
there  until  his  marriage  to  Alary  Amanda  Hagler,  daughter  and  one  of 
the  fifteen  children  born  to  Samuel  and  Anna  (Fudge)  Hagler,  Virginians, 
who  had  come  up  here  from  the  neighboring  county  of  \\'arren.  For  nine 
years  after  his  marriage  Gideon  Spahr  continued  to  make  his  home  in  New 
Jasper  township  and  then  he  moved  with  his  family  over  into  Jay  county, 
Indiana,  but  after  two  vears  of  residence  in  the  Hoosier  state  he  returned 
to  Greene  countv  and  here  spent  the  rest  nf  his  life,  his  last  days  being  spent 
at  Bellbrook.  where  he  died  on  September  4,  i8gi.  His  widow  died  on 
August  9.  1904.  She  was  born  on  January  17.  1825.  Gideon  .Spahr  for 
years  conducted  his  operations,  farming  hundreds  of  acres,  in  partnership 
v.-ith  his  sen  Samuel  AI.     He  was  a  Republican  and  by  religious  persuasion 


SAMUEL   M.    SPAHR. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  6oi 

was  a  Methodist.  To  Gideon  and  Amanda  (Hagler)  Spahr  were  born  six 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  John  L.,  a  retired  farmer  of  Cedarville  township, 
who  married  Hannah  Peterson  and  has  three  children,  James  Milton,  Ida 
Jane  and  Osman  P. ;  Mary  Louise,  who  married  Boj'd  G.  Hopping,  of  Xenia, 
and  died  leaving  three  children,  John,  David  and  WiUiam;  Philip  R.,  now  a 
resident  of  Dayton,  who  married  Ella  Cyphers  and  has  six  children,  Lora, 
John,  Ina,  Emma,  Philip  and  Esther;  David  M.,  who  died  in  IQ16,  a  farmer 
of  Beavercreelv  township,  who  married  Elizabeth  Keiter,  who  now  li\-es  at 
Xenia,  and  had  two  daughters,  P'earl  and  Edith  Amanda;  and  Moses  B.,  a 
Sugarcreek  township  farmer,  who  married  Harriet  Gatrell  and  had  two 
children,  Ethel  M.    (deceased)    and  Walton   M. 

Samuel  Milton  Spahr  grew  up  in  Bea\-ercreek  township  and  received 
his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  home  neighborhood.  In  due  time  he 
effected  a  partnership  \\ith  his  father,  the  two  extending  their  operations 
to  cover  the  cultivation  of  a  farm  of  nine  hundred  acres  in  the  Trebeins 
neighborhood  and  later  a  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Sugar- 
creek  township,  where  the_\-  spent  eight  }ears,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
took  over  the  Maxwell  farm  five  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Xenia  on  the 
Indian  Ripple  road  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  in  1893  Samuel  M.  Spahr 
bought  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres  of  that  farm,  the  place  on  which 
his  widow  is  now  living  on  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  and  there 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there,  as  noted  above,  in 
191 7.  Mr.  Spahr  was  a  Republican  and  served  for  some  time  as  supervisor 
of  highways  and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  For  many  years  he  was 
a  deacon  in  the  Reformed  church. 

On  November  11,  1886,  Samuel  M.  Spahr  was  united  in  marriage  to 
^Margaret  Wolf,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Margaret 
( Sorg")  Wolf,  who  had  come  to  this  country  from  Frankfort-on-the-Rhine 
in  1852  and  had  located  in  Cincinnati.  Frank  Wolf  was  a  locksmith  by 
trade  and  after  working  at  his  trade  in  Cincinnati  for  some  time  moved  to 
Columbus,  from  which  place  in  1861  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his 
family  and  settled  on  the  Crawford  farm  on  the  Springfield  pike.  Later 
he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Beavercreek  township  and  on  this 
latter  place  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Thev  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Spahr  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following :  Catherine,  now  deceased,  who  was 
the  wife  of  Andrew  Fisher;  IMary,  wife  of  Charles  Buck,  of  Xenia;  Frank, 
also  a  resident  of  Xenia:  Elizabeth,  who  married  .\.  A.  McElwain  and 
is  now  li\-ing  at  Kansas  Cit_\',  ]\Iissouri :  Clara,  unmarried,  who  is  living  on 
the  old  home  place  in  Beavercreek  township:  Charles  K.,  who  owns  a  farm 


6o^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


adjoining  Mrs.  Spahr's,  and  Emma,  who  married  Harry  S.  Gerlaugh  and 
died  in  1917.  To  Samuel  AI.  and  Margaret  (Wolf)  Spahr  were  born  four 
children,  namely:  Harry  E.,  who  is  now  engaged  in  tlie  plumbing  business 
at  Xenia ;  Edna  Mae,  who  was  for  years  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  county:  Homer  Milton,  who  is  operating  the  home  place,  and 
Florence  Louise,  also  at  home.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Spahr 
has  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the  Iiome  farm. 


FRAXK  ZEIXER. 


Frank  Zeiner,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Zeiner  Brothers,-  furniture  deal- 
ers and  undertakers  at  Jamestown,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has 
lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  Cedarville  on  February  15,  1855, 
a  son  of  John  G.  and  Mary  (Barr)  Zeiner,  the  former  of  whom  was  of 
European  birth,  a  native  of  the  city  of  Bremen,  and  the  latter  a  Pennsyl- 
vanian,  who  were  married  at  Lewistown,  Pennsylvania,  and  later  came  to 
Ohio  and  settled  in  this  county,  about  1862  moving  from  the  Cedarville 
neighborhood  to  Jamestown,  where  John  G.  Zeiner  opened  an  establishmeni 
for  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  furniture  and  developed  the  concern  now 
operated  by  his  sons.  To  John  G.  Zeiner  and  wife  were  born  six  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fiirst-born,  the  others  being 
Margaret,  wife  of  Gal  Crane,  of  Xenia;  Albert,  who  married  Famey  Ginn 
and  makes  his  home  in  Jamestown,  where  he  is  associated  in  business 
V, itii  bis  brother  Frank:  James  O.,  who  was  murdered  at  Bowersville, 
state,  about  thirty  years  ago;  Florence,  who  married  Charles  Ridgew.-^ 
and  lives  at  Cedarville,  and  J.  W.,  of  Jamestown. 

Having  been  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  the  Cedarville  neighborhood  to  Jamestown,  Frank  Zeiner  completed 
his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  the  latter  village  and  early  became  employed 
in  his  father's  cabinet-shop  and  furniture  store,  making  coffins  when  he  was 
but  fourteen  years  of  age.  He  also  became  a  carpenter  and  builder  and  after 
he  had  attained  his  majority  was  for  about  three  years  engaged  in  building 
operations  in  and  about  Jamestown.  He  then  resumed  the  furniture  and 
undertaking  business,  in  association  with  his  father,  and  after  his  father's 
death  with  his  brother  Albert,  and  the  firm  firm  of  Zeiner  Brothers  has  ever 
since  been  thus  engaged  at  Jamestown. 

Mr.  Zeiner  has  been  twice  married.  In  1879,  'le  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Anna  Hickson,  daughter  of  Elbridge  and  Ellen  Hickson,  of  James- 
town, and  to  this  union  were  born  two  daughters,  Una  Clare  and  Frances, 
the  latter  of  whom  married  Glade  Thomas,  now  living  at  Elvria.  and  has 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  603 

two  children.  Miss  Una  Clare  Zeiner,  who  died  in  New  York  City  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years,  just  as  she  had  reached  a  point  of  assured  success 
as  a  dramatic  reader  and  actress,  was  fitted  both  by  nature  and  preparation 
to  be  a  reader  and  competent  critics  had,  bestowed  upon  her  compliments 
which  more  experienced  readers  would  be  glad  to  claim.  From  the  days 
of  her  childhood  Miss  Zeiner  had  been  accustomed  to  public  appearances 
and  had  earned  some  very  complimentai-y  press  notices,  among  these  having 
been  references  to  her  "wonderful  dramatic  talent,"  her  "remarkable  versa- 
tility," her  "rare  ability  as  a  reader,"  her  "unmistakable  talent  and  pleasing 
personality"  and  her  "wonderful  powers  as  an  elocutionist."  Mrs.  Anna 
Zeiner  died  in  1899  and  on  January  12,  1905,  Mr.  Zeiner  married  Alice 
Sheffield,  of  Athens,  this  state.  To  this  latter  union  one  child  has  been  born, 
a  daughter.  Marguerite,  born  in  191 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Zeiner  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JOHN  J.  ^^'HALEY. 


John  J.  Whaley,  commercial  traveler  and  the  owner  of  a  home  and  a 
tract  of  land  adjoining  the  village  of  Osborn,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
for  many  years,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
Ohio  since  he  was  three  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Utica,  New  York, 
June  23,  1850,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Cain)  Whaley,  natives  of  Ireland, 
the  former  born  in  181 3  and  the  latter,  in  1814,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  1853 
and  settled  in  Clark  county,  where  Daniel  Whaley  died  in  1862.  His  widow 
later  bought  a  piece  of  land  in  Clark  county  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  her 
life,  her  death  occurring  in  1903.  Daniel  Whaley  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Thomas,  deceased ;  James,  deceased ; 
William,  who  lives  at  Osborn,  his  home  place  adjoining  that  of  his  brother 
John ;  Mary,  wife  of  John  Mahoney,  of  Roanoke,  Virginia ;  Catherine,  who 
married  S.  M.  Morris  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased; 
and  i\'Iargaret,  who  died  recently,  unmarried. 

As  rioted  above,  John  J.  Whaley  was  but  three  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  came  to  Ohio  and  he  received  his  earlv  schooling  in  the  common 
schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  boyhood  home  in  Clark  county,  sujjple- 
menting  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  Clark  County  Academy.  He  then 
learned  telegraphy  and  two  vears  later,  in  1872,  was  appointed  station 
agent  for  the  railroad  company  at  Osborn,  which  position  he  occupied  until 
1883,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Akron  as  agent  for  the  Erie  railroad, 
remaining  there  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end-  of  which  time  he  moved 


604  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

back  to  Osborn,  which  ever  since  has  been  his  home.  In  1897  he  became  a 
travehng  representative  of  the  Thomas  Phillips  Company,  paper  manufac- 
turers at  Akron,  which  position  he  ever  since  has  occupied.  ]\Ir.  \Mialey 
resides  just  at  the  east  edge  of  the  village  of  Osborn  and  owns  there  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  thirty  acres  of  which  lies  in  Greene 
county  and  the  remainder  over  the  line  in  Clark  county,  renting  his  land 
for  farming  purposes.  Mr.  Whaley  is  a  Democrat  on  national  issues,  but 
reserves  his  right  to  vote  independently  in  local  elections.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  August  24,  1874,  John  J.  Whaley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
E.  ]\iiranda,  who  was  born  at  New  Carlisle,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  where  she  was  reared  and  where  she  received  her  schooling,  and  to 
this  union  have  been  Ijorn  five  children,  namely :  Earl  E.  Whaley,  editor  of 
Tlic  Iiuplciucnt  Age,  a  trade  paper  published  at  Springfield,  this  state; 
Paul  M.  \Mialey,  a  resident  of  Columbus,  this  state,  and  a  traveling  sales- 
man for  the  Fisk  Rubber  Company;  William  Marvin  Whaley,  proprietor 
of  a  Hour-mill  at  Arcanum,  in  Darke  county,  this  state;  Mary  E.,  wife  of 
Dr.  R.  B.  Hoover,  of  Dayton,  and  Cora  A.,  wife  of  Fred  McConnell,  a  Day- 
ton lawver. 


CHARLES  HOOVER. 


The  late  Charles  Hoo\-er,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Jefferson  ti-^\vn- 
ship  on  July  30.  1914,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  the  \icinity  of  Wilmington,  in  Clinton  county.  Ohio,  June  14, 
1845,  son  of  Jacol)  and  Rachel  Hoover,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that 
same  county,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides 
Charles  being  Calvin;  Milton,  Leander,  George,  Caroline,  Amanda  and  Ella. 

Charles  Hoover  remained  on  the  home  farm  in  Clinton  county  until 
his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1871,  when  he  established  his  home  on  a  forty- 
acre  farm  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  the  place  where  his  widow  is 
still  living,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in 
the  summer  of  1914.  He  improved  the  place  and  increased  his  acreage  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres.  ]\Jr.  Hoover  was  a  Democrat  and  had 
served  on  the  school  board.  He  was  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge 
at  P)0\vers\-ille.     He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Sabina. 

On  November  9,  1871,  Charles  Hoover  was  united  in  marriage  to  Delitha 
A.  Hunt,  who  was  born  in  Jeffer.son  township,  this  county,  daughter  of 
Hezekiah  and  Rachael  (Johnson)  Hunt,  the  former  of  whom  also  was 
born  in  this  county  and  the  latter,  in  Clinton  county.  Hezekiah  Hunt  was 
the  owner  of  a  hundred-acre  farm  in  Jefferson  township  and  there  died  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  605 

the  age  of  sixty-seven.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  They  were 
Quakers  and  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Hoover 
being  Stephen,  deceased;  EHza  J.,  deceased;  Jefferson  T.,  who  is  still  living 
on  a  part  of  the  home  farm ;  Clayton,  deceased,  and  Almeda,  decea.sed.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoover  eight  children  were  born,  namely:  Calvin  Albertus. 
married  Ollie  Harness  and  is  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown ;  Elmer 
J.,  who  married  Allie  Claybaugh  and  is  farming  the  home  place;  John  A. 
and  James  M.,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  married  Lola  Stewart  and  is 
farming  in  the  neighborhood  of  Bowersville  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  fanning 
at  home;  Clarence  C,  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Sabina,  who  married  Tina  Pope; 
Donna  E.,  who  married  Howard  Cochran,  of  Dayton;  Claude,  proprietor 
of  a  garage  at  W'ilmingtc^n,  who  married  Loie  Stewart,  and  Bertha  A.,  who 
is  at  home. 


GEORGE   FEIRSTIXE  FERGUSON. 

George  Eeirstine  Ferguson,  former  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township 
and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike,  rural  mail  route 
No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  where  he  has  lived  since  the  days  of  his  childhood,  was 
born  in  that  township  on  i\Iarch  7,  1850.  son  of  John  W.  and  Anna  (Eeir- 
stine )  Ferguson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. August  13,  1820,  a  member  of  one  of  the  prominent  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  families  of  that  county,  her  father,  a  landowner  and  tavern-keeper, 
having  been  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  state  I^egislature 
from  his  district.  Her  mother's  name  was  Susan  Illick.  Anna  Feirstine's 
eldest  brother,  George  Eeirstine,  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Montgomery 
county  and  she  later  joined  him  there,  thus  being  a  resident  of  that  county 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  John  \\'.  Ferguson.  One  of  her  vounger 
brothers,  Samuel  Eeirstine,  also  came  to  Ohio  and  was  here  when  the  Mexi- 
can ^^'ar  broke  out.  He  enlisted  his  services,  went  to  the  front  and  died 
of  a  fe\er  in  the  service. 

John  ^^^  Ferguson  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgom- 
ery on  August  18,  1818,  a  son  of  William  and  Jennie  (Watson)  Ferguson, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland,  of  Scottish  descent,  and  was  but 
two  3'ears  of  age  when  she  came  with  her  parents  to  this  country,  the  family 
locating  in  Delaware,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood  and  married  Will- 
iam Ferguson,  who  was  born  at  Wilmington,  that  state,  also  of  Scottish 
stock.  Soon  after  their  marriage  William  Ferguson  and  his  wife  came  to 
Ohio,  about  the  year  18 12,  and  became  pioneers  in  Montgomery  county, 
establishing  their  home  in  Mad  River  township,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.     They  had  eight  sons.     John  W.  Ferguson  grew 


6o6  GREEKE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lip  on  tlie  home  farm  in  Mad  Ri\-er  township,  Montgomery  county,  and 
there  married  Anna  Feirstine.  Two  years  later  he  came  over  into  Greene 
county  and  began  working  on  the  Gerlaugh  farm,  now  owned  lay  John 
Harbine,  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  presently 
was  enabled  to  buy  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  on  the 
Dayton-Xenia  road  in  that  neighborhood,  the  place  now  owned  by  his  son, 
George  F.,  and  had  the  same  paid  for  when  he  died  on  May  15,  1861,  he 
then  being  forty-two  years  of  age.  His  widow  was  left  with  six  children, 
tlie  eldest  of  whom  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age.  She  did  not  remarry, 
kept  the  faujily  together,  maintained  the  oj^erations  o'f  the  farm,  her  sons 
taking  oyer  the  management  of  the  same  when  they  arrived  at  proper  age, 
and  there  she  spent  tiie  remainder  of  her  life,  her  death  occurring  in  Decem- 
ber, 1898.  she  then  being  seventy-six  years  of  age.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  Hawker  Reformed  church,  as  was  her  husband,  and  her  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these  children,  of  vrhom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
\\'illiam.  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer;  Charles,  who  died  of  diphtheria 
in  1861,  the  year  of  the  father's  death,  he  then  Ijeing  nine  years  of  age; 
Jennie,  wife  of  John  Kable,  a  Sugarcreek  township  farmer,  living  two  miles 
north  of  Bellbrook;  John,  who  died  of  diphtheria  in  1861.  he  then  being 
five  years  of  age.  and  Robert,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton,  where  he  is 
employed  as  a  bookkeeper  in  the  senice  of  the  Miami  "conservancy"  board. 
George  F.  Ferguson  was  but  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  fatlier  died. 
He  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  receiving  his  school- 
ing in  the  Coy  school  and  in  the  Lantz  school,  and  he  and  his  brother  Will- 
iam continued  the  operation  of  the  farm  together  until  their  mother's  death 
in  1896,  after  which  Mr.  Ferguson  bought  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs 
in  the  place  and  has  since  been  proprietor.  Since  taking  possession  of  the 
farm  he  bought  an  adjoining  tract  of  sixty-six  acres  and  now  has  two 
hundred  and  eighty-five  acres.  After  his  marriage  in  1874  he  erected  a 
new  house  on  the  place  and  the  same  is  still  serving  as  a  place  of  residence. 
Of  late  years  Mr.  Ferguson  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the 
active  labors  of  the  farm,  having  turned  the  management  of  the  same  over 
to  his  elder  son,  Edwin  J.  Ferguson,  who  is  operating  it.  Mr.  Ferguson 
is  a  Democrat,  as  were  his  father  and  grandfather,  and  for  fifteen  years 
served  as  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township  and  was  also  for  se\eral  years 
a  member  of  the  township  board  of  educaticjn.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  Mr.  Ferguson  has  for  years  made  it  a  point  to  feed  a  car  load 
of  cattle  for  the  market  every  winter,  as  well  as  a  big  bunch  of  hogs,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  in  that  neighborhood  to  recognize  the  value  of  alfalfa 
as  a  forage  crop. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  607 

On  December  i8,  1874,  George  F.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Martha  J.  Zimmerman,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township, 
on  a  farm  a  mile  west  of  where  she  is  now  living,  daughter  of  Jacob  and 
Mary  (Shoup)  Zimmerman,  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  county 
and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  To  this  union  four  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Edwin  J.,  unmarried,  who  is  now  operating  the  home 
place  for  his  father  and  who  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  his 
own;  Mary,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years;  Clarence, 
who  marped  Ora  ]\Iorris  and  is  now  living  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where 
he  is  employed  as  an  inspector  for  the  National  Lumber  Association,  and 
Lida  M.,  who  is  at  home. 


CARL  V.  DRAKE. 


Carl  V.  Drake,  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  W.  F.  Drake  &  Son,  build- 
ing contractors  and  dealers  in  building  supplies,  stoves,  electric-lighting  fix- 
tures and  the  like  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark  on  December  30,  1888,  son  of  William  F.  and  Melissa  (Collier) 
Drake,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  count)-,  Alarch  3,  1852, 
and  both  of  whom  are  still  living,  for  thirty  years  residents  of  Yellow 
Springs. 

William  F.  Drake  was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  Xenia,  in  this  county, 
December  14,  1848,  and  was  married  to  Melissa  Collier  on  March  3,  1870. 
He  had  been  early  trained  to  the  carpenter  trade  and  presently  became  a 
building  contractor  on  his  own  account,  eventually  establishing  his  head- 
quarters at  Yellow  Springs.  In  igro  he  admitted  his  youn:er  .s^on,  Carl  V. 
Drake,  into  a  partnership  in  the  business,  which  since  has  I^een  carried  on 
under  the  firm  name  of  W.  F.  Drake  &  Son.  To  \\'illiam  F.  Drake  and 
wife  have  been  born  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  last-born,  the  others  being  Grace  May,  born  on  July  25,  1871  ;  Edith 
Pearl  (deceased),  January  18.  1873;  James  Earl,  March  3,  1875,  ^"'^ 
Franklin  C,  September  18,  1877,  who  died  on  August  14,  1907. 

Reared  at  Ye'hiw  Springs,  for  he  was  but  an  infant  wlien  hi^  jiarents 
made  their  home  in  that  village,  Carl  V.  Drake  received  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  place.  He  early  Iiecame  familiar  with  the  details  of 
house  building  under  the  direction  of  his  father  and  in  1910  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  as  a  partner  in  the  business,  junior  member  of  the  firm 
of  W^  F.  Drake  &  Son,  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged,  the  firm  also  con- 
ducting a  mercantile  business  at  Yellow  Springs. 

On  October  26.  191 1,  Carl  V.  Drake  was  united  in  marriage  to  Bertha 


6o8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

G.  Weiss,  who  was  born  at  Goes,  in  this  county,  December  9,  1888,  daugh- 
ter of  Paul  and  Josephine  (Schury)  Weiss,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  liv- 
ing, now  a  resident  of  Springfield,  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to  Paul  \\'.  Weiss. 
a  merchant  at  Yellow  Springs  and  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Drake.  To  Carl  V. 
and  Bertlia  G.  ( Weiss)  Drake  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Mar- 
tha Elizabetii,  born  on  December  22,  1912;  Irma  Josephine,  born  on  Decem- 
ber 7,  1913,  who  died  on  January  29,  1914,  and  William  Eugene,  born  on 
July  6,  191 5.  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Drake  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  churcli 
and  Mr.  Drake  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 


willia:m  h.  coy. 


The  Coys  were  among  the  real  pioneers  in  this  part  of  Ohio,  for  it  was 
in  the  year  1800.  three  \-ears  before  Ohio  was  admitted  to  statehood  and 
Greene  county  became  a  civic  entity,  that  Jacob  Coy  effected  a  settlement 
here.  On  the  Jacob  Coy  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  was  erected  the  first 
sciiool  Iiouse  luiilt  in  that  township  and  in  that  little  log  school  house  were 
held  the  first  formal  religious  services  held  in  that  township,'  it  being  there 
that  the  congregation  now  strongly  represented  in  the  Mt.  Zion  neighbor- 
hood effected  the  organization  of  the  Reformed  (then  known  as  the  German 
Reformed)    church   in  Greene  county. 

Jacob  Coy  was  of  German  iDirtli  and  was  about  eighteen  vears  of  age 
when  he  started  with  his  parents  and  the  six  other  children  of  the  family 
for  the  United  States.  The  parents  died  during  the  progress  of  the  passage 
over  and  were  buried  in  mid-ocean,  their  effects  being  confiscated  by  the 
ship's  crew,  the  seven  children  thus  being  thrown  penniless  upon  the  shores 
of  tlie  New  World.  The  children,  in  accordance  with  the  hard  custom  of 
tlie  da_\',  were  "sold"  to  pay  transportation  and  Jacob  Coy  was  thus  thrown 
inti)  the  hands  of  a  Penns\'l\TLnia  planter,  for  whom  he  worked  for  si.\  years 
to  free  himself  and  his  }'ounger  brotliers  and  sister**  from  flebt.  Ifc  after- 
ward located  in  Alaryland,  where  lie  married,  borrowing  tlic  money  wuhi 
which  to  cover  necessary  expenses,  and  established  liis  home  there,  in  time 
coming  to  be  the  owner  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  on  whicli  he 
made  his  home  until  the  year  1800,  when  lie  disposed  of  his  interests  there 
and  with  his  wife  Susanna  and  their  children,  emigrated  to  the  then  prom- 
ising Territory  of  Ohio,  coming  down  the  river  as  far  as  Cincinnati,  the 
village  that  had  sprung  up  around  old  Ft.  Washington.  Though  impor- 
tuned to  remain  there  he  had  decided  on  a  settlement  further  up  state  and 
two  months  later  with  his  family  drove  up  here  into  tiie  Ijeautiful  valley  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  609 

the  Little  Miami,  having  meantime  in\-ested  in  a  tract  of  tliree  tlionsand 
acres  of  land  in  this  section,  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Beaver- 
creek  township,  Greene  county,  and  established  his  permanent  home  here. 
the  Coys  thus  becoming  accounted  as  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  this 
county.  Here  the  pioneer  Jacob  Coy  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  in  1836,  he  then  being  ninety-three  years  of  age.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  about  four  years,  she  being  eighty-three  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children  and  the  Coy  con- 
nection in  this  county  in  succeeding  generations  became  a  numerous  one. 

\Villiam  H.  Coy.  former  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township  and  proprie- 
tor of  a  farm  on  the  Shakertown  pike,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  7  out  of  Xenia. 
was  born  on  that  farm,  a  great-grandson  of  Jacob  and  Susanna  Coy,  the 
pioneers  mentioned  above,  April  g,  1854.  son  of  Jacob  H.  and  Rebecca  Ella 
(Buck)  Coy,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  farm,  a  son  of 
Henry  Coy,  who  was  one  of  the  twelve  children  born  to  the  pioneers,  Jacob 
and  Susanna  Coy.  Henry  Coy,  who  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the 
Reformed  church  in  Beavercreek  township,  became  the  owner  of  about  five 
hundred  acres  of  land.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
four  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely :  Leonard,  who  spent  his  last  days  in 
Elkhart  county,  Indiana :  ^^'illiam,  who  moved  to  Towa  and  thence  to  Cali- 
fornia, in  which  latter  state  his  last  days  were  spent;  Jacob  H.,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch :  Daniel,  who  was  married  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
later  going  to  Iowa  and  settling  in  Davis  county,  where  he  and  his  wife 
spent  their  last  days,  both  dying  in  1916,  he  then  being  ninety-two  years  of 
age:  Susan,  who  married  Doctor  Kyler  and  later  moved  to  Elkhart  county, 
Indiana,   and   Mrs.   Catherine    Bingaman. 

Jacob  H.  Coy  was  born  in  1820  on  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  his  son  William  H.  and  there  spent  all  his  life.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  he  Ixiught  his  mother's  dower  right  in  the  home  place  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four  acres  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  the  house  which  his 
grandfather  had  erected  there  in  1S20,  in  that  house  spending  his  last  days, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  October  i,  1894.  Jacob  H.  Coy  was  a  Repub- 
lican and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church, 
in  which  for  years  he  was  an  office-bearer.  His  widow  survived  him  for 
nearly  twelve  years,  her  death  occurring  on  July  2j.  1906.  She  v»as  born, 
Rebecca  Ella  Buck,  in  the  vicinity  of  Sheppardstown,  Virginia,  in  1833. 
Jacob  H.  and  Rebecca  E.  (Buck)  Coy  were  the  parents  of  nine  chiklren.  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Martha,  wife  of  George  Loy,  of  Miamisburg,  this  state; 
John  F.,  a  farmer,  living  in  the  Mt.  Zion  neighborhood  in  this  county: 
Charles  X^.,  who  farms  with  his  brother:  Dr.  Joseph  M.  Cov.  who  was  grad- 
(38) 


6lO  GREEXE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

uated  from  the  dental  department  of  the  University  of  Alicliioan  at  Ann 
Arbor  and  who  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Davton,  where 
he  died:  Emma,  unmarried,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Chicago:  Louie  M., 
also  unmarried,  who  lives  near  her  brother  ^^'illiam;  Perrv,  who  died  soon 
after  his  marriage,  and  Anna,  who  married  Rosco  Rockafield  and  is  now 
living  at  Fairfield,  this  count}-. 

William  H.  Coy  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  on 
which  he  is  still  living,  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood 
school,  old  district  Xo.  4,  Beavercreek  township,  one  of  his  schoolmates 
there  being  M.  A.  Broadstone,  whose  name  appears  on  the  title  page  of  this 
work  and  for  whom  he  still  entertains  the  same  high  regard  that  marked  the 
boyhood  friendship.  For  some  time  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of 
1882  he  continued  to  farm  on  the  home  place  and  he  and  his  brother  Charles 
then  bought  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  'Sit.  Zion,  in  that  same  township,  and 
\\  illiam  H.  Coy  later  bought  one  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  of  the  old 
home  place,  established  his  home  there  and  has  since  made  that  place  his  home, 
having  added  to  the  place  until  now  he  is  tlie  owner  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-eight  acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Coy  has  for 
years  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland  Clnna  hogs  and 
also  has  a  herd  of  dairy  cattle.  In  191 5  Mr.  Coy  erected  a  new  house  of 
cream-colored  brick,  equipped  witli  an  individual  electric-lighting  plant  and 
all  modern  conveniences.  Mr.  Coy  is  a  Republican  and  for  six  years  served 
as  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at  Bell- 
brook.     His  wife  is  a  member  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church. 

On  March  30,  1882,  William  H.  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Merrick,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  to  this 
union  three  children  have  been  born,  Lawrence,  a  farmer  of  .Sugarcreek 
township,  who  married  Ida  X.  Keiter  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Robert,  and 
Guy  and  Glenn,  who  are  at  home  assisting  on  their  father's  farm.  Mrs. 
Coy  is  a  daughter  of  David  and  Ann  (Kable)  ]\Ierrick,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  Beavercreek  township  and  the  latter 
in  the  village  of  Osborn,  April  21,  1837,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Cath- 
erine (Gar\er)  Kable,  Virginians,  who  came  to  this  county  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  Harper's  Ferry  in  183 1  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
Samuel  Kable  died  on  Xovember  2^.  1864.  he  then  being  sixty-three  years 
of  age,  and  his  widow  sur\ived  him  for  nearly  nine  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring on  May  31,  1873.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  those  be- 
sides yirs.  Merrick  having  been  Mary  E.,  Joseph,  Sarah  E.,  ;\Iartha  J., 
John  ^^■.  and  Isaac  X. 

David  Merrick  was  born  on  October  3,   1830,  a  son  of  Joseph  D.  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  6l  I 

Susan  (Boston)  Merrick,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Kent  county, 
Delaware,  October  9,  1779,  and  the  latter,  in  Frederick  county.  Maryland, 
December  25,  1793.  Joseph  D.  Merrick  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  John  Mer- 
rick, a  ]\Iethodist  minister,  and  was  trained  as  a  weaver  in  the  days  of  his 
youth  and  was  working  at  that  trade  in  jlaryland  in  1S12  when  he  married 
Susan  Boston.  In  1814  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  pre.->ent!y  became 
located  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  wliere  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives,  Joseph  D.  ]\Ierrick  dying  there  on  Alarch  3,  1857.  ^'s  widow 
died  on  January  10,  1873.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  three 
sons,  John,  Israel  and  David,  and  two  daughters,  Elizabeth,  who  married 
David  Stutesman,  and  Mary  Ann,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  vears. 
David  Merrick  grew  up  in  Beavercreek  township  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years  began  teaching  school,  a  profession  he  followed  during  the  winters  for 
a  period  of  twelve  years.  In  1858  he  purchased  a  tract  of  sixty  acres  of 
land  east  of  Shakertown  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fullowing  .spring  to 
Ann  R.  Kable  established  his  home  there,  remaining  there  until  the  spring 
of  1865,  when  he  moved  to  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres 
which  he  had  purchased,  a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  village  of  Alpha. 
David  Alerrick  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  seven  of  whom 
grew  to  maturity,  those  besides  Mrs.  Coy  being  William  K.,  Joseph  S., 
Emma  H.,  Ellen  C,  ^lartha  J.  and  Benjamin  D.  The  Merricks  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  church. 


ARTHUR  A.  SHOUP. 


Arthur  A.  Shoup.  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  nine  acres 
in  Beavercreek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  was  born 
on  that  farm  on  August  5,  1872,  son  of  Daniel  M.  and  Maria  (Wanipler) 
Shoup,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township,  a  son  of  Mozes 
W.  Shoup,  a  minister  of  the  Dunkirk  church  and  one  of  the  largest  landowners 
among  the  pioneers  of  that  section,  a  son  of  George  Shoup,  who  had  come 
to  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  from  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  in  1796,  and  had 
entered  two  sections  of  land  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Beaver- 
creek township,  this  county.  The  Shoups  are  of  Swiss  origin.  Daniel  M. 
Shoup  was  born  on  September  10,  1822.  and  in  August,  1844,  married  Maria 
^\'amI.ler,  who  was  born  in  Starke  count}-,  Ohio.  February  24.  1827,  but 
v,ho  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was  living  in  Montgomery  county,  whence 
her  parents,  Philip  and  Catherine  (Royer)  Wampler.  had  moved  when  she 
was  little  more  than  an  infant.  The  \\^amplers  came  to  this  state  from 
Carroll  count}-,  Mar}-land.     Ten  years  after  his  marriage  Daniel  M.  Shoup 


6l2  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

bought  the  farm  on  which  his  son  Arthur  is  now  hving  and  there  spent  the 
rest  of  Jiis  life.  He  also,  following  the  precepts  of  his  father,  was  a  minister 
of  the  Dunker  church.  He  had  five  sisters,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Coy,  Mrs.  Cathe- 
rine Gearhart,  Mrs.  Sarah  Wampler,  Mrs.  Harriet  Brubaker  and  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Ann  Darst.     His  wife  died  in   1900  and  he  survived  until   191 1. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm.  Arthur  A.  Shoup  completed  his  schooling' 
in  the  Beavercreek  township  high  school.  After  his  marriage  in  1894  he 
established  his  home  on  the  home  place,  taking  charge  of  the  same  for  hi? 
father,  and  after  the  latter's  death  in  191 1  thought  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  in  one  hundred  and  nine  acres  of  the  place,  including  the  old  home, 
and  still  lives  there.  He  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  breeding  of  high- 
grade  live  stock  and  also  maintains  a  herd  of  Guernsey  cattle  for  dairy 
purposes.  On  his  farm  is  one  of  the  best  apple  orchards  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Shoup  is  a  Republican  and  for  four  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  town- 
ship board  of  education.  He  is  a  member  and  on?  of  directors  of  the  Greene 
County  Improvement  As.sociation. 

On  November  14,  1894,  Arthur  A.  Shoup  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Anna  Ozias,  who  was  born  in  Preble  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  R.  J.  \V. 
and  Jane  (Markey)  Ozias,  and  to  this  imion  six  children  have  been  born. 
Grace,  wife  of  Lawrence  Howard,  of  Bath  township,  this  county;  Daniel, 
who  took  two  years  at  Ohio  State  Uni\ersity  and  in  the  spring  of  1918 
enlisted  in  the  aviation  corps  of  the  National  Army,  and  Elizabeth.  Charles, 
Ruth  and  Rebecca. 


FRANKLIN  ^I.  HAVKRSTICK. 

The  late  b^ranklin  M.  Haverstick,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  ^^'ar,  who  died 
at  his  farm  home  in  Beavercreek  township  on  April  8.  1908,  and  whose 
widow  is  now  living  at  Zimmermans,  was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  Nenia, 
in  Xenia  township,  January  14,  1843,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Holly) 
Haverstick,  who  had  come  to  this  county  from  Maryland  about  the  year 
1830.  John  Haverstick  and  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church 
and  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides  Franklin,  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  being  Thomas,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War;  John,  who  made  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  townshi]); 
William,  who  is  overseer  of  Woodland  cemetery  at  Dayton ;  Christ,  who  is 
still  living  in  Xenia  township:  ]\Iatthew,  deceased;  Maria,  also  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Daniel  Neckman,  of  Dayton,  and  Mignon,  who  died 
unmarried.  John  Haverstick.  who  was  a  stone  contractor,  died  in  1853, 
at  the  age  of  fortv  vears.  and  his  widow   survived  him  until    1882.      Her 


FKANKLIN  M.  HAVEItSTICK. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  613 

father  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  her  grandfather  was  present 
by  invitation  at  the  funeral  of  George  Washington. 

Left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  Franklin  M.  Haverstick  was 
early  thrown  on  his  own  resources  and  did  such  work  as  his  hand  found 
to  do  in  the  community  until  his  enlistment  on  August  14,  1862,  at  Alpha, 
for  service  in  the  Union  army'.  He  was  sent  to  the  front  as  a  member  of 
Company  E,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
command  he  served  until  mustered  out  in  June,  1865,  the  war  then  being 
over.  During  his  service  Air.  Haverstick  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle 
of  Chattanooga,  and  though  thus  off  duty  for  a  time  did  not  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. He  participated  in  the  many  battles  and  engagements  in  which  his 
command  was  involved  and  was  with  Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Haverstick  returned  to  Greene 
county  and  began  working  on  the  Thomas  Hawker  farm.  On  April  9, 
1867,  he  married  Catherine  Coy,  a  daughter  of  Nicholas  and  Charlotte 
(Shoup)  Coy  and  a  granddaughter  of  Aloses  Shoup,  the  Brethren  minister, 
and  for  a  year  thereafter  he  and  his  wife  made  their  home  in  Kosciuski 
county,  Indiana.  They  then  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  small 
farm  in  the  vicinit\-  of  Hawkers  church  in  Beavercreek  township,  where 
they  lived  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  bought  ninety-five 
acres  of  the  Nicholas  Coy  farm,  Mrs.  Haverstick's  old  home  place,  and  there 
established  their  permanent  home,  Mr.  Haverstick  spending  the  rest  of  his 
life  there.  Air.  Haverstick  was  a  Republican  and  was  a  member  of  the  Breth- 
ren church  at  Zimmermans,  as  is  his  widow,  he  for  years  having  served  as 
a  deacon  of  the  church. 

To  Franklin  M.  and  Alary  Catherine  (Coy)  Haverstick  were  l»orn  eight 
children,  namely :  Delilah,  widow  of  Louis  Hower,  who  is  making  her  home 
with  her  mother  at  Zimmermans;  Alartha,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife 
of  Edward  Snyder;  Charlotte,  wife  of  Frank  Koogler,  of  Beavercreek  town- 
ship ;  Joseph,  who  is  assistant  superintendent  of  a  traction  line  at  Chicago ; 
Harr\',  who  is  farming  the  home  place  in  Beavercreek  township ;  Hulier, 
who  is  now  connected  with  the  aviation  corps  of  the  National  Army,  stationed 
(spring  iif  1918)  in  Alinnesota :  George,  who  is  also  with  the  National 
Army,  at  Camp  Sherman;  and  Elizabeth,  who  is  living  with  her  mother  at 
Zimmermans.  After  the  death  of  her  husband  Airs.  Haverstick  continued  to 
make  her  home  on  the  farm  until  the  spring  of  1918,  when  she  bought  a 
house  in  Zimmermans  and  has  since  been  living  there.  She  was  born  on 
April  9,  1849,  in  Beavercreek  township,  her  father's  farm  being  situated  just 
west  of  where  the  railway  viadifct  crosses  the  Dayton  pike.  Her  father, 
Nicholas  Coy,  was  born  in  that  same  township,  on  the  Shakerton  pike, 
January  31,  181 1,  and  her  mother,  Charlotte  Shoup,  also  was  born  in  Beaver- 


6l4  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

creek  township,  the  Shoup  homestead  being  just  north  of  ]\It.  Zion  cliurch. 
They  were  members  of  the  Brethren  church  at  Zimmermans.  Nicholas  Coy 
died  at  the  home  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Haverstick,  in  April,  1897.  His  wife 
had  long  preceded  him  to  the  grave,  her  death  having  occurred  on  January 
25,  1874.  She  was  born  in  1819.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Haverstick  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Engle :  Benjamin,  who  made  his  home  in  Beaver- 
creek  township;  Jane,  who  married  ^^'illiam  Xisley:  Aaron,  who  is  now 
living  in  Beavercreek  township;  Martin,  who  was  drowned  while  fishing; 
Ella,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  Oren,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen. 


JOHN    A.    THUMA. 


John  A.  Thuma,  member  of  the  Adams  &  Thuma  Lumber  Company  at 
Jamestown,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  Augusta  county,  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  December  16,  1851,  son  of  Robert  and  Catherine  (Brennaman) 
Thuma,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  state. 

Robert  Thuma  was  born  about  the  year  1830  and  in  1850  was  mar- 
ried. When  the  Civil  W^ar  broke  out  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
Confederacy  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Gen.  "Stonewall"  Jack- 
son's brigade,  with  which  command  he  was  serving  when  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Port  Republic,  June  9,  1862.  He  was  the  father  of  four  children,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  been  Thomas  N.,  who  is  now  living 
in  the  vicinitv  of  Winchester,  Indiana;  Hiram,  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Mrs.  Fannie  E.  Shobe,  who  died  near  Winchester,  Indiana.  About  1866 
Mrs.  Catherine  Thuma,  mother  of  these  children  and  widow  of  Robert 
Thuma,  married  John  Crum,  of  A'irginia,  and  moved  to  Indiana,  where  she 
spent  the  rest  of  her  life,  her  death  occurring  at  Saratoga,  that  state,  in 
1902.  To  that  second  union  was  born  one  child,  a  daughter.  Florence,  who 
married  C.  M.  Shierling. 

Reared  in  Virginia,  John  A.  Thuman  received  his  schooling  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  home  neighborhood  and  was  early  trained  to  the  car- 
penter trade  and  the  saw-mill  business.  After  his  marriage  in  1875  he  made 
his  home  in  \^irginia  and  there  continued  engaged  in  the  carpenter  and  mill- 
ing houses  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at 
Jamestown,  arriving  there  on  May  6,  of  that  year.  Mr.  Thuma  presently 
bought  a  half  interest  in  the  business  of  the  J.  L.  Ginn  Lumber  Company 
and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  there,  the  firm  also 
operating  a  planing-mill.  After  J.  L.  Ginn  was  succeeded  by  E.  E.  Ginn 
Mr.   Thuma  continued   his  association   with   the   latter  until   Ginn  sold  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  615 

interest  in  the  concern  to  J.  O.  Adams,  who  is  still  connected  with  the  com- 
pany. 

On  April  15,  1875,  in  Virginia,  John  A.  Thuma  was  united  in  marriage 
to  A^irginia  H.  Clark,  who  also  was  born  in  that  state,  a  daughter  of  Will- 
iam D.  and  Rachel  (Miller)  Clark,  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
namel}- :  Airs.  Mary  J.  Staubus,  of  Reesville,  this  state;  ]\Irs.  Sallie  A.  Landis, 
of  Augusta  county,  Virginia:  John,  deceased:  Virginia  H.,  wife  of  Mr. 
Thuma :  Alexander,  deceased ;  Airs.  Ida  C.  Early,  of  Stanton,  Virginia ; 
Mrs.  Rebecca  McConnoughey,  of  Reesville,  and  Willliam  D.,  of  Illinois. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thuma  have  three  children,  namely :  Charles  Ernest  Thuma, 
born  in  \^irginia  on  February  4,  1876,  now  associated  with  his  father  in 
business  at  Jamestown,  who  married  Bertha  Gregg  and  has  two  children, 
Willard  and  Lela;  Clara  Edna,  born  on  October  29,  1879,  who  married 
George  H.  Eckerle,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  and  has  two  children,  Catherine  and  Clark;  and  Mable  Grace, 
March  18,  1885,  who  married  O.  F.  Reeves,  a  clothing  merchant  at  James- 
town, and  has  three  children,  Frances.  \"irginia  and-Robert.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thuma  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Jamestown. 


CHARLES  K.  WOLF 


Charles  K.  \\'olf,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  acres  in  Beavercreek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  February  3,  1865,  son  of 
Frank  and  Margaret  (Sorg)  Wolf,  natives  of  Germany,  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  this  county.  Frank  Wolf,  Sr.,  was  born  in  1823  and  was  married 
in  his  native  land.  In  1849  '^^  ^"fl  hi?  ^^'^^^  'I'^d  their  first-born  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Catherine,  came  to  tliis  country  and  located  at  Cincinnati.  Ten  vears 
later  he  came  up  here  with  bis  family  and  settled  in  Xenia  townsliip.  becom- 
ing a  farmer.  He  died  in  October,  1905,  and  his  widow  survi\-ed  him  until 
1914.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Charles  K.  was  the 
seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Mrs.  Catherine  Fisher,  deceased : 
Mrs.  Margaret  Spahr,  of  this  county :  Mrs.  Mary  Buck,  also  of  this  county ; 
Frank.  Jr.,  who  is  living  at  Xenia:  Airs.  Elizabeth  AIcElvaine,  of  Kansas 
Ct}" :  Clara,  ^^'ho  is  living  on  the  home  farm  near  Xenia.  and  Airs.  Emma 
Gerlaugh,  who  died  in  1917. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm.  Charles  K.  Wolf  completed  his  schooling  in 
the  old  Xenia  College,  which  he  attended  for  three  years,  a  member  of  the 
last  class  in  that  institution.  L^pon  leaving  school  he  resumed  his  labors  on 
the  home  farm  and  after  his  marriage  early  in   1903  continued  th;  seafon 


6l6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

there,  or  until  in  October  of  that  year,  when  he  bought  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  hving  in  Beavercreek  townsliip  and  there  estabhshed  his  home. 
Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Democrat  and  has  served  as  township  assessor  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  township  school  board,  having  given  seven  years  to  the  latter  ofifice. 
About  twenty-five  years  ago  he  served  as  district  land  assessor.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Grange  and  is  recognized  as  the  man  who  pointed  out  the  wa\- 
to  the  elimination  of  the  foot-and-mouth  diseafe  in  \We  stock  liy  compelling- 
the  railroads  to  keep  stock  cars  clean.  Mr.  \\o\i  also  is  regarded  as  uie  of 
the  original  promoters  of  the  present  widely  adopted  system  of  inter-county 
highways,  his  original  suggestions  along  that  line  having  started  the  move- 
ment. He  was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

On  February  3,  1903,  Charles  K.  \\'o\{  was  united  in  marriage  to  Julia 
Stryker,  who  was  born  near  Ft.  Ancient,  Warren  couutv,  Ohio,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Xancy  Ann  (Patterson)  Stryker,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  Charles,  Frank.  Jacob,  Alice, 
Julia,  Minnie  and  John  (deceased).  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  \\'olf  have  three  children, 
Ethel,  born  April  20,  1904:  Alice,  September  8,  1905,  and  Margaret,  Julv 
5,  1907- 


FRANK  H.   HARPER. 


Frank  H.  Harper  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres 
in  Ross  township,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lixed  tlicre  all  his  life 
with  the  exception  ofl  a  period  of  aliuut  nine  years  during  the  days  of  his 
youth  when  his  family  was  living  in  Missouri.  He  wa.-;  ])(,rn  on  i'ehruary 
27,  1881,  son  of  Thomas  Henry  and  Cinderella  (  Herriman )  Harper,  liotli 
now  deceased,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  and  reared  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lisbon,  in  Columbiana  county,  this  state. 

The  late  Thomas  Henry  Harper,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Ross  town- 
ship on  XovemVjer  12,  1910,  was  born  in  that  same  township  on  March  17, 
1834,  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Mar\'  (  Sirlcjtte)  Harper,  natives  of  Maryland, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth  Sirlotte,  also 
Marylanders,  of  h'rench  descent.  Thomas  Harper  was  one  of  the  four  sons 
in  the  family  of  se\'en  children  who  accompanied  their  father  and  luother. 
John  Flarper  and  wife,  over  into  Ohio  from  Maryland  in  1804  and  settled 
in  Greene  county,  which  had  just  been  organized  as  a  civic  unit  the  year 
before.  John  Harper  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  was  a  brother  of 
Thomas  Harper,  who  operated  the  ferry  across  the  Potomac  river  at  the 
point  which  thus  came  to  Ije  known  as  Harper's  Ferry  and  is  still  so  known. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  6lJ 

a  name  familiar  to  every  student  of  American  history,  and  inseparably  asso- 
ciated with  the  enthusiastic  attempt  made  by  John  Brown,  the  Kansan,  m 
1859,  to  start  a  movement  for  the  liberation  of  the  slaves.  Upon  coming 
to  this  county  in  1804  John  Harper  bought  a  tract  of  more  than  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Ross  township,  tliere 
erected  the  first  log  cabin  in  that  part  of  the  county  and  with  the  aid  of  his 
sons  soon  had  a  clearing  in  the  woods.  John  Harper,  the  pioneer,  .Jied  there 
in  1820  and  his  land  was  divided  among  his  children,  whose  descendants  in 
the  present  generation  form  one  of  the  most  numerous  family  connections 
in  this  part  of  Ohio. 

Thomas  Harper,  one  of  the  sons  of  this  pioneer,  was  born  it  Harper's 
Ferry  and  was  named  in  honor  of  his  uncle  Thomas,  the  owner  of  the  ferry 
and  also  then  the  owner  of  much  of  the  land  thereabout.  He  wa^  a  well 
grown  lad  when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  antl  he  at  once 
began  to  take  his  part  in  the  labors  of  making  a  farm  there  in  the  \\il(ler- 
ness.  On  May  17,  1818,  he  married  ]\Iary  Sirlotte  and  established  his 
home  on  a  part  of  the  paternal  acres  and  in  time  so  increased  his  holdings 
that  he  became  the  owner  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety-five  acres  of  land.  He 
died  on  January  8,  1875,  he  then  being  eighty-two  years  of  age.  His  wife 
had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  two  years,  her  death  having  occurred 
on  April  6,  1873.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  \\  I'liam  Harri- 
son, Minerva  Ann,  George  W.,  Thomas  Henry  and  Mary  T^.,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  maturity. 

Thomas  H.  Harper  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township  and 
in  due  time  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account  and  the  owner  of  nearly 
seven  hundred  acres  of  land.  On  January  16,  1865,  he  married  Cinderella 
Herriman  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  this  county  until  1889,  when 
he  moved  with  his  familv  to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  for  nine  vears,  ai 
the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  here  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  the  fall  of  iqit.  His  wife  died  h'ebruary 
4,  1900.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  To  Thomas  H. 
and  Cinderella  (Herriman)  Harper  were  born  six  children,  namely:  Idella, 
who  married  Ton  Cross  and  is  living  at  South  \'ienna.  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clark:  Otis,  deceased:  Thomas  Henr\-.  a  resident  of  Cleveland, 
this  state :  \\'illiam,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years :  Mary,  who  died  at 
the  same  tender  age,  and  Frank  H..  the  suliject  of  this  biographical  sketch. 

Frank  H.  Harper  was  eight  }-ears  (if  age  when  liis  parents  moved  with 
their  family  to  Missouri  and  his  boyhood  was  spent  in  that  state,  he  having 
been  about  sixteen  when  the  family  returned  to  Greene  county  and  resumed 
their  residence  on  the  home  place  in  Ross  township.  After  a  year  of  further 
schooling  in  the  local  schools  he  entered  Nelson's  Business  College  at  Spring- 


6l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

field  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  that  institution  returned  to  the  home 
farm  and  was  there  engaged  assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 
place  until  his  marriage  iii  the  fall  of  1906,  when  he  began  fanning  on  his 
own  account  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged,  now  the  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-two  acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  gives  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  By  political  inclination  Mr. 
Harper  is  a  Democrat,  as  were  his  father  and  grandfather.  Fraternallv,  he 
is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
^lechanics  at  Jeffersonville. 

On  September  5,  1906,  Frank  H.  Harper  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Nora  E.  Linkinhoker,  who  was  born  Alarch  29,  1887,  in  the  neighboring 
count}-  of  Clark,  daughter  of  George  E.  and  ]\Iary  E.  (Gutshall)  Linkin- 
hoker, and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born.  Thelma,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  two  months  and  nineteen  days,  and  George  Henry,  who  was 
born  on  April  21,  191 5.     Airs.  Harper  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


MT.  ST.  JOHX  XOR.MAL  SCHOOL 

Mt.  St.  John  (Catholic)  Normal  School  in  Beavercreek  township,  this 
county,  rural  mail  route  No.  16  out  of  Dayton,  was  organized  at  Dayton  under 
the  direction  of  the  Society  of  Alary  (Brothers  of  Alary)  in  1850,  but  in 
1915  w'as  moved  to  the  advantageous  site  it  now  occupies  on  a  natural  eleva- 
tion a  few  miles  east  of  that  city,  just  over  the  line  in  Greene  countv,  where 
a  commodious  establishment  was  erected. 

The  founder  of  the  Society  of  Alary  was  William  Joseph  Chaminade, 
who  was  born  on  April  16,  1761,  at  Perigueux,  a  citv  in  southern  France. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  French  Revolution,  after  years  of  teaching  in  a  Cath- 
olic college,  lie  repaired  to  Bordeaux,  where,  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  he  exer- 
cised his  priestly  office  during  the  bloodiest  days  of  the  Reign  of  Terror. 
Subsequently,  being  exiled  to  Spain,  he  si:ent  three  years  in  retreat  near  the 
ranctuary  of  Our  Lady  rf  the  Fillar  at  Saragossa.  where  lie  resp:  nded  tn  the 
call  to  go  forth  as  an  Apostle  of  Alary.  Returning  to  Bordeaux  in  1800  he 
made  the  chapel  of  the  Aladeline  the  headriuarters  of  his  sodalities  and  there 
organized  the  movement  that  became  the  mainspring  of  extensive  reforms, 
these  sodalities  becoming  the  nursery  that  later  on  ga\e  rise  to  Father 
Chaminade's  two  religious  congregations,  the  Institute  of  the  Daughters 
of  Alarv",  founded  in  1816  at  Agen,  and  the  Society  of  Alarv  (Brothers 
of  Alary),  founded  at  Bordeaux  in  1817.  In  1839  Gregorv  X\'I  praised 
the  orders  established  by  Father  Chaminade;  in  186^  Pius  IX  gave  the 
movement  the   formal   approval   of   the  Holy   See,   and   in    1891    Leo   XIII 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  619 

approved  the  rules  and  constitutions  of  the  Society  of  Mary.  A  distinctive 
feature  of  this  latter  society  is  that  in  its  composition  both  priests  and 
Brothers  observe  the  same  rule  and  pursue  the  same  works  of  zeal,  all  the 
professed  members,  both  lay  and  ecclesiastical,  making  the  vows  of  poverty, 
chastity  and  obedience,  and,  in  making  the  final  or  perpetual  vows,  add  the 
vows  of  stability ;  its  members  devoting  themselves  to  work  of  education. 
In  some  countries  the  Brothers  also  manage  agricultural  schools  and 
orphan  asylums.  The  superior  general  of  the  society  has  maintained  his 
residence  in  Belgium  since  the  expulsion  of  the  religious  orders  from 
France.  He  has  four  assistants,  two  of  whom  are  priests  and  the  other 
two  lay  members.  The  society  is  divided  into  groups  called  provinces,  at  pres- 
ent the  Society  of  Mary  in  Europe  being  divided  into  five  provinces,  three  in 
France,  one  in  Spain  and  one  in  Austria.  There  is  also  a  vice-province  in 
Japan,  with  colleges  in  four  of  the  chief  cities,  of  that  country,  tb.ere  being 
more  than  one  thousand  students  enrolled  at  the  School  of  the  Morning 
Star  in  Tokio  and  seven  hundred  in  the  school  at  Osaka.  In  the  United 
States  there  are  more  than  five  hundred  religious  students  of  the  Society 
of  Mary  engaged  in  educating  more  than  twelve  thousand  boys  and  young 
men.  The  founder  of  the  American  province  was  Father  Leo  Meyer,  one 
of  the  disciples  of  Father  Chaminade,  who,  with  four  other  Brothers,  estab- 
lished a  humble  home  outside  of  Dayton  in  March,  1850,  having  there  pur- 
chased some  property  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Nazareth,  which  it 
still  liears.  Notwithstanding  two  disastrous  fires  and  financial  difficulties, 
the  work  prospered  and  Nazareth  grew  into  v.hat  is  now  St.  Mary  College. 
From  Nazareth  the  missionaries  or  Brothers  of  Mary  ha\'e  gone  forth  into 
more  than  twenty  dioceses,  into  Canada  and  as  far  as  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
where  the  Brothers  conduct  three  schools,  one  of  them  being  St.  Louis  Col- 
lege at  Honolulu,  where  there  are  more  than  nine  hundred  boys  in  attend- 
ance. In  1908  the  American  province  was  divided  into  two  provinces,  the 
])ro\'ince  of  Cincinnati,  the  central  house  of  which  is  at  !\It.  St,  Jolm,  this 
countv,  and  the  province  of  St.  Louis,  with  headquarters  at  Clayton,  ^Missouri. 
Mt.  St.  John  Normal  School  has  e.xcellent  buildings  and  ade<|uate  para- 
phernalia and  is  carrying  on  an  admiraljle  work  in  the  way  of  preparing 
young  men  for  teaching  in  the  Catholic  schools  of  the  country  and  also  in 
giving  instruction  preliminary  to  the  seminary  cour'-e  of  those  seeking  tn 
enter  holy  orders.  Young  men  I:!et\veen  the  ages  of  foiu'teen  and  twenty-one 
are  received  at  the  school  and  all  branches  are  taught,  embracing  courses  up 
from  the  first  year  of  high  school  to  the  full  college  course.  The  president 
of  the  house  is  the  Rev.  Lawrence  Yeske.  who  presides  over  the  facultv. 
which  now  numbers  eighteen.     The  vice-president  and  director  of  th°  school 


620  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

is  Brotiier  George  Deck,  wlio  has  been  connected  with  the  institution  since 
1909.  The  present  enrolhnent  at  Mt.  St.  John  Normal  School  is  one  hun- 
dred and  t\vent)--five  and  progress  is  reported  in  all  departments  of  the 
school's  work. 


ELMER  E.  SPENCER. 


Elmer  £.  Spencer,  proprietor  of  a  Cedarville  township  farm  of  one 
hundred  acres  situated  on  rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Cedarville,  a  part 
of  the  old  Spencer  original  tract  developed  there  by  his  great-grandfather 
in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this  county,  was  born  on  that  place  and 
has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  Jul\-  2"],  1863,  son  of  Thomas 
\\\  and  Amanda  (White)  Spencer,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

Thomas  W'.  Spencer  was  born  in  Cedaryille  township  in  1830,  a  son  of 
James  W.  and  Sarah  (White  ) Spencer,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  the  latter  of  Virginia.  James  W.  Spencer  had  come  up 
here  from  Kentucky  with  his  father  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of 
Greene  county,  the  family  settling  on  a  thousand  acres  of  land  three  miles 
east  of  Cedarville,  and  there  he  established  his  home  and  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  jMichael, 
Joseph,  Daniel.  Thomas  W.  and  Frank,  who  made  their  homes  on  portions 
of  the  paternal  tract  in  Cedarville  township;  James,  who  moved  to  Iowa; 
David,  who  moved  oxer  into  Montgomery  county;  Martin  D.,  who  moved 
to  Illinois,  and  Delilah,  who  spent  her  last  days  on  the  home  place. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  Thomas  \\'.  Spencer 
helped  to  develop  the  place  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on 
a  portion  of  the  old  home  place  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years  in  1905.  His  wife  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  grave  many  years,  she  having  died  at  the  age  of  forty 
years.  She  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  four  children  born  t 
Joseph  and  Susan  White,  who  had  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Clifton 
upon  coming  to  this  county  from  Virginia,  the  others  of  the  \\']Tite  chil- 
dren having  been  Belle,  who  married  Joshua  Cain ;  Nancy,  who  married 
Simeon  Jones,  and  Joseph,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth.  Thomas  \\'. 
Spencer  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  Of  the  children  born  to  them  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
is  now  the  onlv  sur\-i\-rir. 

Elmer  E.  Spencer  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  still  lives,  recei\- 
ing  his  schooling  in  the  neighliorhood  schools,  and  in  time  succeeded  to  the 
ownership  of  the  farm,  on  which  he  has  made  numerous  improxements  since 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  62 1 

coming  into  possession  of  the  same.  In  1892,  some  years  after  his  marriage, 
his  father  buiU  a  new  house  on  the  place  and  he  and  his  family  are  living 
there.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  given  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  livestock.  Mr.  Spencer  is  a  Republican,  but  has  not 
been  a  seeker  after  public  office.  He  and  his  family  are  affiliated  with  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Cedarville. 

On  July  28,  1885,  Elmer  E.  Spencer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mrs. 
Mary  F.  (Albright)  Harris,  widow  of  John  Harris,  who  died  at  his  home 
in  Cedar\-ille  township  on  October  3,  1883,  leaving  his  widow  and  one  child, 
a  son,  Charles  Marion  Harris,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  living  at  Dayton. 
Charles  M.  Harris  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Emma 
Belle  Cline  and  his  second.  Myrtle  Brown.  By  his  first  marriage  he  was 
the  father  of  two  daughters,  Maude  M.  and  Ilo  Blanche.  Mrs.  Spencer  is  a 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Gardner)  Albright,  the  former  of  whom 
died  in  Kentucky.  His  widow  married  Daniel  Switzer,  also  of  Iventucky, 
and  located  at  Cedarville,  where  she  died  in  1893.  She  was  the  mother  of 
fi\'e  children  by  her  first  marriage,  those  besides  Mrs.  Spencer  being  George, 
Samuel,  Martha  and  Amanda. 


DAVID  V.  McCLELLAN 

David  V.  AlcClellan,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Beivercrce':  tov.^ship,  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  is  a  nati\e  son  of  Greene  county,  born 
on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  July  6,  1853,  son  of  \\'illiam  S.  and 
Mary  C.  (Bagford)  ]\IcClellan,  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in  that 
township. 

William  S.  McClellan  also  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  at 
Xenia,  March  10,  1823,  a  son  of  John  ]\IcClellan  and  wife,  tlie  latter  of 
whom  was  a  Simpson.  John  McClellan  was  the  first  of  this  l)ranc]i  of  the 
McClellan  family  to  come  to  Greene  county.  He  was  a  Virginian  and  a 
blacksmith  by  trade.  Upon  locating  at  Xenia  he  opened  a  smitliy  and 
wagon-making  shop  and  there  continued  engaged  in  that  business  until  his 
retirement,  his  last  days  being  spent  in  the  household  of  his  son  William  S. 
in  Sugarcreek  township.  John  McClellan  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  those  besides  William  S.  having  been  Rol)ert,  who  died  at  Piqua, 
Martin,  Samuel  and  Mary,  the  latter  of  whom  married  George  Filson. 
William  S.  McClellan,  who  was  the  eldest  son,  was  early  trained  to  the  trade 
of  blacksmith  and  worked  at  the  same  more  or  less  all  his  life,  even  after 
buying  his  farm  and  settling  in  Sugarcreek  township,  maintaining  a  shop  on 
the  farm.     He  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  were  members  of 


622  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  United  Presb3-terian  church.  \\"iniam  S.  McClellan  married  Mary  C. 
Bagford,  who  was  born  in  Alaryland  on  ^ilarch  17,  1824.  and  both  he  and 
liis  wife  spent  their  last  days  on  their  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  her 
death  occurring  there  in  1884,  she  then  being  sixty  years  of  age,  and  his  in 
1893,  he  being  sixty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  They  were 
tlie  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  James  \\'.,  a  retired  farmer  now  living 
at  Beavertown,  who  married  Ella  Benham :  Alice  R.,  w'ho  married  Bert 
Benham  and  who.  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased:  David  \'.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  John  O.,  who  married  Alice  Cline  and  became  a 
farmer  in  this  countv  and  who,  as  well  as  his  wife,  is  now  deceased:  Mary 
C,  wife  of  Eugene  Barney,  of  Dayton;  Harry  B.,  v>ho  married  Anna 
Spencer  and  is  also  living  at  Dayton ;  Edward,  who  became  a  carpenter  and 
who  died  unmarried;  Elizabeth,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Philip 
Boots,  and  Sarah,  wife  of  Grant  Koontz,  of  Dayton. 

David  y.  McClellan  was  reared  on  the  liome  farm,  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  local  schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  af:er  his  marriage  in 
1880,  when  he  located  on  the  farm  un  which  he  is  now  li\ing,  in  Beavercreek 
township,  and  has  ever  since  made  that  his  place  of  residence.  ]Mr.  McClellan 
has  seventy-five  and  one-half  acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he 
gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland  China  hogs. 

In  December,  1880,  David  V.  j\JcClellan  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Anna  Babb.  who  was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  df  James  M.  and  Susan:ia 
(]\IcCreary)  Babb,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  \'irgin:a  and  the  latter 
in  Ireland.  James  M.  Babb  was  born  in  181 1  and  was  nineteen  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  this  county  in  1830  and  began  to  W(/rk  at  his  trade,  that 
of  a  carpenter,  at  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  bis  life,  his  death 
occurring  there  in  March,  1876.  James  M.  Babb  was  twice  married  and  by 
his  first  wife,  Hannah  Smith,  was  the  father  of  four  sons,  James,  Thomas, 
George  and  Charles,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Following- the  death 
of  tlie  motlier  of  these  children,  he  married  Susanna  McCreary  and  to  that 
union  were  born  three  children,  Mrs.  McClellan  having  a  brother,  Lon  H. 
Bab1),  a  carpenter,  living  at  Xenia,  and  a  sister,  Lizzie,  wife  of  John  McLain, 
also  of  Xenia.  Mrs.  Susanna  Babb  survived  her  husband  for  nearly  thirty 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1905,  she  then  being  seventy-eight  years  of  age: 

To  David  V.  and  Anna  (Babb)  McClellan  three  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  D.  Oliver,  born  on  December  31,  1881,  now  living  at  Dayton, 
where  he  is  employed  as  a  toolmaker,  and  who  married  Hazel  Shartel  and 
ha?  three  cliildren,  Sarah  Margaret,  George  V.  and  Sue-.\nna:  Sue  Ethel, 
March  2t,.  1883,  who  married  Ernest  Bull,  a  Xenia  town.ship  farmer,  and 
has  two  children,  Delmer  D.  and  Harold  E. :  and  Leon  C,  IMay  8,  1885,  i:o-.v 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  623 

employed  with  tlie  gas  company  at  Xenia,  and  who  married  Clara  St.  John 
and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Frances  Clara.  Mr.  McClellan  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  he  and  his  wife  are  affihatcd  with  the  Second  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Xenia. 


ORAX  P.  3>IITMAX. 


Oran  P.  ^litman,  a  member  of  the  Greene  county  board  of  education 
and  hrst  president  of  that  board,  a  landowner  of  this  county  and  a  former 
banker  at  Osborn,  where  he  is  now  living  and  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township  on  February  25, 
1871,  son  of  .Lewis  C.  and  Laura  L  (Bryan)  Mitman,  both  of-whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Osborn  for  many  years. 

Lewis  C.  Mitman  v^as  born  in  Bath  township,  a  son  of  PeLer  and  Anna 
Mitman.  who  had  come  to  this  country  fri-in  Pennsylvania  and  had  settled 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  count}-,  where  they  spent  their  lapt  days.  Reared 
on  the  farm,  Lewis  C.  Mi'man  received  his  schooling  in  the  neigh';,orhooil 
schools  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  his  liome 
township  and  there  engaged  in  farming  until  about  1897,  v^hen  he  retired 
from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Osborn,  where  he  died  on  December  2,  1907, 
and  where  his  widow  is  still  living.  Lewis  C.  Mitman  for  a  number  of  years 
served  as  trustee  of  Bath  township  and  was  also  for  some  time  president  of 
the  local  school  board.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Nettie,  v.ho  died  in  1904. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Bath  township,  Oran  P.  Mitman  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  supplemented  the  same  by  attend- 
ance at  Wittenberg  College  at  Springfield,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1893  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  For  two  years  after 
leaving  college  Mr.  Mitman  taught  school  and  then  he  became  a  bookke.;per 
in  the  Osborn  Bank  and  v\-as  thus  engaged  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  married  an.d  returned  to  ihe  home  farm  and  was  there  enciayefl 
in  farming  for  ten  years.  He  then  returned  to  Osborn  and  resumed  connec- 
tion with  the  Osborn  Bank,  for  five  years  serving  that  institution  as  assistant 
cashier,  after  which  he  began  to  devote  his  chief  attention  to  the  fire  and  life 
insurance  business,  in  which  he  already  had  become  more  or  less  interested, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  that  business.  Mr.  Mitman  is  the  owner  of 
two  farms  in  this  county,  aggregating  two  hundred  and  ninety  acres.  He 
is  now  a  member  of  the  county  board  of  education,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
president,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  local  school  board  at  Osborn.     By 


624  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

political  persuasion  he  is  a  Democrat,  with  "independent"  leanings  on  local 
issues. 

On  December  22,  1897.  Oran  P.  Mitman  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Edith  K.  JMouk,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Susan  Mouk.  and  to  this  union 
two  children  ha\'e  lieen  born,  Clarence  L.,  who  is  now  a  student  in  th.e 
Stanton  ^Military  Academy.  \'irgina,  and  ^Mildred  ]\Iae,  who  is  in  school  at 
Osborn.  The  Mitmans  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  at  Osborn,  of 
which  Mr.  Mitman  is  an  elder.  He  is  also  treasurer  of  the  congregation 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  ]\Ir.  [Nlitman  is  a  Scottish  Rite 
(32^)  ]\Iason,  affiliated  with  the  consistory  at  Dayton,  and  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Osborn,  which  latter  now  seems 
doomed  to  a  cessation  of  its  wonted  acti\'ities  by  reason  of  the  project  look- 
ing to  flood  prevention,  which,  if  carried  out  as  contemplated,  will  necessitate 
the  abandonment  of  Osborn. 


HARRY   lOHXSOX. 


The  late  Harrv  Johnson,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Cedar\i!lc 
townsh.ip  in  1908  and  whose  sons,  John  and  George  Johnson,  are  still  oper- 
ating that  farm,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  had  lived  in  this  state  all 
his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  boyhood.  He  was 
born  at  South  Charleston,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  August  24, 
1840,  a  son  of  John  Johnson  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  Highland  county,  this  state,  and  both  of  whom  died  w'hen  their  son, 
the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch,  was  a  child.  Thus  early  bereaved  of 
his  parents,  Harry  Johnson  was  taken  into  the  home  of  George  \Veyni.,)uth, 
of  Cedar\-ille  township,  this  county,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  completing 
His  schooling  in  the  schools  in  this  county.  He  married  Trankalina  Rock, 
who  was  born  at  Springfield,  this  state,  August  26,  1842,  and  after  his 
marriage  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Cedarville. 
Presently  desiring  to  return  to  the  life  of  the  farm  Mr.  Johnson  sold  his 
store  and  bought  the  ^IcHatton  farm  of  one  hundred  acres,  on  which  he 
made  his  home  for  si.x  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  that  place 
and  bought  the  old  Creswell  farm,  the  place  where  his  sons  now  live,  as 
noted  above,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  December  28,  1908.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  eight 
years, ,  her  death  occurring  on  September  8,  1916.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Johnson 
were  members  of  the  IMethodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Jojmson  was  a 
Republican. 

To  Harrv  and   Trankalina    (Rock)    Johnson   were  born  nine  children. 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  625 

namely:  Laura,  wife  of  William  Northrop,  of  Coshocton,  this  state;  Thomas, 
who  married  Ella  Luce  and  is  living-  at  Springfield,  this  state;  Leah,  wife 
of  William  Huntington,  of  Lima,  Ohio ;  William,  who  died  in  the  days  of 
his  childhood ;  Charles,  who  married  Delia  St.  John  and  is  now  farming 
in  the  vicinity  of-Edler,  Colorado;  John  and  George,  who  remained  with 
their  parents  and  are  still  operating  the  old  home  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship;  Lulu,  wife  of  Walter  Iliff,  a  building  contractor  at  Cedarville,  and 
Mary,  wife  of  Robert  Townsley,  of  Cedarville  township. 

The  Johnson  brothers,  John  and  George,  in  addition  to  their  general 
farming,  give  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  have 
Red  Polled  cattle,  Jersey  hogs  and  Belgian  horses.  They  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  in  their  political  affiliations  are  Repub- 
licans.    John  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias. 


TOHN  SMITH 


For  many  years  John  Smith,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Ceasarscreek 
township,  this  county,  January  31,  1883,  eighty-four  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  had  been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age  and  in  conseciuence  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  main  facts  of  the 
development  of  this  region  during  the  long  period  covered  by  that  tenure 
of  residence.  John  Smith  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Rappahannock  county, 
in  the  Old  Dominion,  February  14,  1798,  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  over  into  Ohio,  riding  through  on  horseback,  and  located  in  Greene 
county.  For  decades  after  taking  up  his  residence  here  he  made  it  a  point 
every  ten  years  to  ride  back  to  his  old  home  in  Virginia,  going  over  the 
ground  on  horseback  he  had  covered  upon  coming  out  here  in  18 16.  In  due 
time  after  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Smith  got  a  tract  of  land  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  married  Margaret  Burrell.  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  this  section,  she  having  been  born  in  Caesarscreek  township  on  August 
16,  1806,  and  established  his  home  in  that  township,  continuing  to  spend  the 
rest  of  his  life  there.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Republican  upon  the 
organization  of  the  latter  party.  He  was  one  of  the  early  assessors  of 
Caesarscreek  township  and,  as  is  related  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  a  further 
reference  to  this  pioneer,  had  quite  a  time  convincing  some  of  his  neighbors 
that  it  was  their  duty  to  return  their  property  for  taxation.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

John  Smith  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Margaret  Burrell,  of 
whom  further  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  wth  some- 
thing relating  to  the  historv  of  the  Burrells  in  this  countv,  died  on  January 

(39) 


626  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

2^,  1849,  being  then  in  the  forty-third  year  of  her  age,  and  he  later  mar- 
ried Nancy  Wright,  this  latter  union  being  without  issue.  Bv  his  first 
marriage  John  Smith  was  the  father  of  twehe  children,  namely :  Burrell, 
William,  Eleanor,  Henry,  Susan  Ann,  Eli,  Elizabeth,  Xancy,  Alfred,  Alary 
Jane,  Alargaret,  born  on  February  21,  1844,  who  is  now  living  on  her  farm 
in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  widow  of  James  W.  Clark,  and  Emily. 

Alargaret  Smith  was  married  on  May  8,  1878,  to  James  W.  Clark,  who 
was  born  in  Rappahannock  county,  Virginia,  and  who  hatl  rendered  ;er\ice 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Confederacy  during  the  .Civil  War.  Xot  long  after  the 
close  of  the  war  James  ^V.  Clark  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  this  county, 
where  in  the  spring  of  1878  he  married  Margaret  Smith.  For  eight  years 
after  his  marriage  he  made  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township  and 
then  bought  the  farm  of  thirty  acres  on  which  his  widow  is  now  living  in 
that  same  township,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  3  out  of  Jamestown,  and  there  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  Julv  26,  1904.  To 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Clark  was  born  one  child,  a  .son,  John  Edgar,  who  died  in  the 
days  of  his  childhood.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Clark  has  con- 
tinued to  make  her  home  on  the  home  farm,  the  place  being  looked  after  by 
Orville  Fawley,  who  with  his  family  has  made  his  home  there  since  Alarch 
20,  1905.  Orville  Fawley  was  married  on  December  22,  1909,  to  Mvrtle 
Sturgeon  and  has  three  children,  Helen  M.,  George  A.  and  Aletha  I.  Airs. 
Fawley  was  born  at  Jamestown,  this  county,  daughter  and  only  child  of 
Albert  and  Flora  (Tidd)  Sturgeon,  tlie  latter  of  whom,  a  daughter  of  Jo-iah 
B.  Tidd,  died  in  1902  and  the  former  of  whom  is  now  living  in  the  village  of 
Selma,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark.  Air.  Favley  was  l;o;'n  at  Faint- 
ersville,  a  son  of  George  and  Laura  Fa\vley. 


CHARLES  M.  JOHXSOX. 

The  late  Charles  M.  Johnson,  who  died  at  his  stock  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Jamestown  in  the  spring  of  1914  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there, 
occupying  the  place  that  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  Johnson  family 
for  four  generations,  was  born  in  this  county  and  all  his  life  was  spent  here. 
He  was  born  at  Bell  Center  on  Alarch  27,,  1861.  son  and  only  child  of  Alfred 
and  Mary  (AlcClain)  Johnson,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county. 

Alfred  Johnson  was  born  on  January  13,  1838,  a  son  of  James  C.  and 
Jane  (Greenwood)  Johnson,  who  came  to  his  count}-  from  Virginia  and 
settled  at  Bell  Center.  James  C.  Johnson  was  elected  to  various  offices  of 
trust  and  responsibility.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian   church.      L'pon   their   retirement    from    the    farm    they   moved 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  627 

to  Jamestown,  where  their  last  days  were  spent,  James  C.  Johnson  dying 
there  in  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years,  and  his  widow  surviving  him 
until  1900,  she  being  ninety  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Alfred  having  had  a  brother,  Harvey,  who 
moved  to  Iowa,  and  a  sister,  Delia,  who  married  Charles  Mahan  and  went 
to  Van  Wert,  this  state. 

Reared  on  the  home  place,  Alfred  Johnson  received  his  schooling  in  the 
local  schools  and  early  took  up  the  duties  of  the  fai-m,  which  in  time  came 
under  his  control  and  he  was  for  years  engaged  there  in  fanning  and  stock 
raising.  He  also  for  several  terms  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners.  On  April  15,  i860,  he  married  Mary  McClain,  who 
was  born  on  February  3,  1842,  and  who  died  in  1884.  He  survived  his  wife 
many  years,  his  death  occurring  on  August  20,  1914.  He  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Friends  church. 

Charles  M.  Johnson  recei\'ed  his  schooling  in  the  Jamestown  sc'nools 
and  after  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  the  home  farm,  and  aftei 
his  father's  retirement  took  over  the  management  of  the  place,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  operate  until  his  death  on  March  23,  1914.  Mr.  Johnson  was  a 
Republican  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  James- 
tov\  n,  as  is  his  widow. 

On  May  28,  1885,  Charles  M.  Johnson  was  united  in  marria';e  to  Lulu 
D.  Vernon,  who  was  born  in  ^^^^od  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  Hannum 
and  Semilda  (Crain)  Vernon,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  sam; 
county,  February  15,  1839,  and  the  latter,  in  Illinois,  December  26,  1841. 
Hannum  Vernon  was  a  plasterer  and  in  1865  located  at  Dayton,  where  he 
and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  her  death  occurring  there  on 
January  5,  1892,  and  his,  June  i,  1910.  They  were  members  of  the  Methddist 
Episcopal  church  and  had  two  children,  Mrs.  Johnson  having  a  brother, 
Charles  Elmer  Vernon,  born  on  ilay  16,  1S76,  wlio  still  resides  at  Dayton, 
where  he  is  engaged  as  a  city  salesman  for  the  Dayton  Iron  and  Steel  Com- 
pany. Charles  E.  \^ernon  married  Ethel  Slurp,  who  died  on  .Vpril  3,  1918. 
To  Charles  E.  and  Lulu  D.  (\'enion)  Jolmson  were  born  two  sons.  James 
A.,  born  on  January  23,  1897,  and  Morgan  D.,  July  30.  1904.  the  latter  of 
whom  is  attending  school  at  Jamestown.  James  A.  Johnson  received  his 
schooling  in  the  Jamestown  schools  and  later  attended  a  school  for  electrical 
engineering  at  Milwaukee.  He  married  Louise  Adsit.  of  this  county,  born 
on  April  27,,  1S97.  and  is  now  the  head  of  the  Jamestown  Floral  Company 
at  Jamestown,  operated  b}-  his  father-in-law,  a  biograpliical  sketch  of  whom 
is  presented  elsewhere,  in  this  volume.  Besides  owning  the  home  farm  of 
eishty-five  acres  in  the  Jamestown  vicinity,  Mrs.  Johnson  owns  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  in  Rcss  towrshin. 


628  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ED^^"ARD   O.   GERLAUGH. 

The  late  Edward  O.  Gerlaugh,  who  for  years  was  looked  upon  as  one 
of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Beavercreek  township  and  whose  widow  is 
still  living  on  the  home  farm  in  that  township,  the  operations  of  the  same 
being  carried  on  by  her  youngest  son.  Earl  C.  Gerlaugh,  was  a  native  "Buck- 
eye," born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery  on  Febru- 
ary 2~.  1846,  a  son  of  Jacob  arid  Anna  (Miller)  Gerlaugh,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  Virginia,  but  who  had  come  to  Ohio  in  the  days  of  her 
girlhood  and  was  making  her  home  with  an  uncle  in  JNIontgomery  county  at 
the  time  of  her  marriage. 

Jacob  Gerlaugh  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  in  Beavercreek  township, 
this  county,  in  1810,  a  son  of  Adam  and  Catherine  (Haines)  Gerlaugh,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  \\'ashington  county,  ^Maryland,  in  the  year  1786, 
there  having  been  but  a  few  days  difference  in  their  birthdays.  Adam  Ger- 
laugh was  a  son  of  .\dam  Gerlaugh  and  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  when 
he  came  with  his  pa^rents  and  the  other  members  of  the  family  to  Ohio  in 
1807,  the  family  settling  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  a;  is  set  out 
elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  a  further  reference  to  this  pioneer  familv.  In  the 
winter  following  his  arrival  here  the  younger  Adam  Gerlaugh  married  Cath- 
erine Haines,  who  had  been  his  sweetheart  back  in  Maryland  and  who  had 
come  to  this  county  with  her  brother,  coming  through  on  horseback,  about 
the  time  the  Gerlaughs  had  come.  After  their  marriage  Adam  Gerlaugh 
and  his  wife  located  on  a  tract  of  land  that  had  been  purchased  by  the  latter 's 
father  during  a  trip  he  some  time  previously  had  made  to  this  county,  and 
there  in  Beavercreek  township  they  established  their  home  and  proceeded 
to  develop  a  property  that  is  held  in  the  Gerlaugh  name  to  this  day.  Adam 
Gerlaugh  was  affiliated  with  the  Beaver  Reformed  church  and  liis  wife  held 
to  the  Lutheran  connection.  She  died  on  April  19,  1852,  and  several  years 
later  Adam  Gerlaugh  went  to  Wisconsin  on  a  visit  to  one  of  his  sons  and 
on  his  return  stopped  in  Warren  countx",  Illinois,  to  visit  another  son  and 
there  was  taken  ill  and  died.  That  was  in  1856,  he  then  being  seventy  years 
of  age.  Adam  Gerlaugh  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  eight 
sons  and  two  daughters,  those  besides  Jacob  having  been  David,  Otho.  Adam, 
Robert,  Arthur,  Jonathan,  Henry,  Frances,  who  married  Benjamin  Clark, 
and  Mary  Jane,  who  married   Manuel   Hawker. 

Reared  amid  pioneer  conditions  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Jacob 
Gerlaugh  remained  there  until  his  marriage  in  1S40  to  Anna  Miller,  after 
which  he  made  his  home  in  Montgomery  county  until  about  1852,  when  he 
returned  to  Greene  county  and  established  his  home  on  the  farm  in  Beaver- 
creek township  on  which  the  widow  of  his  son  Edward  is  now  living.  There 


EDWARD  O.   GERLu^UGH. 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  629 

he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  Hves,  the  latter  dying  in  1893  and  the 
former,  in  February,  1897.  Tliey  were  tlie  parents  of  thiiteen  children, 
those  besides  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch,  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth,  .havint^  been  \\'illiam,  Oliver,  Lydia  Ann,  Taylor,  Mary  Jane  and 
Martha  Ellen  (twins),  Haines.  Harriet,  Alice,  Jacob,  Henry  and  Sarah 
Belle.  The  eldest  son,  William  Gerlaugh,  went  to  the  front  as  a  soldier  of 
the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  Company  E,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was  taken  prisoner 
by  the  Rebels  at  Moorfield,  West  Virginia,  and  was  starved  to  death  in  the 
Confederate  prison  hole  at  .Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  his  death  occurrmg 
there  on  February  15.   18^5. 

Edward  O.  Gerlaugh  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  district  school.  He  was  still  in  his  teens 
when  his  brother  William  went  away  to  war  and  the  second  son.  Oliver, 
having  died  in  childhood,  he  was  thus  left  as  his  father's  mainstay  on  the 
farm,  the  general  management  of  which  he  assumed  in  due  time  and  the 
ownership  of  which  he  later  accjuired.  owning  there  two  hundred  and  eigh- 
teen acres.  The  old  farm  house  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1887  and  Mr. 
Gerlaugh  then  erected  a  new  residence,  where  his  widow  still  resides.  In 
addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Gerlaugh  had  long  given  particular  at- 
tention to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Hereford  cattle,  was  one  of  the  first  to 
introduce  this  strain  in  Greene  county,  did  much  to  help  the  development  of 
the  li\-e-stock  industry  hereabout  and  was  for  years  an  active  member  of  the 
Hereford  Breeders  Association.  Mr.  Gerlaugh  died  on  February  5,  1916, 
and  since  then -the  operations  of  the  farm  have  been  carried  on  by  his  young- 
est son.  Earl  C.  Gerlaugh,  who  is  making  a  specialty  of  the  raising  of 
Guernsey  cattle  for  dairy  purposes. 

On  January  11,  1870,  Edward  O.  Gerlaugh  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Martha  Ellen  Harshman.  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  this 
county,  a  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Anna  M.  (Miller)  Harshman,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Miller.  John  C.  Harshman  was  born  on 
a  pioneer  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  in  1807,  a  son  of  Philip  and  Frances 
Harshman,  who  had  come  over  here  from  Maryland  and  had  established 
their  home  in,  Beavercreek  among  the  early  settlers  of  that  part  of  the 
county,  spending  there  the  remainder  of  their  li\-es.  Philip  Harshman  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children.  John  C.  Harshman  grew  up  on 
that  pioneer  farm  and  in  1841  married  Anna  M.  Miller,  establishing  his 
home  in  a  log  cabin  on  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  of  woodland  which  he 
had  bought  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  and  there  he  continued  engaged 
in  farming  the  rest  of  his  life,  gradually  adding  to  his  possessions  until  he 
became  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres.     He  died  on  June  27,  1880,  and 


630  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

his  widow  sur\ive(l  him  for  twelve  years,  her  death  occurring  in  i8g2. 
She  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  in  1819,  her  parents,  Samuel 
Miller  and  wife,  having  settled  there  upon  coming  to  this  county  from  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  about  two  years  previous  to  that  date.  Samue! 
Miller  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years  and  his  widow  lived  to  be  eightv- 
four  years  of  age.  The}'  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides 
Mrs.  Harshman  having  been  Samuel.  Martha,  Alo-a,  John.  Daniel,  Reuben 
and  Eliza.  To  John  C.  Harshman  and  wife  were  born  nine  children,  those 
besides  Mrs.  Gerlaugh  being  Sarah  E..  Ephraim  F..  Anna  M..  Reuben  M., 
Freeman,  Lincoln,  Samuel  H.  and  Mary  C.  Of  these  sons,  Samuel  H. 
Harshman  went  to  the  front  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  \\'ar, 
a  member  of  Company  C.  Seventy-fourth  Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, participated  in  some  important  battles  of  the  war  and  was  so  broken 
in  liealth  by  the  stress  of  his  army  service  that  he  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years. 

To  Edward  O.  and  Martha  Ellen  (Harshman)  Gerlaugli  were  born 
seven  children,  two  of  whom,  ^^'illiam  and  Anna,  died  in  childhood,  the 
others  being  the  following :  Edward,  who  became  a  resident  of  Dayton  and 
died  on  November  26,  1905;  Oscar,  who  formerly  was  a  member  of  "tlie 
Ohio  National  Guard,  with  which  he  rendered  service  on  the  Mexican  border 
in  1916,  and  who  now  (1918)  is  attached  to  the  National  Army,  a  member 
of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Forty-eighth  Regiment,  United  States 
Infantry,  for  service  in  the  war  against  Germany:  Luella,  who  with  her 
younger  Ijrother  remains  at  home  with  her  mother:  Jacob,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Herring,  daughter  of  E.  E.  Herring,  and  is  now  living  at  Alpha, 
and  Earl  C,  born  on  May  17,  i88fi.  who.  as  noted  above,  is  now  operating 
the  home  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.   10  out  of  Nenia. 


JOHN  F.   HOPKINS. 


John  F.  Hopkins,  a  veteran  of  tiie  Civil  War  and  a  one-time  farmer  of 
Greene  county,  now  living  retired  at  Bellbrook,  where  he  has  made  his  home 
since  leaving  the  farm  in  1884  and  where  he  for  some  time  after  leaving 
the  farm  was  engaged  in  business,  was  born  in  Bellbrook  and  has  lived 
there  and  in  that  vicinity  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  January  11,  1842, 
son  of  .Samuel  H.  and  Mary  A.  (Shorts)  Hopkins,  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  this  county. 

Samuel  H.  Hopkins  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  W'arren  and 
was  there  married  to  Mary  A.  Shorts,  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  but 
who  was  but  a  girl  when  her  parents  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO       .  63 1 

settled  in  Warren  county.  Samuel  H.  Hopkins  was  a  manufacturer  of 
shoes  and  in  1840  came  up  into  Greene  county  and  established  a  factory 
at  Eellbrook,  where  he  was  for  some  time  thus  engaged  in  business.  He 
also  became  a  landowner  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  village.  He  died  in 
February,  1896,  being  then  past  ninety  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  some  years,  she  being  past  ninety-five  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  her  death.  They  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom  eleven 
grew  to  maturity  and  seven  of  whom  are  still  living.  Of  these  latter  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  one  now  living  in  Greene  county,  the 
others  being  the  following :  Mrs.  Mary  Catherine  Willoughby,  now  about 
eighty  years  of  age,  living  at  Dayton;  Samuel  T.,  of  Belief ontaine ;  F.  M., 
of  Waco,  Texas;  Mrs.  Joseph  Sebring,  of  Dayton;  Mrs.  Louisa  J.  Smith, 
of  Dayton,  and  Miss  Clara  V.  Hopkins,  also  of  Dayton,  the  youngest  of  the 
family  and  now  nearly  sixty  years  of  age. 

John  F.  Hopkins  was  reared  at  Bellbrook,  the  place  of  his  birth,  and 
received  his  scliooling  in  the  schools  of  that  village.  When  twenty  years 
of  age  he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  went 
to  the  front  as  a  meml^er  of  Company  F,  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volumeer  Infantry,  \\ith  which  command  he  served  for  three  years.  Among 
the  important  engagements  Mr.  Hopkins  took  part  in  during  this  period 
of  service  were  the  Ijattles  of  Lynchburg,  Cedar  Creek,  Winchester  and 
others.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned  to  Bell- 
brook  and  presently  became  engaged  in  farming  in  that  neighborhood,  after 
his  marriage  in  1874  establishing  his  home  on  a  portion  of  his  father's  land, 
becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres,  and  there  con- 
tinued farming  until  bis  wife's  death  in  1884,  when  he  left  the  farm  and 
returned  to  Bellbrook,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  For  six  or  eight 
years  after  returning  to  Bellbrook  Mr.  Hopkins  was  engaged  in  business 
at  that  place  in  association  with  his  brother,  but  for  years  past  has  lived 
retired,  for  the  past  ten  years  having  been  physically  afflicted  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  confine  him  to  a  wheel-chair,  making  his  home  with  his  elder 
son,  Ralph  Hopkins,  a  building  contractor  of  that  village. 

On  February  19,  1874,  that  John  F.  Hopkins  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Addie  C.  Haney,  who  was  born  in  Warren  county,  this  state,  and  who, 
died  in  1884.  To  that  union  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Ralph, 
mentioned  above,  a  building  contractor  at  Bellbrook,  who  married  Bessie 
Martindale,  who  was  born  in  the  Paintersville  neighborhood  in  *'  countv 
and  has  six  children,  Mary,  Stella.  Edna,  Thirel,  Wayne  and  Scott ;  Henry, 
a  farmer  of  this  county :  Marshall,  who  was  accidentally  killed,  and  Alex- 
ander, who  died  in  infancy. 


632  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

GEORGE  BRANDT. 

George  Brandt,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  situated 
on  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  is  of  European  birth,  a  native  of 
Germany,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  countiy  since  he  was  two  years  of 
age  and  in  consequence  is  American  to  the  core,  every  fiber  of  his  mental 
and  moral  being  giving  loyal  and  devoted  allegiance  to  the  great  country 
that  has  been  so  good  to  him.  His  parents  were  of  the  class  somewhat 
contemptuously  looked  on  in  Europe  as  "peasants"  and  he  was  born  to  that 
condition  of  life,  a  condition  from  which  in  his  native  country  he  hardly 
could  have  hoped  to  escape,  so  rigid  there  are  the  distinctions  of  "class." 
But  his  father  possessed  something  more  than  the  ordinary  ambition  of  a 
peasant  and  when  the  babies  began  to  enter  his  home  he  determined  that 
they  should  have  an  opportunity  to  rise  out  of  the  condition  to  which  his 
family  had  been  tied  for  generations.  He  had  heard  of  the  wonderful 
opportunities  awaiting  industry  and  perseverance  in  the  great  New  World 
beyond  the  sea  and  his  parents  gave  him  money  to  bring  him  over  here  to 
see  for  himself  whether  the  reports  he  had  heard  could  be  true.  He  found 
here  all  that  he  could  have  hoped  for  and  a  year  later  sent  for  his  wife  and 
the  two  children,  a  little  girl  and  a  baby  boy.  who  in  good  time  rejoined  him 
in  this  country  and  in  1852  the  little  German  family  found  domicile  in 
Greene  county  and  it  was  not  long  until  prosperity  began  to  smile  on 
their  efforts.  That  German  peasant  who  had  the  courage  to  break  away 
from  the  traditions  of  generations  of  his  downtrodden  "class"  in  due  time 
became  the  owne;  of  a  good  farm  in  this  county  and  he  and  his  wife  spent 
their  last  days  in  the  midst  of  comforts  and  in  a  freedom  of  community 
ful  for  the  impulse  that  had  promised  them  to  seek  a  new  home  and  better 
interest  that  never  could  have  been  theirs  in  their  old  home  land,  ever  grate- 
conditions  for  their  children  over  on  this  side.  The  "baby  boy"  above 
referred  to  grew  up  naturally  amid  these  new  conditions,  as  much  an  American 
in  spirit  as  anv,  ever  profiting  by  the  lessons  of  frugality  that  his  parents  had 
imparted  to  him,  and  with  the  passing*  of  years  has  prospered,  being  now 
the  holder  of  profitable  land  interests  in  Beavercreek  township  besides  numer- 
ous investments  elsewhere. 

Mr.  Brandt  was  born  in  the  German  province  of  Hesse,  a  grand  duchy, 
February  16,  1850,  son  of  John  and  ]\Iary  (Prysell)  Brandt,  natives  of 
that  same  province,  as  had  been  their  respective  families  for  generations. 
They  were  adherents  of  the  Reformed  faith  and  John  Brandt  was  the  driver 
of  the  local  minister's  carriage.  In  1851  he  came  to  the  United  States  in  the 
hope  of  finding  conditions  here  favorable  to  the  transplanting  of  his  family 
to  this  country  and  made  his  way  to  St.   Louis,  where  he  knew  of  some 


■    ^ff/V/^        .  /^  /■<///  /^// 


L)/ia  /'U  Itr    ^ /J ra  n e// 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  633 

old-country  friends.  A  year  later  he  sent  for  his  wife  and  the  two  children, 
the  little  girl  Mary  and  the  baby  boy,  George,  and  welcomed  his  family  at 
St.  Louis.  Six  months  later,  however,  having  meanwhile  heard  of  the 
conditions  existing  among  the  people  of  the  (German)  Reformed  congre- 
gation in  this  county,  he  came  with  his  family  to  Greene  county  and  found 
employment  on  a  farm  in  Beaxercreek  township.  He  and  his  wife  had  the 
right  idea  and  from  the  beginning  of  their  residence  in  this  county  began 
to  look  forward  to  owning  a  home  and  a  farm  of  their  own.  Their  efforts 
in  this  direction  were  presently  rewarded  and  John  Brandt  bought  a  farm 
of  forty-six  acres  in  that  township  and  there  established  his  home,  that  tract 
being  a  part  of  the  considerable  farm  now  owned  there  by  his  son  George. 
John  Brandt  and  his  wife  put  in  their  lot  with  the  members  of  Alt.  Zion 
Reformed  church  and  reared  their  children  in  the  faith  of  that  communion. 
John  Brandt  died  on  the  farm  which  he  had  developed,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  1896,  he  then  being  seventy-nine  years  of  age.  His  wife  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  grave  about  four  years,  her  death  having  occurred  in  the 
fall  of  1892,  she  then  being  eighty  years  of  age.  Of  the  two  children  born 
to  them  the  subject  of  this  sketch  alone  survives,  his  sister  Mary  having 
died  on  February  11,   1874,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years. 

As  noted  above,  George  Brandt  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  he  was 
brought  to  this  country  and  he  grew  up  on  the  farm  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  In  time,  as  his 
father  grew  older,  he  assumed  complete  management  of  the  farm,  in  1886 
building  a  new  house  on  the  place.  As  his  affairs  prospered  he  gradually 
added  to  the  original  acreage  of  the  farm  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  two 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Brandt 
has  long  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Shorthorn 
cattle  and  also  has  considerable  outside  investments.  By  political  persuasion 
he  is  a  Republican,  with  "independent"  leanings  on  issues  of  merely  local 
importance. 

In  March,  1892,  George  Brandt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Charlotte 
Ingle,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Ingle,  both  now  deceased  and  the  fomier  of 
whom  was  a  carpenter,  and  to  that  union  two  children  were  born,  George 
and  Mary,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Brandt  died  on  December 
2^,  1914,  and  Mr.  Brandt  is  thus  without  a  living  relative,  unless  there  be 
some  of  whom  he  has  no  acquaintance  in  Europe.  Since  the  death  of  his 
wife  he  has  continued  to  maintain  his  home  on  the  farm,  his  big  house  being 
cared  for  by  a  housekeeper,  Mrs.  Martha  Hoffman,  and  is  content  there 
to  spend  his  last  days. 


634  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

AR-AISTROXG  R.  HOWLAXD. 

Armstrong  R.  Howland,  carpenter  and  builder  at  Bellbrook,  where  he 
has  made  his  lionie  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio 
and  has  Hved  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  practically 
all  the  time  since  he  was  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  the  exception  being 
a  period  of  two  or  three  years  during  the  early  '80s,  when  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  over  in  Drake  county.  He  was  born  in  Brown  county,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1852,  son  of  Ralston  and  Rebecca  J.  (Gilliland)  Howland,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  in  181 5  and  the  latter 
in  1817,  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Bellbrook,  in  this  county. 

Ralston  Howland  was  a  farmer  and  a  "local"  preacher,  an  exhorter 
in  the  Alethodist  church,  who  came  to  Greene  county  in  1861,  after  a  pre- 
vious residence  in  the  counties  of  Brown,  Adams,  Highland  and  Clinton, 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Port  ^^'illiam  neigh.borhood,  where  he  remained 
until  1886,  when  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Bellbrook.  where 
he  died  in  1895.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  about  four  years, 
her  death  having  occurred  in  1891.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  the  following:  Mary  Ann.  deceased;  Elizabeth  J-,  unmar- 
ried, who  is  still  living  at  Bellbrook;  Margaret  F.,  deceased:  Daniel  G., 
who  is  living  at  Bellbrook ;  Angeline,  deceased ;  Sarah,  deceased :  Martha, 
wife  of  J.  W.  Smith,  living  north  of  Bellbrook,  and  Emma,  deceased. 

Armstrong  R.  Howland  was  but  nine  months  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  from  Brown  county  to  Adams  county  and  was  still  but  a  child  when 
they  moved  from  that  county  to  Highland  county.  In  this  latter  county 
the  family  remained  for  eight  years  and  then  moved  to  Clinton  count}' 
and  after  a  residence  of  nine  months  in  that  county  came  up  over  the  line 
into  Greene  countv.  where  he  completed  his  schooling  and  became  eigaged 
in  farming  in  association  with  his  father.  He  was  married  on  Christmas 
Day,  1879,  and  in  1882  moved  over  into  Darke  county,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  farming  for  two  years  and  six  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in 
1885,  he  returned  to  Greene  county  and  became  engaged  in  farming  in  the 
Bellbrook  neighborhood,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  1894,  when  he  retired 
from  the  farm  and  began  to  give  his  attention  to  carpentering,  and  has 
ever  since  been  engaged  at  Bellbrook  as  a  building  contractor.  Mr.  How- 
land is  a  Republican,  for  a  number  of  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
county  central  committee  of  that  party,  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  conven- 
tion that  nominated  Asa  Bushnell  for  governor  and  has  frequently  served 
as  a  delegate  to  senatorial  and  congressional  conxentions.  For  two  terms 
Mr.  Howland  served  as  mayor  of  Bellbrook.  was  for  twelve  years  township 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  635 

trustee  and  justice  of  the  peace  and  since  1906  has  been  assessor  of  liis 
home  township,  having  been  re-elected  to  that  office  in  the  fall  of  1917 
for  another  term  of  two  years.  He  also  has  for  years  held-  a  commission 
as  a  notary  public.  He  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics,  has  been  an  office 
bearer  in  that  lodge  ever  since  it  was  constituted  and  has  "been  through 
the  chairs."  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
church. 

On  December  25,  1879,  Armstrong  R.  Howland  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Laura  Devoe,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Abram 
and  Nancy  (Rogers)  Devoe,  both  members  of  old  families  here,  and  to 
this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Herman  O.,  born  on 
March  13,  1882,  now  living  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  employed  as  an  inspec- 
tor for  the  National  Cash  Register  Company,  and  wlio  married  Doris  Sellers 
and  has  two  children,  Russell  A.  and  Emerson;  Bertha  J.,  February  10, 
1884,  who  married  Dr.  P.  L.  Gunckel  and  is  also  living  at  Dayton,  and 
Ohmer  E.,  April  4,  1886,  who  also  is  living  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  employed 
as  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company. 


LEWIS  \V.  ANKENEY. 

In  a  work  of  this  character,  dealing  with  the  pioneer  families  of  Greene 
county,  there  naturally  appear  repeated  references  to  individual  families,  for 
some  of  the  old  pioneer  stock  is  represented  in  the  present  generation  by  a 
numerous  connection ;  but  of  all  these  old  families  there  are  few  that  have 
recei\'ed  more  frequent  mention  than  the  family  of  the  Ankeneys,  for  the 
founder  of  this  family  in  Greene  county  left  ten  children  to  carry  on  the 
family  name  and  traditions,  and  it  is  thus  that  the  name  Ankeney  has  been 
associated  with  the  development  of  this  county  since  pioneer  times.  Else- 
where in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  the  story  of  the 
coming  of  the  Ankeneys  to  Greene  county  and  of  the  family's  settlement  on  a 
farm  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood,  the  farm  now  and  for  many  years  owned 
and  occupied  by  Albert  Ankeney,  a  grandson  of  David  and  Elizabeth 
(Miller)  Ankeney,  the  pioneers,  who  had  come  here  from  Washington  county, 
Maryland,  in  1830,  with  their  nine  children;  and  of  how  David  Ankeney  died 
suddenly  in  the  fall  of  that  same  year,  another  child  being  i:)orn  to  his 
widow  not  long  after  his  death,  and  of  how  that  pioneer  farm  was  developed 
by  the  family  and  has  ever  since  continued  in  the  Ankeney  name.  David 
Ankeney's  ten' children  were  Samuel,  Mary,  Henry,  Margaret,  Sarah,  John, 
Nelson,  Martha,  Jacob  and  David,  the  last-named  being  the  posthumous  son. 


636  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

Of  the  daughters.  Mary  married  John  Steele,  Margaret  married  the  Rev. 
George  Long  and  Martha  married  one  of  the  Shanks. 

Nelson  Ankeney,  seventh  in  order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children  born  to 
David  and  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Ankeney  and  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  biographical  sketch,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Clear  Spring,  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Maryland,  September  15,  1825,  and  was  thus  but  four  years 
of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  this  county  and  was  but 
little  more  than  five  when  his  father  died.  He  grew  up  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Albert  Ankeney  and  for  some  years  during  the  days  of  his  young 
manhood  occupied  his  winters  in  teaching  school.  When  twenty-five  years 
of  age  he  married  and  bought  a  farm  a  half  mile  north  of  Trebeins,  but 
later  sold  the  same  and  returned  to  the  old  home  farm,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  another  farm  in  that 
neighborhood  and  there  remained  until  in  1876,  when  he  bought  the  farm  in 
Beavercreek  township  on  which  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  there  on  October  7,  iqo2.  L'pon  taking  possession  of  that  place 
he  erected  a  large  new  barn,  and  in  1879  l"*^  erected  the  dwelling  house  in 
which  his  widow  is  still  living.  Xelson  Ankeney  was  a  Republican  and  he 
and  his  family  were  members  of  the  Beaver  Reformed  church. 

On  Alay  22,  1851,  Nelson  Ankeney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth 
Sidney  Coffelt,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Bellbrook  in  this 
county.  December  8,  1832,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Hannah  (Crumley)  Coffelt 
who  had  come  to  this  county  from  Virginia.  Jacob  Cofi^elt  died  in  1835 
and  his  widow  married  Aaron  Paxton  and  thereafter  made  her  Iiome  m 
Beavercreek  township,  where  she  died  in  1883  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 
By  her  union  with  Jacob  Coffelt  she  was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Ankeney,  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  is  the  only  one  now  living, 
the  others  having  been  Aaron  C,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  lost  an 
arm  while  fighting  for  the  Union  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  the 
South;  Joseph,  who  made  his  home  in  Michigan;  William  H.,  who  established 
his  home  in  Spring  Valley,  this  county ;  Clarissa,  who  married  John  Le Valley ; 
Rebecca  .\nn,  who  married  George  Climber,  and  Harriet  Jane,  who  died 
unmarried.  To  Xelson  and  Elizabeth  Sidney  (Coffelt)  Ankeney  were  born 
four  children,  namely:  Emma  L.,  who  married  Abram  W.  Warner,  a  farmer 
of  Starke  county,  this  state,  who  later  became  engaged  in  the  building  and 
loan  business  and  wlin  died  on  Decemljer  20,  igoi.  since  which  time  his 
widow  has  been  making  her  home  with  lier  mother  in  this  countv;  Charles 
E..  who  married  EmmaE.  Kershner  and  is  living  on  the  farm  adjoining  that 
of  his  brother  Lewis  in  Beavercreek  township;  Lewis  W.,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Clara  J.,  unmarried,  who  since  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  637 

death  of  her  brother  I.ewis's  wife  lias  been  keeping  house  for  him  and  his 
family. 

Lewis  W.  Ankeney  was  born  on  the  old  Ankeney  homestead  place  in 
Beavercrook  township  on  January  13,  1856,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
county  all  his  life.  He  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old  Xenia  College, 
which  then  was  under  the  direction  of  Professor  Smith,  and  after  leaving 
school  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  there  until  after 
his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1882,  after  which  he  bought  the  old  John 
Steele  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Bea\-ercreek  township  and  for 
seven  years  made  his  home  there,  later  renting  one  of  the  Cline  farms  and 
operating  the  same  in  connection  with  his  own  farm,  and  for  twenty-five 
years  made  his  home  on  one  or  another  of  the  Ciine  farms,  graduallv  adding 
to  his  land  holdings  until  now  he  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  sexenty 
acres.  In  1914  Mr.  Ankeney  bought  sixty-four  acres  of  the  T.  H.  Bell  farm 
adjoining  his  mother's  place  in  Beax-ercreek  township  and  has  since  made  his 
home  there.  Of  late  years  Air.  Ankeney  has  been  living  practically  retired 
from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  turning  the  management  of  the  same 
over  to  his  son,  J.  Blaine  Ankeney,  who  is  carrying  on  the  operations  of  the 
farm.  Mr.  Ankeney  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 
township  school  board.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Beaver 
Reformed  church  and  for  the  past  thirty  years  and  more  he  has  been  one 
of  the  deacons  of  the  congregation.  For  years  during  his  more  active  farm- 
ing operations  Mr.  Ankeney  made  a  specialty  of  raising  thoroughbred  Short- 
horn cattle. 

On  March  18,  1882,  Lewis  W.  Ankeney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jessie 
K.  Cline,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  a  member  of  one  of 
the  old  families  there,  and  who  died  on  January  5,  iqoi.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  W'illiam  C.  and  Nancy  (Harner)  Cline,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  this  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  lix^ing,  now  making  her  home 
at  Alplvi.  William  C.  Cline  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township  on  Decem- 
ber 20,  1829,  a  son  of  Adam  and  Barbara  (Herring)  Cline,  who  had  come 
here  from  Pennsylvania  and  were  associated  with  the  Reformed  congregation 
in  Beavercreek  township.  Adam  Cline  died  in  1854  and  his  widow  died  in 
1865.  William  C.  Cline  grew  up  on  a  farm  and  followed  that  vocation  all  his 
life.  On  August  3,  1858,  he  married  Xancy  Ann  Harner,  who  also  was  born 
in  Beavercreek  township,  Octobe'r  12,  1834,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Magdaline 
(Haines)  Harner,  of  whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and 
to  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely :  Lina.  who  married  Horace 
Ankeney ;  Jesse,  who  married  Lewis  Ankeney :  Margaret,  who  married 
Thomas  Lehman;  William,  who  married  Flora  Routzong,  and  Maud  and  John. 
William  C.  Cline  died  at  the  age  of  seventv-five  vears  and,  as  noted  above. 


638  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

his  widow  still  survives  him.  To  Lewis  W.  and  Jessie  K.  (Cline)  Ankeney 
were  born  six  children,  namely :  Fred,  who  became  an  electrical  engineer 
and  who  died  in  Chicago ;  William  Nelson,  who  married  Lillian  Skinner 
and  is  now  living  at  Wasliington,  D.  C,  where  he  is  connected  with  the  work 
of  the  department  of  agriculture  of  the  United  States  Government,  having 
been  called  to  that  service  from  Ohio  State  University,  in  which  institution 
he  had  been  serving  as  instructor  in  botany  following  his  graduation  from 
Heidelberg  College  at  Tiffin;  Catherine,  who  married  James  P.  McCalmont, 
a  farmer  of  Beavercreek  township,  living  a  half  mile  south  of  Shoup's  Station, 
and  has  two  children.  Roljert  and  Catherine  L. :  J.  Blaine,  who  took  a  course 
in  the  agricultural  college  at  \Vinona  Lake  and  is  now  managing  his  father's 
farms;  Lois,  now  attending  college  at  Delaware,  this  state,  and  Jessie,  wlio 
died  in  infancy.  The  Ankeneys  reside  on  rural  mail  route  Xo.  10  out  of 
Xenia. 


JOSEPH  F.  SHOEMAKER. 

Joseph  F.  Shoemaker,  merchant  at  Goes  Station  and  for  years  post- 
master of  that  village,  formerly  and  for  some  years  assistant  superintendent 
of  the  plant  of  the  Miami  Powder  Company  at  that  place  and  from  the 
da\s  of  his  boyhood  identified  with  the  affairs  of  that  community,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Goes  and  has  lived  in  and  about 
that  village  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  June  17,  1858,  son  of  I<"rederick 
and  Elizabeth  (Hutchinson)  Shoemaker,  both  nf  whom  also  were  born  in 
that  township,  the  former  in  1835  and  the  latter  in  1833,  and  who  spent  all 
their  lives  in  this  count)-. 

Frederick  Shoemaker  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Lucinda  (Hite)  Shoemaker, 
who  came  here  from  Virginia  about  1810  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  Colum- 
bus ])ike  in  Xenia  township,  two  miles  east  of  Xenia.  where  Isaac  Slinem:iker 
spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  in  1853.  His  widow  survived  him  fi  r 
many  years,  living  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-seven  years.  Her  iDrothers,  th.e 
Hite  brothers,  were  soldiers  in  the  War  of  1812.  Isaac  Shoemaker  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  and  all  of  these  sons 
served  as  soldiers  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  Frederick  Shoemaker's 
service  in  that  behalf  having  been  begun  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fiftv-fourth  Regiment.  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Upon  the  completion 
of  that  term  of  enlistment  he  re-enlisted  and  rettirned  to  the  fr(  nt  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Engineers  Corps.  He  was  trained  as  a  carpenter  and  followed 
that  vocation  most  of  his  life.  Upon  his  retirement  he  moved  to  Goes  Sta- 
tion and  there  died  in  1886.     His  widow  survived  him  for  many  yenrs,  he," 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  639 

death  occurring  in  1914,  she  then  being  eighty-one  years  of  age.  She  also 
was  born  in  Xenia  township,  Ehzabeth  Hutcliinson,  daughter  of  Josepli  B. 
and  Ann  (Tenbrook)  Hutchinson,  Pennsyh-anians,  who  had  settled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Goes,  in  Xenia  township,  upon  coming  to  this  county,  Joseph  R. 
Hutchinson  becoming  there  the  owner  of  aijout  four  hundred  acres  of  land. 
Joseph  B.  Hutchinson  served  as  a  member  of  the  state  militia  in  the  old  tlays. 
He  and  his  wife  were  Presbyterians  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that 
faith.  There  were  thirteen  of  these  children,  one  of  whom,  Matthew  Hutchin- 
son, is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Xenia,  now  past  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
Frederick  Shoemaker  and  wife  were  the  oarents  of  three  sons,  of  who.n  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Charles  Shoemaker, 
general  manager  of  the  Steele  Tank  Car  Company  of  Allegheny,  Pennsyl- 
vania^  who  has  his  office  and  maintains  his  home  at  Chicago,  and  G<;orge 
Shoemaker,  born  in  1861,  who  became  connected  with  the  operations  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  and  died  in   191 1. 

Joseph  F.  Shoemaker  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Goes 
Station  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  course  in  the  old  Xenia  College  on 
Church  street  in  the  city  of  Xenia.  For  some  little  time  he  was  engaged  at 
farm  labor  and  then  took  employment  at  the  plant  of  the  old  Miami  Powder 
Company  (now  the  Aetna  Explosive  Company)  at  Goes  and  in  1883  ^'^'^^ 
made  assistant  superintendent  of  the  powder-mill,  a  position  he  occupied  for 
three  years,  or  until  1886,  when  he  built  a  store  building  at  Goes,  opened 
there  a  general  store  and  has  e\'er  since  l^een  thus  engaged  in  business  at  that 
place.  Mr.  Shoemaker  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Goes  many  years  ago 
and  continues  to  hold  that  position.  He  is  a  Republican  and  for  twenty  years, 
also  served  as  a  member  of  the  township  school  board.  Fraternally,  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Alasons  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows  at 
Yellow  Springs. 

On  Januar}-  26,  1882,  Joseph  F.  Shoemaker  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  Etta  Confer,  who  was  born  in  ^Nliami  township,  this  count)-,  daughter 
of  George  and  Ann  (Johnson)  Confer,  the  btter  of  whom  also  was  born  in 
this  county,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Catherine  fEhrler)  Johnson,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  France,  she  having  been 
but  a  child  when  she  came  across  the  water  with  her  parents,  the  family  com- 
ing on  out  to  Ohio  and  locating  in  Clark  county,  not  far  above  the  Greene 
county  line.  George  Confer,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Hagerstown.  in  the  state  of  Mary- 
land, February  8,  1827,  and  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  to 
Ohio  with  his  parents,  George  and  Elizabeth  (Bowman)  Confer,  also  natives 
of  Maryland,  in   1834,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  Miami   to\\-n';hi". 


640  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

this  county.  ^Ir.  and  ^Irs.  Shoemaker  ha\e  one  child,  a  daughter,  Cora  May, 
who  married  George  Hall,  now  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman,  making 
his  home  at  Goes,  and  has  three  children,  Dorothy  M.,  Mary  Elizabeth  and 
George  G.  The  Shoemakers  are  members  of  the  First  Reformed  church 
at  Xenia  and  Mr.  Shoemaker  is  a  member  of  the  deaconate  of  the  same. 


\MLLIA^I  A.  TOBIAS. 


The  late  William  A.  Tobias,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beavercreek 
township  in  the  spring  of  191 7  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was 
a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families  and  all  his  life  was 
spent  here.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  January 
19,  1853,  son  of  William  and  Jane  {  Miller)  Tobias,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  the  Zimmerman  settlement  in  this  county,  in  1821,  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Hanney)  Tobias,  who  had  come  here  from  Schu\l- 
kill  county,  Pennsylvania.  Jane  ^.filler  was  born  in  Bath  township,  this 
county,  in  1824,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Wheeler)  ililler,  the 
former  of  whom  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2,  and  who  had  come  here 
after  their  marriage  in  Maryland.  \Mlliam  and  Jane  (Miller)  Tobias  were 
the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  William  A.  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  a  somewhat  more  compre- 
hensix'e  narrative  relating  to  the  Tobias  family  in  this  county  presented  else- 
where in  this  volume.  William  Tobias  died  on  January  15,  1910,  and  his 
widow  survived  him  less  than  a  year,  her  death  occurring  on  December  15 
of  that  same  year.  They  were  formerly  members  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
but  later  became  members  of  the  Beaver  Reformed  church. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  A\'illiam  A.  Tobias  received  his  schooling 
in  the  local  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in  t!ic  fall  of 
1 88 1,  after  which  he  rented  a  farm  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 
In  1893  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  widow  is  now  living,  on  rural  mail 
route  Xo.  10  mit  of  Xenia,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  April  13,  1917.  Mr.  Tobias  was  a  Repul>lican  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 

On"  Xovember  24,  1881,  \\'illiam  A.  Tobias  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Jennie  Alice  Gerlaugh.  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  David  and  Rebecca  (Weaver)  Gerlaugh,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  that  same  township,  son  of  Adam  and  Catherine  (Haines)  Ger- 
laugh, l:oth  of  whom  were  born  in  \\'ashington  county,  Maryland.  .\dam 
Gerlaugh  was  a  son  of  Adam  Gerlaugh  and  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
when  he  came  with  his  father  and  the  other  members  of  the  fami!}^  to  Ohio 
in  1807  ^"tl  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county. 


WILLIAM  A.  TOBIAS  AND  FAMILY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  64 1 

which  the  senior  Adam  Gerlaiigh  had  bought  some  time  previously  wlieu 
lie  made  a  prospecting  trip  out  this  way  with  a  neiglibor,  Mr.  Haines,  who 
also  had  bought  a  tract  of  land  here,  the  two  then  returning  to  IMaryland. 
Mr.  Haines  never  returned  to  Ohio,  but  the  land  he  had  bought  here  was 
later  occupied  by  members  of  his  family  •\^•ho  came  out  here  at  the  time  the 
Gerlaughs  came,  among  these  being  the  daughter,  Catherine  Haines,  and 
her  brother,  and  in  the  winter  following  their  arrival  here  the  younger 
Adam  Gerlaugh  and  Catherine  Haines  were  married  and  settled  on  the 
Haines  tract.  There  they  reared  their  family  and  there  Mrs.  Gerlaugh  died 
in  the  spring  of  1852.  Adam  Gerlaugh  survived  his  wife  for  four  years,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  home  of  a  son  down  in  Warren  county  in  1856.  They 
were  pioneer  members  of  the  Reformed  church  in  Beavercreek  township  and 
their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  ten  of  these  children, 
eight  sons,  Da\'id,  Jacob,  Otho,  Adam,  Robert,  Arthur,  Jonathan  and  Henry, 
and  two  daughters,  Frances,  who  married  Benjamin  Clark,  of  Montgomery 
county,  and  Mary  Jane,  who  married  one  of  the  Hawkers  and  became  a 
resident  of  Dayton. 

David  Gerlaugh  grew  u]d  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township 
and  after  his  marriage  to  Rebecca  Weaver  began  farming  for  himself,  lie 
and  his  wife  making  their  home  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  farm  on  wiiich  their 
daugliter,  Mrs.  Tobias,  is  now  living.  That  was  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-two  acres,  on  which  at  that  time  there  was  but  a  small  clearing,  but 
Mr.  Gerlaugh  presently  got  the  place  under  cultivation  and  in  good  time 
built  a  substantial  brick  house,  the  house  in  which  Mrs.  Tobias  is  living, 
burning  the  bricks  for  the  same  on  his  place,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent 
their  last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  November  4,  1885,  and  hers,  April 
27,  1889.  They  were  members  of  the  local  congregation  of  the  Reformed 
church.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  them  Mrs.  Tobias  was  the  last-born, 
the  others  being  Mary,  who  married  William  Needles  and  is  now  deceased : 
Harriet,  who  married  Samuel  Rahn  and  is  also  deceased,  and  Alexander,  a 
farmer,  who  spent  his  last  days  at  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark. 

To  William  A.  and  Jennie  Alice  (Gerlaugh)  Tobias  were  born  three  chil- 
dren, D.  Emerson,  Edna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years,  and  Irene,  who 
died  in  infancy.  The  Rev.  D.  Emerson  Tobias,  now  a  minister  of  the  Re- 
formed church,  stationed  at  Baltimore,  this  state,  was  educated  at  Heidel- 
berg College  at  Tiffin,  Ohio,  and  at  the  Central  Theological  Seminary  at 
Dayton  and  in  1909  was  ordained  to  the  ministry,  later  occupying  charges  at 
Hillsboro  and  at  West  Salem,  from  which  latter  place  he  was  transferred  to 
Baltimore,  in  Fairfield  county,  where  he  is  now  stationed.  He  married 
Florence  Engle  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  William  A. 

(40) 


042  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

CHARLES  WESLEY  ST.  JOHN. 

The  late  Charles  Wesley  St.  John,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in 
Alarch,  191 1,  was  born  on  a  farm  two  miles  southwest  of  Paintersville, 
Greene  count)-,  on  November  7,  1839,  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Eliza  (^ Boone) 
St.  John,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  New  York  state  and  the  latter  in 
Warren  county,  Ohio,  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  a  farm  on  the  Wilming- 
ton pike,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Xenia.  Daniel  St.  John  became  one 
of  the  early  residents  of  the  Paintersville  neighborhood  and  a  landowner 
there,  but  later  moved  to  another  farm,  on  the  Wilmington  pike,  noted  above, 
a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eleven  of  these  children, 
all  of  whom  grew  up  and  reared  families  and  three  of  whom  are  still  h^.i-^,, 
John  W.  St.  John,  a  retired  farmer,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Painters- 
ville; Isaac  Wilson  St.  John,  who  is  living  at  Dunkirk,  Lidiana,  and  Eliza 
Jane,  widow  of  F.  A.  Peterson,  who  is  now  making  her  hoijie  at  Coffeyville, 
Kansas. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  near  Paintersville,  Charles  Wesley  St.  John 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  lived  at  home 
until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  when  he  began  farming 
on  his  own  account  on  a  hundred-acre  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  near 
Paintersville,  where  he  remained  until  1908,  when  he  retired  from  the  farm  and 
moved  to  Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his  death  occurring  there  in 
the  seventy-second  yea,r  of  his  age.  ]\Ir.  St.  John  was  a  Republican,  but  had 
never  aspired  to  'hold  public  office.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow. 

It  was  on  November  7.  1861,  that  Charles  W.  St.  John  was  united 
in  marriage  to  ]\Iartha  Peterson,  of  Caesarscreek  township,  who  sur\ives 
him  and  who  is  still  living  at  Xenia.  Mrs.  St.  John  is  a  member  of  one 
r.f  the  old  families  of  Greene  county,  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Eleanor  .\nn 
(Weaver)  Peterson,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  mem- 
bers of  i^ioneer  families  there.  Jesse  Peterson  was  a  farmer  and  also  had 
taught  school  for  some  years  during  the  days  of  his  young  manhond.  He 
was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 
He  died  on  his  farm  and  liis  widow  spent  her  last  days  in  the  home  of  lier 
dauehtcr,  ]\[rs.  St.  John.  TesFC  Peterson  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  St.  John  was  the  first-born,  tlie  others  being  A.  F., 
deceased:  J.  L.,  now  living  at  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark; 
Jacob,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased,  who 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  643 

was  the  wife  of  Felix  Eyman,  of  Xenia;  Estella.  wife  of  Albert  Trusler,  a 
carpenter,  of  Xenia,  and  Isaac,  a  farmer,  living  in  Clinton  county,  this  state. 
To  Charles  W.  and  Martha  (Peterson)  St.  John  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, namely :  Belle,  widow  of  Daniel  Anderson,  who  is  now  making  her 
home  with  her  mother  at  Xenia ;  Otis,  who  married  Floy  Sutton  and  is  liv- 
ing on  a  farm  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Xenia;  Pliny,  who  married 
Bessie  Huston  and  is  a  farmer  in  Spring  Valley  township ;  Elmer,  who  mar- 
ried Lespie  Fox  and  is  living  at  Dayton,  where  he  is  engaged  as  a  machinist, 
and  Jennie,  who  .is  at  home  with  her  mother. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  TOBIAS. 

The  late  Andrew  Jackson  Tobias,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beaver- 
creek  township  on  April  lo,  1910,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  the 
farm  being  managed  by  her  son,  Samuel  E.  Tobias,  was  born  in  that  town- 
ship in  1833,  a  son  of  Jacob  Tobias  and  wife,  who  had  come  to  this  county 
from  Pennsylvania  and  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Andrew  hav- 
ing had  four  brothers,  Peter,  Jonathan,  Samuel  and  John  Tobias,  and  three 
sisters,  Margaret,  Catherine  and  Susanna.  Later  the  family  moved  to 
Auglaize  countv,  this  state,  and  thence  to  Illinois,  where  Andrew  J.  Tobias 
completed  his  schooling.  As  a  young  man  he  returned  to  Greene  county, 
took  up  carpentering  here  and  here  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  in  1882 
taking  up  farming  and  becoming  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  five  acres  jn  Beavercreek  township,  which  his  widow  now  owns.  She 
was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  Sarah  E.  Harshman,  daughter  of  John 
C.  and  Maria  (Miller)  Harshman,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  else- 
where, and  in  1863  was  united  in  marriage  to  Andrew  J.  Tobias.  To  that 
union  two  children  were  born,  Samuel  E.  and  Emily  Leonora,  the  latter  of 
whom  married  L.  E.  Coy,  a  grocer  at  Dayton,  and  has  two  children,  Ethel, 
born  in  1889,  and  Herbert,  born  in  1897. 

Samuel  E.  Tobias  was  born  on  March  12,  1864,  and  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Beavercreek  township.  He  early  became  interested  in  black- 
smithing  and  continued  engaged  in  that  vocation  for  twenty  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  began  to  give  his  particular  attention  to  gunsmithing 
and  has  since  made  a  specialty  along  that  line,  having  become  recognized  as 
one  of  the  expert  gunsmiths  in  the  United  States.  Since  the  death  of  his 
father  he  also  has  given  his  general  oversight  to  the  operations  of  the  home 
farm.  Mr.  Tobias  is  a  Democrat  and  for  fifteen  years  served  as  a  member 
of  the  local  board  of  education.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed 
church. 


644  GREENE    COUXTY,    OHIO 

In  January,  1883,  Samuel  E.  Tobias  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie 
Belle  Bates,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  to  this  union 
seven  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Blanche  Lenora,  who  married  Hiram 
Zimmer,  now  living  in  Logan  county,  and  has  two  children,  Leon  and  Elza 
Juanita;  Elmer  Fay,  a  farmer,  living  on  his  grandmother  Tobias"  farm  in 
Beavercreek  township  and  operating  the  same,  who  married  Anna  Zimmer 
and  has  four  children,  Elsie,  Ehvood,  Gladys  and  Alberta:  Thomas  C,  who 
is  at  home;  Esta,  who  died  in  infancv,  and  Elsie  'Maw  Winifred  and  Edvthe. 


RUSH  R.  HUSTON. 


Rush  R.  Huston,  proprietor  of  a  Sugarcreek  township  farm  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  12  out  of  Dayton,  was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived 
there  all  his  life.  He  is  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  five  children  born 
to  John  and  Eunice  (Lambertson)  Huston,  the  former  of  whom  was  also 
born  in  Sugarcreek  township  and  is  still  living  there.  John  Huston  is  a 
son  of  William  Huston,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  that  neigh- 
borhood, having  established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage.  He  came 
over  here  from  Montgomery  county,  where  he  was  born.  William  Huston 
was  twice  married.  By  his  second  marriage  he  had  one  son,  William  F. 
Huston,  who  is  living  on  the  old  Huston  home  place  and  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  By  his  first  marriage  William 
Huston  was  the  father  of  five  children,  of  whom  John  Huston,  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the  others  having  been  James, 
Micha:el,  Sarah  and  Philenaf 

John  Huston  married  Eunice  Lambertson  and  to  that  union  were  born 
five  children,  namely :  Nettie,  who  married  A.  C.  Burgert  and  has  seven 
children:  Nora,  who  married  \Villiam  Bense  and  has  two  children:  Rush 
R.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Beryl,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  William  B.  Hawker  and  had  one  child,  and  Marcena, 
who  married  F.  J.  Hawker,  of  Bea\ercreek  township,  and  has  two  children. 

Rush  R.  Huston  was  reared  on  the  home  fann  in  Sugarcreek  township, 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighlxirhood  schools,  and  has  been  a  farmer 
all  his  life.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  the  farm  on 
which  he  is  now  living  and  has  since  resided  there.  His  wife,  who  before  her 
marriage  was  Elizabeth  Lenz,  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of 
William  and  Charlotte  (Garlaugh)  Lenz,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased 
and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  in  Beavercreek  township.  Air.  and 
Mrs.  Huston  have  four  children,  Viola  May,  Paul  Leroy,  Charlotte  and 
Doris..    Another  child.  Tohn.  died  in  infancv. 


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GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  645 

HARRY  ABRAM  COSLER,  .M.  D. 

Dr.  Harry  Alaram  Cosier,  physician  at  Fairfield,  where  he  has  been 
located  since  the  summer  of  1905,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has 
li\-ed  here  most  of  his  life,  the  exception  being  the  period  of  three  years 
during  which  he  was  engaged  in  practice  at  North  Hampton,  up  in  the 
adjoining  county  of  Clark.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Yel- 
low Springs  on  May  4,  1873,  posthumous  child  of  Abram  B.  Cosier,  who 
died  on  March  8,  1873,  and  of  his  wife,  Susan  V.  (Stutsman)  Cosier,  who 
survived  her  husband  many  years,  her  death  occurring  on  May  28,   1911. 

Abram  B.  Cosier,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  and  his  wife  also  was  a  native 
of  this  county,  born  in  Bath  township.  Reared  as  a  farmer,  Abram  B. 
Cosier  was  engaged  in  that  vocation  all  his  life.  During  the  progress  of  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Union  and 
went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantr}-.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service 
he  returned  to  this  county  and  resumed  farming,  after  his  marriage  locating 
on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  wiiere  he  resided  four  years,  and  then 
moved  to  near  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  died,  as  noted  above,  in  the  spring 
of  1873,  a  little  less  than  two  months  before  his  second  son,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  was  born.  To  him  and  his  wife  was  born  another  son,  Samuel 
S.  Cosier,  who  was  serving  as  deputy  county  treasurer  under  John  Nesbit, 
at  the  time  of  his  death  at  Xenia  in  rHc/. 

AI;out  three  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Cosier  moved 
fiom  the  farm  to  Yellow  Springs  and  it  was  in  that  village  that  Harrv  A. 
Cosier  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  there 
when  sixteen  years  of  age  and  then  entered  Antioch  College,  which  he  attended 
for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University 
at  Delaware,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science  in  1897.  Three  years  later  he  received  from  that  college 
the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Upon  the  declaration  of  war  on  the  part  of 
this  country  against  Spain  in  the  spring  of  1897  1''^  enlisted  his  services  and 
went  to  the  front  as  sergeant  of  Company  K,  Fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
being  mustered  out  on  January  20,  1899.  In  September  of  that  same  year 
he  entered  Ohio  Medical  Collce  at  Columbus  and  continuing  his  studies 
there  was  graduated  in  1902  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  Upon 
receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Cosier  opened  an  office  at  North  Hampton,  in 
the  neighboring  count)'  of  Clark,  beginning  his  practice  there  in  June,  1902, 


646  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  continued  thus  engaged  for  tliree  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved 
back  down  into  Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  at  Fairfield,  beginning 
his  practice  there  on  June  zy,  1905,  and  has  ever  since  made  that  his  place 
of  residence.  Doctor  Cosier  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County  ^ledical 
Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  a 
Scottish  Rite  Mason,  affiliated  with  the  consistory  at  Dayton;  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  tlie  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

On  December  29,  1903,  while  living  at  Xcrth  Hampton.  Dr.  Harry  A. 
Cosier  was  tinited  in  marriage  to  Emma  JNIyers,  of  Dialton,  a  few  miles  north 
of  North  Hampton,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter, 
Mary  Elizabeth,  born  on  November  4,  1910.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Cosier  are 
members  of  the  Reformed  church. 


JOSEPH  B.   KEITER. 

Joseph  B.  Keiter,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  sixty-three  acres  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He  was  born  in  Hampshire  county, 
in  that  part  of  the  Old  Dominion  now  comprised  within  the  state  of  West 
Virginia,  May  30,  1847,  son  of  Benjamin  and  Harriet  (Babb)  Keiter,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  in  Virginia.  Benjamin  Keiter  was  a  farmer  in  his 
native  state  and  in  1872  came  to  Ohio  and  in  the  next  spring  located  on 
the  old  Allen  place,  now  the  Talbot  farm,  in  this  cmmty,  where  he  remained 
for  seven  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  and  Iiis  wife  moved  to  the  place 
where  their  son  Joseph  is  now  li\-ing,  the  latter  and  his  brother  meanwhile 
having  bought  the  same,  and  there  they  spen.t  the  rest  of  their  lives.  Benjamin 
Keiter  died  in  August,  1885.  His  wife  had  predeceased  him  about  two  years, 
her  death  having  occurred  in  1883.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  twin  sister, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Spahr,  of  Xenia,  having  a  brother,  Edward  B.  Keiter,  of 
Beavertown. 

Reared  on  a  farm,  Joseph  B.  Keiter  was  trained  in  the  ways  of  farming 
and  has  followed  that  vocation  all  his  life.  After  his  marriage  in  1885  he 
estalilished  his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  where  he 
had  previously  for  some  time  resided,  the  family  having  taken  up  their  resi- 
dence there  about  1880,  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  there. 

It  was  in  February,  1885,  that  Joseph  B.  Keiter  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Emilv  Edwards,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  Cincinnati,  daughter  of 
I.  N.  Edwards,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  bom,  namely:  Ida 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  647 

N.,  wife  of  Lawrence  Coy,  a  farmer  of  this  county:  Lina  Etta,  wife  of  J.  W. 
Bellmeyer,  a  Spring  Valley  township  farmer ;  Lawrence,  who  is  also  a  Greene 
county  farmer,  residing  on  the  Fairfield  pike;  \^'arren  Sheldon,  a  soldier  of 
the  National  Arm3^  now  (spring  of  1918)  in  training  at  Camp  Sherman  for 
foreign  service,  and  Florence  and  Margaret,  at  home  with  their  parents. 


CHARLIE  K.  COX. 


Charlie  K.  Cox,  a  rural  mail  carrier  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born 
in  that  village  on  February  28,  1873,  a  son  of  Richard  and  Susanna  (Crist) 
Cox,  the  latter  of  whom  was  bom  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  and 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the  former  having  died  in  the  fall  of  1903 
and  the  latter,  in  1908.  Richard  Cox  also  was  born  in  Yellow  Springs,  he 
having  first  seen  the  light  of  day  in  the  house  in  which  his  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  later  was  born.  It  was  in  1849  ^^^^^  ^^^  ^^'^s  born  and  he  grev.- 
up  at  Yellow  Springs  and  there  became  a  blacksmith,  becoming  associated 
with  his  brother,  S.  W.  Cox,  in  the  blacksmith  business,  the  brothers  con- 
tinuing thus  engaged  together  for  years.  During  the  last  twenty  years  of 
his  life  Richard  Cox  was  a  wide  traveler  and  his  death  occurred  while  travel- 
ing in  Central  America.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1903  that  he  died  and  his 
widow  survived  him  about  five  years,  her  death  occurring  at  Yellow  Springs 
in  1908. 

In  April,  187J,  Richard  Cox  was  united  in  marriage  to  Susanna  Crist, 
who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  a  daughter  of  Adam  and 
Margaret  (Fhlore)  Crist,  and  to  that  union  three  children  were  born,  the 
Fubject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Clifford,  born  in  1874,  wlio  is  engaged 
as  a  salesman  for  a  wholesale  grocery  house  at  Springfield,  and  a  sister, 
Olivia  T.,  who  for  the  past  eighteen  }ears  has  been  employed  in  the  postofifice 
at  Yellow  Springs. 

Reared  at  Yellow  Springs,  Charles  K.  Cox  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  that  village  and  at  the  age  of  se^•enteen  years  began  work- 
ing in  a  saw-mill  there.  In  1895,  he  went  to  Springfield,  where  he  took  a 
course  in  a  business  college  and  was  thus  enabled  to  return  tn  the  saw-mill 
as  bookkeeper  for  the  concern.  After  a  while  he  transferred  his  ser\'ices  to 
the  bank  and  was  for  several  vears  engaged  as  a  bookkeeper  in  that  insti- 
tution, after  which  he  for  two  years  was  engaged  at  farming,  having  bought 
a  farm  in  Miami  township.  At  tlie  end  of  two  years  of  agricultural  expe- 
rience he  sold  his  farm  and  took  a  position  on  the  stock  farm  of  E.  S.  Kelly, 
continuing  thus  engaged  until  1903,  in  which  year  he  received  an  appoint- 
ment as  a  rural  mail  carrier  out  of  the  Yellow  Springs  postoflice  and  has 


648  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ever  since  been  thus  engaged,  now  carrying  the  mail  on  rural  route  No.  1 
and  making  his  home  at  Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  Cox  is  a  Republican  and  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

On  December  23,  1898,  Charles  K.  Cox  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alary 
E.  Dunevant.  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  Zadock  and  Sarah  (Frazer)  Dunevant,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Darke  county  and  the  latter,  at  Wilmington,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  and  who  were  t"he  parents  of  nine  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Cox  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following:  Mrs.  Florence  Linder,  of  Yellow  Springs:  Luther,  who  died  in 
childhood ;  Samuel,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  married  Matilda  Wilson,  who  is 
now  deceased:  John,  deceased:  Airs.  Alargaret  Holland,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Alice  Osborne,  deceased;  Mrs.  Emma  Linson,  who  is  living  in  the  vicinitv  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  William,  who  married  Mary  Baker  and  who  also  lives 
in  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


ARTHUR  EDWARD  WILDMAN. 

Arthur  Edward  Wildman,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township, 
rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Cedarville,  was  bom  on  a  farm  one  mile  north 
of  the  village  of  Selma,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  August  10.  1S60, 
a  son  of  Marion  and  Elizabeth  (Walton)  W^ildman,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Greene  county,  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

Marion  \^'ildman  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  in 
November,  1838,  a  son  of  Edward  and  Hannah  (Thorne)  Wildman,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township,  her  parents  having  been 
among  the  early  Quaker  settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county  and  prominent 
among  the  "conductors"'  of  the  "underground  railroad"  that  was  maintained 
between  the  \arious  Quaker  settlements  in  this  state  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  runawav  slaves  to  freedom.  The  Thornes  came  up  here  from  Ten- 
nessee. The  Wildmans  also  were  Quakers  and  Edward  Wildman  was  for 
years  a  leader  in  and  the  heaviest  contributor  to  the  Friends  meeting  at 
Selnia.  Edward  Wildman  was  born  in  the  year  1800  and  was  about  nine 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  state  with  his  parents,  John  Wildman  and 
wife,  from  Virginia,  the  family  settling  on  the  northern  edge  of  Cedar- 
ville township,  this  county,  but  later  moving  up  into  the  Selma  settlement 
in  the  adjoining  county  of  Clark,  where  the  Wildman  homestead  thus  came 
to  be  established.     Reared  on  that  jilace,   Edward  Wildman  established   his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  649 

home  there  after  his  marriage  to  Hannah  Thorne  and  became  the  owner  of 
more  than  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land  on  the  line  between  Greene  and 
Clark  counties.  In  1873  ^^^  '^^''^s  gored  by  a  bull  and  received  injuries  which 
resulted  in  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  Marion  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Will- 
iam, who  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  Wildman  homestead  tract  a 
mile  east  of  Selma ;  John,  who  developed  a  farm  property  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship, this  county,  and  Rachel,  who  married  Israel  Hollingsworth  and  is  now 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  to  which  place  she  and  her 
husband  moved  in   1899. 

Though  born  in  this  count}',  Alarion  Wildman  was  but  a  child  when 
bis  parents  moved  up  over  the  line  and  established  their  home  in  the  Selma 
neighborhood  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the 
Selm.a  schools.  During  the  days  of  his  boyhood  it  not  infrequently  became 
a  part  of  his  duties  to  assist  his  grandfather  Thorne  in  the  operation  of  the 
"underground  railroad"  by  hauling  runaway  slaves  from  the  Thorne  "sta- 
tion" to  the  next  "station"  north  at  North  Lewisburg.  He  had  a  birthright 
in  the  Friends  meeting' at  Selma  and  was  ever  devout  in  his  ser\icc.  but 
never  forward.  After  his  marriage  he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  a  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Selma,  but  in  1874  traded  that  farm 
for  the  Samuel  C.  Howell  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  and 
on  the  latter  place  established  his  home.  He  had  inherited  about  three  hun- 
dred acres  adjoining  the  Howell  place  and  after  acquiring  the  latter  place 
had  seven  hundred  and  thirty  acres,  of  which  all  but  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  lay  in  Greene  county.  He  had  a  brick  house,  just  off  the  Colum- 
bus pike,  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  fed  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  cattle  for  the  market  every  year.  Originally  a  Republican,  Alarion 
\^'ildman  in  his  later  years  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition  party.  In 
1897  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Richmond,  Indiana,  where  he 
died  on  February  18,  1901,  and  where  his  widow  and  youngest  daughter  are 
still  living. 

Alarion  Wildman  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Elizabeth  W'alton, 
was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county,  in  1842,  and  died  at  her 
home  in  Cedarville  township  on  May  28,  1884.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Mary  (Cook)  W^alton  and  a  sister  of  Capt.  Moses  Walton,  a 
biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  the  Wal- 
tons  having  been  early  residents  at  Spring  Valley.  To  ]\Iarion  and  Elizabeth 
(Walton)  Wildman  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Howard,  now  a 
resident  of  Clark  county:  ]\Iary,  who  died  unmarried  in  1908,  and  Ethel  D., 
also  unmarried,  who  is  now  making  her  home   at   Selma.      Following  the 


650  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  ]\Iarion  \Mldman,  in  18S5,  married 
Ahneda  M.  Johnson,  who  had  been  reared  in  the  household  of  her  grand- 
father, Moses  Walton,  at  Spring  \'alley,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Olive  AL,  who  is  living  with  her  mother  at  Richmond. 

Arthur  Edward  Wildman  was  about  five  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
took  up  their  residence  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  which  he 
owns  and  he  consequently  grew  up  there.  His  early  schooling  was  obtained 
in  the  "College  Corner"  district  school  and  he  supplemented  that  course  by 
attendance  at  Earlhain  College,  Richmond,  Indiana,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  in  1891.  Upon  leaving  college  'Mr.  ^\'ildnlan  went  to 
Chandlerville,  in  Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  for  a  year  engaged  in 
teaching  school,  and  then  returned  home  and  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm, 
after  his  father's  retirement  he  and  his  brother  Howard  taking  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place,  an  association  which  was  continued  for  eight  years.  In 
the  division  of  the  estate  following  the  father's  death  Mr.  Wildman  received 
one  hundred  and  forty-three  acres,  including  the  residence  site,  and  after  his 
marriage  in  the  fall  of  1904  he  continued  his  residence  there  and  has  since 
made  the  place  his  home,  managing  also  the  interests  held  by  his  sisters  in 
the  place,  thus  operating  in  all  a  tract  of  five  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  \Mldman  feeds  about  four  car  loads 
of  cattle  each  year.  In  19 15  he  remodeled  the  old  farm  bouse  along  modern 
lines.    He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Friends  church  at  Selma. 

On  October  20,  1904,  Arthur  E.  Wildman  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clara  .\ugusta  White  and  to  this  union  four  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Elizabeth  J.,  born  on  August  19,  1905:  Marion  W.,  January  4, 
1907;  Ruth  A.,  September  18,  1908,  and  Robert  A\'alton,  March  2j.  1910. 
Mrs.  W'ildman  was  born  on  August  7,  1875,  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Raysville,  in  Henry  county.  Indiana,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jemima  D. 
CHenley)  White,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  at  Carthage,  in  Rush  county, 
Indiana,  and  is  still  living,  now  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  her  age,  a  resi- 
dent of  Guilford  College,  Xorth  Carolina.  James  A\'hite  was  born  in  Per- 
quimans county.  North  Carolina,  in  1826  and  was  eight  years  of  age  wlien 
he  came  west  with  his  parents,  Caleb  and  Mary  \\"hite,  in  1834,  the  family 
settling  in  the  Raysville  settlement  in  Henry  county,  Indiana.  There  James 
\\'hite  grew  to  manhood,  married  and  established  his  heme  on  a  farm  and 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1902.  he  then  being  seventy- 
six  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  wliom 
Mrs.  Wildman  was  the  last-born,  the  nthers  being  Mary  E..  nov.  living  at 
Guilford  College,  Xorth  Carolina,  widow  of  George  W.  White:  Elias  H., 
an  attorney-at-law  at  Philadelphia;  George  E..  who  went  to  the  state  of 
Washington,  where  he  is  now  the  proprietor  of  a  great  orchard:  Kerens, 


•  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  65I 

who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth:  Caleb,  who  also  died  in  the  days  of  his 
boyhood;  Sibyl,  wife  of  William  T.  Raine,  of  Indianapolis;  Margaret  and 
Miles,  twins,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  Francis  C,  now  a  resident  of 
Chicasfo. 


JOHN  W.  HARTSOCK 

Ever  since  the  second  decade  of  the  past  century  the  Hartsocks  have 
been  represented  in  the  Bellbrook  neighborhood  in  this  county.  John  W. 
Hartsock  was  born  in  that  neighborhood  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life,  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  on  rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of 
Waynesville.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  October 
6,  1852,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (W^eller)  Hartsock,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
born  in  the  vicinity  of  Dayton,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery, 
and  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in  Greene  count}-. 

Samuel  Hartsock  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  this 
county,  December  19,  1823,  son  of  George  Hartsock  and  wife,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  Cremer,  born  on  April  3,  1828.  George  Hartsock  was  a  nati\e 
of  New  Jersey,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this 
county  and  took  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of 
his  life.  When  he  settled  on  that  place  there  was  a  small  log  house  on  the 
same  and  a  clearing  of  three  acres.  There  were  hundreds  of  magniricjnt 
sugar  trees  on  the  place  and  he  long  made  a  specialty  of  the  making  of  maple 
sugar,  the  products  of  his  spring  camps  being  marketed  in  Cincinnati,  to 
which  city  he  made  the  long  haul  in  person.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  David,  Samuel,  George,  Fanny,  Lucinda,  Ann  and  Abbie, 
six  of  whom  lived  to  rhaturity  and  reared  families  of  their  own.  the  Hartsock 
connection  hereabout  thus  becoming  a  numerous  one.  Samuel  Hartsock  grew 
up  on  that  farm  and  in  turn  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  here  spend- 
ing all  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  March  28,  1894.  His  widow  died 
March  14,  191 1.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely:  Laura, 
who  died  when  seventeen  years  of  age,  October  18.  1866:  John  W..  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biographical  sketch ;  Perry,  a  farmer  residing  in  the  neighljoring 
county  of  ^^^arren;  Euphemia,  now  living  at  Waynesville,  widow  of  William 
Hough;  George,  a  retired  farmer,  also  living  at  \\'aynesville,  and  Frank,  a 
farmer  living  in  Montgomery  county. 

John  W.  Hartsock  was  reared  on  the  home  farm,  recei\-ed  his  schooling 
in  the  Sugar  Creek  school  and  in  due  time  became  a  farmer  on  his  own 
account,  after  his  marriage  establishing  his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he 
is  now  living  and  has  resided  there  ever  since.  Mr.  Hartsock  is  a  Democrat 
and  for  one  term  served  as  a  member  of  the  Bellbrook  school  board. 


052  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

In  1881  John  \y.  Hartsock  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza  Nelson,  of 
Auglaize  county,  this  state,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born, 
namel\" :  William,  who  married  Verda  Cook  and  is  now  living  at  Dayton; 
]\Iinnie,  who  married  Charles  Thomas,  of  Centerville,  now  deceased,  and  has 
one  child,  a  daughter,  Eva;  and  Edward,  unmarried,  who  is  at  home  assisting 
his  father  in  the  management  of  the  farm.  The  Hartsocks  are  members  of 
the  Aliddle  Run  Baptist  church.  Airs.  Hartsock  is  a  daughter  of  \\'illiam  and 
Mary  (Alaguire)  Xelson,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Holmes  county, 
Ohio. 


SHERMAX  lEXKS. 


Sherman  Jenks,  a  Silvercreek  township  farmer  and  stockman,  now  liv- 
ing practically  retired  on  his  farm  in  that  township,  the  operations  of  the 
farm  now  being  carried  on  by  his  son,  Glenn  M.  Jenks,  is  a  native  "Buckeye" 
and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  this  county  and  of  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  since  his  marriage  nearly  thirty  years  ago. 
He  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette, 
X^'ovember  5,  1865,  son  of  Levi  and  Betsy  (Sanders)  Jenks,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  the  same  county  and  who  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  last  in  order  of  birth,  being  the 
following:  Smith,  who  is  now  living  at  Solon,  this  state:  Ruth,  who  is 
living  at  Yellow  Springs,  this  county,  widow  of  Closes  West ;  Taylor,  of 
Sabina,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton :  Solomon,  a  farmer,  living  a 
half  mile  east  of  Xenia :  Jane,  wife  of  Gideon  Shirk,  a  Fayette  county  farmer; 
Lee,  a  resident  of  Edgefield,  in  Fayette  county;  John,  grain  dealer,  living  at 
Jamestown,  who  operates  an  ele\ator  at  that  place  and  at  Jasper  and  Edge- 
field, and  Charles,  deceased.  Le\  i  Jenks  owned  a  farm  in  Fayette  county 
and  was  also  a  dealer  in  live  stock.  Politically,  he  was  a  Republican  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  West 
Lancaster.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Fayette  county  in  1900,  being  then  seventy- 
two  vears  of  age.  His  wife  died  in  1893,  she  then  being  sixty-eight  years 
of  age. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm.  Sherman  Jenks  received  his  schooling  in  the 
\\"est  Lancaster  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  after  his  marriage  in 
1889,  after  which  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  established  his  home 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
place  of  residence.  Mr.  Jenks  has  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  and 
since  taking  possession  of  the  same  has  made  numerous  impro\-eme:it^,  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  653 

most  notable  of  which  perhaps  is  the  dwelHng  house  erected  there  in  1900. 
In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Jenks  has  given  considerable  atten- 
tion to  live  stock,  buying  and  feeding  for  the  market,  and  lias  been  assisted 
by  his  son  Glenn,  who  is  now  practically  in  charge  of  the  farm.  Mr.  Jenks 
is  a  Republican  and  a  Baptist.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 
On  December  26,  1889,  Sherman  Jenks  was  united  in  marriage  to  Annetta 
Glass,  who  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  March  29,  1869, 
daughter  of  Francis  M.  and  Anna  (Thornburg)  Glass,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  that  same  township,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Lavina 
(Hogan)  Thornbiu'g,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  township 
and  the  latter  in  Ireland.  Alfred  Thornburg  was  a  son  of  John  ^Villiam 
Thornburg,  a  Virginian  and  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Greene  count}-,  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  those  besides  the  daugh- 
ter Anna,  who  married  Francis  M.  Glass,  having  been  James,  of  Illinois ; 
George,  who  spent  all  his  life  in  this  county;  Lizzie,  who  married  Perry 
Griffin :  Sallie,  who  married  Abraham  Aldrich ;  Melissa,  who  married  Ben- 
jamin Gifford,  and  Nancy,  who  married  James  Wendell.  Francis  M.  Glass 
was  born  on  June  i,  1844,  son  of  William  and  Lucinda  (Stanley)  Glass,  who 
had  come  to  this  county  from  Virginia  and  had  settled  on  the  farm  now  occu- 
pied by  James  Tidd  in  Silvercreek  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  Christian  church  and  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  those  besides  Francis  M.  having  been  Sidney,  who 
married  I.  K.  Evans ;  Angeline,  who  married  James  Bryan ;  Louisa,  who 
married  William  Offrey;  Nancy,  who  died  unmarried;  Lavina,  who  married 
William  Tidd,  and  Susanna,  the  only  one  of  the  family  now  living,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Andrew  Turner,  of  Silvercreek  township.  Francis  M.  Glass 
and  Anna  Thornburg  were  united  in  marriage  on  December  16,  1863,  and 
after  their  marriage  established  their  home  on  the  McClintock  farm,  sixty- 
four  acres  of  which  Mr.  Glass  bought,  and  there  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  January  19,  1918,  and  his  widow  is  still  living 
there.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  at  Jamestown,  as  w-as  her 
husband.  He  was  a  Republican.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  daughters, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Jenks  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Lucind:i, 
born  on  October  16,  1865,  now  the  widow  of  Lora  Hinckley  and  making 
her  home  with  her  widowed  mother;  Louisa,  March  7,  1867,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  Clinton  Moorman,  and  Minetta,  April  i-j.  1873,  ^^1^" 
died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jenks  have  one  child,  a  son, 
Glenn  M.  Jenks,  born  on  July  16,  1896,  who  on  November  10,  1917,  married 
Opal  Woods  and  is  now  taking  charge  of  the  operations  of  his  father's  farm. 


654  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

BURT  L.  LACKEY,  D.  D.  S. 

Dr.  Burt  L.  Lackey,  dental  surgeon  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  the  vicinity 
of  Oakland,  in  Clinton  county,  this  state,  June  15,  1872,  son  of  Enos  Ells- 
worth and  Laura  (Sellars)  Lackey,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
now  making  her  home  at  Xenia. 

Enos  Ellsworth  Lackey  was  born  on  September  30,  1844,  a  son  of 
Enos  Lackey  and  wife,  pioneers  of  Warren  county,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  1802  and  who  were  the  parents  of  fourteen  children.  Reared 
in  Warren  count}-,  Enos  E.  Lackey  later  made  his  home  for  a  while  in 
Clinton  county  and  in  1873  "loved  to  the  village  of  Xew  Burlington,  on  the 
Greene-Clinton  county  line  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  general  lumber 
business  the  rest  of  his  life,  operating  a  saw-mill  and  dealing  in  lumber, 
timber  and  logs  and  also  engaged  as  a  building  contractor,  his  death  occur- 
ring there  on  January  9,  1903.  ^Ir.  Lackey  was  a  Republican  and  for  years 
rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the  same.  To  him  and  his  wife 
were  born  three  sons,  of  whom  Doctor  Lackey  is  the  youngest,  the  others 
■  being  Walter  Lackey,  of  New  Burlington,  a  farmer,  and  Raymond  L.  Lackey, 
who  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  New  Burlington  and  who  died 
on  September  i,  1907. 

L'pon  completing  the  course  in  the  New  Burlington  liigh  school  Burt 
L.  Lackey  began  teaching  school  and  for  three  years  thereafter  was  the 
teacher  of  the  school  in  the  Buck  Run  district  in  Clinton  county.  He  matric- 
ulated at  the  Ohio  College  of  Dentistry  and  was  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution with  the  class  of  1896.  Thus  equipped  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  Doctor  Lackey  returned  to  his  home  at  New  Burlington  and 
opened  an  office  there,  continuing  in  practice  at  that  place  for  eighteen 
months,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  January,  1898,  he  located  at  Xema, 
where  he  ever  since  has  l^een  engaged  in  practice,  with  present  offices  in 
the  Steele  building.  Preparatory  to  bis  marriage  in  1902,  Doctor  Lackey 
built  a  house  at  20  Home  avenue.  Xenia,  where  he  is  still  living. 

Doctor  Lackev  has  been  twice  married.  On  September  10,  1902,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada  Frances  Clark,  who  was  Ijorn  and. reared 
in  Gallia  county,  this  state,  and  who  for  nine  years  prior  to  her  marriage 
had  been  engaged  as  a  special  teacher  at  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors 
Orphans  Home  at  Xenia.  To  that  union  were  born  three  children,  Clark, 
born  en  December  10,  1903;  Dorothy,  May  9,  1907,  and  Helen,  January  i, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  655 

191 1.  The  mother  of  these  cliildren  died  on  March  zj,  1914,  and  on  June 
30,  191 5,  Doctor  Lackey  married  Jessella  Beebe,  who  was  born  at  Kingman, 
Kansas,  and  who  was  reared  _  at  Elwood  Indiana,  in  which  latter  city  her 
father,  John  W.  Beebe,  is  still  living. 


MORRIS  D.  RICE. 


Morris  D.  Rice, -a  practicing  attorney  at  Osborn  since  1909,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Circleville,  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  July  9,  1885, 
a  son  of  ElHott  and  Harriet  E.  (Morris)  Rice,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
that  same  county,  the  former  in  1855  and  the  latter,  in  1853,  '^^o  are  still 
'living  there.  Elliott  Rice  is  a  farmer  and  he  and  his  wife  have  two  sons, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Lemuel  R.  Rice, 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Morris  D.  Rice  entered  the  Circleville  Busi- 
ness College  after  leaving  tiie  high  school  in  that  city  and  was  graduated 
from  the  same  in  1901.  He  then  became  the  stenographer  in  the  office  of 
a  law  firm  in  Circleville  and  while  thus  engaged  occupied  what  leisure  he 
could  command  in  the  study  of  law.  In  1906  he  entered  the  law  department 
of  Ohio  Northern  University  and  by  taking  both  the  winter  and  summer 
courses  was  enabled  to  graduate  from  that  institution  two  years  later,  after 
which  he  passed  the  state  bar  examinatirm  and  was"  admitted  to  tlie  Ijar  in 
that  same  year,  1908.  Thus  qualified  for  the  practice  of  the  profession,  Mr. 
Rice  located  at  Osborn  and  on  January  ij,  1909,  opened  there  an  office  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  practice.  In  191 5  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  United  States  courts.  Though  engaged  in  general  practice,  Mr. 
Rice  makes  a  specialty  of  cases  in  the  probate  courts.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  for  five  years  served  as  city  attorney  for  Osborn. 

On  June  17,  1909,  Morris  D.  Rice  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mina  D. 
Davidson,  who  was  born  in  Clermont  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  Henry 
W.  and  Rebecca  (Hulick)  Davidson,  who  are  still  living  in  that  county. 
Henry  W.  Davidson  is  a  farmer  and  he  and  his  wife  have  four  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Rice  was  the  last-born,  the  others  being  Georgia,  wife  of  John 
Lytle,  a  contractor  and  landowner  of  Williamsburg,  this  state :  Dr.  O.  C. 
Davidson,  a  physician  at  Bethel,  this  state,  and  Dr.  F.  L.  Davidson,  who  is 
engaged  in  practice  at  Delaware,  tliis  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice  reside  on 
Williams  street  in  Osborn.  Tiiey  have  traveled  quite  extensively,  taking  a 
trip  to  some  point  of  interest  in  the  United  States  every  year,  being  intent 
on  "seeing  America  first."  Mr.  Rice  is  a  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  affiliated 
with  the  local  lodge  at  New  Carlisle  and  with  the  consistory  (32°),  Valley 
of  Dayton.     He  was  selected  by  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  purchase  of 


656  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

real  estate  in  the  village  of  Osborn  for  the  ]\Iiaini  Conservancy  District  in 
191 5  and  in  addition  represented  the  same  district  in  taking  title  to  all  land 
in  Osborn  and  several  thousand  acres  in  the  valley  of  Mad  river.  ]Mr.  Rice 
also  was  one  of  the  attorneys  who  looked  after  the  purchase  of  the  two  thou- 
sand four  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairfield  whicli 
was  converted  by  the  government  into  the  \\"illnir  Wright  Aviation  Field 
for  the  training  of  aviators  for  the  army  in  19 17. 


JACOB  LEWIS  LANTZ. 


Jacob  Lewis  Lantz,  former  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township,  a  soldier 
of  the  Ci\'il  War  ,ind  a  retired  farmer  of  Beavercreek  township,  living  at 
his  farm  liome  on  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of  Osborn.  was  born  in  that 
township,  September  19.  1836,  son  of  John  and  Catherine  fRhoades)  Lantz, 
natives  of  Maryland,  who  were  married  in  that  state  in  1826  and  who  came 
to  Greene  county  in  1835,  locating  in  Beavercreek  township.  John  Lantz 
presently  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  acres  north  of  Alpha 
and  later  added  fifty-nine  acres,  the  old  Xesbit  farm,  which  is  now  owned 
by  his  son  Jacob  L.  On  that  place  he  sjjent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is 
the  onlv  one  now  living,  the  others  having  been  Barbara  Ann,  who  married 
Sylvester  Lafong;  John  l^aniel,  who  married  Rebecca  Harner;  Catherine 
Jane,  who  married  Jonathan  Gerlaugh;  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  Eben- 
ezer  Hering,  and  Eliza  Ellen,  who  married  John  A.  Harner. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Jacob  L.  Lantz  completed  his  schooling  in 
the  Xenia  high  school  and  then  began  teaching  school  in  the  district  schools 
of  his  home  township,  continuing  farming  during  the  summers.  He  married 
in  the  fall  of  1863.  In  1864  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  and 
served  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment.  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  being  mustered  out 
with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  For  eighteen  years  Mr.  Lantz  rendered  service 
in  his  home  township  as  a  school  teacher  and  then  he  bought  a  farm  in  the 
northern  part  of  Beavercreek  township  and  thereafter,  until  his  retirement 
in  the  latter  '80s,  gave  his  undivided  attention  to  his  farm.  Since  his  retire- 
ment he  has  sold  part  of  his  land,  but  still  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  acres  of  the  old  home  place  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood  and  fifty  acres 
of  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  the  north  part  of  the  township. 
Mr.  Lantz  is  a  Republican  and  during  the  '80s  served  for  four  years  as 
trustee  of  his  home  township,  while  for  twenty-one  years  he  rendered  service 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
at  Harshman  and  is  also  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  and  with 


JACOB  L.  LANTZ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  657 

the  encampment  at  that  place,  a  representative  for  four  years  in  the  grand 
encampment.  Mr.  Lantz  has  been  an  extensive  traveler  and  has  visited  most 
of  the  chief  points  of  interest  in  this  country  and  in  Canada. 

On  Septemfjer  24,  1863,  Jacob  L.  Lantz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
M.  Mercer,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Robert  Mercer  and 
wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Tingley,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four 
sons,  Forest  Clay,  who  died  in  infancy;  Dayton,  who  died  in  infancy;  Harry, 
born  on  June  22,  1864,  who  married  Elizabeth  Black  and  is  engaged  in 
farming  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  John  Lewis,  June  11,  1866,  who  is 
a  building  contractor  at  Alpha.  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Lantz  died  in  1910  and  is 
buried  in  the  Fairfield  cemetery.  She  was  a  graduate  of  the  old  Xenia 
Female  Seminary. 


WILLIAM  EDGAR  HOUSER. 

William  Edgar  Houser,  a  Zenia  township  farmer,  was  born  at  Point 
of  Rocks,  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia.  January  20,  1855,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Caroline  (McCray)  Houser,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county. 
Samuel  Houser,  who  was  the  owner  of  a  small  farm,  had  a  store  at  Point 
of  Rocks  and  was  also  the  postmaster  and  toll-gate  keeper  at  that  place.  He 
was  a  Lutheran  and  his  wife  was  a  Baptist.  Both  died  in  1869.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  first-born :  Samuel, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  years,  and  Ella,  who  is  living  at  Xenia,  widow 
of  J.  J.  Snyder. 

Having  been  but  fourteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  died,  William 
E.  Houser  early  commenced  working  for  himself  and  was  thus  engaged  in 
his  home  county  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when,  in  1875,  he  came 
to  Ohio  and  began  working  on  a  farm  in  this  county.  In  1887  he  married 
and  in  the  following  year  bought  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  where  he 
made  his  home  and  where  he  continued  engaged  in  farming  until  1904. 
when  he  sold  that  place  and  bought  his  present  farm  of  seventy-six  and  a 
half  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Xenia  township,  where  he  since  has  made 
his  home  and  where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  Jersey  cattle  and  Chester  White  hogs. 

In  1887  William  E.  Houser  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosie  Swank, 
who  also  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  daughter  of  Aaron  and 
Alfinda  Swank,  of  that  county,  and  who  died  in  1898,  since  which  time  Mr. 
Houser's  niece,  Miss  Lillie  Belle  Baker,  also  of  Loudoun  county,  Virginia, 
who  has  for  years  made  her  home  with  him,  has  been  the  housekeeper  in  his 
home.  Mr.  Houser  is  "independent"  in  his  political  views  and  is  a  member 
of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia. 

(41) 


658  GREEXt;    CLlUNTY,    OIljO 

JACOB  A.  SCOTT. 

Jacob  A.  Scott,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  a  fraction  more  than  eiglity- 
three  acres  in  Sugarcreek  township,  on  which  he  has  made  his  home  for 
about  twenty-six  years,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Lytle,  in, the  neighboring 
county  of  Warren,  April  7,  1854,  son  of  Vincent  and  Alary  Jane  (Duvell) 
Scott,  the  former  of  whom  was  of  Shaker  stock  and  believed  to  have  been 
born  in  the  state  of  N'ew  York. 

Vincent  Scott  was  a  blacksmith  and  operated  a  shop  at  various  times 
at  Lebanon,  Lytle  and  other  points  in  Warren  county.  He  also  for  some 
time  operated  a  houseboat  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  carrying  on  a 
blacksmith  shop  and  a  grocery  store  on  the  boat,  and  was  thus  engaged  in 
the  South  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  was  given  sixty  days  in  which 
to  close  out  his  affairs  and  get  back  on  the  other  side  of  the  Mason  and 
Dixon  line  and  thus  was  compelled  to  dispose  of  liis  stuff  at  a  loss,  in  fact 
the  war  "cleaned"  him  of  all  he  had.  He  returned  to  Ohio,  but  after  tlie 
war  went  to  Texas,  remaining  there  about  a  year,  at  th.e  end  of  which  tirni; 
he  returned  to  Ohio  and  here  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
at  Xenia  when  past  seventy  years  of  age.  Vincent  Scott  was  tiirice  married. 
By  his  first  wife,  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, those  besides  Jacob  being  William  Winfield,  who  died  in  19 18,  and 
Anna,  who  died  in  infancy.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren Vincent  Scott  married  Elizabeth  Denlinger,  who  l^ore  liim  eight  chil- 
dren.    His  third  wife  was  a  Chenowetli. 

Jacob  A.  Scott  was  but  a  child  when  his  mother  died  and  he  was  reared 
away  from  home,  for  five  years  making  his  home  with  and  working  for 
Jarvis  Stokes,  who  owned  a  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  in  the 
Lytle  neighborhood.  He  then  for  three  years  worked  for  Turner  Hays,  and 
then  went  down  to  Mason,  also  in  Warren  county,  where  and  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  which  place  he  worked  for  Asa  Coleman  and  others  for  fi\e 
years ;  going  there  without  a  dollar  and  having  nine  hundred  dollars  at  the 
end  of  the  five  years.  With  this  comfortable  "nest  egg"  he  returned  to 
Lytle  and  after  two  years  of  further  employment  there  was  man-ied.  Tliat 
was  in  1881.  His  wife  died  fourteen  months  later  and  in  1S85  he  married 
again  and  then  came  up  into  Greene  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Sugar- 
creek  town.ship.  Four  years  later  he  moved  to  a  farm  in  the  Spring  \'alley 
neighborhood  and  a  year  later,  in  1892,  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
now  living,  in  Sugarcreek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Sprins^ 
Valley,  and  has  since  resided  there.  Since  taking  jwssession  of  that  place 
Mr.  Scott  has  made  numerous  improvements  on  the  place,  erecting  his  pres- 
ent dwelling  house  and  all  the  farm  buildings.     He  is  a  Democrat,  for  fifteen 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  659 

years  served  as  road  supervisor  in  his  district,  for  twenty  years  as  scliool 
director  and  has  for  several  years  taken  the  school  enumeration  in  his  dis- 
trict. He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  (predestinarian)  Baptist 
Apostolic  church. 

As  noted  abo\-e,  Jacob  A.  Scott  has  been  twice  married.  In  1881  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara  Goodill,  who  also  was  born  and  reared  at 
Lytle,  and  who  died  fourteen  months  later  without  issue.  In  1885  Mr.  Scott 
married  Amanda  Jane  Wright,  who  was  born  in  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  Aaron 
and  Sarah  (Buckles)  Wright,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Nina  P.,  wife  of  Robert  Stiles,  of  Sugarcreek  township:  John  W., 
who  married  Florence  Gregg  and  is  also  living  in  Sugarcreek  township : 
Nora,  at  home:  Jacob  S.,  who  married  on  March  7,  1918,  Lillie  Hayle  and 
lives  with  his  parents,  and  Israel. 


RALPH  BRUCE  FERGUSON 

Ralph  Bruce  Ferguson,  proprietor  of  a  farm,  in  Miami  township,  oa 
rural  mail  route  No.  5  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  townsiiip 
on  September  18,  1881,  son  of  William  H.  and  Ella  Belle  (Galloway)  Fer- 
guson, both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  the  former  in  Miami 
township,  April  22.  1854,  and  the  latter,  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  November  9, 
1857,  who  are  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs. 

William  H.  Ferguson  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township  and  com- 
pleted his  schooling  in  Antioch  College  and  in  the  eld  college  at  Xenia.  He 
early  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  and  after  his  marriage 
made  his  home  for  a  while  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  later  buying  the 
farm  in  that  same  township  now  operated  by  his  son  Ralph,  and  there  resided 
until  his  retirement  in  1914  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs.  He  and  his 
wife  ha\'e  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  first-ljorn,  having  a 
sister,  Mary  Eleanor,  who  married  Rny  AlcClelland.  a  farmer  livip.g  i:i  the 
vicinity  of  Xenia,  and  has  three  children,  and  a  brother,  \Villiam  Harvey 
Ferguson,  now  living  in  Philadelphia,  a  chemist  in  the  employ  of  the  DuPont 
Powder  Company,  who  married  Grace  \\'illiamson.  of  this  county,  and  has 
one  child. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  Ralph  B.  Ferguson  was 
early  trained  to  farming  and  has  always  followed  that  vocation.  Upon  ccmii- 
pleting  his  schooling  he  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  and 
after  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1906  established  his  home  on  the  Elmer 
Ferguson  farm  and  since  his  father's  retirement  in  1914  has  been  in  active 
management  of  the  home  farm,  in  addition  to  which  he  rents  an  adjoining 


66o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

farm  which  he  also  is  cultivating,  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he 
is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  live  stock. 

On  June  5,  1906,  Ralph  B.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Edna 
Belle  McClelland,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Harvev  and 
Laura  B.  ^McClelland,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  Alarch,  1917.  and  the  latter 
of  whom  is  living  south  of  Xenia,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been 
born,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  Howard  M.,  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
who  died  when  three  years  of  age,  the  others  being  Editli  Elizabeth,  Ruth 
Eleanor,  Clarence  Leigh,  Carl  Bruce,  James  Harvey  and  Ralph  Donald.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ferguson  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia.    In  his  political  views  Mr.  Ferguson  is  independent  of  rigid  party  lines. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  JAMES. 

The  late  Benjamin  Franklin  James,  who  died  on  October  22,  1917, 
at  his  home  in  Bellbrook,  where  he  had  been  living  retired  for  more  than 
fifteen  years  and  where  his  widow  is  still  living,  was  a  native  son  of  Greene 
county  and  had  resided  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugar- 
creek  township,  June  25,  1848,  son  of  David  W.  and  Rebecca  (Austin) 
James,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  the  former  on  November 
3,  1805,  and  the  latter,  February  5,  181 1.  David  W.  James  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Mary  James,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Virginia  in  pioneer 
days  and  became  residents  of  the  Sugarcreek  neighborhood.  John  James 
died  on  September  18,  1841,  he  then  being  sixty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Middle  Run  cemetery.  David  W.  James  grew  up  in  that 
township  and  became  owner  of  a  good  piece  of  farming  property  there.  He 
died  on  July  9,  1875,  ^"'i  '^^^s  buried  in  the  Bellbrook  cemetery.  He  and 
Rebecca  Austin  were  married  on  February  9,  1832,.  and  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  having 
been  the  following:  Nathan,  Emily,  William  and  Angeline,  deceased;  Mrs. 
Lydia  Sloane,  who  is  now  living  at  Osbom,  this  county;  Julianna,  deceased; 
John,  who  is  now  living  at  Seattle,  Washington,  and  Jane,  deceased. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  two  miles  south  of  Bellbrook,  Benjamin 
Franklin  James  completed  the  course  in  the  Bellbrook  high  school  and  later 
took  a  course  in  Smith  College  at  Xenia,  meanwhile  teaching  school  for 
several  terms,  spending  his  winters  in  the  school  room  and  his  summers  on 
the  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1874  he  married  and  established  his  home  on  the 
old  home  place  in  Sugarcreek  township,  presently  buying  the  interests  of 
the  other  heirs  in  the  place,  and  continued  to  make  his  home  there  until 


BENJAMIN  F.  JAMES. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  66l 

his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1900  and  removal  to  Bellbrook,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  Hfe,  his  death  occurring  there,  as  noted  above,  in  the 
fall  of  1917.  For  years  Mr.  James  was  a  member  of  the  Greene  county 
Republican  central  committee  from  his  township.  His  interest  in  the  cause 
of  temperance  was  sincere  and  he  did  much  to  advance  the  cause  hereabout. 
He  served  for  some  time  as  a  member  of  the  Bellbrook  school  board  and 
ever  took  an  interest  in  the  cause  of  education.  Until  about  ten  years  before 
his  death  Mr.  James  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  for  years 
an  elder  in  the  same,  and  then  he  transferred  his  membership  to  the  Sugar- 
creek  United  Presbyterian  church.  He  had  helped  in  the  erection  of  two 
churches.     He  was  buried  in  the  Bellbrook  cemetery. 

On  September  23,  1874,  Benjamin  Franklin  James  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Irene  Marshall,  who  also  was  born  and  reared  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship, who  had  completed  her  schooHng  at  Smith  College  at  Xenia  and  who 
prior  to  her  marriage  had  been  for  some  time  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  James  has  continued  to  make  her  home 
at  Bellbrook.  She  also  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  real  old  families  of 
Greene  county,  her  parents,  Jesse  R.  and  Ruth  (Robinson)  Marshall,  having 
both  been  born  here,  their  respective  families  having  been  among  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county.  Jesse  R.  Marshall  was  a  son  of  John  Marshall,  who 
was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  Lexington;  Kentucky, 
in  1784,  and  who  in  1803  came  up  here  into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami 
and  took  up  a  tract  of  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  what  later  came  to  be 
organized  as  Sugarcreek  township,  where  he  established  his  home  and  where 
he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  all  of  which  is  set  out  elsewhere  and  at  con- 
siderable length  in  this  volume.  Jesse  R.  Marshall  and  Ruth  Robinson  were 
married  on  May  22,  185 1,  and  to  them  were  born  seven  children,  those 
besides  Mrs.  James  being  Willis,  who  is  living  in  the  New  Burlington  neigh- 
borhood and  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  as 
well  as  reference  to  his  sons,  Judge  J.  C.  Marshall,  of  the  probate  court,  and 
L.  T.  Marshall,  former  clerk  of  courts  and  now  a  practicing  lawyer  at  Xenia ; 
Fannie,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  Bellbrook;  Daniel  W.,  now  a  resident  of 
Dayton;  Joseph  H.,  a  resident  of  Bellbrook;  Frank  B.,  who  lives  three  miles 
south  of  Bellbrook,  and  Edwin  S.,  deceased.  The  Marshall  connection  in 
Greene  county  is  a  considerable  one,  the  pioneer  John  Marshall  having  been 
the  father  of  six  children,  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  those  besides  Jesse, 
father  of  Mrs.  James,  having  been  Nancy,  who  married  James  N.  McConnell; 
Sarah,  who  married  John  Brock;  Hetty,  who  married  Captain  Kiler;  Betsy, 
who  married  William  Morgan,  and  James,  who  became  a  farmer  in  Sugar- 
creek township. 


662  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

x\XDRE\V  FRANKLIN  GILL. 

Andrew  Franklin  Gill,  farmer  and  dairyman  and  occupant  of  the  old 
Galloway  place  on  the  Fairground  pike  at  the  edge  of  Xenia,  the  place  on 
which  he  spent  his  youth  and  of  which  he  has  been  in  active  charge  for 
some  years  past,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his 
life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  he  was  six  years  of  age.  at  which  tender  a:;e 
he  became  an  occupant  of  the  Ohio  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at 
Xenia,  later  being  given  a  home  on  the  Galloway  place,  which  he  now  has 
in  charge,  having  returned  there  in  19 12,  after  some  years  of  absence,  to 
take  charge  of  the  place  for  Miss  Rebecca  Galloway.  He  was  born  at  Lattas- 
burg,  in  Wayne  county,  this  state,  March  30,  1872,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Swaisgood)  Gill,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  1873  and  the  latter. 
in  1877, 

Joseph  Gill  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  trained  to  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter.  As  a  young  man  he  came  to  Ohio  and  was  living  in  Ashland 
county  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union 
army  in  1862  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Seventy-second  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
command  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  During  this  service  Mr.  Gill 
suffered  an  attack  of  smallpox  and  was  so  weakened  thereby  as  to  be  perma- 
nently debilitated.  His  brother,  John  Gill,  who  was  serving;  in  the  same 
company,  urged  him  to  secure  a  furlough  and  go  home,  but  he  was  "gritty" 
and  stuck  to  it  to  the  end.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr. 
Gill  returned  to  Ashland  county  and  there  presently  married  Mary  Swais- 
good, who  was  born  in  that  county  and  to  whom  he  had  been  engaged  to 
marry  before  going  to  war.  .\fter  that  he  engaged  in  farming,  but  the  disa- 
bility he  had  suffered  during  his  army  service  presently  resulted  in  a  state 
of  invalidism  and  he  died  in  the  fall  of  1873.  leaving  his  widow  with  three 
small  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest,  being  then  but  eight- 
een months  of  age.  The  other  children  were  William,  who  is  now  farming 
in  Ashland  county,  and  Harriet  Alice,  wife  of  Edward  Schweiboldt,  living 
on  Cincinnati  avenue,  Xenia.  The  mother  of  these  children  did  not  long 
survive  her  soldier  husband,  her  death  occurring  in  1877,  ^"^  shortly  after- 
ward the  three  orphaned  children  were  placed  in  the  care  of  the  Ohio  Soldiers 
and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xen-n. 

Andrew  F.  Gill  was  six  years  of  age  when  he  came  under  the  protecting 
care  of  the  Home  authorities  and  he  remained  thus  cared  for  until  he  was 
thirteen  years  of  age,  or  until  1885,  when  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of 
Richard  and  Rebecca  Galloway  on  the  old  Galloway  place  on  the  Fairground 
pike  just  out  of  Xenia,  where  he  remained  until  after  be  had  reached  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  663 

majority,  meanwhile  receiving  further  schooling  in  the  Xenia  public  scliools. 
He  later  became  employed  at  the  freight  house  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad 
at  Xenia  and  after  his  marriage  bought  a  home  of  his  own,  continuing  to 
reside  there  until  19 12,  when  he  returned  to  the  Galloway  farm  to  take  charge 
of  the  same  for  Miss  Rebecca  Galloway,  and  has  since  resided  there  with  his 
family,  farming  the  place  and  carrying  on  a  dairy  business.  Mr.  Gill  is  the 
owner  of  eleven  lots  and  a  house  in  Galloway  Park  addition  to  the  city  of 
Xenia.  He  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  First 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

On  May  26,  1904,  Andrew  F.  Gill  was  united  in  marriage  to  N'ellie 
Price,  who  also  was  born  in  this  state  and  who  also  was  left  an  orphan  at  an 
early  age,  being  afterward  reared  in  the  home  of  Mrs.  Haines  in  the  vicinity 
of  Trebeins,  where  she  was  living  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Gill. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  six  children,  namely :  Ellsworth  Gallowa^•, 
born  on  May  2t„  1905;  Marion  Haines,  July  21,  1906;  Edna  Rebecca,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  eight  months:  Andrew  Richard,  born  on  August  10,  1909: 
Harold,  who  lived  but  three  days,  and  Margaret  Faye,  February  22,   1918. 


GEORGE  H.  STILES. 


George  H.  Stiles,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  barber  business  at  Fair- 
field for  the  past  thirty-five  years  and  is  thus  accounted  to  be  the  oldest  barber 
in  point  of  continuous  service  in  one  place  in  Greene  county,  was  born  on 
a  farm  a  half  mile  west  of  the  village  of  Fairfield,  on  the  tract  now  included 
in  the  great  Wright  aviation  field  established  there  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment in  1917,  December  26,  1853,  son  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Sen- 
senbaugh)  Stiles,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  farm,  a  son 
of  Benjamin  Stiles,  who  had  come  here  from  New  York  and  had  opened 
to  cultivation  the  tract  now  occupied  as  a  training  field  for  aviators  who, 
beginning  in  the  summer  of  1917,  ha\-e  been  in  training  for  service  against 
the  German  army  in  foreign  fields. 

WiUiam  Stiles  was  born  in  1830  and  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  place 
just  west  of  where  the  village  of  Fairfield  came  to  be  established  .  After  his 
marriage  in  1852  to  Elizabeth  Sensenbaugh,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county, 
daughter  of  pioneer  parents,  he  established  his  home  on  that  place  and  there 
continued  to  reside  until  1866,  when  he  left  the  farm  and  moved  into  Fair- 
field, where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1875. 
His  widow  did  not  long  survive  him,  her  death  occurring  in  the  following 
year.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  John  \X.,  deceased;  3.1rs.  Annora 


664  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

L.  Newcomer,  also  deceased;  Otis  L.,  deceased,  and  Adrian  T.,  now  living- 
at  Akron,  this  state,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  rubber  business  and  who 
has  been  twice  married,  father  of  one  child,  a  son,  John,  by  his  first  wife 
and  of  two  children,  Roy  and  Naomi,  by  the  second  marriage. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  H.  Stiles  received  his  schooling  in 
the  Fairfield  schools  and  after  leaving  school  was  variously  engaged  until 
1883,  when  he  opened  a  barber  shop  at  Fairfield  and  has  since  maintained  the 
same.  Mr.  Stiles  is  a  Democrat  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  been  serv- 
ing as  treasurer  of  the  Fairfield  corporation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


WILLIAM  W.  CRESWELL. 

William  W.  Creswell,  a  retired  farmer  of  Cedarville  township,  now 
living  in  the  village  of  Cedarville,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1904, 
was  born  in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on 
a  farm  one  and  one- fourth  miles  east  of  Cedarville  on  December  i,  1867, 
son  of  Amos  Wilson  and  Rebecca  (Ward)  Creswell,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  on  that  same  farm,  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in 
Greene  county,  and  the  latter,  in  the  state  of  New  York. 

Amos  Wilson  Creswell  was  born  on  March  13,  1827,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Letitia  (Wilson)  Creswell,  both  of  whom  had  come  here  with  their  re- 
spective parents  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  Greene  county,  Letitia 
Wilson  having  been  the  daughter  of  Amos  Wilson,  who  in  older  chronicles 
is  said  to  have  built  the  first  house  put  up  in  what  later  came  to  be  the  terri- 
tory comprised  within  this  county.  Samuel  Creswell  had  come  here  in  1S03 
with  his  widowed  mother.  Mrs.  Catherine  Creswell,  and  his  brother  James 
and  his  six  sisters,  the  family  having  come  up  from  Kentucky  with  the  colony 
of  Seceders  that  accompanied  the  Rev.  Robert  Armstrong  in  that  year  and 
established  a  new  congregation  on  Massies  creek,  the  settlers  having  left 
Kentucky  on  account  of  slavery  conditions  in  the  latter  state,  as  is  set  out  at 
length  in  a  more  detailed  history  of  the  Creswell  family  presented  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Samuel  Creswell  established  his  home  on  the  farm  in 
Cedarville  township  above  referred  to  and  there  his  wife  died  in  1829,  the 
year  after  the  birth  of  her  last-born  son,  Benoni.  who  in  time  established  his 
home  in  the  Cedarville  vicinity  and  reared  a  large  family.  There  were  five 
children  born  to  Samuel  Creswell  and  wife,  those  besides  Amos  and  Benoni 
having  been  James,  who  established  his  home  in  Illinois;  one  daughter, 
Ann,  and  Samuel,  who  died  when  eighteen  years  of  age.  Amos  W.  Creswell 
grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  father's  death  in  1855  inherited  a 
portion  of  the  place  and  afterward  added  to  his  holding  until  he  became  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  665 

owner  of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  acres,  on  which  he  had  one  of  the 
finest  houses  in  that  part  of  the  county,  the  site  of  his  home  being  an  emi- 
nence along  the  Hne  of  the  railway  commanding  a  view  for  miles  about. 
rXiring  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Home 
Guards,  familiarly  known  at  that  time  as  "Squirrel  Hunters."  Politically 
he  was  a  Republican  and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
in  1875  he  left  the  farm  and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at  Cedarville,  but  later  moved  back  to  the  farm  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  December  23,  1899. 
Amos  W.  Creswell's  first  wife  was  Rebecca  Ward,  who  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York  in  1837  and  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to 
Greene  county  with  her  parents.  To  that  union  were  born  five  children,  two 
of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
Ada  C,  who  married  S.  T.  Baker  and  is  living  on  her  father's  old  home 
place  in  Cedarville  township,  and  Samuel,  who  died  in  1876,  at  the  age  of 
seven  years.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children,  Amos  W. 
Creswell  married  Mrs.  Margaret  (Townsley)  Rainey,  a  widow,  daughter 
of  J.  N.  Townsley,  who  survived  her  husband  a  little  more  than  ten  years, 
her  death  occurring  in  1910.  By  her  first  marriage  she  was  the  mother  of 
one  son.  Dr.  Ralph  B.  Rainey,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession  at  Lafayette,  Louisiana. 

William  W.  Creswell  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  Cedarville  schools.  In  1894  he  left  the  farm  and  engaged 
in  the  undertaking  business  at  CedarA'ille  in  partnership  with  A.  H.  Barr,  but 
four  years  later  sold  his  interest  in  that  establishment  and  returned  to  the 
farm.  Upon  the  division  of  the  home  place  following  his  father's  death  in 
1899  he  received  two  hundred  and  five  acres  and  he  continued  to  live  there, 
managing  the  place,  until  a  few  months  after  his  marriage,  when,  in  1904, 
he  rented  his  place  and  returned  to  Cedarville,  where  he  since  has  made  his 
home,  he  and  his  family  residing  on  South  Main  street. 

On  October  g,  1903,  William  W.  Creswell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ethel  Fields,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville  on  November  28,  1879,  daughter 
of  William  and  Fannie  (White)  Fields,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood,  and  the  former  of  whom  is  still 
living,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  carpentry  busi- 
ness. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creswell  have  two  sons,  Alfred  Ward,  born  on  June 
24,  1905,  and  James  Nelson,  June  24,  1909.  They  are  members  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville  and  Mr.  Creswell  has  been 
treasurer  of  the  congregation  for  the  past  eleven  years  or  more.  In  his 
political  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican. 


666  GREENE    COUNTY,    OIUO 

GEORGE  A.  BIRCH. 

George  A.  Birch,  proprietor  of  the  old  Robert  Alitcheh  farm  on  the 
Fairfield  pike,  rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township,  this 
count3%  is  a  native  of  the  Suntlower  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio 
since  the  days  of  his  boyhood.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hutchinson,  in  Reno  county,  Kansas,  May  3,  1880,  son  of  George  Haviland 
and  Eliza  (Kinkaid)  Birch,  the  former  a  native  of  the  state  of  X'ew  York 
and  the  latter,  of  Missouri,  and  the  former  of  whom,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
Vv'ar,  is  still  living,  now  making  his  home  in  Xenia,  where  he  has  resided 
since  1905,  proprietor  of  the  old  Eavey  homestead  place  on  Columbus  street 
on  the  eastern  edge  of  the  city. 

The  Birches  are  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  America,  the  genealogy 
being  of  record  in  an  unbroken  line  back  to  Thomas  Birch,  who  died  at  Dor- 
cliester,  Connecticut,  on  (Jctober  3,  1657,  and  whose  children  named  in  his 
will,  dated  Jwrie  4,  1654,  were  named  as  Joseph,  Jeremiah,  Jonathan  an^l 
Alary.  Jeremiah  Birch,  second  son  of  Thomas,  went  to  Stonington,  Connecti- 
cut, before  1670  and  there  had  a  grant  of  land  east  of  the  present  village  of 
Clarks  Falls.  His  children  were  Thomas,  Jeremiah.  Joseph  and  Jonathan, 
the  latter  of  whom,  Jonathan,  born  at  Stonington,  Connecticut,  August  22, 
1706,  married  Mary  Rathbone  and  had  eight  children,  Jonathan,  Jane,  "John, 
Zurviah,  Jeremiah,  Mary,  David  and  Joshua.  John  Birch  was  born  at  Ston- 
ington on  June  4,  171 1,  and  ow  June  J3,  1737.  married  Mary  Bessey.  to  which 
union  were  born  two  sons,  John  and  Joshua.  This  second  John,  born  on 
December  13,  1738,  moved  with  his  father  to  Dutchess  county.  New  York, 
settling  at  Pawlingtown,  where  both  were  enrolled  in  the  Dutchess  county 
militia  for  service  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  junior  John  Birch 
married  Patty  Ralph  and  their  son,  George  Haviland  Birch,  born  at  Pawling- 
town in  1778,  married  Phebe  Fairlie  Mitchell,  who  was  born  in  camp  at  New- 
burg  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  her  father  at  the  time  being  post  quar- 
termaster. This  George  Haviland  Birch,  grandfather  of  the  present  holder 
of  the  name  at  Xenia  and  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
died  in  Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  July  30,  1852.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  namely :  Maria,  Erastus  Mitchell,  Sally 
Ann,  Emaline,  Elmira,  Mrs.  Harriet  Link,  Frederick,  Phebe,  George.  James, 
Aliord,  Mrs.  Caroline  Traver  and  Henrietta.  The  second  of  these  children, 
Erastus  Mitchell  Birch,  was  born  at  Pawlingtown,  in  Dutchess  county.  New. 
York.  January  19.  1801.  and  died  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  this  county,  July 
7,  T885. 

Erastus  Mitcliell  Birch  grew  up  at  Pawlingtown  and  on  January  13, 
1830,  married  Sallie  A.  INIilligan,  who  was  born  at  Stockbridge,  Massachu- 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  667 

setts,  in  1S12  and  died  in  1865  at  Yellow  Springs,  this  county.  Twenty  years 
before  this  last  date,  in  1845,  ^''^  drove  west  on  a  prospecting  trip,  going  as  far 
as  the  then  Territory  of  Wisconsin  and  liked  conditions  there  so  well  that  he 
returned  to  New-  York  for  his  family  and  with  them  drove  through  to  the 
site  he  had  selected,  and  settled  on  a  farm  twelve  miles  south  of  Kenosha, 
then  called  Southport,  he  having  bought  a  cpiarter  of  a  section  of  land  divided 
there  by  the  Illinois-Wisconsin  line,  an  "eighty"  on  either  side  of  the. line. 
I-ater  he  disposed  of  that  tract  and  moved  some  miles  farther  south  in  Illi- 
nois and  after  a  while  disposed  of  this  second  tract  and  moved  to  a  farnj 
sixteen  miles  from  Laporte,  in  Indiana,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the 
operation  of  a  water-power  mill.  \Vhile  thus  engaged  he  became  associated 
\vith  the  local  swamp-land  commissioner  and  bought  up  much  swamp  land 
in  that  and  adjacent  counties.  In  1857  he  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and 
located  at  Yellow  Springs,  in  this  county,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  As  noted  above,  his  wife  died  in  1S65.  He  married  again  and  lived 
until  the  summer  of  1885.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  and 
by  political  persuasion  was  a  Republican,  having  originally  been  a  Whig  and 
a  free-soiler.  By  his  first  wife,  Sallie  A.  Milligan,  Erastus  M.  Birch  was 
the  father  of  six  children,  namely:  William,  whose  last  days  were  spent 
in  Reno  county,  Kansas;  George  Haviland,  now  living  at  Xenia,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch;  John,  who  died  at  Dayton,  this  state,  in  191 5; 
Hugh,  a  lawyer  and  real-estate  dealer  at  Chicago ;  Sarah  Ann,  who  married 
Dr.  Walter  .D.  Stillman  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  row  dead,  and 
Phebe  Jane,  who  married  James  Hyde,  owner  of  a  four-hundred-acre  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  Yellow  Springs,  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  and  who, 
as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceasetl. 

George  Haviland  Birch  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  county,  Xew  York, 
January  2,  1838,  and  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
to  Wisconsin.  He  later  lived  with  them  in  Indiana  and  was  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  they  came  to  Greene  county  and  located  at  Yellow  Springs.  He 
completed  his  schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  was  living  at  Yellow  Springs 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  April  17,  1861,  two  days  after  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers  to  put  down  armed  rebellion  against 
the  Union,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Second  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  with  that  command  went  to  the  front  and  thus 
participated  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Upon  the  completion  of  that 
term  of  enlistment  lie  re-enlisted  and  served  until  long  after  the  close  of 
the  war,  not  being  mustered  out  until  in  December.  1865.  During  this  long 
period  of  service  Mr.  Birch  participated  in  many  of  the  most  important  engage- 
ments of  the  Western  campaign  and  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga.      Upon    the    completion    of    his    military    service    Mr.    Birch 


668  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

returned  to  Yellow  Springs  and  not  long  afterward  went  to  Indiana  and  was 
for  some  time  engaged  in  farming  there  with  his  brother  William,  who  had 
a  farm  in  Jasper  county,  that  state.  As  a  boy,  George  H.  Birch  had  been 
given  a  tract  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty-eight  acres  of  swamp  land  in 
Starke  county,  Indiana,  a  gift  from  his  father,  but  it  later  developed  that 
the  title  was  defective  and  he  lost  it.  In  1875  George  H.  Haviland  accom- 
panied his  brother  William  and  the  latter's  family  to  Kansas,  each  of  the 
brothers  taking  a  homestead  in  Little  River  township,  Reno  county,  that 
state.  Two  years  later,  in  1877,  in  the  adjacent  county  of  AlcPherson,  he 
married  Eliza  Jane  Kinkaid,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  daughter  of  William 
C.  Kinkaid  and  wife,  who  settled  in  AlcPherson  'county,  Kansas,  in  1874. 
He  continued  farming  his  homestead  tract  until  1888,  when  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  in  Kansas  and  returned  to  Greene  county  and  for  four  years 
thereafter  was  engaged  as  manager  of  the  four-hundred-acre  farm  of  his 
sister,  j\lrs.  Hyde,  in  Miami  township.  He  then  bought  the  Sellers  farm  in 
Xenia  township  and  there  made  his  home  until  1905,  when  he  sold  that  place 
and  bought  the  forty-acre  tract  comprising  the  old  Eave\'  place  on  the  east 
edge  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  IMr.  Birch 
cast  his  first  vote  for  President  for  Abraham  Lincoln  in  i860  and  he  has 
ever  since  been  a  Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  been  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Eliza  Jane  Kinkaid,  died  on  June  25,  1885,  in  Kan- 
sas, leaving  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  George  A.,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  and  Ina  May,  who  is  living  at  home  in  Xenia.  Mr!  Birch  later 
married  Rosa  Belle  Longshore,  of  Reno  county,  Kansas,  and  to  this  latter 
union  two  children  were  born,  Edna,  wife  of  B.  U.  Bell,  of  Xenia  township, 
this  county,  and  Richard,  at  home. 

George  A.  Birch  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  returned 
to  Greene  county  from  Kansas  and  he  was  reared  on  the  farm.  He  completed 
his  schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  some  time  after  his  marriage  bought  a 
farm  of  seventy-five  acres  in  Union  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clinton,  where  he  made  his  home  for  three  years,  or  until  1906,  when  he 
sold  that  place  and  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  the  Rol^ert  Mitchell 
place  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres  on  the  Fairfield  pike,  in  Xenia  town- 
ship, where  he  since  has  resided.  Since  taking  possession  of  that  place  Mr. 
Birch  has  sold  sixty  acres.  He  has  remodeled  the  brick  dwelling  house  on  the 
place  and  has  made  other  improvements.  Mr.  Birch  is  a  Republican  and  in 
1916  was  the  nominee  of  his  party  for  county  commissioner  from  his  dis- 
trict, but  was  defeated  in  the  ensuing  election.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Xenia 
Business  Men's  Association. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  669 

On  September  ii,  1900,  George  A.  Birch  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Florence  Anderson,  who  was  born  at  Trebeins,  this  county,  daughter  of  P. 
H.  and  Mary  Anderson,  who  are  now  hving  at  Springfield,  this  state,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  four  children,  namely:  Helen,  born  on  April 
27,  1902,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  Xenia;  Mary,  March  21, 
1904;  Ruth,  June  10,  1906,  and  Frances,  May  21,  1909.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Birch 
are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and  Mr.  Birch  is 
one  of  the  ruling  elders  of  the  same. 


WILLIAM  H.  BARBER. 


William  H.  Barber,  president  of  the  Tarbox  Lumber  Company  of  Cedar- 
ville,  a  former  trustee  of  Cedarville  township  and  the  owner  of  a  farm  just 
west  of  the  village  of  Cedarville,  was  born  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  John 
Taylor  on  July  10,  1853,  son  of  John  Alexander  and  Eliza  (Galloway) 
Barber,  both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer 
families,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

John  Alexander  Barber  was  born  on  a  farm  northeast  of  the  village  of 
Cedarville,  a  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (IMartin)  Barber,  who  came  to  Ohio 
from  Pennsylvania  after  their  marriage  in  the  latter  state  and  settled  in 
Greene  county,  establishing  their  home  on  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township. 
John  Barber  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on  that  farm  and  his  widow,  who  sur- 
vi\'ed  him  .for  some  years,  spent  her  last  days  in  Cedarville.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  John  A.  was  the  tenth  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  having  been  Samuel,  James,  Martin,  David,  Hester,  Sallie,  Al 
G.,  Robert,  Frank  and  one  who  died  in  infancy.  The  father  of  these  children 
was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  1812  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of 
the  Associate  Reformed  church,  in  the  faith  of  which  communion  their  chil- 
dren were  reared,  the  family  becoming  connected  with  the  L^^nited  Presby- 
terian church  after  the  union  of  1858. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born.  John  A.  Barber  remained 
there  until  after  his  marriage,  when  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  just 
west  of  the  village  of  Cedarville  and  there  he  spent  practically  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  in  Cedarville  in  1892.  John  A.  Barber  was  twice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Eliza  Galloway,  was  bom  in  Xenia  township,  this 
county,  a  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Collins)  Galloway,  pioneers  of 
that  township,  the  former  a  native  of  York  county,  Pennsylviinia,  and  the 
latter  of  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  whose  respective  families  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  the  region  that  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Greene 
county.    Andrew  Galloway  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Wash- 


670  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ington,  Rebecca,  Lj-dia,  Eliza,  Eleanor,  William,  Samuel,  Isabella,  Julia  and 
Andrew  H.  Mrs.  Eliza  Galloway  Barber  died  on  July  16,  1866,  leaving 
one  child,  a  son,  William  H.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  John  A.  Barber 
married,  secondly,  Sarah  Townsley,  of  Cedarville  township,  also  a  member 
of  one  of  the  first  families  of  Greene  county,  who  survived  him  for  years, 
her  death  occurring  on  March  15,  191 5.  To  that  second  union  were  born 
two  children,  Eva,  wife  of  Charles  Ervin,  of  Xenia,  and  Florence,  wife  of 
Jesse  Townslev,  of  Cedarville  township.  John  A.  Barber  was  a  Democrat. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

\Mlliam  H.  Barber  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedar- 
ville and  supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  local  schools  by  a 
course  in  Monmouth  College.  After  his  marriage  in  1878  he  established 
his  home  on  the  old  home  place  a  half  mile  west  of  Cedarville,  one  hundred 
acres  of  which  he  still  owns,  and  there  continued  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  for  twenty-five  years,  or  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  m 
1903  and  removal  to  Cedarville,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  'Mr. 
Barber  is  president  of  the  Tarbox  Lumljer  Company,  of  Cedarville.  He  is 
a  Republican  and  has  served  as  township  trustee,  as  township  treasurer  and 
as  a  member  of  the  library  board. 

On  January  17,  1878,  William  H.  Barber  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lucv  J.  Tarbox,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedarville  tov,nship,  February  4, 
1854,  daughter  of  John  M.  and  Rachel  (Xichol)  Tarbox,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  born  in  Belmont  county,  this  state.  John  M.  Tarbox  was  born  at  Par- 
sonsfield,  in  York  county,  ]\Iaine,  Decemljer  3,  1829,  a  son  of  John  and  Lucy 
(Merrill)  Tarbox,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 -i. 
When  John  M.  Tarbox  was  eight  years  of  age  he  was  bereft  by  death  of  his 
mother  and  two  years  later  his  father  died.  Thus  orphaned  he  was  early 
thrown  on  bis  own  resources  and  when  twenty  }-ears  of  age  came  West  and 
presentlv  located  at  Cedarville.  this  county,  where  he  became  engaged  work- 
ing as  a  carpenter  and  where  in  1852  he  married  Rachc:  Xichol,  v.hosj  par- 
ents had  settled  there  in  1840.  Mr.  Tarbox  later  followed  farming  for  four 
or  five  years  and  then  began  the  operation  of  a  savv-miil  on  the  old  McFar- 
land  place  in  Cedarville  township,  ren^aining  there  for  fifteen  years,  or  until 
the  water-power  became  exhausted,  afterward  v.orking  for  a  time  wit'i  the 
Jeffreys  cabinet  shop  and  then  luiilt  a  saw-nn'll  at  Cesl.ir-.ille.  e-tabrshing 
there  the  business  which  has  ever  since  been  carried  on  there  in  the  l;nhl;er 
line,  now  being  carried  on  under  the  name  of  the  Tarbox  Lumber  Company. 
During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Tarbox  served  as  a  soldier  of  the 
Union,  a  member  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infanitry. 
His  wife  died  on  February  24,  1901,  she  then  being  seventy-seven  years  of 
age,  and  since  then  Mr.  Tarbox  has  made  his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barber. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  67I 

He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  To 
John  M.  Tarbox  and  wife  were  born  six  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Barber 
being  Maria,  wife  of  Samuel  K.  Williamson,  living  south  of  Cedarville ; 
Merrill,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months;  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  ten  months;  William  J.,  who  early  became  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  Avith  his  father  and  is  still  thus  engaged  at  Cedarville,  a 
member  of  the  Tarbo.x  Luiuber  Company,  and  Thomas  N.,  former  post- 
master at  Cedarville,  who  also  is  a  member  of  the  Tarbox  Lumber  Company. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barber  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 


WTLLIAM  B.  CLARK. 


Wiiliym  B.  Clark,  former  postmaster  of  Clifton  and  for  years  a  merch- 
ant in  that  village,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his 
life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  early  boyhood.  Ho 
was  btrn  on  a  farm  in  Richland  county,  January  7,  1855,  son  of  Nelson  and 
Ann  t,Keagh)  Clark,  the  former  a  native  oi  Scotland  and  the  latter  of  Ire- 
land, who  became  residents  of  the  Clifton  neighborhood  along  in  the  lait'.M 
"50s  of  the  past  c;-ntury  and  there  spent  their  last  day.- 

Nclsin  Clark  was  born  in  the  year  1812  and.  wa^;  ■■ut  a  child  wheii  he 
can.ie  to  t!.is  country  with  his  parents,  the  family  conniu.'^  -ii  out  to  Ohio  and 
settling  in  Knox  cou.nty.  He  later  became  a  resident  of  i\'i)\  co.inty,  wlierf 
he  married,  his  wife  having  grown  to  womanhood  there,  she  having  been 
but  a  child  when  she  came  with  her  parents  tu  this  coun  ry,  the  family  set- 
tling in  that  county.  For  some  time  after  his  marriage  Xelson  Clark  made 
his  home  in  Richland  county  and  then  moved  to  Henry  county,  where  he 
owned  land,  moving  thence,  about  1859,  to  Greene  county,  locating  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinity  of  Clifton,  where  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1861,  lea\'ing  'lis 
widow  with  a  large  family  of  children.  These  children,  in  the  order  of  bi'lh 
were  James,  Jennie,  Samuel,  William  B.,  Alice  and  Sallie  (twins),  Mary, 
Alexander  and  Clara,  of  whom  but  four  are  nr)w  li\-ing,  the  subject  of  tliis 
sketch,  Alice,  Mary  and  Alexander. 

William  B.  Clark  was  but  four  or  five  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  ih.is 
county  with  his  parents  and  he  was  but  si.x  when  his  father  died.  He  gre-.v 
up  on  the  farm  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  Clifton  schools,  gu'ng  u\, 
into  the  high  school.  He  early  became  engaged  in  the  tanning  busines.^  at 
Clifton  and  was  thus  engaged  for  fifteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
for  a  time  worked  on  a  farm,  presently  being  appointed  postmaster  of  Clifton 
and  in  the  fall  of  1896  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  Clifton, 
taking  over  the  old  Bennett  Lewis  stand,  and  conducted  the  affairs  of  the 


672  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

postoffice  in  his  store.  For  nineteen  years  Air.  Clark  was  retained  as  post- 
master of  Clifton  and  since  the  termination  of  that  long  term  of  service  has 
continued  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business.  For  the  past  twelve  years  he 
has  been  treasurer  of  Clifton  and  he  also  has  held  other  township  and  city 
offices.  He  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias. 

In  the  spring  of  1874  William  B.  Clark  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louise 
Grindle,  daughter  of  Henry  Grindle,  of  Clifton,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  three  children,  Nelson  H.,  Anna  B.,  who  died  on  May  29,  1907,  and 
Clyde  A.,  now  living  at  Clifton,  who  married  Myrtle  Highwood,  of  Van 
Wert  county,  and  has  three  children,  Louise,  Nelson  and  Eugene.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark's  oldest  son,  Dr.  Nelson  H.  Clark,  who  married  Nellie  Lewis,  of 
Clifton,  has  been  for  some  years  a  practicing  physician  at  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  located  there  when  the  United  States  declared  war  against 
Germany  in  the  spring  of  191 7.  Doctor  Clark  offered  his  services  to  the 
government  in  behalf  of  the  National  Army  and  was  appointed  head  of  a 
hospital  unit  which  was  assembled  at  Lake  Forest,  a  suburb  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clark  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


BENJAMIN  F.  COY. 

The  late  Benjamin  F.  Coy,  who  died  at  his  home  in  the  Zimmermans 
neighborhood  in  Bea\ercreek  township  on  July  11,  191 1,  and  whose  widow 
is  still  living  tnere,  was  born  in  that  township  on  August  5,  1841,  and  all 
his  life  was  spent  there.  He  was  a  son  of  Nicholas  and  Charlotta  (Shoup) 
Coy,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  thereabout  and  further  and  fitting 
reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together  with  a  com- 
prehensive history  of  both  the  Coy  and  Shoup  families  in  Greene  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Benjamin  F.  Coy  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  upon  attaining  manhood  began  farming  on  his  own 
account,  a  vocation  he  followed  with  success  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  the  same,  as  does  his  widow.     Politically,  he  was  a  Republican. 

On  January  4,  1867,  Benjamin  F.  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Catherine  Silzel,  who  was  born  in  Dalton  county,  Pennsylvania,  fourth  in 
order  of  birth  of  the  ten  children  born  to  William  and  Catherine  (Sellers) 
Silzel,  and  to  this  union  four  children  were  born,  namely :  Emma,  who  mar- 
ried William  Glotfelter,  now  living  at  Dayton,  and  to  whom  two  children 
have  been  born,  Benjamin  (deceased)  and  Russell:  Clara,  now  deceased, 
who  was  the  wife  of  John  Lesher,  of  Alpha,  and  who  was  the  mother  of 
two  children,  but  one  of  whom,  Bessie,  is  now  living:  Lydia,  also  deceased. 


BEXJAMIX  F.  COY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  673 

who  was  the  wife  of  George  Feirstein,  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  who 
left  two  children,  Roy  and  Harold ;  and  Florence,  wife  of  Louis  Stewart, 
of  Alpha,  to  whom  four  children  have  been  born,  Marcus,  Kenneth,  Evan- 
geline (deceased)  and  an  infant  (deceased). 


MILTON  A.  SMITH. 


Milton  A.  Smith,  distributing  clerk  in  the  postoffice  at  Xenia,  was  born 
on  a  farm  one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper,  in  the  township  of 
that  name,  March  7,  1877,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all  his  life, 
formerly  and  for  seven  years  prior  to  entering  upon  service  in  the  Xenia 
postoffice  having  been  a  school  teacher  in  the  county.  His  parents,  William 
Albert  and  Keziali  (Thomas)  Smith,  also  were  born  in  this  county  and  the 
latter  is  still  living,  having  made  her  home  at  Xenia  since  her  husband's  death 
in  1908.  She  was  born  on  December  3,  1855,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Eliza 
(Beason)  Thomas,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Eliza- 
beth (Bayliff)  Thomas,  Benjamin  Thomas  having  been  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Ellen  Thomas,  who  settled  on  Painters  run  in  this  county  about  the  year 
1802,  Benjamin  Thomas  there  marrying  Elizabeth  Bayliff,  a  neighbor,  daugh- 
ter of  Joshua  and  Margaret  (Fry)  Bayliff,  who  had  come  here  from  Virginia 
about  that  same  time  or  shortly  prior  thereto  and  had  settled  in  the  Painters- 
ville  neighborhood  on  Painters  run  in  Caesarscreek  township,  all  of  which, 
together  with  a  comprehensive  history  of  this  family,  is  set  out  at  length  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Eliza  Beason  Thomas,  mother  of  Mrs.  Smith,  was 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Keziah  Beason,  who  had  a  farm  three  miles 
south  of  New  Jasper  on  the  Paintersville  road  and  who  were  the  parents  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  children.  Mrs.  Smith  was  the  first-born  of  the  eight  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  the  following:  Joshua,  born  on 
August  4,  1858,  who  died  on  November  18,  1863;  Benjamin,  January  29, 
i860,  who  died  on  November  30,  1863;  Lydia,  June  7,  1862,  wife  of  Jacob 
R.  Jones,  of  Mt.  Tabor,  this  county;  Alice,  August  7,  1864,  who  married 
J.  C.  Bales  and  died  on  January  4,  1892;  Loretta,  April  10,  1866,  who  mar- 
ried Frank  M.  Spahr  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased,  her 
death  having  occurred  on  June  i,  1915;  Francis  Marion,  February  i.  1868, 
who  married  Alice  L.  Brown  and  lives  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township, 
and  Jacob  Lewis,  May  8,  1870,  who  married  Ida  Hite  and  is  now  living  in 
Logan  county,  this  state. 

William  Albert  Smith  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarcreek  township, 
this  county,  son  of  .Burrell  and  Mary  (Bales)  Smith,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  further  mention 

(42) 


6/4  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  vokime.  Burrell  Smith  was  a  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Burrell)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Caesars- 
creek  township,  this  county,  August  i6,  1808.  John  Smitli  was  born  in 
Rappahannock  county,  Virginia,  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Ohio,  riding  through  on  horseback  to  Greene  county,  where  he  eventually 
established  his  home,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  acres 
in  Caesarscreek  township.  He  was  one  of  the  early  assessors  of  that  town- 
ship and  there  is  a  tradition  that  he  had  a  difficult  time  con\-incing  some  of 
the  settlers  that  it  was  their  duty  to  return  their  property  for  taxation.  He 
was  a  \\'hig  and  became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Republican  party  in 
this  county.  By  religious  persuasion  he  was  a  }ilethodist.  His  death  occurred 
on  January  31,  1883,  he  then  being  eighty- four  years  of  age,  and  he  was 
buried  in  the  Baptist  graveyard  near  Jamestown.  On  January  16,  1823, 
John  Smith  married  ^Margaret  Burrell  and  to  that  union  were  born  twelve 
children,  of  whom  Burrell  Smith,  grandfather  of  the  sulaject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  first-born,  the  others'  being  the  following :  William,  born  on  August 
3,  1825,  who  married  a  ]\Iiss  Ireland  and  li\'ed  at  Blainetown;  Elnora,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1827,  who  married  John  Ford  and  moved  to  Indiana:  Henry,  Sep- 
tember 12,  1829,  who  died  in  childhood;  Sarah  Ann,  April  9,  1831,  who 
married  Lafayette  Lucas  and  moved  to  Indiana;  EH,  March  21,  1833,  who 
married  Lucy  E.  Hobbs  and  moved  to  Indiana;  Elizabeth,  September  21, 
1835,  who  married  William  St.  John  and  lived  in  Caesarscreek  township; 
Nancy,  October  17,  1837,  who  died  unmarried;  Alfred,  December  6,  1839, 
a  carpenter,  who  went  to  Missouri;  Mary  Jane,  December  30,  1841,  who 
married  Asa  Devoe  and  moved  to  Indiana;  Alargaret,  February  11,  1844, 
who  is  still  living,  making  her  home  in  Jefferson  township,  widow  of  James 
W.  Clark,  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
a'nd  Emilv,  September  z-j,  1848,  who  married  Joseph  Bosnian  and  moved 
to  Indiana. 

Burrell  Smith  w-as  born  on  December  10,  1823,  and  was  reared  on  his 
father's  farm.  After  his  marriage  to  Mary  Bales,  who  was  a  memlier  of 
one  of  Greene  county's  old  families,  he  established  his  home  (in  a  farm  on 
the  line  between  New  Jasper  and  Caesarscreek  townshi]is  and  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life  there.  He  and  his  wife  were  Baptists.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  one  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  besides  th.e  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  John  B.  Smith,  now  living  at  Xenia,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Bales  &  Smith,  and  Emma  Jane,  wife  of  J.  S.  Bales, 
of  Xenia. 

William  Albert  Smith  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  began  teaching  school,  a  profession  he   followed  with   slight 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  675 

intermission  for  many  years,  or  until  his  health  became  so  broken  that  he 
no  longer  could  be  of  service  in  the  school  room.  He  owned  a  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township,  devoting  his  summers  to  the  cultivation  of  the  same.  In 
1893  he  attended  college  at  Ada,  Ohio,  graduating  in  1894.  and  later  taught 
school  at  Bellbrook.  Then  in  1896  he  located  on  his  father's  old  home  place 
in  Caesarscreek  township  and  on  the  latter  place  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  February  19,  1908.  During  his  long  service 
in  the  public  schools  of  this  county  \Villiam  A.  Smith  was  for  several  years 
the  superintendent  of  the  Bowersville  schools,  for  two  years  was  superinten- 
dent of  the  Bellbrook  schools,  for  two  years  head  of  the  schools  at  New  Burl- 
mgton  and  later  was  returned  in  charge  of  the  schools  at  Bowersville,  where 
he  was  serving  when  his  health  failed  and  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from 
the  school  room.  He  was  a  Repulalican  and  a  member  of  the  Mr.  Tabor 
-'.jcihc;list  Episcopal  church.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Airs.  Smith 
has  been  making  her  home  with  the  family  of  John  Bales  at  ^^  West  Tliird 
street,  Xenia.  It  was  on  March  11,  1875,  that  William  Albert  Smith  and 
Keziah  Thomas  were  united  in  marriage.  To  that  union  were  born  four 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  Lucien  E.  Smith,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinit}-  of  Mt. 
Tabor  church,  seven  miles  southeast  of  Xenia:  Prof.  Orma  J.  B.  Smith, 
now  an  instructor  in  the  University  of  Idaho,  and  William  M.  Smith,  a 
farmer,  living  in  Caesarscreek  township. 

Milton  A.  Smith  spent  his  youth  mainly  on  the  farm  and  his  early  school- 
ing was  received  in  such  schools  as  his  father  would  be  teaching  from  term 
to  term,  his  course  being  completed  by  attendance  at  the  high  school  at  Ada 
and  the  high  school  at  Bellbrook.  When  tVventy-one  years  of  age  he  began 
teaching  in  the  schools  of  this  county  and  was  for  seven  years  thereafter  thus 
engaged,  employing  his  summers  on  the  farm.  In  July.  1909,  Mr.  Smith 
accompanied  his  widowed  mother  to  Xenia  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home 
in  that  city.  Upon  taking  up  his  residence  there  he  entered  a  civil  service 
examination  and  in  the  following  October  was  appointed  to  service  in  the 
postoffice,  being  put  on  as  a  substitute  mail  carrier.  N^ot  long  afterward  he 
was  transferred  to  a  position  as  clerk  and  presently  was  promoted  to  the 
position  of  distributing  clerk  in  the  postoffice,  a  position  he  ever  since  has  held. 

On  May  14,  1913,  Milton  A.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lavina 
A.  Martin,  who  was  born  in  Maryland,  daughter  of  John  and  Amanda  Martin, 
now  living  on  a  farm  in  the  Cumberland  valley  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Xenia  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  local  locige  of  the  Independent  Order  oi  Odd  Fellows.  He  and  his 
wife  reside  at  410  West  Main  street. 


6/6  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ALBERT  F.  HERIXG. 

The  late  Albert  F.  Hering.  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beavercreek 
township,  rural  mail  route  No.  lo  out  of  Xenia.  December  31,  191 2,  and 
whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was  born  in  that  township  on  December 
16,  1845,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Steele)  Hering,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  that  same  township,  members  of  pioneer  families,  Jacob  Hering 
having  been  bom  in  1808,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Barbara  (Richenbach)  Hering, 
natives  of  Switzerland,  who  settled  in  this  county  not  long  after  their  ar- 
rival in  this  country  and  were  thus  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  part 
of  Ohio.  They  established  their  home  in  Beavercreek  township  and  there 
reared  their  family,  the  one  son,  Jacob,  and  three  daughters,  Elizabeth,  Mar- 
garet  and    Barbara. 

The  younger  Jacob  Hering  early  became  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  management  of  the  home  place  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  con- 
tinued the  operation  of  the  place.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  treasurer 
of  his  home  township,  was  also  for  some  years  township  trustee  and  during 
the  most  of  his  active  life  was  a  school  director.  Fraternally,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Xenia  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  church.  They  were  married  in  183 1  and  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was 
the  last  born.  Two  of  the  latter's  brothers  ser\^ed  with  distinction  during 
the  Civil  War,  Henrj'  F.  Hering  being  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the 
war  as  captain  of  Company  E,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  is  now  a  retired  physician,  living  at  Minneapolis.  John  J. 
Hering  was  commissioned  first  lieutenant  of  Company  E  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  but  was  later  transferred  to  Company  A 
and  was  made  adjutant  of  the  regiment.  After  serving  three  months  he 
contracted  typhoid  fever  and  was  sent  home,  where  he  died  in  October,  1864. 

Albert  F.  Hering  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia  schools  and 
upon  attaining  his  majority  began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  home 
place  and  after  his  marriage  in  1874  continued  to  live  there  until  '1893, 
when  he  bought  the  Bates  place,  remaining  there  until  1906,  when  he  bought 
the  old  Harris  Munger  place  on  which  he  spent  his  last  days  and  on  \\'hich 
his  widow  still  resides,  a  place  of  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  Mr. 
Hering  was  a  Republican  and  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  local  school 
board,  serving  in  that  capacity  at  the  time  the  Beavercreek  high  school  was 
organized.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  as  is  his  widow, 
and  for  years  he  was  a  deacon  of  the  church  and  a  trustee.  He  was  buried 
in  the  Beaver  Greek  cemetery. 

In  1874,  Albert  F.  Hering  was  united  in  marriage  to  Matilda  Munger, 


Ci^y^  A/cy)^-i^^^j 


GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO  677 

who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  ^Montgomery,  daughter  of  Harris 
and  Elizabeth  Munger,  who  later  became  residents  of  Beavercreek  township, 
this  county,  and  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume, and  to  that  union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  Clarence  Franklin, 
now  living  at  Osborn,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  railway  service,  and  who 
married  Alice  Cora  Wilson,  of  Madison  county,  and  has  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth  Isabel;  Edgar  Russell,  now  living  at  Hamilton,  this  state, 
where  he  is  engaged  as  a  stationary  engineer,  and  who  married  Catherine 
Turner,  of  this  county,  and  has  four  children,  Emma,  Matilda,  Russell, 
Catherine  and  Edward  Everett;  Harris  Munger  Hering,  now  assisting  in 
the  building  of  aeroplanes  at  Lorain,  who  on  April  7,  1913,  married  Lena 
Gantz,  of  Alpha,  anil  has  two  sons,  Leroy  Alartin  and  Arthur  Franklin ; 
Mary  Edna,  who  on  March  10,  1914,  married  Ora  A.  Allen,  a  rural  mail 
carrier  out  of  Jeffersonville,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Robert;  and  Jacob 
Early,  who  is  operating  the  home  place  for  his  mother  and  who  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,   1915,  married  Daisy  Nelson,  of  Springfield. 


ISAAC  B.  PRESTON. 


Isaac  B.  Preston,  former  mayor  of  Clifton  and  for  years  engaged  in 
the  milling  business  in  that  village,  proprietor  of  the  water-power  flour-mill 
that  was  established  there  in  1892,  and  who  also  furnishes  the  electric  power 
for  the  villages  of  Clifton,  Cedarville  and  Yellow  Springs,  is  a  native  of 
Missouri,  born  in  Mercer  county  in  that  state,  January  10,  1868.  Mr.  Pres- 
ton has  always  been  connected  with  the  flour-milling  business,  as  were  his 
father  and  his  grandfather  before  him,  and  in  all  his  housekeeping  career 
he  has  never  had  to  buy  flour  but  once,  and  on  that  occasion  a  twelve-and-a- 
half-pound  sack  of  flour  tided  him  over  the  emergency.  His  father,  Jesse 
Preston,  was  born  at  Bloomington,  Illinois,  in  1831,  his  father  at  that  time 
being  there  engaged  in  the  milling  business,  one  of  the  pioneer  millers  of 
that  section  of  Illinois. 

Jesse  Preston  grew  up  to  the  milling  business  and  when  twenty  years 
of  age  became  thus  engaged  on  his  own  account.  He  married  Eliza  Bryan, 
who  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  in  the  '50s  located  in  Mercer  county,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  became  a  miller,  later  moving  to  Barry  county,  in  that  same 
state,  where  he  had  a  mill  eight  miles  south  of  Cassville.  Jesse  Preston  died 
in  1891.  His  wife  died  in  the  3'ear  1878.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  William,  who  died  in  youth ;  Anna,  who  also  died  in  youth ; 
Matilda,  who  died  in  1888;  Sherman,  a  machinist,  now  living  in  California, 


678  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

who  married  Angie  Quinn  and  has  two  children ;  Ada  Carohne,  who  mar- 
ried E.  J.  Tartar,  a  blacksmith,  now  living  at  Vinita,  Oklahoma,  and  has 
eight  children ;  Berry  J.,  unmarried,  who  is  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
with  his  brother  Isaac  at  Clifton,  and  Anna  (second),  who  died  when  a 
young  girl. 

Isaac  B.  Preston  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  fro:n 
Mercer  to  Barry  county,  Missouri,  in  1883,  and  he  there  grew  up  to  the  mill- 
ing business,  continuing  there  thus  engaged,  in  the  mill  eight  miles  south  of 
Cassville,  for  twenty-five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  there  and  came  to  Ohio,  locating  at  Clifton,  where  he  bought  the 
water-power  mill  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  that 
place.  The  Clifton  mills  were  established  at  the  fine  water'  power  at  that 
site  many  years  ago  and  the  present  mill  is  the  third  that  has  Ijeen  erected 
at  that  site.  Mr.  Preston  took  charge  of  his  present  property  there  on  April 
3,  1907,  and  has  since  then  made  many  improvements  to  the  industry.  In 
addition  to  his  flour-milling  business  he  is  also  operating,  by  the  same  water 
[ovvcr,  a  saw-mill,  stone  crusher  and  an  electric-light  plant,  from  which 
latter  the  villages  of  Clifton,  Cedarville  and  Yellow  Springs  derive  the'r 
light.  Mr.  Preston  is  a  Democrat  and  during  his  residence  in  Missouri  fi-r 
years  held  the  position  as  committeeman  from  his  home  precinct.  Upon 
coming  to  Greene  county  he  continued  his  interest  in  political  affairs  and  is 
now  a  member  of  the  county  Democratic  central  committee.  During  the 
term  1913-14  he  served  as  mayor  of  the  town  of  Clifton.  Mr.  Preston  was 
made  a  Mason  in  1889,  made  an  Odd  Fellow  in  that  same  year  and  in  1907. 
the  year  of  his  arrival  at  Clifton,  became  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  at  that  place.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  United  Com- 
mercial Travelers  Association. 

On  October  18,  1888,  in  Barry  county,  Missouri,  Isaac  B.  Preston  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Edith  M.  Hartley,  who  was  born  in  Delaware  county, 
this  .state,  but  who  in  18S7  had  moved  to  Missouri  with  her  pare:it?.  the 
Rev.  B.  W.  Hartlev  and  wife,  the  former  nf  whom  was  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Cleo  F.,  born  on  August  24,  1889,  and  Chester  M..  June  24,  1891.  Cleo  F. 
PrestQn  married  Fred  W.  Corry,  of  this  county,  who  is  now  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  with  Mr.  Preston,  and  has  three  sons.  Preston,  Dewitt  R. 
and  Chester.  Chester  M.  Preston,  who  also  is  engaged  with  his  father  in 
the  milling  business  at  Clifton,  in  1912  married  Ruth  Corry,  daughter  of 
Robert  E.  Corry,  a  member  of  the  present  board  of  county  commissioners, 
and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  one  an  infant  who  died  at 
birth,  and  Robert  Chester,  born  on  April  7,  191 8.  The  Prestons  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbvterian  church. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  679 

GEORGE  GREIXER. 

The  first  house  on  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  village  of  Fairfield,  in  this 
county,  was  built  by  George  Greiner,  a  soldier  of  the  American  Revolution, 
who  came  over  to  this  part  of  Ohio  about  the  year  1805  and  settled  at  that 
point,  which  then  was  included  in  Beavercreek  eownship,  but  which  in  1807 
became  organized  as  Bath  township.  There  this  Re\olutionary  soldier  and 
!iis  family  established  their  home,  the  Greiners  thus  becoming  numbered  among 
the  first  families  of  Greene  county,  and  are  still  represented  at  Fairfield,  Otto 
A.  Wilson,  a  great-grandson  of  this  pioneer,  now  being  mayor  of  the  village. 

John  Greiner,  one  of  the  sons  of  the  pioneer  George  Greiner,  was  born 
in  1799  and  was  thus  but  six  years  of  age  when  he  became  a  resident  of  this 
county,  the  rest  of  his  life  being  spent  here.  After  his  marriage  he  established 
his  home  in  Fairfield,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  building  trades,  one 
of  the  leading  carpenters  in  that  part  of  the  county.  One  of  his  sons,  George 
Greiner,  grew  up  at  Fairfield  and  as  a  young  man  learned  the  blacksmith 
trade,  but  later  took  up  farming  and  was  engaged  in  the  latter  vocation  until 
1873,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Xenia  and  there  became  engaged  in 
the  clothing  business.  Upon  his  retirement  from  business  he  continued  to 
make  his  home  in  Xenia  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring 
in  1913.  He  and  his  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  Patience  Folkerth,  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  the  other  two 
of  whom,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Russell  and  DeEtta,  are  still  living,  the  latter 
still  a  resident  of  Xenia.  Russell  Greiner  is  rjne  of  that  considerable  number 
of  the  ambitious  sons  of  Greene  county  who  have  achieved  something  more 
that  merely  local  fame  in  other  places.  He  is  engaged  in  the  lithographing  and 
engraving  business  at  Kansas  City  and  is  a  past  president  of  the  International 
Rotary  Club. 

DeEtta  Greiner  was  li\-ing  at  Xenia  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  the 
late  Major  William  M.  Wilson  and  is  still  living  there  at  the  corner  of  Church 
and  King  streets.  ]\Irs.  Wilson  is  a  member  of  Trinity  ?\[ethodist  Episcopal 
church,  as  was  her  husl^and,  and  is  the  present  regent  of  Catherine  Greene 
chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  late  Major  William  M.  AVilson  was  born  at  Zanesville,  this  state, 
and  was  t^venty-one  years  of  age  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted 
for  service  in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  the  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  company  to  which  he  was  attached,  presently  being  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  captain  of  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  While 
serving  with  that  command  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  he  was  captured  by 
the  enemy  and  for  nine  months  thereafter  was  confined  in  Southern  prison  pens 


68o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

before  securing  his  exchange.  Near  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  breveted 
major  and  with  this  rank  was  mustered  out  after  a  service  of  nearly  four 
years.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Major  Wilson  located  at 
Xenia,  in  1865,  but  a  few  years  later  went  to  Logansport,  Indiana,  where  he 
became  engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  Upon  his  retirement  from  busi- 
ness he  returned  to  Xenia,  there  married  Miss  Greiner  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  191 5.  The  major  was  a  York 
Rite  Alason,  elevated  to  the  commandery,  Knights  Templar,  in  Indiana,  and 
upon  his  return  to  Ohio  was  demitted  to  the  Xenia  commandery. 


DAVID  O.  SHEELEY. 


David  O.  Sheeley,  a  retired  farmer  now  living  at  Alpha  and  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  of  something  more  than  one  hundred  and  eight  acres  in  the 
southern  part  of  Beavercreek  township,  was  born  in  that  part  of  the  county 
now  included  in  Jefferson  township  on  August  25,  1846,  son  of  William  B. 
and  Elizabeth  (Osborne)  Sheeley,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Clermont 
county,  this  state,  October  31,  181 6.  Her  father,  a  Virginian  and  a  Meth- 
odist preacher,  blacksmith  and  farmer,  came  to  Greene  county  with  his 
family  in  1833  and  bought  about  one  thousand  acres  of  land  in  that  part  of 
Silvercreek  township  that  later  came  to  be  set  off  as  Jefferson  township.  Her 
maternal  grandfather,  the  Rev.  Philip  Gatch,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  Meth- 
odist preachers  of  Ohio  and  a  noted  evangelist  in  his  day,  and  for  twenty- 
one  years  was  one  of  the  associate  judges  of  Clermont  county. 

William  B.  Sheeley  was  born  in  Greene  county  on  October  24,  181 1, 
and  on  Xo\ember  14,  1841,  married  Elizabeth  Osborne.  He  became  a 
farmer  in  Jefferson  township  and  there  died  on  May  21,  1870.  His  widow 
survived  him  until  1890.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
Preciosa,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Tysor,  of  Missouri ;  Mrs.  Pallas  Brookbank, 
deceased ;  Moses,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  weeks ;  Isaac,  deceased ;  Lydia, 
unmarried,  and  Mrs.  Harriet  Hunt,  of  Clinton  county.  By  a  previous  mar- 
riage William  B.  Sheeley  was  the  father  of  two  children,  Reuben  and 
George. 

David  O.  Sheeley  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  early  became  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  own  account,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  a  fraction 
more  than  one  hundred  and  eight  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Beavercreek 
township,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  retirement  about  five  years  ago  and 
removal  to  Alpha,  where  he  is  now  living,  renting  his  farm  land.  Politically, 
Mr.  Sheeley  is  a  Democrat,  and  by  religious  persuasian  is  a  Methodist. 

On  April  30,  1868,  David  O.  Sheeley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  68l 

J.  Weeks,  who  was  born  in  Warren  county  on  October  lo,  1850,  and  who 
died  on  December  9,  191 7.  To  that  union  three  children  were  Ijorn,  Charles 
C,  John  W.  and  Ivy  Ethel,  the  latter  of  whom  married  William  Netherton, 
a  Beavercreek  township  farmer,  and  has  eight  children,  William,  Ethel, 
Arthur,  Alvida,  Elizabeth,  Elwood,  Stephen  and  Charles.  Mr.  Sheeley's 
elder  son,  Charles  C.  Sheeley,  now  foreman  of  a  machine  shop  at  Dayton, 
married  Catherine  Greenwald  and  has  six  children,  Anna,  Dorothy,  Bessie, 
David,  Frederick  and  Caroline.  Anna,  the  first-born  of  these,  is  married 
and  has  one  child,  Charles  Caron.  John  W.  Sheeley,  also  a  machinist,  now 
living  in  Detroit,  married  Matilda  Neff  and  has  three  children,  Ruth,  who 
is  married  and  has  one  child,  and  Alice  and  John. 


JOHN  L.  McKILLIP. 

John  L.  McKillip,  for  some'  years  past  living  practically  retired  at  his 
farm  home  in  Silvercreek  township,  is  a  native  "Buckeye"'  and  has  been  a 
resident  of  Greene  county  and  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  ever 
since  his  marriage  when  twenty  years  of  age.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  west 
of  the  village  of  Jeffersonville,  in  Jefferson  township,  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Fayette,  in  sight  of  his  present  home,  February  17,  1840,  son  of  James  and 
Rachel  (Mills)  Mclvillip,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Greene  county,  a 
member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  here. 

James  McKillip  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  Fayette  county,  a  son 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Whicker)  McKillip,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from 
North  Carolina  in  pioneer  days  and  had  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  north  of 
Jeffersonville,  in  Fayette  county.  John  McKillip  had  been  drafted  for  service 
during  the  Revolutionary  War,  but  sent  his  brother-in-law  in  his  stead.  Before 
his  death  he  was  given  a  land  warrant,  but  the  same  was  lost.  He  became  a 
pioneer  of  the  Jeffersonville  neighborhood,  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres 
of  land,  and  both  he  and  his  w.ife  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Their 
children  were  Bettie,  John,  James,  Sallie,  Jane,  Martha,  Polly,  Nancy  and 
Thomas,  and  the  McKilhp  family  thus  became  a  numerous  one  in  this  part  of 
the  state  in  succeeding  generations.  James  McKillip  married  Rachel  Mills 
when  twenty-two  years  of  age  and  established  his  home  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  place  on  which  he  was  born.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  farm  he 
came  over  into  Greene  county  and  located  at  Jamestown,  where  he  and  his 
wife  spent  their  last  days,  both  living  to  be  seventy-one  years  of  age.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
the  following:  Thomas,  who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth;  Nancy,  who  also 
died  voung ;  Clarissa,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood ;  Sallie,  who  mar- 
ried Robert  Walton  and  is  now  living  in  Iowa;  William,  deceased;  Geneva, 


682  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

wife  of  Sanford  Browder,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  \Var,  living  in  Fayette 
county ;  Riley,  who  married  Alollie  Spahr  and  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days,  and  Plarlan  and  Octavia,  who  died  in  the  days  of  their  child- 
hood. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Fayette  county,  John  L.  ]\IcKillip  received 
his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  remained  at  home  until 
his  marriage  in  i860,  he  then  being  not  quite  twenty  years  of  age,  after  which 
he  established  his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  still  living,  in  Silvercreek 
township,  this  county,  securing  there  a  tract  of  eighty-seven  acres  and  starting 
his  farming  operations  with  a  cash  balance  of  twenty-six  dollars.  As  time 
passed  he  gradually  added  to  his  land  holdings  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
more  than  twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  five  hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  of 
which  lie  still  owns,  having  given  more  than  seven  hundred  acres  to  his  chil- 
dren as  they  began  to  do  for  themselves.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming 
^Ir.  McKilHp  was  for  years  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business.  For  the  past 
eight  years  he  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the 
farm.  ]\lr.  ]\IcKillip  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  Baptists,  in 
which  faith  they  reared  their  children,  \\lien  Mr.  and  Airs.  McKillip  fifty- 
eight  years  ago  entered  upon  possession  of  the  place  on  which  they  are  now 
living  the  only  buildings  on  the  place  were  a  little  old  log  cabin  and  a  ram- 
shackle stable,  but  it  was  not  long  until  they  began  to  see  their  way  clear  to  the 
substantial  improvements  of  the  place  and  in  1871  built  the  brick  house  which 
has  ever  since  served  them  as  a  place  of  residence  and  in  which  their  children 
were  reared. 

It  was  on  January  8,  i860,  that  John  L.  AIcKillip  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Webb,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  south  of  the  village  of  James- 
town in  tliis  county,  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  and  Martha  (Bryan)  Webb,  the 
former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  Dinwiddie 
county,  \^irginia,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  ]\Iary  Bryan,  who  had  settled 
south  of  Jamestown  upon  coming  to  this  co\inty  in  pioneer  days.  Thomas 
Bryan  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  those  besides  ^ilrs.  \\'elib 
having  been  Morrison,  Joseph,  Reese,  Thomas.  Alary  J.,  Sidney,  Catherine 
and  Betsy  Ann.  Thomas  B.  Webb  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  this 
county,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Bull)  Webb,  Virginians,  who  had  become 
pioneers  of  Greene  county.  Samuel  ^^'ebb  was  a  soldier 'of  the  Revolution 
and  upon  coming  to  this  county  settled  on  land  south  of  Jamestown,  where 
he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  had  four  children. 
Afaria,  Harriet,  Asaph  and  Thomas  B.  The  last-named  was  born  in  1S16 
and  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  his  parents  had  settled  upon  coming  to 
this  county.  After  his  marriage  to  Martha  Bryan  he  continued  farming  south 
of  Jamestown.     He  died  at  the  age  of  seventv  vears  and  his  wife  lived  to  be 


GREENfi    COUNTY,    0111(1  683 

seventy-four.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  those  besides  Mrs. 
McKilhp  having  been  Mary,  who  married  George  Weymer,  of  the  James- 
town neighborhood;  John  L.,  who  is  Hving  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedarville; 
James,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton,  and  Samuel,  deceased. 

To  John  L.  and  Mary  (Webb)  McKillip  eight  children  have  been  born 
and  six  are  hving.  Amy  S.,  their  first-born,  is  tht^  wife  of  W'ilham  Shiflett, 
of  Jamestown.  Lester,  their  only  son,  is  now  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  Jef- 
fersonville,  over  in  Fayette  county.  He  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
having  been  Ivy  Armstrong  and  his  second,  Catherine  Matthews,  and  has  two 
children,  Ray  and  John.  Irene  C,  the  second  daughter,  married  Walter  Adsit, 
of  Dayton,  and  has  six  children,  Harry,  who  is  employed  at  Dayton ;  Warren, 
who  is  now  connected  with  the  aviation  corps  of  the  National  Army;  ]\Iarv, 
who  is  employed  as  a  stenographer  in  the  service  of  the  government  at  the 
aviation  field  at  Fairfield,  and  Elmer,  Roscoe  and  Roy.  Flora,  the  next  daugh- 
ter, is  the  wife  of  William  Johnson,  a  sergeant  of  the  Dayton  police  force, 
with  which  force  he  has  been  continuously  connected  for  twenty-three  years. 
MoUie,  the  next  daughter,  married  Frank  Gordon,  a  farmer,  of  Silvercreek 
township,  and- has  one  child,  a  son,  Guy  H.,  and  Lena,  the  last-born,  is  the 
wife  of  Foster  Jenks,  a  farmer  of  Fayette  county.  In  1910  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McKillip  celebrated  the  golden  anniversary  of  their  marriage  and  the  occasion 
was  made  one  of  much  felicitation  on  the  part  of  their  many  friends. 


WILLJAM  GILMORE  TAYLOR. 

Not  only  was  the  late  William  Gilmore  Taylor,  who  died  at  his  home  in 
Sugarcreek  township  on  April  19,  1918,  one  of  the  oldest  continuous  resi- 
dents of  Greene  county,  but  he  had  the  distinction  of  being  a  grandson  of  a 
man  who  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood,  long  before  this  section  became  the 
habitation  of  white  men,  was  for  seven  years  an  enforced  resident  of  this 
region,  a  captive  of  the  Indians  who  then  had  their  village  or  "chillicothe" 
overlooking  the  river  at  the  point  now  known  as  Oldtown,  north  of  Xenia. 
That  captive  lad  was  John  Gilmore,  who  was  captured,  together  with .  his 
mother,  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  massacre  at  Kerrs  Creek,  in  Rockbridge 
county,  Virginia.  His  father  and  the  other  children  of  the  family  were  slain 
by  the  Indians  and  their  bodies  burned  in  the  ruins  of  their  home,  the  chil- 
dren's brains  being  dashed  out  by  the  savages  in  the  presence  of  their  mother 
and  their  bodies  thrown  into  the  burning  house.  The  savages  retained  the 
mother  and  the  seven-year-old  son  John  as  camp  servants  and  brought  them 
back  to  the  headquarters  of  the  tribe  at  the  then  considerable  Shawnee  vil- 
lage now  marked  by  the  picturesque  hamlet  of  Oldtown.  For  seven  years 
the  widow  Gilmore  and  her  son  John  were  kept  captive  here  and  then  one 


684  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  the  white  men  also  held  captive  there  effected  his  escape  and  made  his  way 
back  East,  in  due  time  getting  word  to  the  friends  of  Mrs.  Gilmore  of  the 
plight  of  the  widow  and  her  son.  In  Rockbridge  county  it  had  all  the  time 
been  supposed  that  Mrs.  Gilmore  and  the  lad  John  had  perished  with  the 
other  members  of  the  family.  A  rescue  party  of  fifteen  determined  men  was 
raised  and  this  party  proceeded  on  out  here  into  the  then  wilderness,  reaching 
the  chillicothe  at  a  time  when  the  "braves"  of  the  camp  were  away  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition.  Keeping  themselves  concealed  until  they  presently  saw  Mrs. 
Gilmore  making  her  way  to  the  spring  for  water,  they  there  apprised  her  of 
the  object  of  their  mission.  She  returned  to  the  village  and  without  creating 
suspicion  in  the  minds  of  the  squaws  told  her  son  to  help  her  get  water 
from  the  spring,  the  two  thus  returning  to  the  clump  of  bushes  which  con- 
cealed the  rescue  party  and  all  quickly  made  their  way  out  of  sight  of  the 
village.  Four  days  later  they  were  overtaken  by  a  party  of  Indians  sent  to 
recapture  the  escaping  captives,  but  the  redskins  were  repulsed  and  the  widow 
Gilmore  and  her  son  John  were  presently  restored  to  their  old  home  and 
friends  in  Rockbridge  county.  William  Gilmore  Taylor's  mother  was  a 
granddaughter  of  this  plucky  widow  and  a  daughter  of  John  Gilmore,  the 
lad  whose  youth  had  been  spent  doing  repulsive  chores  for  his  savage  cap- 
tors in  the  region  now  comprised  within  Greene  county.  John  Gilmore 
became  a  valley  farmer  in  Rockbridge  county,  a  stanch  Presbyterian  and 
the  father  of  twelve  children.  He  lived  to  be  ninety-six  years  of  age  and 
until  within  a  year  of  his  death  walked  the  sides  of  his  native  mountains  with 
vigor  practically  unimpaired.  One  of  his  daughters,  Frances  Gilmore,  mar- 
ried Isaac  Taylor,  a  resident  of  Rockbridge  county,  and  the  two  came  to 
Ohio,  presently  locating  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  where  they  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives. 

Isaac  Taylor  was  born  on  a  vessel  crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  the 
year  1800,  while  his  parents  were  making  their  way  from  Belfast,  Ireland, 
to  this  country.  The  Taylors  located  in  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  and 
there  reared  their  family.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  two 
sons,  Isaac  and  Andrew,  and  two  daughters,  one  of  the  latter  of  whom  mar- 
ried a  Botkins  and  settled  in  Kentucky.  There  in  Rockbridge  county  Isaac 
Taylor  grew  to  manhood,  being  trained  to  the  trade  of  a  tanner,  and  mar- 
ried Frances  Gilmore,  who  was  born  in  that  county  in  1803,  daughter  of  the 
John  Gilmore  mentioned  above.  After  their  marriage  Isaac  Taylor  and  his 
wife,  accompanied  by  one  slave  given  them  by  Mrs.  Taylor's  father,  came  to 
Ohio,  in  1829,  and  settled  in  Preble  county,  where  Mr.  Taylor  promptly  freed 
his  slave.  Not  finding  conditions  there  to  their  liking,  Isaac  Taylor  and  his 
wife  the  next  year,  in  1830,  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  bought  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Ross  township,  the  same  adjoining  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  685 

farm  of  Isaac  Lackey,  north  of  Jamestown,  and  later  became  the  owners  of 
eight  hundred  acres  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  hves,  the  latter 
dying  about  1880  and  the  fonner,  in  June,  1884.  For  some  time  after  com- 
ing to  Ohio  Isaac  Taylor  was  engaged  in  teaching  school,  supplemental  to 
his  work  of  developing  his  farm.  He  also  was  one  of  the  pioneer  singing- 
school  teachers  in  that  part  of  the  county.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  at  one 
time  and  another  held  various  township  offices.  He  was  reared  a  Presbyte- 
rian, but  later  gave  his  mental  allegiance  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Campbellites, 
though  he  did  not  formally  unite  with  that  communion.  Isaac  and  Frances 
(Gilmore)  Taylor  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  memorial  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Mary 
Jane,  who  became  the  wife  of  Ira  Adair,  of  this  county;  Magdaline,  who 
married  Jackson  Ballard,  also  of  this  county;  John,  who  made  his  home  at 
Xenia,  where  his  last  days  were  spent ;  Daniel,  who  made  his  home  at  James- 
town, where  he  died,  and  whose  son,  Jesse  Taylor,  attained  more  than  local 
fame  as  an  advocate  of  the  good-roads  movement,  and  Isaac,  who  made  his 
home  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  where  his  last  days  were  spent. 

The  late  William  Gilmore  Taylor,  last  survivor  of  the  six  children  bom 
to  Isaac  and  Frances  (Gilmore)  Taylor,  was  born  on  March  19,  1S32,  on 
the  farm  on  which  his  parents  had  settled  upon  taking  up  their  residence  in 
Ross  township  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  after  his  marriage  in  1859  established  his  home  on  a 
portion  of  his  father's  eight-hundred-acre  tract  and  there  made  his  home  for 
ten  years,  or  until  1869,  when  he  sold  the  place  on  which  he  had  been  living 
and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  acres  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship, moved  onto  the  same  and  there  spent  his  last  days.  For  some  years 
past  Mr.  Taylor  had  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of 
the  farm,  having  long  ago  turned  over  the  management  of  the  place  to 
his  eldest  son,  Eldorus  G.  Taylor,  who  is  now  operating  the  farm.  Though 
reared  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Taylor  became  a  Republican  under  the  Lincoln  ad- 
ministration and  ever  after  espoused  the  principles  of  that  party.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia,  as  is  his  widow, 
and  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  congregation, 
and  also  for  some  time  served  as  class  leader,  while  Mrs.  Taylor  ever  has 
taken  an  interested  part  in  the  work  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society.  During 
the  Civil  War  Mr.  Taylor  served  as  a  member  of  Ohio's  locally  noted 
"squirrel  hunters"  and  with  that  organization  went  out  to  help  repel  Mor- 
gan's invasion  of  the  state. 

On  December  29,  1859,  William  G.  Taylor  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  Long,  who  also  was  born  in  Ohio,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Margaret 
(McMillan)  Long,  of  Lost  Creek  township  in  the  nearby  county  of  Miami, 


686  GREEXE    COL'XrY,    OHIO 

and  to  this  union  five  children  were  born,  namely :  Eldorus  Gilmore,  bom  on 
January  ii,  1861,  who,  as  noted  above,  is  now  managing  the  home  farm; 
\Mlliani  X'incent,  January  22,  1865,  a  farmer,  now  living  at  Bellbrook,  who 
married  Nellie  Cunningham  and  has  four  children.  Ethel  A.,  Hazel  L.,  W. 
^'irgil  and  Ocy;  James  Haney,  ]\Iarch  30,  1867,  a  carpenter,  now  living  at 
Xenia,  who  married  Ida  Seiber  and  has  twin  children,  Erman  and  Elsie ; 
Ocy  Lenore,  who  married  James  Sanders  and  died  in  Tennessee,  leaving  two 
children,  Jessie  and  Dena ;  and  Dessie,  who  married  Clinton  Beal,  of  Sugar- 
creek  township,  and  has  three  children,  Frances,  Gladys  and  Velda. 


JOHX  MELMX  JACOBY. 

Elsewhere  in  this  work  there  is  mention  of  the  Jacoby  family,  one  of  the 
first  families  to  settle  in  the  Oldtown  neighborhood  in  Greene  county.  The 
Gowdy  familv,  with  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  connected  on  "the 
distaff  side,"  is  also  one  of  the  real  old  families  of  the  county,  so  that 
wherever  the  Jacobys  or  the  Gowdys  are  found  hereabout  it  may  very  prop- 
erlv  be  taken  for  granted  that  they  are  descendants  of  the  old  pioneer  stock 
which  has  been  represented  here  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

John  Melvin  Gowdy,  owner  of  a  farm  northwest  of  Goes  Station,  in 
Xenia  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  that  same  township  on  January  15, 
1867,  a  son  of  James  Henry  and  Mary  (Harner)  Jacoby,  both  of  whom 
were  also  born  in  Xenia  township,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Oldtown,  and  the 
latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  making  her  home  at  Oldtown.  James  Henry 
Jacoby  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Brush  road,  three  miles  north  of  Xenia, 
June  10,  1839,  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  (Gowdy)  Jacoby,  the  former  of 
whom  was  also  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter  in  Kentucky.  Peter 
Jacobv,  born  on  September  3,  1801,  was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Jacoby, 
who  came  here  from  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this 
part  of  Ohio  and  located  on  a  tract  of  land  on  the  old  Brush  road  in  the 
vicinity  of  Oldtown,  the  old  Shawnee  Indian  village  or  "chillicothe."  where 
John  Jacoby  erected  and  operated  a  pioneer  mill.  There  Peter  Jacoby  grew 
to  manhood  and  in  1826  married  Sarah  Gowdy,  who  was  born  on  March  6, 
1803,  daughter  of  John  and  Abigail  (Ryan)  Gowdy,  and  who  was  but  a 
child  when  the  Gowdy  family,  headed  by  her  grandfather,  John  Gowdy, 
came  up  here  from  Kentucky,  her  parents  locating  in  Xenia  in  1809.  On  the 
gravestone  of  the  patriarch  John  Gowdy,  in  the  old  Asssociate  graveyard, 
the  name  is  spelled  Goudy.  Just  when  he  settled  in  Sugarcreek  township  is 
not  known,  but  he  was  there  previous  to  1803,  as  his  name  appears  on  the 
first  enumeration  of  that  township  taken  in  that  year,  the  year  in  which 
Greene  county  was  organized  as  a  civic  unit.     He  died  in  1814,  at  the  age  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  687 

seventy-two  years,  and  his  widow  survived  him  until  May  6,  1838.  John 
and  Abigail  (Ryan)  Gowdy  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom 
Sai^ah,  the  maternal  grandmother  of  ]\Ir.  Jacoby,  was  the  last-born,  the 
others  having  been:  Mary,  born  on  April  13,  1775;  Joseph,  May  20,  lyyy, 
Samuel,  June  9,  1780;  Robert,  April  4,  1782,  who  had  a  tanyard  in  Xenia 
at  an  early  day;  Martin,  January  27,  1785;  Jane,  May  31,  1787;  John, 
August  3,  1789;  Alexander,  April  2,  1792;  Ryan,  February,  1795,  who  was 
one  of  the  first  merchants  in  Xenia,  and  Abigail,  July  17,  1797.  To  Peter 
and  Sarah  (Gowdy)  Jacoby,  the  latter  of  whom  died  on  March  2,  1869,  were 
born  eleven  children,  one  of  these  having  been  James  Henry  Jacoby,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch. 

James  Henry  Jacoby  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  place  in  the  vicinity 
of  Oldtown  and  on  January  31,  1861,  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Harner,  who 
was  born  at  Oldtown,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Morgan)  Harner, 
also  members  of  old  families  in  this  county,  further  mention  of  whom  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  After  his  marriage  James  H.  Jacoby  con- 
tinued farming  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  retirement  in  1899.  He  died 
on  May  28,  1907,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  Xenia.  As  noted  above, 
his  widow  is  still  living  at  Oldtown.  To  James  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Harner) 
Jacoby  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subj-ect  of  this  sketch  was  the 
fourth  in  order  of  birth,  tlie  others  being  tlie  following:  Sarah,  wife  nf 
Frank  CarHsle,  of  Springfield,  this  state;  Charles  Martin,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  three  years;  David  W.,  who  married  Mary  Carl  and  is  living  at 
Springfield,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  contracting  business;  Mary  H.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  four  years;  Martha  Isal^el,  wife  of  Herbert  Keenan,  of 
Oldtown;  James  Henry,  a  motorman  on  the  traction  line,  who  is  unmarried 
and  continues  to  make  his  home  with  his  mother,  and  Morgan  Franklin,  who 
married  Maude  Harner  and  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Xenia  township. 

John  Melvin  Jacoby  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  received  his  schooling 
in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  in  time  began  working  as  a  farmer  on  his 
own  account.  After  his  marriage  he  rented  a  farm  and  continued  fanning 
the  same  until  1902,  in  which  year  he  bought  the  place  northwest  of  Goes 
Station,  in  Xenia  town.ship,  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Yellow  Springs, 
where  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  The  original  tract  he  bought  there 
had  in  but  forty-five  acres,  but  he  has  since  enlarged  his  holdings  to  eighty- 
four  acres.  Mr.  Jacoby  is  a  Democrat  and  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  at  Alpha. 

On  February  22,  1897,  John  M.  Jacoby  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Florence  Settler,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  ]\Iichael  and  Ella  (Ditman)  Settler,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still 
living,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Hallie,  born  in  1900, 
and  Ralph,  1910. 


688  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

CORNELIUS  ZIMMERMAN. 

Cornelius  Zimmerman,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  \\"ar  and  a  farmer  of 
Beavercreek  township,  now  living  practically  retired  on  his  farm  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that  township  on  October  g, 
1844,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Shoup)  Zimmerman,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  that  township,  members  of  pioneer  families,  as  will  be  noted  in 
references  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume  to  the  Zimmerman  and  Shoup 
families  in  this  county.  Jacob  Zimmerman  was  born  in  1806  and  died  on 
June  14,  1867.  In  addition  to  his  farming  operations  he  also  kept  a  grocery 
and  the  hamlet  that  sprang  up  around  his  store  was  given  the  name  of  Zim- 
mermans.  which  it  bears  to  this  day.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  They 
had  six  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  besides  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  being  Catherine,  who  married  Abraham  Coy  and  who,  as 
well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased;  Caroline,  also  deceased,  who  wa.5  the 
wife  of  Cyrus  Roup,  and  Martha  J.,  wife  of  George  F.  Ferguson,  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere. 

Reared  on  the  home  place,  Cornelius  Zimmerman  received  his  schooling 
in  the  local  schools.  During  the  progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted  in 
the  hundred-days  service  and  upon  the  completion  of  that  service  resumed 
his  place  on  the  farm,  also  engaging  in  the  threshing  business,  which  latter 
he  kept  up  during  seasons  for  about  thirt\^-five  years.  He  married  in  the 
summer  of  1866  and  thereafter  farmed  on  his  own  account,  occupying 
various  farms  in  the  neighborhood  until  about  eighteen  years  ago,  when  he 
bought  the  farm  of  sixty-seven  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  has 
since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Zimmerman  is  a  Republican.  For  more 
than  forty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
for  thirty-eight  years  has  served  as  treasurer  of  the  local  congregaton  of 
that  church.     He  is  an  ardent  friend  of  prohibition. 

Mr.  Zimmerman  has  been  twice  married.  On  June  21,  1866,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ada  Crawford  and  to  that  union  were  born  seven 
children,  namely:  Frank,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Lena  Leonard 
and  has  two  daughters,  Sarah  and  Lydia;  Nettie,  widow  of  Charles  Moler, 
who  has  two  sons,  Floyd  E.,  of  Springfield,  who  is  married  and  has  a  son, 
Charles  A.,  and  Ralph  E. ;  William  T.,  now  living  at  Oakwood.  a  suburb  of 
Dayton,  who  married  Susan  \yoU  and  has  seven  children,  Martin,  Mary, 
Robert,  Caleb,  George,  Thomas  and  Martha;  Cora  I\I..  who  married  Newton 
J.  Coy  and  has  three  children,  Roy,  Crawford  and  Dorothy;  John  H.,  now 
living  at  Springfield,  who  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been 
Elizabeth   Anderson   and   his   second,   Bessie   Willard:   Nellie,   who   married 


CORNELIUS  ZIMMERMAN. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  OOQ 

Charles  Wright,  of  Beavertown,  and  has  three  children,  Harold,  F"red  and 
Louise :  and  J.  Garfield,  now  living  at  Piqua,  who  married  Elsie  Stine  and 
has  a  son,  Loren.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  July  2,  1880,  and 
in  December,  1882,  Mr.  Zimmerman  married  Mary  C.  Trubee,  of  Zinmier- 
man,  and  to  that  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Russell,  who  is  at  home, 
and  Lester  L,  who  married  Bonnie  Moore  and  is  now  living  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  of  that  citv. 


EDWARD  N.  RICHMAN. 

Edward  N.  Richman,  of  Fairfield,  was  born  on  September  4,  1875,  in 
Montgomery  county,  Ohio,  the  son  of  William  and  Caroline  (Newcom)  Rich- 
man,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Ohio. 

\Yilliam  Richman  was  born  in  Madison  county  on  September  22,  1834, 
and  was  reared  on  a  farm  in  that  county,  receiving  his  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  In  his  young  manhood  he  was  a  dealer  in  horses  and  other 
live  stock,  but  later  took  up  farming  and  made  a  si^ecialty  of  stock  raising. 
He  moved  to  Montgomery  county  about  1872,  the  year  of  his  marriage  to 
Caroline  Newcom,  who  was  a  native  of  that  county,  and  there  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1910.  His  widow  still  survives 
him,  living  on  the  old  homestead  near  Dayton.  William  Richman  and  wife 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  Edward  N.  is  the  eldest,  the  others 
being  Laura,  wife  of  B.  E.  Barney,  living  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Mont- 
gomery county;  Dora,  wife  of  Herbert  Seitner,  a  farmer  living  near  Center- 
ville,  Montgomery  county;  William  E.,  who  married  Amber  Selby  and  lives 
in  Davton;  Ruth,  wife  of  L.  Horlecher,  living  in  Belmont,  and  Carrie,  unmar- 
ried, living  at  home  with  her  mother. 

Edward  N.  Richman  received  his  elementary  education  in  the  Belmont 
school  and  later  became  a  student  at  the  Normal  College  at  Lebanon,  from 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  on  June  8,  1893.  After  leaving  college, 
he  worked  as  a  bookkeeper  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  remaining  in  that  city  for 
five  years.  In  1898  he  returned  to  the  home  farm  in  Montgomery  county,  and 
engaged  in  farming,  remaining  there  until  1901,  when  he  moved  to  Madison 
county,  where  he  continued  his  farming  operations  on  a  farm  for  his  father. 
He  remained  there  until  after  his  father's  death  in  1910,  when  he  purchased 
a  farm  near  Fairfield,  on  which  he  and  his  family  lived  until  the  fall  of  1917, 
when  he  disposed  of  his  farm  and  moved  to  Fairfield,  purchasing  there  a  tract 
of  nine  acres  close  to  the  village,  which  he  has  platted  and  is  selling  out  m 
lots. 

In  1905  Edward  N.  Richman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Nellie  Young, 


690  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

daughter  of  Ransom  Young,  who  was  a  native  of  Greene  count)',  born  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1844,  and  whose  death  occurred  in  1898.  Mrs.  Richman  was  born 
and  reared  in  Fairtield,  receiving  her  education  in  the  village  schools.  Ransom 
Young  and  wife  (Alice  Helmer)  were  the  parents  of  three  children:  Mrs. 
Jessie  Whitson,  who  died  January  27,  1893:  Nellie,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Rich- 
man,  and  Paul,  who  married  Birdie  Wider,  and  lives  in  Fairfield.  Mr.  and 
Mrs  Richman  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  and  Mr.  Richman  is 
affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  a  member  of  Mad 
River  lodge  at  Fairfield. 


GEORGE  K.  SCHAUER. 

George  K.  Schauer,  who  is  engaged  in  the  seed  business  at  Osborn,  this 
county,  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Miami  on  August 
30,  1859,  son  of  George  and  Catherine  (Brown)  Schauer,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  this  county  in  1825  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  in 
1830.  George  Schauer,  who  spent  most  of  his  life  as  a  farmer  in  Greene 
county,  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Schauer,  who  had  settled  here  in  ior>,  ana  lij 
was  reared  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Byron.  After  his  marriage  he.  for  a 
time  lived  in  Miami  county,  but  later  returned  to  this  county.  He  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  tlieir  children  were  roared  ni 
that  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Sarah  C.  wife  of 
Simon  H.  Wolf,  cf  Springfield,  this  state;  Lenora  J.,  wife  of  Benjamin  Wolf, 
of  Osborn;  Samuel  William,  deceased,  and  Flora,  wife  of  J.  C.  Smitli,  a  Day- 
ton dry-goods  merchant. 

Reared  in  thi^  county,  George  K.  Schauer  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  his  home  reirhborhood  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a 
ci.urse  in  tlie  Covington  high  school  and  for  fourteen  }-ears  tliereafter  was 
engaged  in  farming.  He  then  became  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agricultural 
machinery  at  Osborn,  selling  direct  to  the  farmers,  agent  for  the  "Champion" 
line,  and  there  sold  the  first  self-binders  introduced  into  that  community.  I'ive 
vears  later  he  became  engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business  at  Osljorn  and  was 
thus  engaged  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1912,  he  established 
his  present  Inisiness  in  the  seed  line,  making  a  specialty  of  fine  seed  corn.  Mr. 
Schauer's  business  is  largely  conducted  through  the  mail-order  system. 

In  1886  George  K.  Schauer  was  united  ia  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Kline, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rachel  (Herr)  Kline,  and  to  this  union  six  children 
have  been  born,  namely :  Grace,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years ;  Sum- 
ner, who  married  Edna  Glasser  and  Uves  at  Osborn,  where  he  is  engae  I  in 
Inisiness  with  his  father:  Rachel,  living  at  home,  wlin  ha-;  had  bntJi  a  nii-i?al 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  69I 

and  a  commercial  training;  George  A.,  who  married  Catherine  Bagford  and 
is  also  living  at  Osborn,  where  he  is  engaged  in  business  with  his  father; 
Anna,  a  school  teacher,  who  is  making  her  home  with  her  parents,  and  Dewey, 
who  is  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in  Osborn.  The  Schauers  are  members  of 
the  local  Lutheran  church.     Mr.  Schauer  is  a  Republican. 


RICHARD  SPARROW. 


Richard  Sparrow,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  for  years  has  been 
making  his  home  at  Clifton,  this  county,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clark  on  May  1 1,  1844,  a  son  of  John  and  Mahala  (Kelly)  Sparrow, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  state  of  Maryland  and  the  latter  in  Ken- 
tucky, whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Clifton. 

John  Sparrow  was  reared  in  his  native  Maryland  and  as  a  young  man 
came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Clark  county,  where  he  presently  married  and 
estabHshed  his  home  on  a  farm,  continuing  there  engaged  in  farming  until  he 
was  sixty-six  years  of  age,  when  he  retired  and  moved  to  Clifton,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children, 
six  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Caroline  Griffith,  are  the  only  ones  now  survi\  ing. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  Richard  Sparrow  received  his 
schooling  in  the  local  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  was  living  there  w  hen 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  February  15,  1864,  he  then  being  but  nineteen 
years  of  age,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went 
to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  Gen- 
eral Grant,  and  with  that  command  served  until  the  close  o^  the  war.  I:e'ng 
mustered  out  on  June  25.  1865.  During  that  period  of  service  Mr.  Sparro.-<- 
was  three  times  wounded,  once  at  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor  and  twice  at  the 
battle  of  Petersburg.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned 
to  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county  and  after  his  marriage  a  couple  of  months 
after  his  return  from  the  army,  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1881 
he  moved  to  Clifton,  \yhere  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Sparrow  is 
a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  by  political 
inclination  is  "independent."  About  thirteen  years  ago  Mr.  Sparrov/  and  his 
family  suffered  a  serious  loss  by  fire  which  destroyed  their  dwelling  house, 
but  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  same  they  constructed  better  than  before. 

On  August  24,  1865,  Richard  Sparrow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lavina 
Wike,  who  also  was  born  in  Clark  county,  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Williams)   Wike,  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  this  union  five  children 


692  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

have  been  born,  namely:  Silas  E.,  deceased;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Charles 
Hopping,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  has  four  children.  Edwin,  who  married 
Frieda  Centers  and  lives  at  Dayton,  George  Bert,  Jeremiah  Lee,  who  is  now 
engaged  as  city  meat  inspector  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  Emma  Lavina;  Ulysses 
Clinton,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Katherine  Pauley  and  has  four 
children,  Helen,  Richard,  Alice  and  Charlotte ;  Katherine  Jane,  now  deceased, 
who  married  Grant  Hopping  and  had  two  children,  Edna,  who  married  Lewis 
Lindell,  and  Arthur,  of  Yellow  Springs:  and  Harry,  who  died  when  nine 
years  of  age.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparrow  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


HENRY  H.  EAVEY, 


The  late  Henry  H.  Eavey,  president  of  the  Citizens  National  Bank 
of  Xenia,  founder  and  head  of  the  wholesale  grocery  firm  which  bears  his 
name,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  former  president  of  the  local  school  board 
and  for  many  years  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  commercial  life  of  Xenia, 
who  died  at  his  home  in  that  city  in  the  spring  of  1918  and  whose  widow 
is  still  living  there,  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  but  had  been  a 
resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  infancy,  and  has  thus  been 
a  participant  in  the  affairs  of  this  community  all  his  adult  life.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  August 
6,  1840,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Knode)  Eavey,  who  in  the  following 
spring  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Greene  comity,  the  child  Henry 
then  being  under  one  year  of  age. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Henry  H.  Eavey  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  took  employment  in  the  retail  grocery  store  of  David  Hinton  at 
Xenia,  his  wages  for  that  service  being  fixed  at  eight  and  one-third  dollars 
a  month  and  "board,"  the  latter  being  apportioned  to  him  at  such  boarding 
houses  as  owed  his  employer  grocery  bills.  At  the  end  of  nine  months  he 
relinquished  this  employment  as  a  bad  job  and  returned  to  the  farm,  luit  a 
few  more  months  of  farm  life  convinced  him  that  he  was  not  cut  out  for  a 
farmer  and  in  the  fall  of  1859  he  returned  to  Xenia  and  entered  the  grocery 
store  of  D.  A.  Dean,  which  was  situated  on  the  corner  now  occupied  by  the 
Steele  building,  and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In 
July,  1862.  Mr.  Eavey  enlisted  for  service  and  went  to  the  front  as  a 
member  of  Company  H,  Ninety-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infan- 
try, with  which  command  he  served  for  five  months  or  until  his  discharge 
by  reason  of  physical  disability  caused  by  injuries  he  had  received  while  a 
prisoner  of  war  at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Upon  his  return  to  Xenia  Mr. 
Eavey  resumed  his  former  position  in  the  Dean  store,  which  meantime  had 


4V/  c^o 


(S-^^y'T^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  693 

been  piirclmsed  by  Frank  E.  Arnold,  and  remained  there  until  in  May, 
1865,  when  he  opened  a  store  of  his  own  in  West  Main  street.  From  the 
beginning  this  venture  was  successful  and  on  July  i,  1869,  Mr.  Eavey,  in 
association  with  M.  C.  Allison  and  James  Carson,  inaugurated  the  whole- 
sale establishment  which  still  bears  his  name,  the  firm  opening  for  busi- 
ness with  a  capitalization  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars  in  the  building  now 
occupied  liy  the  Smith  Advertising  Company  on  East  Main  street.  In  1880 
Mr.  Carson  and  Mr.  Allison  withdrew  from  the  firm,  the  former  going  to 
Springfield  and  the  latter  becoming  engaged  in  the  cordage  business  at 
Xenia,  and  Mr.  Eavey  took  into  partnership  with  him  J.  D.  Steele  and  VV. 
B.  Harrison,  the  new  company,  under  the  firm  name  of  Eavey  &  Company, 
erecting  the  brick  building  on  West  Main  street,  which  was  the  home  of  the 
company  until  destroyed  by  fire  in  February,  1908.  Both  Mr.  Steele  and 
Mr.  Harrison  withdrew  from  the  firm  within  seven  or  eight  years  after  the 
association  was  effected  and  invested  their  capital  in  the  cordage  business, 
S.  F.  Evans,  of  Jamestown,  buying  an  interest  in  the  grocery  business  fol- 
lowing their  withdrawal.  This  latter  partnership,  however,  did  not  last 
longer  than  a  year  or  two  and  then  Mr.  Eavey  took  his  sons,  William  E. 
and  H.  Earl  Eavey,  into  business  with  him,  a  mutually  agreeable  ar- 
rangement that  continued  until  the  death  of  the  elder  Eavey.  whose  sons  had 
gradually  assumed  the  responsibility  of  the  business  as  their  father  retired 
from  the  more  active  duties  of  the  business  which  he  had  built  up  and  to 
which  he  had  devoted  his  life  for  nearly  half  a  century.  Tn  addition  to  his 
business  interests  at  Xenia  Mr.  Eavey  had  helped  in  the  establishment  of 
other  wholesale  grocery  houses  and  at  various  times  was  thus  interested 
in  concerns  at  Springfield,  Findlay  and  Dayton,  this  state,  and  at  Ft.  Wayne 
and  Huntington,  Indiana.  Mr.  Eavey  also  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Xenia,  served  for  ten  years  as  vice-president 
of  that  concern  and  on  January  15,  1897,  ^'^^  elected  president  of  the  bank, 
a  position  he  held  until  his  death.  In  1880  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education,  was  for  thirteen  years  treasurer  of  the  same  and  also 
served  for  some  time  as  president  of  the  board.  For  years  he  also  was  a 
member  of  the  Woodland  cemetery  board.  He  was  an  elder  of  the  local 
congregation  of  the  Reformed  church  and  was  a  member  of  Lewis  Post 
No.  357,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons.  Mr.  Eavey  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  on  April  ]8, 
1918,  and  was  buried  in  Woodland  cemetery. 

Henrv  H.  Eavey  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who  was  Cathe- 
rine Winters,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Winters,  died  in  December, 
1891,  leaving  four  children,  Mrs.  Arthur  H.  Perfect,  of  Ft.  Wayne,  Indi- 
ana, and  William  E.  Eavey,  Mrs.  George  R.  Schuster  and  H.  Earl  Eavey, 


694  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  Xenia.  In  February.  1896,  Mr.  Eavey  married  Alice  Galloway,  who 
survives  him  and  who  is  still  making  her  home  at  Xenia,  residing  at  106 
West  Market  street.  Mrs.  Eavey  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  James  C.  Gal- 
loway, a  member  of  one  of  the  real  pioneer  families  of  Greene  cour.ty  and 
further  mention  of  whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive  narrative  relat- 
ing to  the  Galloway  family  in  this  county,  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 


FRANK  B.  TURNBULL. 


Frank  B.  Turnbull,  manager  of  the  Cedarville  Telephone  Companv.  was 
born  on  the  old  Turnbull  homestead  place  in  Cedarville  township  on  June  2"], 
iSGj,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Sarah  J.  (Barber)  Turnbull,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  here. 

Alexander  Turnbull  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm  two  miles  northeast  of 
Cedarville  on  January  24,  1838,  a  son  of  John  Turnbull  and  wife,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  a  Kyle,  and  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Scotland  who 
came  to  this  country  as  a  young  man  and  settled  in  Greene  county,  as  is  set 
out  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  John  Turnbull  was  twice  married  and  by  his 
first  wife  was  the  father  of  five  sons,  William,  Samuel,  Joseph,  Thomas  and 
Alexander.  By  his  second  marriage  he  was  the  father  of  the  following 
children:  Hugh,  who  is  living  north  of  Cedarville;  David,  now  deceased,  who 
was  an  undertaker  at  Cedarville,  later  moving  to  Monmouth,  Illinois,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  same  business  and  where  he  also  served  for  a  time  as 
sheriff;  Charles,  who  is  still  living  north  of  Cedarville;  Minnie,  who  died 
unmarried;  Anna  and  Martha,  also  deceased,  and  Ritta,  who  married  W".  L. 
Clemens  and  is  living  east  of  Cedarville.  Alexander  Turnbull  grew  up  on 
the  old  home  farm  and  continued  farming  all  his  life.  During  the  progress 
of  the"  Civil  War  he  served  for  four  years  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  D,  Twelfth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantrv.  He  was 
twice  married.  On  December  16,  1863,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
J.  Barber  and  to  that  union  were  born  five  children,  namelv :  Effie,  born  on 
December  20.  1864,  who  died  on  January  21,  1884;  Rachel.  March  31.  1867, 
wiio  married  J.  C.  McMillen  and  is  now  living  at  Columbus,  this  state;  Anna, 
February  i,  1877,  now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  John  Ervine,  of  Xenia; 
Frank  B.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  William  A.,  postmaster 
of  Cedarville,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  on  May  30,  1896,  and  Mr. 
Turnbull  later  married  Mrs.  Sarah  Barljer,  widow  of  Al  Barber,  further 
mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.     Alexander  Turnbull 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  695 

died  on  April  7,  1916.  He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
and  his  children  were  reared  in  that  failli. 

Frank  B.  Turnbull  was  reared  on  the  home  fann,  receiving  his  school- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in 
the  spring  of  1897.  He  later  became  a  resident  of  South  Charleston,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
and  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  horses  until  his  removal  in  1900  to  Cedar- 
ville,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Turnbull  is  the  owner  of  a 
farm,  to  the  general  direction  of  which  he  gives  his  personal  attention,  but 
his  time  is  chiefly  devoted  to  the  affairs  of  the  Cedarvalle  Telephone  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  the  general  manager. 

On  April  28,  1897,  Frank  B.  Turnbull  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lydia 
Bradfute,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,  a  daughter  of  David  and  Martha 
Bradfute,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to 
this  union  has  been  born  one  child,  a  son,  Robert  Alexander,  born  on  Decem- 
])er  25,  1905.  INIr.  and  Mrs.  Turnbull  are  members  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church.     y[r.  Turnbull  is  a  Democrat. 


GEORGE  F.  KEMP. 


George  F.  Kemp,  of  Beavercreek  township,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  acres  in  the  New  Germany  neighborhood,  was  born 
on  that  farm  on  July  21,  1868,  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Lafong)  Kemp, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township  in  1834,  a  member  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  thereabout  and  further  reference  to  which  family 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Jacob  Kemp  was  born  in  Mad  River  town- 
ship, in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  July  30,  1825,  and  during 
the  days  of  his  young  manhood  was  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  then 
became  engaged  in  the  grocery  and  dry-goods  business  in  Dayton  and  there 
remained  until  in  April,  1868,  when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and 
settled  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  George  is  now  living  and  there  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  January  13,  1899.  His  widow 
survived  him  until  1913.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom 
George  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Angeline  Margaret, 
unmarried,  who  is  living  in  Montgomery  county :  Cassandra,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  four  years :  Lafayette,  who  also  died  when  four  years  of  age,  and 
Wilmer  S.,  who  married  Anna  Smith  and  is  living  in  Montgomery  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  S.  Kemp  received  his  schooling  in 
the  local  schools  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  and  for  a  while  after 
attaining  his  majority  was  engaged  variously  in  carpentering,  railroading 
and  painting,  but  presently  resumed  farming  on  the  home  place  and  has  ever 


696  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

since  been  thus  engaged,  having  establislied  his  home  there  after  his  mar- 
riage in  the  fall  of  i8qi.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Kemp  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland  China  hogs  and  Holstein 
cattle. 

On  November  26,  1891,  George  F.  Kemp  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lina  AI.  Hering,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  and  Elizabeth  (Lantz)  Hering,  further  reference  to  which  family 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been 
born,  namely :  Ferdinand,  who  died  in  infancy :  ]\Iary,  wife  of  Asa  Newton, 
of  Beavercreek  township;  Elnora  Catherine,  George  B.  and  Almeda. 


DA\'ID  ARCHER. 

David  Archer,  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, proprietor  of  a  farm  in  that  township  and  proprietor  of  an  extensive 
stone  quarry  there,  residing  on  rin"al  mail  route  No.  8  out  of  Dayton,  was 
born  in  Beavercreek  township  on  January  i,  1847,  'i  son  of  John  and  Mary 
J.  (Boroff")  Archer,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township. 
John  Archer  was  born  at  Centerville  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgom- 
ery on  August  8,  1823,  and  as  a  young  man  came  over  into  Greene  county, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  farming  and  operating  as  a  stone  con- 
tractor and  builder.  On  March  18,  1845,  ^^  married  Mary  J.  Boroff,  and 
to  that  union  ten  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy  and  one 
in  childhood,  the  others  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  William, 
deceased:  Charles,  now  living  at  Troy,  this  state;  Oliver  F.,  a  Beavercreek 
township  farmer;  Daniel,  deceased;  Mrs.  Lida  R.  Helmer.  of  Beavercreek 
township,  with  whom  her  brother  David  makes  his  home,  and  John  E..  now 
a  resident  of  Belmont,  this  state.  John  Archer  died  on  November  21.  1884, 
and  his  widow  survived  him  until  February  24,  1903.  She  was  born  on 
April  24.   1823. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township.  Da\i(I  Archer  re- 
ceived his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  continued  farming  until 
he  was  twentv-three  years  of  age.  when,  in  the  spring  of  1870.  he  took  up 
the  operation  f)f  the  stone  quarry  on  his  father's  place  and  has  ever  since 
been  operating  the  same,  for  years  making  a  specialty  of  preparing  stone 
slabs  for  the  construction  of  grave  \aults.  a  continuous  resident  of  the  place 
on  which  he  is  now  living  since  1869.  Mr.  Archer  is  a  Republican  and  for 
the  past  nine  or  ten  years  has  been  serving  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
township  trustees.  He  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  with  the 
Knights  of  P'ythias.     Mr.   Archer's  sister.   Lida,  with  whom  he  makes  his 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  697 

home,  has  been  twice  married,  and  by  her  first  marriage  is  the  mother  of 
two  children,  a  daughter,  Miss  Osee  A.  Burke,  a  teacher  in  the  Beavercreek 
schools,  and  a  son.  John  A.  Burke,  of  Dayton,  who  operates  a  garage.  She 
married,  secondly.  Edward  Helmer,  son  of  Squire  Helmer,  of  Beavercreek 
township,  and  by  that  union  is  the  mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  Wando 
Harold. 


MILLARD  D.  FLACK. 

Millard  D.  Flack,  colored  farmer  and  dairyman,  formerly  and  for  twenty- 
five  years  a  school  teacher  and  now  the  proprietor  of  a  place  of  eighty  acres 
in  the  V,'ilberforce  neighborhood,  is  a  North  Carolinian  b}-  birth,  but  has  been 
a  resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Kentucky  since  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  He  was 
born  of  slave  parents.  Robert  and  Elizabeth  (Tucker)  Flack,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Morgantown,  in  Rutherford  county.  North  Carolina.  June  9,  1859.  and 
remained  there  until  after  the  Ci\"il  War,  when,  in  1869,  liis  parents  came  vj 
Ohio  and  located  in  Clermont  county,  where  Robert  Flack  w  as  able  to  h'AX  a 
small  tract  of  land  and  engage  in  farming  on  his  own  account.  Robert  Flack 
died  in  Clermont  county  in  1873.  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, both  of  whom  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister, 
Susan,  widow  of  Samuel  Jones,  who  is  now  making  her  home  with  him  at 
his  place  near  Wilberforce.  The  widow  Flack  married  Robert  Scott,  who 
presently  moved  up  into  Warren  county  and  thence  after  a  few  years  to  Spring- 
field, where  he  was  living  when,  in  1885,  wliile  engaged  in  working  in  the 
timber  he  was  murdered  by  white  men.  his  body  being  chopped  to  pieces ;  a 
crime  for  which  one  of  the  men  implicated  was  sentenced  to  twenty  years  in 
the  penitentiary.  Robert  Scott  was  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War,  having  served  with-one  of  the  Ohio  -infantry  regiiwents.  His-  widcJW 
died  in  Cincinnati  in  December,  1916,  she  then  being  eighty-five  years  of  age. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church  and  her  children  were  reared  in 
that  faith. 

Ha\ing  been  but  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  from 
North  Carolina,  Millard  D.  Flack  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools 
of  Clermont  county.  He  then  took  a  course  in  Berea  College  in  Kentucky 
and  began  to  teach  school,  spending  his  winters  in  the  school  room  and  his 
summers  at  farm  "work.  He  presently  became  the  ov,  ner  of  a  tract  of  thirty 
acres  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  where  he  was  married,  and  his  wife  was 
the  owner,  of  a  tract  of  seventy-five  acres.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  in  Kentucky,  bjeginning  in  the  rural  schools  and  in  time 
being  advanced  to  the  town  schools  and  became  in  turn  principal  of  the  colored 


698  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

schools  at  Richmond,  at  Xicholasville  and  at  Stanford,  all  in  Kentucky,  the 
holder  of  a  Hfe  certificate,  or  teacher's  license.  This  long  service  as  a  teacher 
in  Kentucky  was  interrupted  for  a  period  of  two  years  beginning  in  1900, 
when  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  was  for  two  years  engaged  in  the  butcher 
business  at  W'ilberforce,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  Kentucky  and  resumed  farming  and  teaching  in  Aladison  countv.  remain- 
ing there  until  the  spring  of  1916,  when  he  returned  to  this  county  with  his 
family,  he  and  his  wife  having  disposed  of  their  land  interests  in  Kentucky, 
and  bought  a  tract  of  eighty  acres  on  the  Columbus  pike  in  Xenia  township 
and  in  January,   19 17,  moved  onto  the  same. 

On  December  23,  1891,  Millard  D.  Flack  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Eliza  Jane  Turner,  a  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Esther  (Haines)  Turner,  of 
Kentucky,  an  interesting  story  of  whom  is  carried  in  a  biographical  sketch 
relating  to  John  J.  Turner,  brother  of  Mrs.  Flack,  presented  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Mrs.  Viola 
Gilmore,  who  is  teaching  school  in  Somerset.  Kentucky ;  John  Turner  Flack, 
now  a  soldier  of  the  National  Army,  a  sergeant,  stationed  in  the  spring  of 
1918  at  Camp  Grant,  Illinois,  preparatory  to  service  abroad;  Elizabeth,  who 
is  at  home;  Estella.  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  years,  and  Lida  and  Helen. 
The  Flacks  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  for  twenty  years  during 
his  residence  in  Kentucky  Mr.  Flack  served  as  a  deacon  of  his  local  congrega- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  the  colored  order  of  Masons.  Mrs.  Flack's  mother 
died  on  March  21,  1918,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years. 


CHARLES  ED\\TX  COXFARR. 

Charles  Edwin  Confarr,  a  veteran  blacksmith  at  Clifton  and  former 
mayor  of  that  city,  was  bom  at  Clifton  on  June  19.  1850,  son  of  John  and 
Eve  Catherine  (Stimmel)  Confarr,  Virginians,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  on  March  20,  181 1,  and  the  latter,  April  i,  181 1,  who  became  residents 
of  Clifton  about  1843  and  there  spent  their  last  days. 

John  Confarr  was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  and  there  grew 
to  manhood.  He  was  early  apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith  and  completed  his 
apprenticeship  when  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  afterward  beccoming  en- 
gaged in  business  as  a  blacksmith  on  his  own  account  in  his  home  county. 
He  was  married  in  1831  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Frederick 
county  until  about  1843,  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  -family,  four  chil- 
dren having  by  that  time  been  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  and  located  at  Clif- 
ton, where  he  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop  and  was  occupied  at  his  trade  there 
until  his  retirement  from  the  business  in  1872.     He  continued  to  make  his 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  699 

residence  at  Clifton  after  his  retirement  and  there  died  on  March  30,  1895. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Eliza  Ann, 
William  Newton,  Mary  Catherine,  John  Wesley,  Mrs.  Sarah  Louise  Wheeler, 
of  Dayton,  Isaac  Thorne,  Henry  Cyrus,  who  died  in  childhood,  and  Mrs. 
Susanna  Cornelia  Boase,  of  Clifton. 

Reared  at  Clifton,  Charles  E.  Confarr  received  his  schooling  there  and 
when  sixteen  years  of  age  took  up  the  work  of  blacksmithing,  an  assistant 
in  his  father's  shop.  Upon  completing  his  trade  he  went  to  Portsmouth, 
Ohio,  and  there  worked  in  a  paper-mill  for  eight  months,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  went  to  California  and  after  nine  months  spent  there  at  mining  re- 
turned to  Portsmouth  and  resumed  his  work  in  the  paper-mill.  He  was 
married  in  Indiana  in  1883  and  presently  returned  to  Clifton,  where  he  estab- 
lished his  home  and  where  he  ever  since  has  resided.  In  1885  he  built  the 
blacksmith  shop  he  now  occupies  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  business  there. 
Mr.  Confarr  has  been  a  member  of  the  local  school  board  for  the  past  twenty 
years  and  sensed  for  some  time  as  mayor  of  Clifton  and  also  for  some  time 
as  town  clerk.  He  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been  a  members  of  the  Masonic 
order  since  1874,  affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  that  order  at  Yellow  Springs ; 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Clifton  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  since  1895 
and  is  also  one  of  the  old  members  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechan- 
ics. For  the  past  fourteen  years  or  more  Mr.  Confarr  has  been  the  treasurer 
of  the  Clifton  Presbyterian  church. 

On  December  25,  1883,  at  Moores  Hill,  in  Dearborn  county,  Indiana, 
Charles  E.  Confarr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Belle  Lloyd,  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Clarissa  Ellen  (Lambertson)  Lloyd,  of  that  place,  who  were  mar- 
ried on  June  23,  1850,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
four  are  still  living,  Mrs.  Confarr  having  two  brothers,  John  F.  and  Omar 
Lloyd,  living  at  Indianapolis,  where  the  latter  is  engaged  as  superintendent 
of  mail  carriers  in  the  postoffice,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Alice  Eudora  Craven, 
also  of  Indianapolis.  The  deceased  children  of  the  Lloyd  family  were 
Helena,  William  and  Henry.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Confarr  have  one  son,  John 
Lloyd  Confarr,  born  on  October  13,  1887,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Clif- 
ton high  school  in  1905  and  in  the  fall  of  that  .same  year  entered  Cedarville 
College,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  jn  1909  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  For  two  years  after  leaving  college  John  L.  Confarr  was 
engaged  in  teaching  school  and  then  he  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Cedarville,  a  member  of  the  Robert  Bird's  Sons  Company.  On 
Octobei-  22,  19 1 3.  at  Cedarville,  John  L.  Confarr  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Vema  Bird,  of  that  place. 


700  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

WILLIAM  R.  STERRETT. 

William  R.  Sterrett,  formerly  and  for  years  engaged  in  the  coal  and 
grain  business  at  Cedarville  and  now  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Clemens  & 
Sterrett,  general  dealers  in  real  estate,  with  offices  at  Jamestown,  though  he 
continues  to  make  his  home  at  Cedarville,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has 
lived  in  this  state  practically  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Cedarville  nearly  all  the 
time  since  his  father,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sterrett,  located  in  that  village  as  pas- 
tor of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  in  1868. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Sterrett  also  was  a  native  of  this  state,  born  on  a  farm 
in  Muskingum  county,  January  8,  1818.  His  parents  were  members  of  the 
Covenanter  or  Reformed  Presbyterian  church  and  he  was  reared  in  accord- 
ance with  the  rigid  tenets  of  that  faith,  early  turning  his  attention  to  prepara- 
ion  for  the  gospel  ministry.  He  was  graduated  from  the  college  at  Athens, 
this  state,  in  i8-jO  and  for  thirty-three  months  thereafter  was  engaged  in 
teaching  school,  meanwhile  continuing  to  pursue  his  studies  with  a  view  to 
the  ministrv.  In  due  time  he  entered  the  theological  seminary  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  church  at  Allegheny  and  after  a  four-years  coarse 
there  in  theology  was  licensed  to  preach,  April  4,  1847,  was  later  t)rdained 
and  on  June  21,.  1848,  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  Little  Beaver  and  New 
Galilee  congregations  in  Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
for  twenty  years  or  until  his  acceptance  of  the  call  to  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Cedarville  in  1868.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Sterrett  was  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  that  church  on  May  16,  1868,  and  continued  thus  in  serv- 
ice until  his  death  on  October  29,  1871.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
having  been  Elizabeth  Kernohan,  who  was  born  in  Guernsey  county,  this 
state,  September  10,  1825,  and  who  died  on  February  18,  1858.  To  that 
union  were  born  four  children,  namely :  Elizalieth  Ann,  wife  of  William  D. 
Beggs,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Youngstown,  this  state;  Samuel  Ruth- 
erford, who  died  in  185 1:  William  R.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  ^lary 
Jane,  who  is  now  living  at  Warren,  this  state,  widoNv  of  Dr.  J.  D.  Henning. 
Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  the  Rev.  Samuel  Sterrett 
married  Elizabeth  George,  of  New  Galilee,  Pennsylvania,  who  survived  him 
for  more  than  twenty-five  years,  her  death  occurring  on  February  22,  1897. 

William  R.  .Sterrett,  only  surviving  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  and  Eliza- 
beth (Kernohan)  Sterrett,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Youngstown,  this  state, 
March  8,  1853.  He  was  five  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died  and  was 
fifteen  when  his  father  moved  with  his  family  to  Cedarville  in  1868.  He 
entered  the  Cedarville  schools  upon  his  arrival  in  that  village  and  was  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  there  in  1871,  later  sup])lementing  his  local  school- 
ing bv  a  course  in  Western  University  at  Pittsburgh  and  was  graduated  from 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  JOl 

the  Iron  Cit}-  Commercial  College,  Pittsburgh,  in  1871.  Following  his  mar- 
riage in  1876  Mr.  Sterrett  was  for  four  years  engaged  in  farming  in  the 
vicinity  of  Beaver  Falls,  Pennsylvania,  and  then  returned  to  Cedarville  and 
was  for  a  year  thereafter  engaged  in  farming  in  this  county.  He  then  left 
the  farm  and  in  1881  became  engaged  in  the  coal  and  grain  business  at  Cedar- 
ville under  the  firm  name  of  Ervin  &  Sterrett,  which  firm  was  maintained 
until  1895,  when  he  became  sole  owner  and  so  continued  until  he  sold  the 
business,  in  1905.  Not  long  after  his  retirement  from  the  grain.and  coal. busi- 
ness Mr.  Sterrett  became  engaged,  in  February,  1906,  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness, a  member  of  the  firm  of  Clemens  &  Sterrett  at  Jamestown  and  has  since 
been  thus  engaged,  also  selling  insurance.  Though  his  office  is  at  Jamestown 
Mr.  Sterrett  continues  to  make  his  home  at  Cedarville.  Politically,  Mr.  Ster- 
rett is  a  Prohibitionist  and  by  religious  persuasion  is  a  Covenanter  or  member 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  with  which  communion  his  family  has 
been  connected  for  generations.  Mr.  Sterrett  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Sab- 
bath school  since  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age;  is  now  and  for  many  years 
has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school  in  the  home  church  at  Cedar- 
ville, and  for  forty  years,  or  since  1878,  has  been  one  of  the  ruling  elders  of 
that  church. 

On  October  5,  1876,  William  R.  Sterrett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Julia  Creswell,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Eliza  Jane  (Hufifman)  Creswell,  of 
Cedarville  township,  and  a  member  of  one  of  the-  oldest  families  in  Greene 
county,  as  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  in  a  history  of  the  Creswell  family 
presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Samuel  Creswell,  who  was  fourth  in 
order  of  birth  of  the  five  children  born  to  James  and  Ann  (Junkin )  Creswell. 
was  born  on  January  12,  1820,  and  spent  all  his  life  on  the  old  home  place  in 
Cedarville  township,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  George,  his  death 
occurring  thereon  July  16,  1912.  One  June  10,  1846,  at  the  home  of  \\illiam 
Reid,  in  that  same  township,  he  married  Eliza  Jane  Huffman,  who  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Selma,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  March  22,  1827, 
daughter  of  Aaron  and  Martha  (White)  Huffman,  and  who  died  on  August 
10,  1910.  Samuel  Creswell  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
wdiom  Mrs.  Sterrett  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  and  all  of  whom  are  men- 
tioned elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

To  William  R.  and  Julia  (Creswell)  Sterrett  seven  children  have  been 
bom,  namely :  Samuel  Leroy,  who  married  Elizabeth  Scott,  of  Houston, 
Pennsylvania;  Echo  D.,  wife  of  the  Rev.  W.  G.  Robb,  pastor  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  church  at  Washington,  Iowa;  Mary  E.,  wife  of  the  Rev. 
W.  A.  Pollock,  pastor  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  of  Chi- 
cago; Elizabeth  M.,  who  is  at  home;  Ida  Lx)unette,  a  school  teacher,  also  at 
home;  Walter  R.,  who  married  Pearl  Creamer  and  is  now  living  at  Pitts- 


702  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

burgh,  where  he  is  engaged  as  a  draughtsman,  and  W.  Dwight,  who  married 
Florence  Clemens  and  is  now  living  at  Greenville,  this  state,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged as  a  teacher  in  the  high  school. 


JAMES  W.  HUSTON, 

James  W.  Huston,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Dayton  pike  about  two 
miles  southwest  of  Yellow  Springs,  in  Miami  township,  is  a  native  son  of 
Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  Xenia,  October 
i6,  1866,  son  of  James  and  Mary  E.  (Baker)  Huston,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Ohio,  the  former  in  Knox  county  and  the  latter  in  Greene  county 
and  whose  last  days  were  spent  on  their  home  farm  in  Miami  township,  the 
place  on  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  living,  where  they  had  resided 
since  locating  there  in  1876. 

James  Huston  was  born  February  27,  1824.  and  was  thirteen  years  of 
age  when  his  parents,  Robert  and  Anna  (Lyon)  Huston,  moved  from  Knox 
county  to  Greene  county  in  1837  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now  New 
Jasper  township.  Robert  Huston  was  liorn  in  Pennsylvania  in  1793  and 
was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  \\itli  his  father,  Robert  Huston,  a 
soldier  of  the  American  Revolution,  to  Ohio  in  181 2,  the  family  settling  on 
a  tract  of  land  in  the  Martinsburg  neigliborhood  in  Knox  county.  There  he 
presently,  about  1820,  married  Anna  Lyon,  who  was  born  in  that  section  in 
1798,  and  after  liis  marriage  settled  down  on  a  farm  he  had  purchased  there 
and  there  continued  to  reside  until  1837,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests 
in  Knox  county  and  came  to  Greene  county  with  liis  family,  settling  on  April 
16  of  that  year  on  the  farm  he  had  bought  in  that  section  of  the  county 
which  in  the  summer  of  1853  became  organized  as  New  Jasper  township,  and 
there  he  spent  tlie  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1857,  twenty  years 
after  his  settlement  there.  He  had  accumulated  there  a  tract  of  tlu'ee  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  the  homestead  now  owned  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
His  widow  survived  him  for  twenty-eight  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1885, 
she  then  lieing  eighty-seven  }ears  of  age.  Tliey  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children  and  as  most  of  these  children  married  and  had  children  of  their 
own  the  Huston  connection  in  the  present  genera'ion  is  a  (|uite  numerous 
one. 

Having  been  but  tliirteen  years  of  age  when  lie  came  to  this  county  with 
his  parents,  James  Huston  completed  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Greene 
county  and  remained  on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age, 
when  he  became  employed  as  a  millwright,  a  vocation  he  followed  for  five 
or  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  about  the  time  of  his  marriage,  he 
became  engaged   in  the  mercantile  business  at   the  village  of  New  Jasper. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  703 

Four  years  later  he  sold  his  store  and  bought  a  farm  in  his  home  township, 
but  several  years  later  moved  to  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  and  later  bought 
the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  in  section  31  of  Miami  township, 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  has  added  to 
it  until  he  now  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  1886,  James  Huston 
erected  on  that  place  a  new  house,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  three  years 
later  and  was  replaced  by  the  dwelling  which  has  since  served  as  a  family 
residence. 

On  May  i,  1849,  James  Huston  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  E. 
Baker,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  in  this 
county,  July  9,  1829,  daughter  of  Mathias  W.  and  Matilda  (Moorman) 
Baker,  natives  of- Virginia,  who  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  Mrs.  Hus- 
ton having  had  two  brothers,  Salathiel  and  William  C.  M.,  and  one  sister, 
Lavina.  William  C.  M.  Baker  ser.ved  for  some  time  (1861-67)  as  auditor 
of  Greene  county  and  later  became  engaged  in  business  as  a  stock  broker  at 
Kansas  City.  Salathiel  Baker  became  a  commissioned  officer  in  th.e  Union 
army  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  1S66.  To  Ja.r.cs 
and  Mary  E.  (Baker)  Huston  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  th;  su'.- 
ject  of  this  sketch  was  the  test  bom,  the  others  being  Lucretia  E.,  formerly 
and  for  years  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  this  county;  Robert  F.  B.,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  twelve  years;  and  Marj^  E.,  wife  of  M.  A.  Hagler,  of  New 
Jasper  township,  this  county.  James  Huston  died  at  his  home  on  the  farm 
on  which  he  had  lived  for  more  than  thirty  years,  April  22.  1899.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  nearly  fourteen  years,  her  death  occurring  on  March 
22,  1913. 

James  W.  Huston  took  part  with  his  father  in  the  labors  of  the  home 
farm  when  the  family  located  in  Miami  township  in  1876  and  remained 
there  after  he  had  reached  manhood's  estate  and  after  his  marriage  in  1891 
established  his  home  there  and  has  ever  since  continued  to  reside  there. 
Since  coming  into  possession  of  the  farm  he  has  made  numerous  improve- 
ments on  the  same  and  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of 
livestock. 

On  N'ovember  4,  1891,  James  W.  Huston  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  J.  Sparrow,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  and  a  daughter  of 
John  B.  and  Anna  (Johnson)  Sparrow,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in 
England  and  who  had  come  to  this  country  with  her  parents  when  but  a 
girl  of  eleven  years,  and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Ernest  Homer,  who  was  graduated  from  Antioch  College,  spent  one  year 
in  the  law  school  of  the  Ohio  State  University  at  Columbus  and  is  now  serv- 
ing as  a  member  of  the'  National  Army;  Robert  Alton,  a  rural  mail  carrier, 
who  continues  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  fami;  Herbert  Dwight,  who 


704  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

died  at  the  age  of  five  months ;  Edgar  J.  and  Edna  J.,  twins,  who  are  now 
students  in  the  high  school  at  Yellow  Springs,  and  Harold,  also  in  school. 
The  Hustons  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Yellow 
Springs.  Mr.  Huston  is  a  Democrat  in  his  political  views,  and  he  and  his 
two  older  sons  are  members  of  the  Alasonic  order. 


SAMUEL  LEONARD. 


Samuel  Leonard,  one  of  the  real  "old  settlers"  of  Greene  county,  one  of 
the  "squirrel  hunters"  during  the  Civil  War,  for  many  years  a  blacksmith 
and  later  a  farmer  and  landowner,  now  and  for  years  past  a  resident  of  the 
village  of  Alpha,  in  Beavercreek  township,  is  a  native  "Buckeye"  and  has 
lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  practically  all  the 
time  since  the  middle  '40s.  He  was  born  at  Bunker  Hill,  in  Butler  county, 
May  26,  1836,  son  of  Samuel  and  Catherine  (Franer)  Leonard,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  grew  up  and 
were  married;  shortly  after  their  marriage  coming  to  Ohio  and  locating  in 
Butler  county  about  the  year   1832. 

During  his  residence  in  Butler  county  the  elder  Samuel  Leona^'d's  acti\'- 
ities  were  chiefly  concerned  with  the  leveling  of  the  big  timber  and  he 
became  locally  quite  famous  as  a  wood-cutter  and  rail-splitter.  He  remained 
in  Butler  county  until  about  1846,  when  he  came  up  into  this  part  of  the 
state  with  his  family  and  located  at  Dayton,  but  a  few  years  later  came 
over  into  Greene  county  and  settled  at  Alpha,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  His  wife  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy  and  both  were  buried  in  Mt.  Zion  graveyard.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  tiiird  in 
order  of  birth,  is  now  tlie  only  survi\or,  the  others  having  been  William,  a 
retired  farmer,  who  died  at  Dayton  in  1910;  Matilda  Ann,  who  was  the  wife 
of  John  Engle,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer,  and  Louis,  who  was  a  black- 
smith. 

Samuel  Leonard's  earl\-  vouth  was  spent  in  the  backwoods  of  Butler 
county  and  lie  was  about  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  up  to 
Dayton.  He  later  came  with  them  over  into  Greene  county  and  his  schooling 
was  completed  at  .-Vlpha.  Not  long  after  the  family  located  at  Alpha  he 
became  apprenticed  to  a  blacksmith  at  I'^airficld,  though  continuing  to  make 
his  home  vvith  his  parents  at  Ali)ha,  and  in  due  time  he  became  a  proficient 
blacksmith,  a  vocation  he  followed  most  of  his  life  thereafter  until  his  retire- 
ment. In  i860  he  married  and  for  four  years  thereafter  operated  a  black- 
smith shop  at  Med  way,  up  in  Clark  county,  returning  to  Alpha  in  1864  and 
opening  a  blacksmith  shop  there.     Ten    years    later  he    bought    a    farm  in 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  705 

Beavercreek  township  as  an  investment,  renting  the  same,  and  kept  that  farm 
until  in  December,  1917,  when  he  sokl  it,  feeling  that  he  was  nearing  an 
age  at  which  he  would  be  unable  to  give  its  management  the  care  he  would 
desire.  For  years  Mr.  Leonard  continued  his  smithy  at  Alpha  and  then 
retired  from  active  laljors.  Since  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1906  he  has  been 
living  alone  at  his  home  in  Alpha.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  for  fourteen  years 
served  as  treasurer  of  his  home  township,  being  kept  in  that  office  by  suc- 
cessive re-elections  in  a  stronghold  of  Republicanism,  a  compliment  on  the 
part  of  his  friends  which  he  has  never  ceased  to  appreciate.  During  the  days 
of  the  Civil  War  Mr.  Leonard  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  locally 
famous  organization  of  "squirrel  hunters"  and  with  that  command  marclied 
away  toward  Cincinnati  to  help  in  repelling  Morgan's  invasion  of  the  state. 
It  was  in  i860  that  Samuel  Leonard  was  married.  His  wife,  who,  as  noted 
above,  died  in  1906,  was  Rebecca  Engle,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, this  county,  daughter  of  Henry  Eti^le  and  wife,  well  known  among  the 
early  settlers  "of  that  township  and  the  former  of  whom  lived  to  be  past 
ninety  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leonard  had  no  children  and  Mr.  Leon- 
ard is  thus  alone  in  his  declining  years.  Though  now  in  his  eighty-third 
year  lie  continues  to  take  an  active  interest  in  current  affairs  and  retains  dis- 
tinct memories  of  other  days,  being  able  to  tell  many  an  entertaining  story 
of  the  days  now  long  past. 


TOFLNT  W.  SMITH. 


John  \V.  Smith,  now  living  practically  retired  at  his  farm  home  in  Sugar- 
creek  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring 
Valley  township  on  August  22,  1846,  son  of  James  and  Sarah  A.  (Dill) 
Smith,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Ohio  and  whose  last  days  were 
cpent  here. 

James  Smith  was  a  farmer  and  for  several  }'ears  after  his  marriage 
lived  in  Spring  Valley  township,  moving  thence  in  1847  ^^  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship, where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  June 
30,  1899.  His  widow  died  on  September  5,  1909.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  William  J.,  now  a  resident  of  Detroit,  Michigan: 
Elizabeth  Ellen,  now  living  at  Spring  Valley,  widow  of  John  D.  Haines ; 
Daniel  Freeman,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  and  Sarah  Jane,  widow  of  Wilson  J.  Ostorn.  of  Spring  Valley. 

John  W.  Smith  was  under  two  years  of  age  wlien  his  parents  moved 
from  Spring  Valley  township  to  Sugarcreek  township  and  on  the  home  farm 
(44) 


706  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  the  latter  township  he  grew  to  manliood,  receiving  his  schooHng  in  the 
local  schools.  He  was  married  when  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  then 
began  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1886  he  bought  the  farm  on  which 
he  is  now  living,  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Spring  Valley,  and  has 
since  resided  there.  Mr.  Smith  has  a  farm  of  sixty  acres,  but  for  the  past 
ten  years  has  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the 
farm.  He  is  a  Democrat.  For  fourteen  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Sugar  Creek  Cemetery  Association. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  thrice  married.  On  February  13,  1868.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca  J.  Steelman,  who  died  in  1897  leaving  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Rilla.  wife  of  Carson  McCoy,  of  Sugarcreek  township. 
Mr.  Smtih  later  married  Mary  E,  Lampton,  who  died  on  February  i,  1909, 
without  issue,  and  on  May  29,  1912,  he  married  Mardia  Esther  Howland, 
who  was  born  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Ralston 
and  Rebecca  Jane  (Gilliland)  How-land.  The  Rev.  Ralston  Howland  was 
a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  further  mention  of  him 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  local 
branch  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Eagle  at  Dayton. 


WILLIAM  STEVENSON  HOPPING. 

William  Stevenson  Hopping,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship, on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  on 
Caesars  creek  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  a  son  of  Albert  and 
Eliza  (Stevenson)  Hopping,  both  of  whom  were  members  of  old  families  in 
this  county,  their  respective  grandparents  having  been  among  the  pioneers. 

Albert  Hopping  was  born  on  the  farm  mentioned  above  as  having  been 
the  birthplace  of  his  son  William  S.  and  was  a  son  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Galloway)  Hopping,  both  members  of  pioneer  families,  William  Hopping 
having  been  a  son  of  James  Hopping,  who  came  up  here  from  Kentucky  in 
the  earlv  davs  of  the  settlement  of  this  county  and  located  on  the  farm  abo\e 
mentioned  along  Caesars  creek,  in  that  jiart  of  the  county  that  in  1858  was 
set  ofif  as  New  Jasper  township.  William  Hopping  Ijecame  the  owner  of  a 
farm  in  that  same  locality,  but  in  1871  sold  that  farm  and  bought  about  si.\ 
hundred  acres  in  the  southern  part  of  Cedarville  township  and  there  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  about  1885.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  several  years.  They  were  reared  in  the  Seceder  faitli  and 
after  the  "union"  of  1858  became  meml)ers  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
at  Xenia.     .\lbert  Hopping  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  after  his  mar- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  707 

riage  establisliecl  his  home  there.  During-  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Home  Guards  and  during  tliis  service  accompanied  that 
command  to  Cincinnati  to  help  in  repelling  the  threatened  invasion  of  the 
state  by  the  Rebels.  He  inherited  the  home  farm  of  six  hundred  acres  and 
bought  more  land  adjoining.  He  died  on  that  farm  in  1902,  he  then  being 
seventy  years  of  age,  and  his  wife  died  in  tliat  same  year,  she  being  sixty- 
eight  years  of  age.  She  was  born,  Eliza  Ste\enson,  in  the  vicinity  of  Yellow 
Springs,  daughter  of  William  and  Eliza  Stevenson,  the  former  of  whom 
was  one  of  the  early  settlers  on  Massies  creek  in  Xenia  township.  William 
Stevenson  was  a  typical  frontiersman,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2  and  an 
old  deer-hunter,  and  when  settlers  began  coming  in  here  in  considerable 
numljers  he  resented  being  thus  "crowded"  and  moved  up  into  the  then 
wilds  of  Hardin  county  and  there  spent  several  years,  but  returned  to  Xenia, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  To  Albert  and  Eliza  (Stevenson)  Hoi> 
ping  were  born  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the 
first-born,  the  others  being  the  Rev.  Walter  Hopping,  a  minister  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  now  in  charge  of  a  church  at  Buffalo,  New  York ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  C.  G.  Paul,  a  real-estate  dealer  at  Dayton,  and  Charles  Hop- 
ping, who  is  engaged  in  the  automobile  business  at  Dayton. 

William  S.  Hopping  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  district  school 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  boyhood  home  and  supplemented  the  same  by 
attendance  for  two  years  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and  for  two  years  in 
the  private  school  at  that  time  being  conducted  by  Professor  Mott  at  Xenia. 
As  a  young  man  he  took  part  in  the  labors  of  the  home  farm  and  upon  his 
father's  retirement  from  the  active  labors  of  the  place  took  charge  of  opera- 
tions there  and  so  continued  until  his  father's  death  in  1902,  when  he  inherited 
two  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  the  home  place.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been 
developing  a  business  in  the  live-stock  way  and  after  his  father's  death 
rented  the  farm  out  and  gave  his  personal  attention  wholly  to  the  live-stock 
business,  buying  and  selling,  and  while  thus  engaged  made  his  headquarters 
at  Cedarville  and  at  Dayton.  After  his  marriage  in  191 2  he  returned  to  his 
farm,  erected  there  a  house  of  the  bungalow  type  and  has  since  made  his 
hom.e  there.  Mr.  Hopping,  in  addition  to  his  general  farming,  retains  his  ■ 
interest  in  live  stock  and  still  keeps  a  good  herd  of  cattle,  besides  a  Hock 
of  Delano  sheep  and  a  good  many  Duroc- Jersey  hogs.  Mr.  Hopping  is  a. 
Re]niblican. 

On  July  8,  191 2,  W^illiam  S.  Hopping  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Boots,  who  was  born  on  July  15,  1878,  in  Randolph  county,  Indiana,  daughter 
of  David  and  Nancy  (Tomlinson)  Boots,  the  former  of  whom  is  a  retired 
farmer,  now  living:  at  Farmland,  Indiana. 


/OS  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

CHARLES  A.  HARNER. 

Charles  A.  Harner,  one  of  Greene  county's  farmers  and  landowners, 
now  living  on  the  old  Cromwell  place  on  the  Fairground  pike  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  Oldtown  mill  north  of  Xenia,  is  a  memher  of  one  ot  tl;t 
county's  pioneer  families,  as  is  his  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  at 
Oldtown  Mills  and  later  moved  to  her  present  abode  with  her  parents. 

Elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  something 
of  the  history  of  the  Harner  family  in  Greene  county  and  it  liardly  is  nece-- 
sary  to  go  into  all  those  details  in  this  connection,  further  than  to  say  that 
the  family  was  founded  here  by  Jacob  Harner.  a  German,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  the  days- of  his  j'oung  manhood  and  was  married  at  Hagerstown, 
Pennsylvania,  to  Anna  Heffley,  who  was  born  at  that  place.  Almost  imme- 
diately following  their  marriage  Jacob  Harner  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county.  Jacob 
Harner  died  about  1846  and  his  widow  survived  him  until  1868.  They 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  Charles  Harner,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth. 

Charles  Harner  was  born  on  the  pioneer  home  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township  on  February  19,  1817,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  After  his 
marriage  in  1840  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  he  had  bought  in  the  Old- 
town  neighborhood,  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  removal  to  Oldtown,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  August,  1908.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  owner  of  eleven 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  this  county.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his 
wife  were  members  of  the  German  Reformed  church.  His  wife  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  some  months  more  than  a  year,  her  death  having  occurred 
on  January  i,  1907.  She  was  born,  Mary  Morgan,  in  Beavercreek  township, 
March  14,  1823,  daughter  of  Morgan  and  Elizabeth  (Reel)  Morgan,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  where  they  were  mar- 
ried, later  coming  to  Ohio  and  settling  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county, 
where  they  reared  their  family  and  spent  their  last  days.  Morgan  Morgan 
and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter, 
Mary,  the  latter  having  been  the  second  on  order  of  birth.  She  married 
Charles  Harner  on  March  19,  1840,  and  to  that  union  were  born  eleven  chil- 
dren, namely :  Martin,  who  is  now  living  retired  in  the  state  of  New  Hamp- 
shire: David,  who  became  a  resident  of  Xenia.  where  he  died  in  February, 
1015;  Morgan,  a  farmer,  of  Xenia  township:  Charles  A.,  the  immediate 
subject  of  this  biographical  sketch :  Frank,  a  farmer,  living  on  tlie  Springfield 
pike  in  Xenia  township :  James,  a  farmer  living  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike, 
a  mile  out  of  Xenia ;  Samuel,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  at  Old- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  709 

town;  Mary  Elizabeth,  also  living  at  Oldtown,  widow  of  Henry  Jacoby; 
Isabel,  wife  of  Andrew  Hutchinson,  of  Xenia;  Mrs.  Rosa  Clark,  of  Oldtown, 
and  Martha,  wife  of  George  Oglesbee,  of  Xenia. 

Charles  A.  Harner  was  reared  on  the  home  place  at  Oldtown  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  village.  When  he  reached  his 
majority  his  father  gave  him  a  hundred-acre  farm,  which  he  began  to  farm 
on  his  own  account,  meanwhile  remaining  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age.  He  then  traded  his  hundred-acre  farm  for  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  and  one-half  acres  east  of  the  Oldtown  mill  and  was 
engaged  in  the  operation  of  that  place  until  after  his  marriage  in  1909,  when 
he  took  up  his  residence  at  his  wife's  old  home,  the  Cromwell  place  on  the 
Fairground  pike  in  that  same  vicinity,  and  has  since  resided  there.  Though 
Mr.  Harner  rents  his  lands  and  is  thus  not  practically  engaged  in  farming, 
he  keeps  a  pretty  close  supervisory  eye  over  the  operation  of  things.  He  is 
a  Democrat,  but  has  not  been  an  office  seeker. 

It  was  on  August  12,  1909,  that  Charles  A.  Harner  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Emma  B.  Cromwell,  who  was  born  at  Oldtown  Mills  in  Xenia  town- 
ship, only  daughter  and  last-born  of  the  five  children  born  to  her  parents, 
Joseph  and  Bashaba  (Allen)  Cromwell,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in 
that  township,  March  20,  1830,  daughter  and  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
seven  children  born  to  her  parents,  John  and  Wilmoth  (Foreman)  Allen, 
natives,  respectively,  of  Virginia  and  of  North  Carolina,  who  had  settled  in 
Xenia  township  upon  coming  to  this  county,  remaining  there  until  their 
retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  they  spent  their  last 
days.  Joseph  Cromwell  was  born  in  the  city  of  Hagerstown,  county  seat 
cjf  Washington  county,  Maryland,  in  March,  1814,  son  of  Richard  and  Su=an 
( McLaughUn)  Cromwell,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  there  and  the  former 
of  whom  died  about  1830.  Some  time  after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mr^.. 
Cromwell  came  with  her  family  to  Ohio  and  in  1832  settled  on  a  tract  c^f 
land  in  Xenia  township,  this  cinmty.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Joseph  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  This  pioneer  mother  sijent 
her  last  days  in  this  county  and  died  at  the  residence  of  her  son-in-law, 
James  Hawkins,  in  1872. 

Jcseph  Cromwell  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his 
mother  and  the  other  members  of  the  family  to  Greene  county  in  1832.  He 
later  went  over  into  Montgomery  county,  where  he  learned  the  miller's 
trade,  and  two  years  later  went  to  Alton,  Illinois,  where  he  was  for  five 
years  engaged  working  at  that  trade.  He  then  went  to  Pekin,  in  that  same 
state,  where  he  worked  at  milling  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  begaia  operating  a  mill  of  his  own  in  the  vicinity  of  Peoria,  but  a  year 
later  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  returned  to  Greene  county  and  became 


7IO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

engaged  in  the  milling  business  at  Bellbrook,  later  acquiring  an  interest  in  the 
historic  old  mill  at  Oldtown,  and  continued  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  established  his  home  nearby  and  built  the  house  in 
which  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Harner,  was  born,  but  later  moved  to  where  the 
Plarners  now  live.  On  January  8,  1851,  Joseph  Cromwell  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Bashaba  Allen,  mentioned  above,  and  to  that  union  were  born 
four  sons,  Oliver,  John,  Charles  R.  and  Harry,  and  one  daughter,  Emma  B., 
wife  of  Mr.  Harner.  Joseph  Cromwell  was  a  Democrat  and  his  wife  wa^  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Xenia. 


WALTER  CHANDLER. 


Walter  Chandler,  owner  of  a  small  farm  situated  on  the  Willjerforce 
and  Clifton  pike,  in  Xenia  township,  rural  mail  route  X'o.  5  out  of  Xenia, 
and  who  also  is  renting  and  farming  the  Doctor  Patterson  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty-five  acres  adjoining  his  place,  is  a  native  of  the  old  Blue 
Grass  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  1900.  He  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  Harrison  county,  Kentucky,  April  2,  1875,  son  of  Clay- 
bourne  and  Emily  (Gossett)  Chandler,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  reared 
in  that  same  county  and  who  are  still  living  there.  Claybourne  Chandler 
is  a  landowner  and  has  for  many  years  been  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
home  place.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  tlie 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They  have  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living  in  their  home  state  with  the  exception  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
and  his  brother,  Charles  Chandler,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living  on  a  farm 
in  Miami  township,  this  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Kentuck}-.  Walter  Chandler  receixed  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  continued  to  make  his  home  in 
that  county  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  when,  in  1900,  he  came  to 
Ohio  and  Ijegan  working  on  the  farm  of  J.  C.  Wolf,  in  Bath  town>hip,  this 
county,  remaining  there  until  his  marriage  about  fi\e  years  later,  when  he 
rented  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  "^'ellow  Springs  and  began  farming  on 
his  own  account,  continuing  thus  engaged  as  a  renter  until  1909,  in  which 
year  he  bought  the  farm  of  twenty-six  acres  above  referred  to  in  Xenia  town- 
ship and  there  established  his  home.  In  1913  Mr.  Chandler  secured  the  rental 
of  the  Doctor  Patterson  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  adjoining 
his  place  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  that  tract  in  addition  to  his 
own  farm.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Patterson  gives  consider- 
able attention  to  the  raising  of  livestock. 

On  January  19,  1905,.  Walter  Chandler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada 
Harner,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  a  daughter  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  7II 

Abraham  and  Charlotte  (Hadley)  Harner,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
now  making  her  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler.  Abraham  Harner,  who 
was  a  farmer,  died  on  May  3,  1913,  at  the  age  of  sixty-three  years,  after 
an  invalidism  of  twenty-three  years.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
two  daughters,  Mrs.  Chandler  having  a  sister,  Anna,  wife  of  Fred  Sweeney, 
of  Bath  township,  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler  have  two  children, 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  Edgar,  born  in  1906,  and  Martha,  191 2.  They  also 
are  rearing  as  their  own  child  a  young  cousin,  Daniel  Booren,  who  was  born 
in  1906.  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  his  wife  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  church. 


EDWARD  D.  PARTINGTON. 

Edward  D.  Partington,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township, 
situated  on  rural  mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Spring  Valley,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Xenia  on  July  31,  1862,  son  and  only  child  of  Richard  and  Elizabeth 
M.  (Confer)  Partington,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the 
state  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  making  her  home  with  her  son. 

Richard  Partington  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  on 
October  10,  1823,  and  in  that  county  received  his  early  schooling  and  for 
a  time  was  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  then  began  the  study  of  law 
at  Xenia  under  the  preceptorship  of  Judge  Wright  and  upon  his  admission 
to  the  bar  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  that  city  and  for 
some  time  served  as  mayor  of  Xenia.  IMr.  Partington  retired  from  prac- 
tice in  the  latter  '70s  and  mo\ed  to  a  farm  he  had  bought  in  Bath  tO'vnship. 
He  died  at  Dayton  on  October  2,  1887.  His  widow,  who,  as  noted  above, 
still  survives  him,  is  now  in  her  eighty-sixth  year.  She  was  born  in  the  \-icinity 
of  the  city  of  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Bowman)  Confer,  the  former  of  whom  was  of  French  descent,  who  came 
with  their  family  to  Ohio  in  1834  and  located  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  frcres  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  George  Confer 
lived  to  be  seventy-two  vears  of  age  and  was  able  to  give  each  of  his  children 
an  excellent  start.  His  widow  survived  him  for  twelve  years  and  her  last 
days  were  spent  in  Xenia.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  Mrs. 
Partington  having  had  two  lirothers,  ^^'illiam  G.  and  George,  and  two  sis- 
ters, Hannah  and  Susan. 

Edward  D.  Partington  grew  up  at  Xenia  and  supplemented  the  schooling 
he  received  in  the  schools  of  that  city  bv  a  course  in  the  Miami  Commercial 
College  at  Dayton.  He  was  abtiut  eighteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
moved  from  the  city  to  the  farm  in  Bath  township  and  he  ever  since  has  given 


712  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

his  attention  to  agriculture  and  stock  raising,  making  a  specialty  of  the  latter 
line.  After  farming  in  Bath  township  for  nine  years  Mr.  Partington  tried 
his  hand  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Farmersville,  over  in  Montgomery 
county,  but  a  year  later  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  the  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  and  a  half  acres  on  which  he  and  his  mother 
are  now  living  in  Sugarcreek  township.  'Sir.  Partington  has  for  years  made  a 
specialty  of  the  raising  of  high-grade  O.  I.  C.  hogs  and  also  does  quite  a 
business  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  sheep.  He  is  a  Mason,  affiliated  with 
the  local  lodge  of  that  order  ( Xo.  574)  at  Xew  Burlington,  and  with  the 
chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  the  council.  Royal  and  Select  Masters,  at 
Xenia,  and  also  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics  at  Spring  Valley,  and  with  the  lodge  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Spring  Valley.  He  and  his  mother 
are  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Partington  is  "inde- 
pendent." 


HARRY  SAHTH  TOWXSLEY. 

Harry  Smith  Townsley,  proprietor  of  a  farm  just  south  of  Cedarville 
on  the  Wilmington  road,  and  a  member  of  the  Cedarville  township  board  of 
education,  was  born  on  a  farm  four  miles  east  of  Cedarville  on  February 
2,  1880,  son  of  John  and  Malinda  (Kershner)  Townsley,  further  mention 
of  whom,  together  with  a  comprehensive  history  of  the  pioneer  Townsley 
family  in  this  county,  is  presented  elsewhere. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Harry  S.  Townsley  received  his  schooling 
in  the  College  Corner  school  and  remained  at  home  until  liis  marriage  in 
1903,  after  which  he  made  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
old  home  for  thirteen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  March.  1916,  he 
bought  the  farm  of  forty  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living,  just  south  of  Cedar- 
ville. He  also  rents  and  operates  an  adjoining  farm.  Mr.  Townsley  is 
extensivelv  engaged  in  the  live-stock  business,  buying  and  selling,  and  gives 
much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  high-grade  horses,  keeping  two  Belgian 
and  one  Shire  sire.  He  is  a  Republican,  has  served  as  school  director  in  his 
home  district  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  township  board  of  education. 

On  SeptemlDer  23,  I9a3,  Harry  S.  Townsley  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  Dorcas  Brickel,  who  was  born  in  Ross  township,  September  23,  1881, 
daughter  of  Frank  and  Mary  Arabelle  (Smith)  Brickel,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Mary  Catherine,  born  on  August  26,  1905, 
and  George  Alfred,  April  20,  1907.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Townsley  are  members 
of  the  Metliodist  Episcopal  church  at  Cedarville  and  Mr.  Townsley  is  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same. 


HAKUY   S.   TOWXSLFA"   AND   FAMILY. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  713 

THOMAS  L.  ROWAND. 

Thomas  L.  Rowand,  who  died  at  his  home  in  the  neighboring  councy 
of  Fayette  in  1894  and  whose  widow  later  moved  to  Jamestown,  in  this 
connty,  where  she  is  now  hving,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark 
on  July  13,  1828,  a  son  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Luce)  Rowand,  pioneers 
cf  that  county,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Virginia  and 
the  latter  of  Maryland.  Edward  Rowand  was  the  owner  of  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Clark  county.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  Thomas  L.  was  the  youngest  and  all  of  whom  are 
now  deceased,  the  others  having  been  Polly,  Clara,  Amanda,  Benjamin,  Will- 
iam and  Alexander. 

Reared  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county,  Thomas  L.  Rowand  became  a  farmer 
on  his  own  account  in  that  county,  but  later  mo\-ed  over  into  Fayette  county, 
where  he  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  January  25,  1894,  he  then  being  in- the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.     He  was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church. 

Thomas  L.  Rowand  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Eliza  Lay  ton, 
died,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,  George  E.  Rowand,  who  is  now  living  in 
Kansas,  and  on  February  17,  1863,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret 
A.  Lott,  who  also  was  born  in  Clark  county,  this  state,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Margaret  (Garlough)  Lott,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania on  December  13,  1797.  Henry  Lott  and  Margaret  Garlough  were 
married  on  May  i,  1828,  and  to  that  union  were  born  nine  children,  namely: 
Elizabeth  F.,  born  on  October  10,  1829,  now  deceased;  John,  deceased; 
George  W.,  deceased;  Jacob  N.,  deceased;  William  Henry,  twin  brother 
of  Mrs.  Rowland,  now  deceased;  Michael  E.,  who  is  now  living  at  Columbia 
City,  Indiana;  Thomas  E.,  deceased,  and  James  T.,  who  is  now  li\-ing  at 
Springfield,  this  state. 

To  Thomas  L.  and  Margaret  A.  (Lott)  Rowand  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, Charles  E.,  Anna  M.,  Harry  A..  Cora  Luella,  and  Clarence  C,  all  of 
whom  were  born  in  Fayette  county  and  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  Charles 
E.  Rowand,  who  is  operating  the  home  farm  of  his  wife  in  Clark  county, 
has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  who  was  Emma  Murray,  died,  leav- 
ing a  son,  Alfred  M.  Rowand,  now  living  at  Spring-field,  who  on  September 
5,  191 7,  married  Mabel  Vince.  Charles  E.  Rowand  married,  secondly,  Laura 
Skillings  Rowand,  a  cousin  by  marriage.  Anna  M.  Rowand,  unmarried,  is  a 
resident  of  Jamestown  .  Harry  A.  Rowand,  now  li\ing  at  Port  William,  was 
married  on  February  14,  1894,  to  Louie  Gordon  and  has  two  sons,  Carl,  who 
on  August  2-j,  1916,  mapried  Viola  Gaines,  and  Ralph.  Cora  Luella  Rowand 
is  living  at  Jamestown  with  her  mother.     Clarence  C.   Rowand,  now  livin'^ 


714  GREENE    COUNTY,     JHIO 

in  Madison  county,  in  1899  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  Steele,  who 
died  in  1916,  leaving  three  children,  Clyone,  Kenneth  C.  and  Keith  K.  After 
the  death  of  her  husband  Airs.  Rowand  continued  to  make  her  home  on  the 
farm  in  Fayette  county  until  1903,  in  which  year  she  and  her  daughters 
moved  to  Jamestown,  where  they  have  since  resided.  Mrs.  Rowand  still 
owns  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty-si.x  acres  in  Fayette  county. 
Mrs.  Rowand  and  daughters  worship  at  the  United  Presbyterian  churcli 
at  Jamestown. 


WILLIAM  J.  CHERRY. 

A\'illiam  J.  Cherr\',  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  located 
on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  Hoop 
Grove  neighborhood  in  Xenia  township  on  May  10,  1868,  son  of  David  H. 
and  Mary  E.  (W'att)  Cherry,  the  latter  of  wliom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Xenia  since  1902,  in  which  year  she  moved  from  the  farm  to  that  city  with 
her  husband,  the  latter  spending  his  last  days  there,  his  death  occurring  on 
October  7,  19 14. 

The  Cherrys  are  one  of  the  old  families  in  Greene  county,  the  first  of 
the  family  to  settle  here  having  been  James  and  Elizabeth  (Greenwood) 
Cherry,  who  were  born  in  Virginia,  where  they  were  reared  and  where  on 
April  12,  1815,  they  were  married,  soon  afterward  coming  to  Ohio  and  set- 
tling in  the  Laughead  settlement  three  miles  east  of  Xenia,  in  this  county, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  James  Clierry,  who  was 
born  on  May  \z.  17S9,  died  on  Decemljer  24.  1851.  His  widow,  who  was 
born  on  April  25,  1796,  spent  her  last  days  in  the  home  of  her  son  David, 
where  she  died  on  May  14,  1883,  having  thus  survived  her  husband  more 
than  thirty  years.  James  Cherry  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  of  wliom  David  H.  Cherry  was  the  last-born  and  all  of  whom  are 
now  deceased,  the  others  having  been  William,  Mary  Ann,  Mrs.  Jane  Cra^\- 
ford,  Mrs.  Rachel  Kyle,  James  Q.,  Robert.  John,  Benjamin,  .\ndrew  L.  and 
Isaac  X^.  After  his  marriage  David  H.  Cherry  established  his  home  on  the 
home  place,  of  which  he  later  became  the  owner,  and  there  continued  farming 
until  his  retirement  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  spent  his  last  days  and 
where  his  widow  is  still  living,  the  old  home  place  now  being  operated  by 
her  son  Huston  H.  Cherry,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  else- 
where in  this  volume,  wherein  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  furtlier  details 
of  the  genealogy  and  history  of  the  Cherry  family,  together  with  a  compre- 
hensixe  history  of  the  Watt  family. 

William  J.  Cherry  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  earlv 
schooling  in  the  district  school  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home,  supplement- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  /  I  ^ 

ing  the  same  by  a  course  at  Xenia  College  and  a  year  at  Alonmoiilh  College. 
After  his  marriage  in  1895  he  rented  the  home  farm,  estalilished  his  home 
in  a  new  house  he  erected  there  and  continued  farming  the  place  until  1904, 
when  he  bought  the  Rader  place  of  one  hundred  and  four  acres  adjoining 
his  father's  place  in  Cedarville  township  and  later  bought  an  adjacent  tract 
of  seventy-six  acres  of  his  father's  place  and  thus  has  now  one  hundred 
and  eighty  acres.  For  years  Mr.  Cherry  has  been  engaged  in  raising  pure- 
bred Hampshire  sheep  and  Shorthorn  cattle  and  has  been  a  successful  exhibitor 
at  stock  shows  and  fairs. 

On  October  i,  1895,  William  J.  Cherry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 
May  Hutchinson,  who  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  William  and  Jennie  (Bull)  Hutchinson,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  li^'ing. 
and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Raymond  Cherry,  born 
on  August  16,  1900,  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Xenia  high  school.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cherry  are  members  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia  and  Mr.  Cherry  is  a  member  of  the  session  of  that  congregation.  By 
political  affiliation  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  on  various  occasions  served 
on  election  boards  in  his  home  precinct. 


ADDISON  STORRS  LEWIS. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  things  at  Clifton,  the  name  Lewis  has  been 
associated  with  the  place,  for  it  was  Bennett  Lewis,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  biographical  review,  who  laid  out  the  townsite,  the  same  covering  a 
part  of  the  considerable  tract  of  land  he  had  purchased  there  upon  coming 
to  Greene  county  in  1828,  and  the  farm  on  which  Addison  Storrs  Lewis  is 
still  living,  just  at  the  edge  of  Clifton,  is  a  part  of  that  original  tract. 

Bennett  Lewis  was  one  of  the  influential  figures  in  the  earlier  develop- 
ment of  that  section  of  Miami  township  surrounding  the  village  of  Clifton 
and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  when  the  county's 
second  court  house  was  erected  at  Xenia  in  1846,  that  fine  old  edifice  which, 
according  to  "Howe's  Collections"  of  1847.  ^^'^^  "the  most  elegant,  as  yet 
built,  in  Ohio."  Before  coming  here  Bennett  Lewis  had  been  a  contractor 
on  the  Miami  &  Erie  canal  and  while  thus  engaged  had  erected  the  locks 
that  still  are  standing  at  Lockland.  Upon  coming  here  he  bought  land  in 
Miami  township  and  on  that  place,  at  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Clif- 
ton, built  a  cotton  and  woolen-mill,  opened  a  country  store,  platted  a  town- 
site  and  around  that  mill  and  store  the  village  of  Clifton  presently  began 
to  take  form.  He  was  for  years  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at 
Clifton.  The  mill  which  he  erected  upon  coming  here  was  washed  away 
by  a  flood  in  1868,  but  he  continued  engaged  in  his  mercantile  pursuits  at 


yiC)  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Clifton  and  was  thus  engaged  at  the  time  of  his  death,  on  October  lo,  1876. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  more  than  tliree  years,  her  deatli  hav- 
ing occurred  on  January  24,  1873.  She  was  born,  EHza  Boughton,  at  Victor, 
in  Ontario  county,  New  York,  August  15,  1803,  daughter  of  Jared  and 
Ohve  (Stone)  Boughton,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Connecticut  on 
P'cbruary  19,  1766,  and  the  latter,  in  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  January  2, 
1770.  Jared  Boughton's  mother  was  a  Pennoyer,  a  member  of  the  French 
family  of  Pennoyers  which  took  an  influential  part  in  Massachusetts  colonial 
life  and  were  among  the  founders  of  Harvard  University.  Eliza  Boughton 
and  Bennett  Lewis  were  united  in  marriage  in  1828  and  it  was  five  years 
later  when  they  settled  in  Greene  county.  Bennett  Lewis  was  born  in  Con- 
necticut and  was  of  a  long-lived  family,  his  father  having  attained  the  great 
age  of  ninety-si.x  years,  and  his  brother,  Isaac,  the  age  of  eighty-five.  The 
latter  attended  the  lock  on  the  Erie  canal  when  the  first  vessel  passed  through 
to  the  ocean  and  was  also  there  when  General  Lafayette  revisited  America 
and  passed  through  the  canal.  Of  the  nine  children  born  to  Bennett  and 
Eliza  (Boughton)  Lewis  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born.  Of  the 
five  children  of  this  family  who  grew  to  maturity  but  two  are  now  living,  Mr. 
Lewis  having  a  sister.  Miss  Harriet  Lewis,  who  has  for  many  years  been  a 
missionary  at  Canton,  China,  connected  with  the  Presb3'terian  Board  of 
Missions.  Two  brothers  of  Mr.  Lewis,  Ezra  B.  and  Charles  B.  Lewis,  went 
to  California  many  years  ago  and  there  spent  their  last  days,  the  former 
a  merchant  at  San  Jose  and  the  latter,  in  the  real-estate  business  at  San 
Ana. 

Addison  Storrs  Lewis  was  reared  at  Clifton,  the  place  of  his  birth, 
and  there  received  his  early  schooling,  later  entering  Miami  Univer.-;ity  at 
Oxford,  this  state,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1869.  Alean- 
while  he  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of  civil  engineering  and 
upon  leaving  the  university  took  a  special  course  in  Lafayette  College  at 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1870  as  a 
ci\il  engineer.  I'or  a  year  thereafter  he  was  engaged  as  assistant  engineer 
in  the  work  (jf  making  a  map  survey  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts,  his  head- 
quarters being  at  Bo.'^ton,  and  he  then  became  engaged  in  railway  work, 
doing  engineering  work  for  both  the  Pennsyhania  Lines  and  tlie  I'alti- 
niore  &  Ohio  Railway  Company,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  three  venrs  or 
more,  or  until  the  death  of  his  father  in  1876,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Clifton  to  look  after  his  interests  there  and  has  ever  since  resided  at  that 
place,  owner  of  the  farm  and  home  just  at  the  edge  of  the  \illage.  Mr. 
Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  has  served  the  local 
congregation  asr  elder  and  as^  trustee  and  treasurer.  During  his  college  days 
he  was  a  member  of  the  college  fraternity,  Phi  Delta  Theta.     He  for  some 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  7I7 

time  served  as  trustee  of  ?kliami  township,  has  also  at  various  times  rendereil 
service  on  the  local  school  board,  and  for  some  years  was  treasurer  of  the 
same.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  frequently  served  his  party  as  a  delegate 
to  county  and  congjressional  conventions. 


TAMES  F.  ESTERLINE. 


James  F.  Esterline,  a  grocer  at  Osborn,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark  on  October  26,  1873,  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Dunkle)  Esterline,  the  former  a  native  of  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

The  late  Jacob  Esterline,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  at  his 
home  in  Fairfield,  on  May  5,  1918,  was  born  in  Clark  county,  this  state,  and 
grew  up  in  the  neighborhood  of  Xew  Carlisle,  where  he  was  living  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out.  He  enlisted  for  service  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and 
went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the  Sixteenth  Ohio  Battery,  with  which 
comm.and  he  served  for  four  years.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his 
home  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  his  retire- 
ment from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Fairfield,  where  he  spent  his  last  days. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  nine  children. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  James  F.  Esterline  received  his  schooling  in 
the  common  schools  and  continued  farming  mitil  after  his  marriage  in  1895, 
he  then  being  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  made  his  home  at  Osborn 
and  there  began  clerking  in  the  store  w'hich  he  now  owns  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  until  1906,  when  he  bought  the  store  from  its  proprietor, 
George  Smith,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account. 

In  1895  James  F.  Esterline  was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  M. 
Schroeder,  daughter  of  John  Philip  Schroeder  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom, 
a  blacksmith,  died  in  1912  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Fairfield,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  daughters  both, 
Greta  S.  and  Frances  Gertrude.  The  Esterlines  reside  on  William  street  and 
are  naturally  much  concerned  to  know  that,  as  the  probable  outcome  of  the 
present  flood-prevention  project,  they  may  presently  have  to  abandon  the: 
home  that  has  for  years  meant  so  much  to  them,  as  well  as  the  business  in 
which  Mr.  Esterline  has  worked  up  to  his  present  position  in  the  mercantile 
life  of  the  town  which  seems  doomed  to  be  deserted  in  behalf  of  the  common 
welfare  of  the  valley.  Mr.  Esterline  is  a  Republican  and  is  the  present  presi- 
dent of  the  Osborn  board  of  education.  Fraternally,  he  is  afiiliated  with  the 
local  lodges  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


LAWRENCE  D.  WILSON. 


Lawrence  D.  Wilson,  head  of  the  Wilson  Engineering  and  Contracting 
Company  of  the  city  of  Xenia.  was  liorn  in  that  city  and  has  lived  there 
practically  all  his  life,  though  some  years  were  spent  in  the  East,  where  for 
some  time  he  was  engaged  in  engineering  work  before  entering  into  business  on 
his  own  behalf  in  Xenia.  He  was  born  on  February  7,  1882,  son  of  Matthew 
D.  and  Frances  (Morris)  Wilson,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county  and  both  of  whom  are  still  living  at  Xenia. 

jNIatthew  D.  Wilson  is  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  but-  has  been  a  resident 
of  Ohio  since  the  days  of  his  early  childhood,  his  parents  having  moved 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Zanesville,  this  state,  when  he  was  but  a  child.  When 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  from  Zanesville  to  Xenia 
and  he  completed  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  the  latter  citv.  After  his 
marriage  he  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Xenia.  but  presentlv 
gave  up  that  business  and  became  a  traveling  salesman,  a  vocation  he  since 
has  followed,  his  activities  in  that  connection  having  covered  a  period  of 
more  than  thirty-five  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  two  children,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Gertrude,  who  married  Waldo  H. 
Sawin  and  is  now  living  in  X^ew  York  Cit}-. 

Lawrence  D.  Wilson  was  reared  at  Xenia,  recei\ing  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  city,  and  after  three  years  of  work  in  the  high  school 
became  engaged  in  the  T.  L.  Morris  &  Company  warehouse,  later  becommg 
identified  with  that  concern.  It  was  while  thus  engaged  that  Mr.  Wilson 
became  interested  in  civil  engineering  and  general  construction  work  and  he 
presently  entered  upon  the  practical  phase  of  engineering,  traveling  through- 
out the  East  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  the  Woos  er  Construction  Co  npany, 
engaged  in  railway  work  and  other  lines  of  construction  work.  While  thus 
engaged  he  came  home  on  a  vacation  and  for  a  year  thereafter  was  connected 
with  the  engineering  work  of  street  construction  in  Xenia,  afterward  return- 
ing East  as  a  member  of  the  engineering  staff  of  J.  G.  White  &  Company 
of  New  York  City,  and  for  three  years  was  thus  connected,  his  principal 
work  being  in  the  line  of  railway  construction.  He  then  returned  to  Xenia 
and  while  "resting  up"  drafted  a  new  map  of  the  city  of  Xenia.  While  home 
on  that  visit  Mr.  Wilson  determined  to  engage  in  business  on  his  own 
account  in  Xenia  and  with  that  end  in  view  opened  an  office  for  general 
engineering  and  construction  work,  under  the  firm  name  of  Wilson  &  Sch'e- 
singer.  That  was  in  1908.  In  that  same  year  he  v.as  awarded  the  co  itract 
for  surveying  the  line  of  the  projected  Cincinnati,  Wilmington  &•  Xenia 
Traction  Railway  and  carried  the  same  through.  At  the  end  of  tlie  vear 
Mr.  Wilson  bought  the  Schlesinger  interest  in  the  concern  of  which  he  was 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  7I9 

the  head  and  not  long  afterward  formed  a  new  connection,  for  a  year 
thereafter  doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Wilson  &  Dean.  This  firm 
name  presently  was  changed  to  that  of  the  L.  D.  Wilson  Company  and  not 
long  afterward  was  incorporated  as  the  Wilson  Engineering  and  Contracting 
Company,  which  company  is  now  rated  as  a  seventy-five-thousand-dollar  con- 
cern. Before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  Mr.  Wilson  had  successfully 
directed  the  construction  of  the  Chambersburg  &  Gettysburg  Electric  Rail- 
way line.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Free  and 
Accepted  ^lasons  and  of  the  Benexolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


CHRISTOPHER  J.   BUTT. 

Christopher  J-  Butt,  a  veteran  commercial  traveler,  now  living  practically 
retired  at  his  home  at  Osborn,  this  county,  and  a  member  of  the  village 
council  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has 
lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of 
his  childhood.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, November  4,  1847,  son  of  Basil  and  Anna  (Folkerth)  Butt,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to 
Ohio  with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Licking  county  and  presently 
moving  thence  to  ]\Iontgomery  county,  where  they  established  their  home. 
In  this  latter  countv  Basil  Butt  grew  to  manhood  and  married,  continuing 
to  make  his  home  there  until  about  1850,  when  he  moved  over  into  Greene 
county,  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
county  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1894, 
He  was  a  Democrat  and  by  religious  persuasion  was  a  Lutheran. 

Having  been  under  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Montgomery  countv  to  Greene  county,  Christopher  J.  Butt  was  reared  in  this 
latter  coimty.  He  supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  public  schools 
bv  attendance  at  the  Commercial  College  at  Dayton  and  continued  his  labors 
on  the  home  farm  until  1883.  in  which  year  he  became  connected  with  the 
Superior  Drill  Company,  of  Springfield,  this  state,  as  a  traveling  salesman. 
When  that  concern  later  became  incorporated  as  the  American  Seeding- 
Machine  Company  Mr.  Butt  continued  his  connection  with  the  company  as 
a  traveling  representative  and  so  continued  until  191 2.  a  period  of  continuous 
service  covering  twenty-nine  years.  Though  now  retired  from  active  travel- 
ing Mr.  Butt  is  still  connected  with  the  concern  with  which  he  for  so  lon^- 
was  actively  connected,  though  now  on  its  pension  list  of  honorably  retired 
emplovees.  During  his  long  period  of  ser^-ice  as  a  commercial  traveler  Mr. 
Birtt  was  a  member  of  the  United  Commercial  Travelers  Association,  affilia- 
ated  with  the  Davton  division  of  that  organization  and  still  takes  an  interest 


720  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  the  affairs  of  that  body.  He  is  a  RepubHcan,  formerly  and  for  some 
years  a  member  of  the  Greene  county  RepubHcan  central  committee  and  at 
one  time  chairman  of  that  committee,  and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  has 
been  a  member  of  the  common  council  of  the  village  of  Osborn.  Fraternally, 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Butt  has  been  twice  married.  In  1887  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Margaretta  Marshall  and  to  that  union  were  born  two  children,  Anna  and 
Margaretta.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  Mr.  Butt, 
in  1895,  married  Cora  M.  Arbogast  and  to  this  union  two  children  have 
been  born,  Lelia  A.,  who  for  the  past  five  years  has  been  a  teacher  of  voice 
culture  in  Lynwood  College,  North  Carolina,  and  Waldo,  who  died  in  the 
days  of  his  childhood.  Mr.  Butt  sold  his  property  in  Osborn  in  the  spring 
of  1819  and  bought  a  home  at  640  Cassilly  street,  Springfield,  to  which  he 
and  his  wife  will  move  in  October. 


S.\MUEL  W.  HARTMAN. 

Samuel  W.  Hartman,  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Beaver- 
creek  township,  former  assessor  of  that  township  and  a  farmer  now  living 
in  the  village  of  Alpha,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  September 
2.  1857.  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Walker)  Hartman,  both  of  whom  spent 
all  their  lives  in  that  state.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  state,  receiving  his 
schooling  there,  and  remained  there  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  Ohio  and  became  employed  on  the  Horace  Ankeney  farm  in 
Beavercreek  township,  this  county.  When  twenty- four  years  of  age  he  mar- 
ried and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  in  good  time  becoming  the 
owner  of  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  high  school  in  Beavercreek  township. 
On  that  place  he  made  his  home  until  1917,  when  he  .sold  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Alpha,  where  he  bought  a  tract  of  seven  acres  on  which  he  built  a  house 
and  which  he  platted  into  town  lots,  setting  the  same  off  as  an  addition  to 
the  village.  Mr.  Hartman  is  a  Republican  and  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  township  trustee.  He  also  served  on  the  board  of  education  of 
Beavercreek  township  for  ten  years,  in  a  township  that  has  a  reputation  of 
being  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  state.  About  fifteen  years  ago  he  serverl 
for  three  years  as  township  assessor.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Beaver  Reformed  church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  his  church.     He  also  has  served  as  an  elder  and  as  a  deacon  of  the  church. 

On  December  22.  1881,  Sanmel  W.  Hartman  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  Winegartner,  who  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  to  this 
union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Walter,  who  lives  at  A'orth 
Canton,  Ohio,  and  who  married  Louise  Mackelhaney  and  has  one  child,  a 


MR.   AND   MRS.    SAMUEL   W.   HARTMAN. 


GREENE    COUNTYj    OHIO  721 

son,  Robert  Samuel;  the  Rev.  Albert  Hartman,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed 
church,  now  stationed  at  Roaring  Springs,  Pennsylvania,  who  married  Susan 
Stauffer,  of  Dayton,  and  has  two  children,  Mary  E.  and  Franklin ;  Margaret, 
who  married  the  Rev.  R.  S.  Beaver,  a  minister  of  the  Reformed  church,  now 
living  near  Shelby,  this  state,  and  has  two  children,^  Gladys  and  Helen ;  Ina, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  and  one  who  died  in  infancy. 


WILLIAM  F.  HUSTON. 


William  F.  Huston,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  situ- 
ated on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Dayton,  was  born  in  the  house  in 
which  he  is  now  living  on  that  farm  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life,  having  suc- 
ceeded to  the  farm  after  his  father's  death.  He  was  born  on  May  i,  1858, 
son  and  only  child  of  William  and  Caroline  (Mayhew)  Huston,  both  of 
whom  were  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

William  Huston  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery, 
but  early  became  a  farmer  in  this  county  and  became  the  owner  of  a  farm 
of  five  hundred  and  forty-three  acres  in  Sugarcreek  township  and  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-three  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Muncie,  Indiana. 
His  last  days  were  spent  at  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township.  He  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  marriage  was  the  father  of  five  children,  James, 
Michael,  John,  Sarah  and  Philena,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased  save  John, 
a  farmer  of  Sugarcreek  township  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Following'  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these 
children,  William  Huston  married  Caroline  Mayhew  and  to  this  latter  union 
was  born  one  child,  a  son,  William  F.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch. 

William  F.  Huston  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  has 
continued  to  make  that  place  his  home,  for  years  the  owner  of  the  old  home 
place.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  after  his 
marriage  established  his  home  on  the  home  farm  on  which  he  has  since 
made  many  improvements.  For  some  years  past  he  has  lived  practicall}' 
retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm.  Mr.  Huston  is  a  Republican 
and  has  rendered  public  service  as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board  and 
has  also  served  on  election  boards  and  juries.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  with  the  Junior  Order  of  L^nited  American 
Mechanics. 

On  November  11,  1880,  William  F.  Huston  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  M.  Miller,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of  Tennessee  and  who  was 
but  twelve  years  of  age  when  her  parents  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family 
and  settled  in  Greene  countv.  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five  chil- 

(45) 


^22  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

dren.  namely:  Edward  H.,  a  carpenter,  living  in  Beavercreek  township,  who 
married  Etta  Carpenter  and  has  two  children,  Xorman  and  Raymond :  Clar- 
ence, a  Sugarcreek  farmer,  who  married  Lulu  Wright  and  has  one  child,  a 
son,  Kenneth ;  Minnie  May,  wife  of  Elmer  ^^'etzel,  a  painter,  who  lives 
in  Beavercreek  township;  Ossa  C,  wife  of  Orville  Berryhill,  of  Bellbrook, 
and  Jesse  Roy,  a  farmer,'  who  married  Golda  Greene  and  lives  at  Bellbrook. 


,      JUSTUS  LABAX  BAKER. 

The  late  Justus  Laban  Baker,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Silvercreek 
township  in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was 
born  in  that  township  on  June  15,  1844,  son  of  Jacob  and  Lorena  (Haughey) 
Baker,  well-known  residents  of  'that  township,  whose  last  days  were  spent 
there.  Jacob  Baker  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch  was  the  first-born. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  Justus  L.  Baker 
received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  after 
his  marriage  when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Trained  as  a  farmer  from  the 
days  of  his  boyhood,  he  ever  followed  that  vocation  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  had  the  farm  property  of  sixty-six  acres,  on  which  his  widow  is  still 
living  and  the  operation  of  which  is  being  carried  on  by  his  son-in-law, 
George  W.  Buckwalter.  3ilr.  Baker  was  a  Republican  and  had  held  minor 
public  offices  in  his  home  township,  particularly  school  offices.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Jamestown,  as  is  his  widow.  ]\Ir.  Baker 
died  on  November  21,  1895,  h^  then  being  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  his  age. 

On  February  i,  1866,  Justus  L.  Baker  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Ellen  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  and  who  had 
come  here  in  1865  with  her  parents,  John  and  ^^laria  (Keiter)  Smith,  the 
family  locating  in  Silvercreek  township.  For  a  year  after  coming  tii  this 
county  John  Smith  rented  a  farm  and  then  he  bought  the  farm  on  which 
W.  F  Lewis  now  resides  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  February  12,  1880.  He  was  born  on  June  19,  1806.  His  widow, 
who  was  born  on  May  6,  1806,  survived  him  for  more  than  four  years, 
her  death  occurring  on  July  10,  1884.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  John  Smith  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Baker  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

To  Justus  L.  and  Mary  L.  (Smith)  Baker  were  born  ten  children, 
namely:  Elma  Rosella,  who  is  now  living  in  the  state  of  Oklahoma,  widow 
of  Grant  Bush ;  George  O. ;  Anna  Lorena,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girl- 
hood; John  Isaac,  who  married  Eva  Gerrard;  Emma  J.,  who  married  George 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  723 

W.  Buckwalter  and  is  living  on  the  home  place;  James  Franklin,  who  mar- 
ried Eva  Hargraves  and  is  farming  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county ;  Will- 
iam J.,  who  married  Sarah  Johnson  and  also  is  fanning  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship; Wilbur  C,  who  married  Bertha  Seslar  and  is  farming  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Fayette;  Zola,  deceased,  and  Laban,  who  died  in  infancy. 
They  have  sixty-six  acres. 


HARVEY  HUMSTON. 


Harvey  Humston,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township, 
formerly  and  for  years  engaged  in  {he  livery  business,  but  for  some  years 
past  living  retired  at  Xenia,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton 
on  November  19,  1841,  son  of  Strother  and  Ann  E.  (Ford)  Humston, 
natives  of  the  Old  Dominion,  who  later  became  residents  of  Greene  county, 
where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Strother  Humston  was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  as  was  his 
wife,  of  old  Colonial  stock.  They  were  married  in  that  county  and  con- 
tinued to  make  their  home  there  for  some  years  afterward.  Then  they 
came  to  Ohio,  driving  through  with  two  small  children,  and  located  at 
Andersons  Forks,  in  Clinton  county,  later  coming  to  Greene  county  and 
settling  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  Strother  Humston  was  a  produce  dealer  and  continued  that  business 
in  this  county  for  thirty  years,  or  until  his  retirement,  his  produce  wagon 
long  having  been  a  familiar  visitor  at  the  farm  houses  on  the  "route"  lie 
early  established  and  so  long  maintained.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist  church  and  are  buried  in  the  Baptist 
church  cemetery  (Petersons),  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  old  home  in 
Caesarscreek  township.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  Wilford,  a  farmer,  who  went  to 
Washington  county,  Iowa,  where  he  became  sheriff  of  that  county,  but  later 
feturned  to  Greene  county,  where  his  last  days  weie  spent;  Marv,  who  mar- 
ried Samuel  Jones  and  who,  as  v^•ell  as  her  husband,  is  now  dead :  Harvey, 
the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch ;  .Ann,  who  married  Joseph  B.  Cum- 
mings  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  dead:  John,  a  veteran  of  ihe 
Civil  War,  who  served  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  who  is  now  living  at  the  Soldiers  Home  at  Sandusky; 
Levi,  a  Greene  county  farmer,  who  died  in  191 5;  .Amanda,  who  married 
Frank  Weaver  and  is  now  dead,  her  husband  living  at  Bellbrook,  and  Ella, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 

Having  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  up  from  Clinton 
county,    Harvey  Humston  was   reared  on   the   home    farm   in   Caesarscreek 


7^4  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

township  and  there  made  his  home  until  his  marriage  when  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  after  which  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  Upon 
his  father's  retirement  from  the  produce  business  he  took  up  the  "route"" 
his  father  had  estabhshed  and  covered  the  same  for  six  or  seven  years, 
meantime  engaging  in  the  livery  business  and  was  engaged  in  the  latter 
business  for  fourteen  years,  after  which  he  gave  his  undivided  attention  to 
his  farm.  Mr.  Humston  has  one  hundred  and  eleven  acres  in  Caesarscreek 
township  and  on  that  place  made  his  home  for  thirty-six  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  rented  his  farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  has  since 
lived  retired. 

In  March,  1866,  Harvey  Humston  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ellen 
Powers,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county,  a  daughter 
of  Alfred  and  Susan  (Burrell)  Powers,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
that  township.  Alfred  Powers  was  a  farmer  and  for  twenty-one  years 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  township.  He  and  his  wife 
spent  their  last  days  on  their  home  place  in  Caesarscreek  township.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  !\Irs.  Humston  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following :  Allan,  who  was  a  farmer 
and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Tennessee:  Mary,  now  deceased,  who 
was  the  wife  of  Christian  Weaver,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township; 
Aniel,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Xenia;  Harlan,  also  a  farmer,  now 
deceased,  and  Eli,  who  is  a  millwright,  living  at  Dayton. 

To  Harvey  and  Ellen (  Powers)  Humston  two  children  ha\e  been  born, 
a  son  and  a  daughter,  Jessie  L.  and  Hal  P.,  the  latter  of  whom  died  at  his 
home  in  Xenia,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years.  Jessie  L.  Humston  married 
Elmer  A.  Thomas,  formerly  the  proprietor  of  the  "Beehive"  store  at  Xenia, 
who  is  now  a  commercial  traveler,  but  who  continues  to  make  his  hmne  in 
Xenia.  The  late  Hal  P.  Humston  was  l)orn  on  tlie  home  farm  in  this 
county  on  May  22,  1868,  and  completed  his  schooling  in  the  old  Xenia 
College  and  in  the  Xational  Xormal  University  at  Lebanon.  For  eight 
or  nine  years  after  leaving  college  he  was  engaged  in  the  saw-mill  business 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  and  then  opened  a  public  training  station 
for  the  training  of  horses.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  entered  into  a  partnership 
and  purchased  the  Paukett  livery  stable  in  Xenia,  continuing  engaged  in 
that  business  there,  first  under  the  firm  name  of  Humston  &  Grottendick. 
then  as  Humston  &  Burrous  and  finally  as  Humston  &  Humston,  his  father 
becoming  a  partner,  and  so  continued  until  his  death  in  1912.  On  February 
II,  1892,  Hal  P.  Humston  was  united  in  marriage  to  Minnie  Semans,  of 
Clinton  county,  daughter  of  Jacob  .Semans,  of  that  same  county,  formerly 
a  resident  of  Greene  county,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one  child,  a  son. 
Glenn  Humston,  born  on  August  9,  1893,  who  since  completing  his  studies 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  725 

ill  the  Xenia  high  school  has  been  employed  in  the  office  of  the  Hooven  & 
Allison  Company  at  Xenia.  Hal  P.  Humston  was  an  Odd  Fellow,  affiliated 
with  Xenia  Lodge  No.  52,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  with  Shaw- 
nee Encampment  X^o.  20,  of  that  order,  and  had  "passed  the  chairs"  in 
both  o*'  these  bodies.  Harvey  Humston  also  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  been  affiliated  with  that 
order   for  more  than   forty  years.      Politically,  he  votes  "independent." 


ELI   BURRELL. 


Eli  Bnrrell,  a  carpenter  at  Xenia,  in  whicli  city  he  has  been  making  his 
home  for  the  past  fifteen  years  or  more,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county, 
born  on  a  farm  in  Gaesarscreek  township  on  March  3,  1858,  son  of  INIarshall 
and  Rebecca  (Powers)  Burrell,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county 
and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here,   residents  of  Gaesarscreek  township. 

Marshall  Burrell  was  born  in  Caesarcreek  township  on  February  22, 
1828,  a  son  of  John  D.  and  Eleanor  (Alarshall)  Burrell,  the  former  of  whom 
came  to  this  county  from  Virginia  in  1811  and  settled  in  Gaesarscreek  town- 
ship. John  D.  Burrell  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2  and  was  for  many 
years  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  township.  He  was  a 
shoemaker  and  in  addition  to  his  laliors  as  a  farmer  followed  the  vocation 
of  shoemaking  "between  times."  He  also  was  a  carpenter  and  helped  to  erect 
C|uite  a  number  of  the  old  buildings  put  up  in  this  county.  He  was  a  Metho- 
dist and  his  family  were  reared  as  Methodists.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty- 
one  years,  his  death  occurring  on  May  16,  1864.  The  late  Marshall  Burrell 
.was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Gaesarscreek  township,  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  became  a  farmer  on  his  own 
account,  also  taking  up  the  trade  of  wagon-making.  He  married  Rel>ecca 
Powers,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  about  the  year  1835,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  five  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Albert  Burrell,  who  was  born  in 
1846,  now  living  on  a  farm  on  the  Glifton  pike,  in  this  county,  and  who  is 
married  and  has  had  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  still  living,  and  Mary 
Ellen,  wife  of  Frank  P.  Smith,  also  living  on  the  Gliffton  pike,  and  who  has 
four  children. 

Eli  Burrell  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Gaesarscreek  township  and 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  He  continued 
farming  until  he  was  about  twenty-five  years  of  age.  when  he  took  up  black- 
smithing,  a  vocation  which  he  followed  for  some  time,  later  taking  up  car- 
pentering.    About  fifteen  years  ago  he  moved  to  Xenia  and  has  since  made 


726  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

his  home  in  that  city.     In  his  political  belief  Mr.  Burrell  is  an  ardent  Prohi- 
bitionist. 

On  August  16,  1883,  at  Cedarville,  this  county,  Eli  Burrell  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Lizzie  Irvin,  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Martha  (McGinnis) 
Irvin,  the  former  of  whom  was  lx)rn  in  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  Ohio. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  namely :  Wilbur  M.  L.  Burrell, 
born  on  October  2,  1885,  who  in  1914  was  iinited  in  marriage  to  May  Gayton; 
Lester  Bernell  Burrell,  August  11,  1889,  now  living  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan, 
who  married  Olga  Pickford  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Robert  Burrell,  and 
Mamie  Lucile,  June  26,  1902.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burrell  and  their  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JOSEPH  A.  HACKETT. 


Joseph  A.  Hackett,  proprietor  of  a  farm  just  south  of  Clifton,  was 
born  in  that  neighborhood  and  has  lived  thereabout  all  his  life.  He  was 
born  on  the  old  R.  H.  Harbison  farm  on  April  19,  1876,  son  of  James  and 
Ellen  (Cavenaugh)  Hackett,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  were  married  in  Spring- 
field, this  state,  and  who  later  located  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  this 
county,  where  the  former  died  in  October,  191 6,  and  where  the  latter  is  still 
living.  James  Hackett  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  further 
mention  of  whom,  together  with  additional  details  of  the  history  of  the 
Hackett  family  in  this  county,  is  made  in  a  biographical  sketch  relating  to 
Charles  H.  Hackett,  postmaster  at  Yellow  Springs,  the  fourth  son  and  si.xth 
child  of  James  Hackett,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Joseph  A.  Hackett  received  his  schooling 
in  the  Clifton  schools,  attending  up  to  the  second  year  in  high  school,  and 
not  long  afterward  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  has  ever  since 
been  thus  engaged.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  operations  he  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  hogs.  After  his  marriage  in 
1904  Mr.  Hackett  and  his  wife  began  housekeeping  on  the  old  Harbison 
farm,  the  place  where  he  was  born,  and  later  moved  to  the  McCotton  farm, 
where  they  are  now  living.     Mr.  Hackett  is  a  Democrat. 

On  February  16,  1904,  Joseph  A.  Hackett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Winifred  Donley,  further  mention  of  whose  family  is  made  in  a  biographical 
sketch  relating  to  her  brother,  Thomas  A.  Donley,  mayor  of  Yellow  Springs, 
presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  eight 
children,  Nellie,  an  infant  (deceased),  Anna,  Margaret  (deceased),  Catherine 
(deceased),  Dorothy,  James  Edward  and  John  J.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackett 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  at  Clifton. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  727 

JOHN  S.  TURNER. 

For  nearly  forty  years  John  S.  Tnrner  has  been  engaged  in  tlie  mer- 
cantile business  at  Bellbrook  and  during  that  time  has  also  taken  part  in 
local  public  affairs,  for  thirty  years  serving  as  township  clerk  and  for  nearly 
thirty-two  years  as  village  clerk,  besides  having  for  some  years  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  local  school  district. 

Mr.  Turner  was  born  in  Bellbrook  on  November  5,  1850,  son  of  James 
and  Nancy  (Snodgrass)  Turner,  the  former  a  native  of  Maryland  and  the 
latter  of  A^irginia,  who  established  their  home  at  Bellbrook  after  their  mar- 
riage and  there  spent  their  last  days,  the  latter  dying  on  February  25,  i86g. 
She  was  born  in  1820  and  was  but  a  child  when  her  parents  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  in  Greene  county.  James  Turner  was  born  in  1813  and  his  youth 
was  spent  in  Maryland,  his  native  state.  During  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood he  came  to  Ohio  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Greene  county.  He  was 
married  in  Sugarcreek  township  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home 
in  Bellbrook,  where  he  became  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business.  He  died 
there  on  October  4.  1886.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  three  sisters,  Elizabeth,  who  died 
in  infancy :  Josephine;  who  married  Thomas  E.  Stake,  of  Bellbrook,  and  spent 
her  last  days  in  that  village,  her  death  occurring  there  in  19 13,  and  Mary 
M.,  who  died  in   1898. 

John  S.  Turner  was  reared  at  Bellbrook  and  upon  leaving  school  became 
engaged  as  a  clerk  in  a  local  store.  In  the  summer  of  1874  he  married 
and  established  his  home  in  Bellbrook,  continuing  his  employment  as  a 
clerk  until  in  1881,  when  he  opened  a  grocery  store  there  and  has  ever  since 
been  thus  engaged.  Since  1902  he  has  had  associated  with  him  in  business 
his  son,  Harry  M.  Turner.  In  addition  to  his  commercial  activities  'Sir. 
Turner  served  for  years  as  township  and  village  clerk  and  as  treasurer 
of  the  school  district.     Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 

On  June  9,  1873,  ■"  Sugarcreek  township,  John  S.  Turner  was  united 
in  marriage  to  [Martha  J.  Cunningham,  who  also  was  born  at  Bellbrook, 
January  24,  1853,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Stratton)  Cunningham, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Dover,  New  Jersey,  August  19,  1826,  and 
was  but  a  child  when  she  came  to  Ohio  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating 
two  miles  south  of  Bellbrook  in  this  county.  James  Cunningham  was  born 
at  Bellbrook,  September  15,  1818.  He  grew  up  to  the  cooper's  trade  and 
for  some  time  carried  on  a  cooperage  business  at  Bellbrook,  but  when  that 
business  became  commercially  unprofitable  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
material  in  the  neighborhood  he  moved  to  a  farm  and  thereafter  followed 
farming.    He  died  on  January  24.  1884.    On  April  18,  1844,  James  Cunning- 


728  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ham  had  married  Sarah  Stratton,  who  died  on  the  home  farm  a  half  mile  east 
of  the  village  on  December  9,  1867.  To  that  union  were  born  ten  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.  Turner  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the 
following:  F.  P.,  born  on  April  6,  1845,  who  became  a  lawyer;  Mary  Ange- 
line,  November  25,  1846,  who  became  a  resident  of  Dayton;  Robert  A., 
July  28,  1848,  who  died  in  infancy;  Charles  E.,  September  2"],  1850.  who 
became  a  musician  in  the  regular  army;  Elizabeth,  May  18,  1858,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years:  James  C,  December  19,  1859,  who  estab- 
lished his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township;  William,  September  17,  i860,  who 
also  established  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township;  Nellie  j\I.,  June  3,  1863, 
who  married  Victor  Taylor,  and  Minnie  T.,  November  22,  1865,  who  married 
William  Stephenson. 

To  John  S.  and  Martha  J.  (Cunningham)  Turner  have  been  born  four 
children,  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  James,  who  was  graduated 
from  Wittenberg  College,  later  became  employed  in  one  of  the  manufac- 
turing industries  in  Springfield,  this  state,  there  married  Maude  Butt,  of 
that  city,  established  his  home  there  and  has  four  children,  John  A.,  Robert, 
Frances  and  Nancy  Jane;  John,  a  farmer  of  Sugarcreek  township,  resid- 
ing a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Bellbrook,  who  married  Helen  Pease,  of 
Bellbrook,  and  has  six  children,  Marjorie,  Gladys,  Roger,  James,  Richard, 
and  Paul;  Harry  M.,  who  since  1902  has  been  associated  with  his  father. in 
business  at  Bellbrook  and  who  married  Ethel  Barnett,  of  Spring  \'alley,  and 
has  three  children,  Harry,  W'ade  and  John :  and  Grace,  who  married  Dr. 
W.  .S.  Ritenour,  of  Xenia,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Scott  Turner. 


ED.  S.  FOUST. 


Ed  S.  Foust,  proprietor  of  "Miami  \'alley  Farms"  in  Xenia  township, 
this  county,  is  the  breeder  and  owner  of  "Orion  Cherry  King,  Jr.,"  581 13, 
which  at  the  N^ational  Swine  Show  at  Omaha  in  October,  1916.  was  crowned 
the  world's  champion  Duroc  boar  and  which  is  still  conceded  to  be  the 
greatest  Duroc  living.  Long  previous  to  that  date,  at  the  I-ouisiana  Pur- 
chase Exposition  at  St.  Louis  in  1904,  Mr.  Foust's  Duroc  boar,  "Tip-Top 
Notcher,'"  had  also  been  proclaimed  the  grand  champion  and  at  the  Pan- 
ama-Pacific Exposition  at  San  Francisco  in  191 5  his  "Tax-Payer  XHI" 
also  had  carried  off  grand-championship  honors,  while  at  state  fairs 
throughout  tlie  country  Mr.  Foust  has  for  years  been  one  of  the  leading 
exhibitors  and  winners  of  first  prizes  and  championships,  his  "Miami  \'al- 
lev"  herd  of  Duroc  Jersey  swine  thus  having  for  years  been  famous 
throughout  the  country.  As  a  breeder  of  pure-bred  Cheviot  sheeji  Mr. 
Foust  also  has  gained  a  wide  reputation,  not  only  in  this  country,  but   in 


ED  S.  FOUST 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  729 

Canada,  South  America  and  Europe  and  the  shipments  of  stock  animals 
from  "Miami  Valley  Farms"  form  a  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  an- 
nual shipments  out  of  Xenia.  Mr.  Foust  also  has  given  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Barred  Plymouth  Rock  chickens,  in  which 
latter  department  of  the  activities  of  "Miami  Valley  Farms"  he  has  been 
ably  assisted  by  his  wife,  who  is  an  ardent  ]X)ultry  fancier. 

It  was  in  1890  that  Mr.  Foust  began  systematically  the  breeding  of 
Duroc  Jerseys,  starting  his  now  famous  herd  with  three  pigs  he  had  bought 
in  Illinois,  and  he  was  the  first  farmer  in  Greene  county  to  introduce  this 
strain  of  swine  here.  He  found  conditions  particularly  favorable  to  the 
development  of  the  enterprise  and  it  was  not  long  before  his  Durocs  began 
to  attract  general  attention  hereabout.  As  his  herd  increased  and  as  the 
demand  for  his  products  grew  he  gradually  extended  his  operations,  giving 
particular  attention  to  the  breeding  of  stock  animals,  until  he  came  to  be 
one  of  the  most  successful  swine  breeders  in  the  country.  In  1902  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  R.  C.  Watt  and  the  business  was  carried  on  under 
the  firm,  name  of  Watt  &  Foust  from  that  time  until  the  fall  of  191 5,  when 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  since  that  time  Mr.  Foust  has  been  carry- 
ing on  his  operations  alone.  Though  he  carries  on  a  general  farming  busi- 
ness at  "Miami  Valley  Farms,"  the  old  William  Bickett  homestead,  where 
he  has  lived  all  his  life,  he  makes  his  chief  business  the  breeding  of  fine 
swine.  His  world's  champion  Duroc  boar,  "Orion  Cherry  King,  Jr.,"  car- 
ries a  weight  of  one  thousand  and  thirty  pounds.  Mr.  Foust  has  at  "Miami 
Valley  Farms"  a  fine  supply  of  water  and  the  convenient  waterworks 
system  he  has  created  there  is  operated  through  a  series  of  more  than 
three  thousand  feet  of  pipes.  In  1903  Mr.  Foust  erected  a  modern  eleven- 
room  house  on  his  place. 

Ed.  S.  Foust  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and 
where  he  has  lived  all  his  life.  January  7.  1868,  son  of  Solonion  and  Mary 
Jane  (Bickett)  Foust,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
the  latter  in  this  county,  she  also  having  been  born  on  the  place  where'  her 
son  now  lives  and  known  as  "Miami  Valley  Farms."  Solomon  Foust  had 
come  to  Greene  county  from  Pennsylvania  in  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood and  became  a  farmer  and  stockman,  making  his  home  in  Xenia.  He 
was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  a  Stewart,  was  the  father 
of  one  child,  Harriet,  who  married  George  Graham  and  died  in  1901,  leav- 
ing two  children,  George  and  Reese.  Following  the  death  of  his  first  wife, 
Solomon  Foust  married  Mary  Jane  Bickett,  daughter  of  William  R.  and 
Isabe.lla  (Alexander)  Bickett  and  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Xenia  township,  and  by  that  union  was  the  father  of  one  child,  a  son.  the 
subject  of  this   sketch.      Solomon   Foust   was   a   Republican  and   a   member 


730  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  He  died  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven  years,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  after  his  death 
making  her  home  on  the  old  Bickett  place,  where  she  was  born  and  where 
her  son  now  lives,  her  death  occurring  there  in  1904,  she  then  being  sev- 
enty-nine years  of  age.  She  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth  of  the  six  chil- 
dren born  to  her  parents,  the  others  having  been  Adam  R.,  Matthew  A., 
Elizabeth  Isabella,  Lydia  Ann  and  Harvey  A.  William  R.  Bickett,  father 
of  these  children,  was  born  in  the  Coaquilla  Valley,  in  Pennsylvania,  about 
the  year  1796,  a  son  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Bickett,  natives  of 
Ireland,  who  were  married  there  and  all  of  whose  children  sa^•e  the  two 
younger  were  born  there,  these  latter,  of  whom  William  R.  was  the  last- 
born,  having  been  born  after  they  came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  Adam  Bickett  died.  Not  long  after  the  death  of  .\dam 
Bickett,  his  widow  and  her  children  came  to  Ohio,  driving  through  with 
a  six-horse  team,  in  1818,  and  passed  their  first  winter  here  with  the  house- 
hold of  Robert  Hamill,  Mrs.  Bickett's  brother-in-law,  who  had  come  to 
Ohio  during  the  previous  year  as  a  school  teacher.  In  the  spring  of  1819 
the  Bicketts  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Xenia  and  there  established  their  home.  After  his  niarriage  in 
1827  to  Isabella  Alexander,  William  R.  Bickett  established  his  home  on 
that  same  place  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring in  1865.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death  oc- 
curring in  April,  1885,  she  then  being  eighty-three  years  of  age.  They 
were  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia  and 
their  family  have  continued  active  factors  in  that  congregation. 

Reared  on  the  old  Bickett  farm,  his  father  having  died  wlien  he  was 
but  an  infant  in  arms,  Ed.  S.  Foust  received  his  schooling  in  the  common 
schools  and  early  became  a  practical  farmer  and  stockman.  To  his  original 
holdings  at  "Miami  Valley  Farms'"  he  has  added  until  now  he  is  the  owner 
of  three  hundred  acres.  Mr.  Foust  is  vice-president  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Commercial  Bank  of  Xenia,  is  connected  with  the 
Huston-Bickett  Hardware  Company  at  that  place  and  is  otherwise  inter- 
ested in  the  general  business  affairs  of  the  city.  He  is  a  Republican  and 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia.  Mrs.  Foust  was  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Greene  county  for  some 
years  before  her  marriage  to  Air. "Foust  on  December  28.  1905.  She  was 
born,  Aletha  Ray,  in  Xenia  township,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Emily 
(Whiteman)  Ray,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  a 
member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  best-known  families.  Joseph  Ray  was 
a  native  of  England,  who  came  to  this  country  in  185 1  and  after  a  some- 
time residence  in  Boston  and  at  other  points  in  the  East  came  to  Ohio  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  731 

located  in  Greene  county,  taking  up  farming  in  Xenia  township,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  Hfe,  having  estabhshed  his  home  on  a  farm  there  after 
his  marriage  to  Emily  Whiteman.  He  died  in  1901  and  his  widow  still  sur- 
vives him,  continuing  to  reside  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township.  They 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Foust  was  the  fifth  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  John,  Carrie,  Levi,  Anna,  Elizabeth,  Robert 
and   Emily. 


THOMAS  GHEEN. 

Thomas  Gheen,  proprietor  of  a  farm  situated  about  three  miles  east 
of  the  village  of  Fairfield,  in  Bath  township,  was  born  in  that  township  on 
April  9,  1865,  son  of  Nathan  R.  and  Harriet  (Dipple)  Gheen,  tlie  latter 
of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  about  1838,  and  who  spent  their  last  days 
in  this  county. 

Nathan  R.  Gheen  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  northern  suburl^s  of  Dayton, 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery,  in  1828,  son  of  Nathan  and 
Sarah  (Bowers)  Gheen,  Pennsylvanians,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  and  settled 
on  a  tract  of  land  which  the  elder  Nathan  Gheen  had  bought  just  north  of 
the  then  village  of  Dayton.  There  these  pioneers  reared  a  large  family  and 
later  moved  to  a  place  not  far  north  of  Osborn.  They  spent  their  last  days 
near  Fairfield.  Nathan  R.  Gheen  grew  up  in  the  Dayton  neighborhood 
and  remained  there  until  after  his  marriage  when,  in  1862,  he  came  over  into 
Greene  county  and  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairfield, 
in  Bath  township,  where  he  became  engaged  in  farming  and  where  he  died 
in  1885.  His  wife 'had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  fifteen  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1870.  Of  the  four  children  born  to  them  but  two  lived 
to  maturity,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Mina  May,  born 
on  October  19,  1863,  who  married  Lewis  Maxton,  of  Dayton,  and  died  in 
that  city  in  June,  191 5. 

Thomas  Gheen  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairfield 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  village.  He  married  in  1S87 
and  continued  farming  the  home  place  until  1896,  when  he  left  the  farm  and 
moved  into  Fairfield,  where  he  remained  until  1910,  in  which  year  he  bouglit 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  about  three  miles  east  of  Fairfield,  and 
has  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Gheen  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres. 
He  is  a  Republican,  present  member  of  the  township  central  committee  of  that 
party,  and  during  his  residence  in  Fairfield  served  for  four  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  village  council  and  for  eight  years  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board. 

On  February  3,    1887,  Thomas  Gheen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ida 


'J'^2  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Camzie  Dell  Parsons,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  David 
and  Anna  (Routzong)  Parsons,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Osborn.  David 
Parsons  was  a  farmer  in  this  county  and  died  in  1882.  He  and  his  wife 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Airs.  Gheen,  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
having  a  sister,  Minnie  May,  who  married  Elmer  Kline  and  is  now  living  at 
Osborn,  and  a  brother,  William  Henry  Parsons,  who  married  Alary  A.  Gheen 
and  is  living  at  Fairfield.  To  Mr.  and  Airs.  Gheen  four  children  have  been 
born,  namely:  William  Xathan  Gheen,  born  on  February  15,  1888,  now  liv- 
ing at  Dayton,  where  he  is  connected  with  the  Dayton  Computing  Scale 
Works,  and  who  married  Daisy  Turner  and  has  two  children,  Earl  William 
and  Anna  May;  Grace  Anna,  born  on  July  26,  1889,  who  is  at  home  with  her 
parents;  a  son  who  died  in  infancy,  and  Hazel  Isabel,  born  in  1893,  who  also 
died  in  infancy. 


WILLIAAI  HEXRY  BULL. 

^\'illiam  Henry  Bull,  now  living  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the 
farm  on  his  place  in  the  Oldtown  neighborhood  in  Xenia  township,  has 
resided  on  that  place  ever  since  his  marriage  in  1877.  Both  he  and  his 
wife  were  born  in  that  same  township  and  have  li\'ed  there  all  their  lives, 
members,  respectively,  of  two  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county,  the 
Bulls  and  the  Stevensons  having  settled  here  upon  coming  up  from  Ken- 
tucky in  the  days  when  this  region  was  a  "howling  wilderness,"  as  is  set  out 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.     Both  families  have  a  wide  connection  hereabout. 

William  Henry  Bull  was  born  on  October  5,  1845,  son  of  James  Rich- 
ard and  Amelia  (Moudy)  Bull,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  the  same 
farm,  the  old  Bull  homestead  in  Xenia  township,  and  the  latter  in  the  state 
of  Maryland,  who  spent  their  last  days  on  that  farm.  James  Richard  Bull 
was  a  son  of  Richard  and  Rachel  (Hunter)  Bull,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents,  William  Bull  and 
wife,  \'irginians,  who  had  settled  in  Kentucky  after  their  marriage,  came  up 
into  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  in  1797  and  located  in  this  valley,  settling 
on  a  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  which  William  Bull  had  bought  on  what 
later  came  to  be  known  as  the  Clarks  Run  road.  That  was  five  or  six  years 
before  the  organization  of  Greene  county  and  an  equal  period  before  there 
was  any  thought  of  such  a  place  as  Xenia  and  the  land  was  just  about  as 
destitute  of  white  settlement  as  any  time  during  the  Indian  occupancy.  Will- 
iam Bull  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on  that  place  and  was  laid  away  in  the 
Stevenson  graveyard,  he  being  about  seventy  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
his  death.     Richard  Bull  grew  up  on  that  pioneer  farm  and  married  Rachel 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  733 

Hunter,  who  was  born  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  the  neigli- 
boring  county  of  Clark.  He  added  to  his  land  holdings  until  he  became 
the  owner  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres  in  Xenia  township,  and  there  he 
and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days,  he  having  been  seventy-two  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
James  Richard,  George,  Bentley,  William,  Julia,  Sarah  and  Maria. 

James  Richard  Bull  grew  up  on  the  old  Bull  homestead  and  received 
his  schooling  in  a  little  log  school  house  on  Charles  run,  which  was  conducted 
as  a  subscription  school  and  which  had  been  built  on  the  Bull  farm,  land 
having  been  donated  to  the  community  for  that  purpose.  z\fter  his  marriage 
he  settled  down  on  the  home  place  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  widow  survived  him 
for  some  years,  she  being  eighty  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death,  her 
last  days  being  spent  in  the  home  of  her  youngest  son  Richard,  who  is 
still  living  on  the  old  home  place.  She  was  born,  Amelia  Aloudy,  in  Alary- 
land  and  was  nine  years  of  age  when  her  parents,  Peter  and  Nancy  (McClain) 
Moudy,  also  natives  of  that  state,  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  and  settled 
in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county.  A  year  after  coming  here  Peter 
Moudy  moved  to  Cedarville  and  in  1837  erected  a  grist-mill,  which  long 
was  known  as  the  Moudy  mill,  though  he  died  not  long  after  getting  it  in 
operation.  His  widow  survived  him  for  four  years,  her  death  occurring  in 
i860.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  daughters,  Mrs.  Bull  having  had  three 
sisters,  Lucretia,  Matilda  and  Sophia.  James  R.  Bull  and  his  wife  were 
members  of  the  Oldtown  Methodist  church  and  their  children  were  reared 
in  the  Methodist  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Lewis  M.,  of  Xenia, 
who  for  twenty  years  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  that  citv,  but 
later  became  a  traveling  man ;  James  Ambrose,  who  became  a  school  teacher 
and  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years;  Anna  Sophia,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months,  and  Richard  E.,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place 
in  Xenia  township,  which  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  for  more 
than  a  century  and  a  quarter. 

William  H.  Bull  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  received  his  schooling 
in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  his  marriage  in 
the  spring  of  1877,  shortly  afterward  purchasing  his  present  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  acres  on  the  Clifton  pike,  a  part  of  the  old  Stevenson 
estate,  in  the  vicinity  of  his  old  home  in  the  Oldtown  neighborhood  in  Xenia 
township,  and  has  ever  since  resided  there.  Mr.  Bull  is  a  Republican, 
but  has  not  been  an  aspirant  for  public  office.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  church  at  Xenia. 

On  March  28,  1877,  William  H.  Bull  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 


734  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

L.  Stevenson,  who  was  born  in  that  same  township,  daughter  of  Samuel  N. 
and  Sarah  O.  (Keenan)  Stevenson,  and  to  this  union  three  children  were 
born,  the  first  of  whom  died  unnamed  in  1889  and  the  last-born  of  whom, 
W.  Leroy,  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months,  thus  leaving  but  one  sur- 
vivor, a  daughter,  Anna  ]\Iae,  who  completed  her  schooling  in  the  Xenia 
higli  school,  married  Walter  Watkins,  of  Xenia  township,  and  has  three 
children,  Dena  L.,  Martha  V.  and  Dorris  M.  As  noted  in  the  opening  para- 
graph of  this  review,  Mrs.  Bull  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  families 
in  Greene  county,  the  Stevensons  having  been  located  here  since  1797.  in 
which  year  Samuel  Stevenson  came  up  here  into  this  beautiful  valley  from 
Kentucky  with  his  family  and  established  his  Iiome  in  the  then  wilderness. 
His  son,  James  Stevenson,  who  was  born  on  April  21,  1772,  married  .-\nn 
Galloway,  who  was  born  on  December  4,  1786,  and  who  was  a  sister  of  Squire 
George  Galloway,  who  came  with  his  family  from  Kentucky  about  the  same 
time  and  located  along  the  Little  Miami,  about  five  miles  north  of  where 
Xenia  later  came  to  be  located.  X"ot  long  after  settling  there  Squire  Gallo- 
way erected  a  house  to  take  the  place  of  his  first  humble  log  cabin,  just  north 
of  the  river  bridge  on  the  Yellow  Springs  pike,  which  house  is  still  standing, 
being  carefully  preserved  by  the  Miami  Power  Company,  which  now  owns 
the  site,  and  upon  it  there  is  a  tablet  bearing  the  inscription:  "Erected  in 
.1801."  James  Stexenson  l^ecame  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  six  hundred  acres 
of  land,  including  the  present  site  of  Wilberforce  University.  He  died  on 
^larch  31,  1864,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  ten  years,  her 
death  occurring  on  March  26,  1875.  They  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  James  Gay,  William  Dunlap.  Rebecca  Ann,  Samuel  X.,  Mary 
Elizabeth,  Catherine,  Martha  M.  and  James  Gay. 

Samuel  N.  Stevenson  was  born  on  April  4,  1816,  and  all  his  life  was 
spent  on  the  old  Stevenson  homestead,  two  hundred  acres  of  which  he  came 
to  own.  On  March  4.  1846,  he  married  Sarah  Olive  Keenan,  who  was 
born  at  Perry,  in  Somerset  county,  this  state,  July  30,  1821,  and  to  tliis  union 
were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Bull  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  Philander  Mayne  and 
is  living  at  Mt.  Carmel.  Illinois;  Rachel  S.,  who  married  X".  B.  Smaltz 
and  died  at  her  home  in  W^arrenslioro.  Missouri,  February  3,  1905:  Ellen  L., 
who  married  Wallace  Freeman,  of  Mt.  Carmel,  Illinois,  and  died  in  1914: 
James  William,  who  lives  at  Yellow  Springs,  this  county:  .Aletha  J.,  wife 
of  Robert  Bird,  of  Cedarville ;  Sarah  Louise,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  on  December  i,  1877,  and  Susanna,  who  died  in  infancy.  All  of  the 
living  children  of  Samuel  N.  Stevenson  and  wife  were  home  upon  the  occa- 
sion of  the  celebration  of  the  golden  wedding  anniversary  of  their  parents 
on  March  4.  1896.     Samuel  X^.  Stevenson  died  five  years  later,  March  23, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


735 


1901,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  five  years,  her  death  occurring 
on  January  24,  1906.  They  were  members  of  the  Oldtown  Methodist  church 
and  for  more  than  a  half  century  Mr.  Stevenson  was  class  leader  in  his  'home 
church. 


GEORGE  F.  BRICKEL. 


George  F.  Brickel,  proprietor  of  the  Ross  township  farm  on  which  he 
lives,  on  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of  Jamestown,  was  born  in  this  county 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  since  his 
marriage  in  1880.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township  on  May 
21,  1855,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Phillips)  Brickel,  whose  last  days  were 
spent  in  the  village  of  Jamestown,  to  which  place  they  had  retired  upon  leav- 
ing the  farm,  the  latter  dying  there  in  1884  and  the  former  in  1887. 

Jacob  Brickel  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  February  25,  18 15,  and 
there  remained  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  over  into 
Ohio  and  located  in  Wood  county,  where  three  years  later  he  married  ilary 
Phillips  and  where  he  remained  until  1845,  when  he  mo\ed  with  his  family 
to  Greene  county  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township.  Eight  }-cars  later 
he  moved  to  Silvercreek  township  and  in  1857  moved  from  that  townshi;? 
to  New  Jasper  township,  where  he  continued  farming  until  his  retirement 
and  removal  in  1882  to  Jamestown,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to  them  all  grew  to  maturity  save 
Harvey,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  their  first-born,  a  son,  who  also  died  in 
infancy,  the  others,  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Daniel,  Margaret, 
yVmanda,  Louisa,  John,  Catherine,  Emma  and  Frank. 

George  F.  Brickel  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  has  followed  farming- 
all  his  life.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  schools  and  after 
leaving  school  continued  making  his  home  on  the  home  place  until  his  mar- 
riage in  1880,  when  he  established  his  honie  on  the  place  on  which  he  is 
still  living  in  Ross  township  and  has  thus  been  the  occupant  of  that  farm  for 
nearly  forty  years.  Mr.  Brickel  is  now  the  owner  of  four  farms,  comprising 
four  hundred  and  seventeen  acres  of  land.  He  has  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board,  as  president  of  the  Oak  Grove  School  Association,  as  a 
member  of  the  local  election  boards  and  in  other  capacities.  Politically, 
he  is  inclined  to  independence  of  party  ties  and  his  years  of  labor  in  behalf 
of  temperance  and  the  abolition  of  the  liquor  traific  incline  him  to  the  cause 
of  Prohibition. 

Mr.  Bickel  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  26,  1880,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  A.  Smith,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  and 
to  that  union  were  born  three  children,  namely:     Mary  Dorcas,  who  married 


736  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Harry  Townsley,  of  the  Cedarville  neighborhood,  and  lias  two  children, 
Mary  and  Alfred ;  Florance  Grover,  who  is  assisting  in  the  management  of 
the  home  farm  and  who  married  Ora  Dill  and  has  two  children,  Marion 
and  Charles :  and  Herman,  who  married  Bernice  Briggs  and  is  operating 
one  of  his  father's  farms  adjoining  the  home  place.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  on  January  19,  1893,  and  on  December  9,  1897,  Mr.  Brickel 
married  Margaret  J.  Ferguson,  of  Sabina,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clinton,  a  daughter  of  Kaleb  Ferguson,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been 
born,  a  son,  Paul  F.,  born  on  September  20,  1900,  who  died  on  April  6, 
1908.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brickel  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Jamestown  and  Mr.  Brickel  has  been  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the 
same  for  vears. 


CHARLES   S.  DEAN. 


Elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  some- 
thing of  the  history  of  the  Dean  family  in  this  county,  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  numerously  represented  families  in  this  part  of  Ohio,  and  it  is 
hardly  necessary  in  this  connection  to  repeat  those  details,  further  than  to 
say  that  the  Deans  had  their  beginning  here  in  the  year  181 2  with  the  com- 
ing up  from  Kentucky  of  the  pioneer  Daniel  Dean,  a  native  of  Ireland,  son 
of  Roger  and  Mary  Dean,  who  had  come  to  this  country  in  the  days  of  his 
young  manhood  and  after  some  years  of  ''looking  about"  in  the  East  had 
settled  in  the  Mt.  Sterling  neighborhood  in  Kentucky,  had  there  married 
Janet  Steele  and  there  lived  until,  with  growing  repugnance  to  the  system 
of  human  slavery  that  had  fastened  itself  upon  Kentucky,  he  disposed  of 
his  interests  there  and  came  with  his  family  up  into  this  section  of  Ohio  and 
established  his  home  on  a  tract  of  land  he  had  bought  in  what  later  came  to 
be  organized  as  New  Jasper  township,  spending  the  rest  of  his  life  there, 
the  place  on  which  he  settled  now  being  owned  by  his  great-grandson, 
Charles  S.  Dean,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  occupied  by  the 
latter's  son,  Herbert  S.  Dean,  whose  children  are  of  the  sixth  generation  of 
Deans  who  ha\'e  lived  on  that  place. 

Robert  Dean,  the  eldest  of  Daniel  Dean's  five  sons  and  the  grand- 
father of  Charles  S.  Dean,  was  born  in  1793  and  was  about  nineteen  years 
of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene  county  from  Kentucky  in 
1812.  Not  long  afterward  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  America's 
second  struggle  for  independence  and  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  \\'ar  of 
1812,  under  Capt.  Robert  McClellan,  on  a  tour  of  duty  to  Ft.  Wayne.  He 
inherited  a  portion  of  his  father's  land  in  New  Jasper  township  and  there 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  May  8,  1856.     Robert 


HERBKltT  S.  DEAN. 

MRS.   DEBOKAH   L.   DEAN.  HANNAH  HACKNEY  SPENCER 

MARION  RUSSELL  DEAN. 

FOT'K  GENERATIONS  OF  DEANS. 


229 

T^     ^pi^^^l 

^^Kf,  ^'-    -^^^ 

.,.^1  Iff      /  ■  ,i^^^^^^H 

^wr*^^'   M 

t  ^W'''  ,iM^^^M 

^^E:*  M 

^^^^^^^■^^  <!vN..'.k;*|h^^^^^H^^^^^^H 

mt^M 

^H^^H 

GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  737 

Dean  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  who  was  a  Campbell,  he  was 
the  father  of  thirteen  children,  those  besides  William  Campbell  Dean,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  having  been  Daniel  A.,  Samuel  D.,  James 
Henry,  Joseph  A.,  Mrs.  Jennie  Hopping,  Mrs.  Janet  Cooley,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Hardie,  John,  Addison,  Robert  Harvey,  Andrew  H.  and  Mary,  two  of 
whom,  Robert  H.  and  Andrew  H.,  are  still  living.  After  the  death  of  the 
mother  of  these  children  Robert  Dean  married  Margaret  Orr  and  to  that 
union  were  born  five  children,  Albert,  Eli,  Calvin,  Cyrus  and  l^Jartha. 

'  William  Campbell  Dean  was  born  on  the  old  Dean  farm  in  New  Jas- 
per township  on  July  4,  1822,  and  there  grew  to  manhood,  receiving  his 
schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  As  a  young  man  ho  went  South 
and  was  for  eighteen  months  employed  as  a  guard  in  the  Tennessee  state 
penitentiary  at  Nashville.  Upon  his  return  home  he  married  and  became 
engaged,  in  association  with  his  brother  Daniel,  in  the  grocery  business  at 
Xenia,  the  store  of  the  Dean  brothers  being  conducted  on  the  corner  now 
occupied  by  the  Steele  building,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Detroit 
streets.  Four  years  later  he  sold  his  interest  in  that  store  to  his  brother 
and  moved  to  Clinton  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  this  county  and  bought  the 
interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  old  home  place  and  there  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  Reared  in  the  old  Associate  Reform  church,  William 
C.  Dean  became  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  following  the 
"union"  of  1858.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  became  a  Republican  upon  the 
formation  of  the  latter  party  and  served  for  some  time  as  township  trustee. 
He  died  in  September,  1888,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  more  than 
eight  years,  her  death  occurring  in  February,  1897.  Susan  Janney  was  born 
in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  in  1820,  daughter  of  Stepiien  and  Letitia 
(Taylor)  Janney,  Quakers,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Virginia  and 
who  came  to  Ohio  in  1832  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  Springboro  neigh- 
borhood in  the  neighboring  county  of  Warren.  To  William  C.  and  Susan 
(Janney)  Dean  were  born  five  children,  namely :  Letitia,  unmarried,  who 
is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place;  Anna,  now  living  at  Indianapolis  and 
who  has  been  twice  married,  her  first  husband  having  been  William  Hazel- 
rig  and  her  second,  William  Baldock;  William  A.,  now  living  retired  at 
Columbus,  Indiana,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  else- 
where in  this  volume;  Charles  S.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch, 
and  Susan,  who  married  Edgar  Ballard  and  is  still  living  on  the  old  Dean 
home  place. 

Charles  S.  Dean  was  born  on  the  old  Dean  home  place  in  New  Jasper 
township  on  December  9,  1859,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.     He  completed 
his  schooling  at  Antioch  College  at  "^'ellow  Springs  and  after  his  marriage 
(46) 


738  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  1883  began  farming  the  place  on  which  his  great-grandfather,  Daniel 
Dean,  had  settled  in  18 12  and  which  had  come  into  the  pussession  of  his 
father.  He  later  bought  the  place  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres,  and 
still  owns  the  same.  He  made  improvements  on  the  farm  and  continued 
to  make  that  place  his  home  until  1910,  when  he  turned  the  operation  of  the 
farm  over  to  his  son,  Herbert  S.  Dean,  who  with  his  family  now  lives 
there,  and  moved  to  his  wife's  old  home  place,  the  old  Spencer  homestead 
place  on  the  Jasper  pike  on  the  outskirts  of  Xenia,  where  he  has  since 
resided.      By  political  persuasion   Mr.   Dean  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Dean  has  been  twice  married.  In  1883  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Ida  Smith,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  William  Smith,  a  minister  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  She  died  on  September  5,  1886.  without  issue, 
and  on  September  18,  1889,  Mr.  Dean  married  Deborah  L.  Spencer,  who 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  daughter  of  John  B.  and 
Hannah  (Hackney)  Spencer,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  W'avne 
township  in  that  same  county,  the  Hackneys  having  settled  there  upon  com- 
ing to  this  state  from  Virginia.  Mrs.  Hannah  Spencer's  mother  was  a 
Morgan,  of  the  Winchester  (Virginia)  Morgans  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
John  B.  Spencer  was  born  in  Greene  county,  a  son  of  the  Rev.  George  E. 
and  Mary  Ann  (Faulkner)  Spencer,  and  was  here  prepared  for  college, 
entering  Delaware  College  when  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  Before  he 
had  reached  his  eighteenth  year  the  call  for  hundred-day  volunteers  for 
service  during  the  closing  period  of  the  Civil  War  was  made  and  he  left 
college  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  H,  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantr}',  and  with  that  com- 
mand participated  in  one  battle  and  in  several  skirmishes  with  the  enemy. 
He  later  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Lumberton  and  in 
1879  moved  from  that  place  to  Xenia  and  there  became  proprietor  of  the 
old  Commercial  Hotel,  which  then  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  office 
of  the  Daily  Gazette  on  Detroit  street.  Three  years  later  he  bought  the 
farm  at  the  edge  of  town,  on  the  Jasper  pike,  now  occupied  by  ^Ir.  and 
Mrs.  Dean,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  on  March 
7,  1907.  His  widow  died  on  March  30,  1918.  John  B.  Spencer  was  a  Re- 
publican and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Xenia.  He  was  for  some  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  Xenia  township  and  for  years  was  commissioner  of  the  insolvency  court. 
Fraternally,  he  was  a  Mason.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three 
children,  Mrs.  Dean  having  two  brothers,  George  E.  Spencer,  of  Xenia 
township,  and  Harry  E.  Spencer,  of  Xenia.  Mrs.  Dean  has  for  years  taken 
an  interested  part  in  the  work  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance 
Union  and  of  the  \\'oman's  Relief  Corps  and  has  served  as  secretary  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  739 

as  superintendent  of  various  departments  of  the  work  of  tliose  two  organ- 
izations. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dean  are  members  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  at  Xenia.  They  have  one  child,  a  son,  Herbert  S.  Dean,  born  on 
June  2"],  1890,  who  is  now  operating  his  father's  old  home  farm  in  New 
Jasper  township  and  who  married  Edith  Miller  and  has  two  children,  Rus- 
sell and  Lorena,  who,  as  noted  above,  are  representatives  of  the  sixth  gen- 
eration of  Deans  who  have  lived  on  that  farm. 


THOMAS  S.  HARPER. 


Among  those  citizens  of  a  past  generation  who  did  much  to  add  to  the 
general  stability  of  the  Jamestown  neighborhood  few  were  better  known 
tliereabout  than  was  Thomas  S.  Harper,  who  died  at  his  home  in  that  village 
in  the  spring  of  1896  and  whose  daughter.  Miss  Ezza  May  Harper,  has 
for  more  than  thirty-six  years  been  a  teacher  in  the  Jamestown  schools. 

Thomas  S.  Harper  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  in  the 
Old  Dominion,  June  2,  1819,  and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Greene  county,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
hfe.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Agnes  Harper,  died  in  Virginia  in  1846  and  Hugh 
Harper,  his  father,  in  1864,  in  Greene  county.  Hugh  Harper  and  wife  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch 
was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  having  been  James,  born  in 
1809;  Robert,  1810;  Ellen,  1811;  EHzabeth,  1813;  Parker,  1814;  Andrew, 
1817;  Mar}%  1821;  Julia,  1823,  and  Sophia,'  1826. 

Having  completed  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state  before 
coming  to  Greene  county  in  1837,  Thomas  S.  Harper  devoted  himself  after 
his  arrival  here  to  farming  and  after  his  marriage  in  1844  began  farming 
on  his  own  account  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township.  He  presently  moved 
from  there  to  a  farm  west  of  Xenia,  where  he  remained  until  1879,  in  which 
year  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Jamestown,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of 
his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on  March  4,  1896.  His  wife  had  preceded 
him  to  the  grave  a  little  less  than  five  years,  her  death  having  occurred  on 
December  10,  1891.  Thomas  S.  Harper  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  as  was  his  wife,  and  for  years  was  class  leader  in  the  local 
church  at  Jamestown.     By  political  persuasion  he  was  a  Republican. 

On  January  11,  1844,  Thomas  S.  Harper  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Ginn,  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  old  families,  who  was  the  seventh 
in  order  of  birth  of  the  eight  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  having 
been  Margaret,  Sallie,  William,  John  H.,  James,  Martha  and  Thomas.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harper  were  born  seven  children,  namelv :  Rachel  Agnes, 
deceased;  Bingadella,  deceased;  Martha  Ellen,  wife  of  James  Barnett,  living 


740  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

west  of  Xenia;  Ezza  ]\Iay.  referred  to  above  as  having  been  for  years  a 
teacher  in  the  pubhc  schools  of  Jamestown;  Samuel  \X.,  deceased:  John 
William,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  Sarah,  of  Jamestown.  Miss  Ezza  May 
Harper  began  her  teaching  career  at  Jamestown  in  the  fall  of  1882,  as  an 
instructor  in  the  intermediate  department  of  the  public  schools.  Two  years 
later  she  took  up  the  work  in  the  primary  department  and  has  ever  since 
been  thus  engaged.  During  the  long  period  in  wliich  ^liss  Harper  has  been 
teaching  the  primary  pupils  of  the  Jamestown  schools  hundreds  of  youngsters 
have  come  under  her  gentle  ministrations  and  her  helpful  influence  on  the 
plastic  minds  of  the  youth  of  that  village  has  endeared  her  to  the  whole 
community. 


HEXRY  DARST. 


The  late  Henry  Darst,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship in  1914,  was  born  at  Dayton  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery 
on  November  16,  1830,  and  was  but  eighteen  months  of  age  when  his  father, 
Jacob  Darst,  came  over  into  Greene  county  with  his  family  and  settled  in 
Beavercreek  township,  where  he  established  his  home  and  where  he  eventually 
became  the  owner  of  several  hundred  acres  of  land.  Jacob  Darst  was  twice 
married  and  by  his  first  marriage  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  Polly, 
Sallie,  Susan,  Betsy,  John,  Jacob  and  two  who  died  in  infancy.  His  second 
wife  was  Mrs.  Ruhamah  Licklighter  and  by  that  union  he  was  the  father  of 
four  children,  Rollo,  Abraham,  Martha  and  Henry.  The  latter,  as  noted 
above,  was  but  an  infant  when  he  was  brought  to  this  county  and  here  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  the  proprietor  of  the  farm  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  his  daughter  Mary  and  the  latter's  husband,  James  E.  Andrew. 
Henry  Darst  married  Margaret  Glotfelter,  who  was  born  on  September  23, 
1835,  and  who  died  on  May  11,  1910.  He  survived  his  wife  four  years  and 
was  eighty-four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death  in  1914.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  namely:  Edward  W.,  deceased:  Will- 
iam H.,  who  is  now  living  at  Omar  Park,  a  suburb  of  Dayton:  Martha,  who 
died  when  three  years  of  age;  'Sla.ry.  born  in  1864.  who  married  James 
E.  Andrew  and  is  still  living  on  the  home  farm  of  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  acres  in  Beavercreek  township,  and  Emma  Ruhamah. 

Mary  Darst  and  James  E.  Andrew  were  married  on  November  12.  1891. 
Mr.  Andrew  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Montgomery  in  18^3 
and  has  been  a  farmer  practically  all  his  life.  His  father.  J.  W.  Andrew,  was 
born  in  Greene  county  and  for  a  time  farmed  here,  but  later  moved  to  Mont- 
gomery county.  He  was  one  of  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter, 
born  to  his  parents,  who  were  pioneers  of  Greene  county.     Mr.  Andrew  is 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  74I 

a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  and  Mrs.  Andrew  is  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Dayton.  They  have  five  children,  namely :  Her- 
bert L.,  who  married  Esta  Batdorf  and  is  now  engaged  as  county  agent  of 
Vanwert  county;  Alma,  wife  of  Lester  Gerhard,  of  Montgomery  county; 
Ralph  H.,  who  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm,  and 
Emma  C.  and  Margaret,  who  are  still  in  school. 


ABRAHAM  L.  BIGLER. 


Abraham  L.  Bigler,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer  and  proprietor  of 
a  farm  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood,  on  which  he  has  made  his  home  since 
1907,  was  born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  October  13,  1861,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  His  parents,  Abra- 
ham and  Elizabeth  (Overholser)  Bigler,  were  both  also  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  there  spent  all  their  lives.  They  were  married  in  York  county 
in  i860  and  were  the  parents  of  three  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  first- 
born, having  two  brothers,  William  Henry  Bigler,  a  farmer,  now  living  in 
Texas,  and  John  Andrew  Bigler,  who  is  unmarried  and  who  is  making  his 
home  with  his  brother  Abraham. 

Reared  in  his  native  county,  Abraham  L.  Bigler  there  received  his  school- 
ing and  early  took  up  practical  farming,  beginning  to  make  his  own  way 
when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  In  1881  he  came  to  Ohio  and  took  employ- 
ment on  the  Albert  Ankeney  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county, 
remaining  there  for  six  years,  in  the  meantime,  on  December  23,  1886. 
being  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Wingerter,  daughter  of  Theodore 
Wingerter,  of  this  county.  After  leaving  the  Ankeney  farm  Mr.  Bigler 
began  farming  on  his  own  account  on  the  Harbine  farm  and  continued  making 
his  home  in  this  county,  renting  various  farhis,  until  1901,  when  he  went 
over  into  Montgomery  count}-,  where  he  was  for  six  years  engaged  in  f.arm- 
ing.  In  1905  he  bought  the  farm  of  twenty  acres  on  which  he  is  now  li\-in.; 
in  Beavercreek  township  and  two  years  later  moved  onto  the  same  and.  has 
ever  since  made  his  home  there.  ]\Ir.  Bigler  is  a  Repulilican,  is  the  present 
party  committeeman  from  his  precinct  and  has  served  for  two  terms  as  road 
supervisor  in  his  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  Grange  and  he  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bigler  have 
six  children,  namely:  Carl  Edgar,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer,  who 
married  Naomi  Shellebarger  and  has  one  child,  Glena;  Mary  Catherine,  who 
married  Grover  W^olf  and  has  two  children,  Clifford  Alton  and  Carrie  Eliza- 
beth ;  Martha  Elizabeth,  who  married  Arthur  Wead  and  has  a  son,  Franklin ; 
John  Theodore,  a  farmer,  unmarried ;  William  Albert,  also  an  unmarried 
farmer,  and  Mabel  Clara. 


742  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

DAVID  E.  SPAHR,  M  D. 

Dr.  David  E.  Spahr,  of  Xenia,  editor  in  charge  of  the  health  department 
of  Farm  and  Fireside,  a  journal  published  in  the  neighboring  city  of  Spring- 
field, is  one  of  Greene  county's  native  sons,  born  on  what  is  known  as  the 
Stewart  farm  on  the  Stringtown  road  in  New  Jasper  township,  April  i6, 
1862,  son  of  the  Rev.  Gideon  and  Elizabeth  (Kyle)  Spahr,  both  members 
of  ])ioneer  families  in  Greene  county  and  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born 
here,  a  member  of  the  Kyle  family  that  came  up  here  from  Kentucky  m 
the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  Greene  county. 

The  Rev.  Gideon  Spahr,  affectionately  remembered  hereabout  as  "Uncle 
Gid"  Spahr,  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  born  in  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia,  in  1812,  a  son  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Bishop)  Spahr,  and  was 
five  vears  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  and  the  other  members  of 
their  family  from  Virginia  to  Ohio,  the  family  settling  in  the  woods  wilder- 
ness east  of  Xenia  in  18 17.  Edward  Spahr  there  bought  a  farm  of  about 
one  hundred  acres  and  established  his  home.  He  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  twelve  of  these  children  and  the  Spahr  connection  thus  became 
a  numerous  one  hereabout  in  succeeding  generations.  Gideon  Spahr  grew 
to  manhood  on  that  pioneer  farm  and  married  Elizabeth  Ivyle,  who  was 
born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  Ivyle  and  wife,  both  of  whom  died  in 
middle  age.  John  Kyle  was  the  father  of  four  children,  those  besides  Airs. 
Spahr  having  been  Seth  and  John,  who  went  to  Alissouri,  and  Mrs.  Pollock. 
Gideon  Spahr  became  a  "local"  preacher  for  the  Methodists  and  during 
his  many  years  of  service  in  that  capacity  probably  preached  more  funeral 
sermons  than  any  other  minister  that  ever  served  in  this  part  of  the  state. 
"Uncle  Gid"  was  a  plain,  blunt  man  and  a  friend  of  the  whole  countryside. 
For  years  he  resided  in  this  county,  living  on  various  rented  farms  in  New 
Jasper  township  and  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  then  bouglit  a 
home  at  Lumberton,  in  tlie  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  where  he  spent 
his' last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1896.  His  widow  survived  him 
for  nine  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1905.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve 
children,  of  whom  Doctor  Spahr  was  the  tenth  in  order  of  birth,  the  otiiers 
being  John,  who  died  in  infancy ;  Madison,  who  went  to  the  front  as  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  a  member  of  the  Nineteenth  Regi- 
ment, Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  who  died  at  Bowling  Greene,  Kentucky, 
while  thus  engaged  in  service;  the  late  Rev.  Albert  N.  Spahr.  wlio  was  a 
presiding  elder  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  had  filled  many 
important  charges  throughout  Ohio;  Cornelia,  who  married  Silas  Smith  and 
who  lived  for  many  years  at  VanWert,  but  whose  last  days  were  spent  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  743 

Hicksville,  this  state;  Robert,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  having  served  as 
a  member  of  the  Fortieth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  who  is 
now  living  at  Xenia;  Sally,  unmarried,  who  is  also  living  at  Xenia;  the 
Rev.  Samuel  K.  Sparh,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church,  who 
now  has  a  charge  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh ;  Julia,  now  deceased,  who  was 
the  wife  of  I.  T.  Cummins,  of  Xenia ;  twins,  who  died  in  infancy ;  and  James 
Clinton,  now  living  at  Skidmore,  Missouri,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  coal 
and  grain  business. 

David  E.  Spahr  was  reared  to  the  life  of  the  farm  and  his  early  school- 
ing was  received  in  the  district  schools  of  New  Jasper  township.  When 
eighteen  years  of  age  he  went  to  Van  Wert,  where  he  entered  the  high  school 
and  then  for  two  years  worked  at  the  printing  trade  there.  He  married  in 
that  city  in  December,  1873,  ^"^  ^^^  two  years  thereafter  was  engaged 
working  in  a  factory  there,  afterward  taking  up  farming,'  in  which  he  was 
engaged  for  a  year.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  giving  attention  to  the 
study  of  medicine  and  after  a  course  of  reading  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Doctor  Stewart,  of  Cedarville,  matriculated  at  Dr.  C.  M.  Seaman's  Medical 
College  at  Ft.  Wayne,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1879. 
Thus  qualified  for  the  practice  of  his  profession,  Doctor  Spahr  opened  an 
office  at  Gilbert  Mills,  in  Paulding  county,  this  state,  and  remained  there  until 
1881,  in  which  year  he  returned  to  his  old  home  neighborhood  in  this  county 
and  opened  an  office  at  New  Jasper,  where  he  was  engaged  in  practice  for 
eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Clifton,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  practice  for  twenty-one  years,  or  until  his  removal  in  1910  to  Xenia, 
where  he  has  since  been  located.  Doctor  Spahr  is  a  member  of  the  Greene 
County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society  and  of  the 
American  Medical  Association.  For  some  time  he  has  been  health  officer  for 
Xenia  township.  In  1893  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  New  York  City 
and  in  1910,  a  similar  course  in  Chicago.  During  the  many  years  of  his 
practice  Doctor  Spahr  has  been  a  contributor  to  medical  journals  and  in 
19 1 5  there  came  to  him  wholly  unsolicitedly  a  proffer  from  the  editors  of 
Farm  and  Fireside,  at  Springfield,  this  state,  to  take  editorial  charge  of  the 
health  department  of  that  journal  and  he  since  has  devoted  mucii  of  his 
time  to  the  duties  of  that  position,  his  department  being  conducted  with  a 
view  to  securing  the  widest  possible  variety  of  inquiry  along  medical  and 
public-health  lines.  The  Doctor  also  has  contributed  stories  and  sketches 
of  a  miscellaneous  character  to  other  magazines  and  newspapers.  He  for 
some  years  has  been  spending  his  winters  in  Florida.  Politically,  the  Doctor 
is  a  Republican.  He  has  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  taken  a  warm  interest 
in  local  geological  and  archaeological  research  and  it  is  believed  that  there 
is  no  one  now  living  in  Greene  countv  who  is  better  informed  along  those 


744  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lines  than  he.  During  his  long  residence  at  Clifton  the  Doctor  unearthed 
many  valuable  specimens  both  of  a  geological  and  archeological  character, 
particularly- of  the  latter,  and  thus  collected  a  wide  variety  of  relics  of  the 
Indian  and  Alound  Builder  occupancy  of  this  region.  }iIost  of  these  speci- 
mens he  has  in  recent  years  distributed  to  museums  and  libraries,  the  state 
museum  at  Columbus  and  the  public  library  at  Xenia  being  special  bene- 
ficiaries of  his  thought  fulness,  though  he  still  has  at  his  office  in  Xenia  some 
very  valuable  specimens.  The  Doctor  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia,  the 
Doctor  being  a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of  the  congregation  with 
which  he  is  connected  and  for  years  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school. 

In  December,  1873,  at  Van  Wert,  Ohio,  Dr.  David  E.  Spahr  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Emma  Highwood,  daughter  of  William  and  Caroline  High- 
wood,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  of  whom  was  for  some  years  a  merchant 
at  X'ew  Jasper,  this  county,  but  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Anderson, 
Indiana,  and  to  this  union  were  born  five  children,  namelv :  Lillian,  who 
married  Edward  Bush,  a  machinist,  now  living  at  Springfield,  this  state; 
James  H.,  a  farmer  and  miner,  now  lixing  at  Star,  Oregon;  Gertrude  C, 
deceased:  Jessie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  Elmer  G.,  who 
is  now  the  teacher  of  manual  training  in  the  high  .school  at  Paulding,  this 
state.  Prof.  Elmer  G.  Spahr  attended  Cedarville  College  and  Davton  Busi- 
ness College  after  his  graduation  from  the  Clifton  high  school  and  later 
received  two  degrees  from  the  Ohio  State  University.  He  received  a  life 
license  as  a  high-school  teacher  and  was  for  some  time  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Ansonia,  this  state,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  present 
position  at  Paulding.  He  married  Mabel  Hadley,  of  Springboro,  and  has 
one  child,  a  son,  Hadlev  Gideon. 


GUY  M.  WILLIAMS. 


Guy  ^I.  Williams,  grocer  at  Osborn,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark  on  September  11,  1883,  a  son  of  Frank  and  Maria  (Musser)  Will- 
iams, both  of  whom  are  still  living,  residents  of  Clark  county.  Frank  Will- 
ianis  also  was  born  in  Clark  county  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He  has 
been  a  farmer  all  his  life  and  for  some  time  lived  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Montgomery,  but  is  now  living  in  Clark  county.  To  him  and  his  wife  nine 
children  were  born,  six  of  whom  are  still  living,  but  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  is  the  only  one  of  these  who  is  a  resident  of  Greene  county. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Guy  M.  Williams  received  most  of  his  schooling 
in  Montgomery  county  and  after  leaving  school  became  a  cjerk  in  the  Stephen 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  745 

Store  at  Osborn,  where  he  remained  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  went  to  Springfield  and  was  there  engaged  working  in  a  wholesale  grocery 
store  until  191 2,  in  which  year  he  returned  to  Osborn  and  bought  the  Buhr- 
man  store,  the  same  store  under  a  different  management  in  which  he  had 
formerly  been  a  clerk,  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  business  in  that 
village. 

In  December,  1914.  Guy  AI.  Williams  was  united  in  marriage  to  Marie 
Hunter,  daughter  of  Emily  Hunter.  Politically,  Mr.  Williams  is  a  Repub- 
lican and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order 
of  United  American  Mechanics. 


D.  WALKER  WILLIAMSON. 

D.  Walker  Williamson,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  now  living  retired 
on  his  farm  east  of  Xenia,  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since 
the  close  of  the  war,  was  born,  in  that  township  on  August  26,  1839,  a  son 
of  Andrew  Duncan  and  Isabel  (Collins)  Williamson,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  but  who  were  married  in  Greene  county, 
where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Andrew  Duncan  Williamson  was  born  on  January  30,  18 15,  a  son  of  David 
and  Catherine  (Duncan)  Williamson,  who  in  1836  came  to  Greene  county 
and  settled  on  a  farm  of  three  hundred  acres  on  the  Jamestown  pike  six 
miles  east  of  Xenia,  as  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  a  comprehensive 
history  of  the  Williamson  family  in  this  county. 

Upon  coming  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents  in  1836  Andrew  D. 
Williamson  became  engaged  in  farming  and  on  April  8,  1838,  was  married 
in  this  county  to  Isabel  Collins,  who  also  was  born  in  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  March,  1815,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lydia  (Luttly )  Collins, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  who  had  come  to  Ohio 
with  their  family  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  this  county.  After  his  marriage 
Andrew  D.  Williamson  located  on  a  farm  five  miles  north  of  Xenia  and 
later  moved  to  a  farm  south  of  that  city,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life, 
for  thirty  years  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  Spring  Valley  township 
and  for  forty  years  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  that  township.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  Andrew  D.  Williamson  was 
twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  died  in  September,  1870,  after  which 
he  married  Elizabeth  S.  Barr,  who  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, August  8,  1828,  a  daughter  of  William  Barr  and  wife,  the  latter 
of  whom  was  a  Dickey,  who  had  come  to  this  countn,-  from  Ireland  in  18 10 
and  had  located  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  becoming  members 
of  the  United   Presbyterian  church  there.      This   latter  union  was   without 


746  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

issue.  By  his  marriage  to  Isabel  Collins,  Andrew  D.  Williamson  was  the 
father  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-bom, 
the  others  being  the  Rev.  William  C.  \\'illiamson,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War  and  a  minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  now  located  at 
Clarinda,  Iowa;  Henrietta,  who  married  the  Rev.  James  \\'.  ]\IcXary,  a 
minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband, 
is  now  deceased ;  the  Rev.  L.  W.  Williamson,  a  minister  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church,  now  located  at  Topeka,  Kansas;  Rollo  D.,  a  retired  farmer 
of  this  county,  now  living  at  Xenia,  and  Clarkson,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
two  3^ears. 

Dr.  Walker  Williamson  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm,  receiving 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  was  living  at  home  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out.  On  August  12,  1862,  at  Xenia,  he  enlisted  for  service 
in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Union,  going  out  with  Company  H,  Xinety- 
fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  with  that  command 
until  April  9,  1863;  re-enlisting  in  May,  1864,  and  going  to  the  front  as 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  G,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment, 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  until  mustered  out  at  Camp 
Dennison  on  September  i,  1864,  his  service  having  been  mainly  rendered 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  during  which  service  he  was  mostly  stationed 
at  Greenland  Gap,  West  Virginia,  on  guard  duty,  but  participated  in  a 
number  of  brisk  skirmishes  with  the  enemy.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
military  service  Mr.  Williamson  returned  home  and  after  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1865  located  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  four  miles 
east  of  Xenia,  and  where  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home,  a  place  of  seventy- 
six  acres  known  as  "Park  Point  Farm."  Mr.  \\4lliamson  erected  a  brick 
house  there  in  1882  and  the  park-like  effect  he  has  secured  by  the  landscape 
gardening  he  has  done  adds  to  the  attractiveness  of  his  place.  There  he 
continued  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock  raising  until  his  retirement 
from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm  in  1906. 

On  October  3,  1865,  D.  \\'alker  Williamson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ada  McClung,  of  Xenia  township,  a  daughter  of  John  S.  McClung  and 
wife,  who  had  come  to  this  county  from  Virginia,  and  to  that  union  were 
born  two  children,  daughters  both.  Echo  Belle  and  Grace.  Mr.  \\'illiam?on 
died  on'  October  29,  1906.  Echo  Williamson  married  George  Gordon,  an 
attorney,  now  located  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  has  five  children,  Grace,  Louis, 
Helen,  Janet  and  George  G.  Grace  Williamson  is  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  David 
R.  Gordon,  a  missionary  of  India,  and  has  had  four  children,  but  two  of 
whom  are  now  living,  Walker  and  David.  Mr.  Williamson  is  a  Republican 
and  has  served  as  a  member  of  his  local  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  747 

OSCAR  L.  SMITH. 

Oscar  L.  Smith,  cashier  of  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Cedarville,  this  county, 
was  born  near  Selma,  in  the  neigliboring  county  of  Clark,  and  has  lived  in 
this  part  of  the  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  August  23,  1877,  son  of 
Seth  W.  and  Hannah  L.  (Lewis)  Smith,  both  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  Ohio,  the  former  in  the  vicinity  of  Selma  and  the  latter  at  New  Vienna, 
in  Clinton  county,  and  who  are  now  living  at  Whittier,  California. 

Seth  W.  Smith  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Green  township,  Clark  county, 
near  the  village  of  Selma,  January  24,  1843,  son  of  Seth  and  Deborah  ( Wild- 
man)  Smith,  earnest  Quakers  and  pioneers  of  the  Selma  neighborhood,  both 
of  whom  are  buried  in  the  Selma  cemetery.  Seth  Smith  was  born  in  eastern 
Tennessee  and  his  father's  name  also  was  Seth,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  a  son 
of  Joseph  and  Rachel  (Bales)  Smith,  Quakers,  the  former  of  whom  also 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  where  his  father  and  two  brothers  had  settled 
upon  coming  to  this  country  from  England  to  join  William  Penn's  colony 
of  Friends.  After  his  marriage  Joseph  Smith  located  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bladensburg,  Maryland,  and  there  for  some  time  was  a  farmer  and  miller, 
later  disposing  of  his  interests  there  with  a  view  to  returning  to  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

While  driving  across  to  what  he  had  designated  as  his  new  place  of 
residence  at  the  point  where  Brownsville,  Pennsylvania,  is  now  located,  he 
was  attacked  by  highwaymen,  an  experience  which  caused  him  to  change  his 
'course.  He  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Winchester,  Virginia,  and 
there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  Among  the  sons  of  this  couple  was  Seth 
Smith,  who  married  and  moved  to  eastern  Tennessee,  where  he  lived  for 
fourteen  years,  or  until  the  year  1800,  when  he  moved  into  Ohio  Territory 
and  settled  in  Ross  county.  Here  he  remained  until  181 1,  in  which  year 
he  moved  into  Clark  county  and  settled  on  the  farm  in  Green  township 
mentioned  above  as  the  birthplace  of  Seth  \V.  Smith.  Upon  settling  in  Clark 
county  the  pioneer  Seth  Smith  purchased  the  Fitzhugh  sur\'ey,  a  tract  sup- 
posed to  contain  one  thousand  acres,  but  which  on  later  survey  turned  out 
to  contain  eleven  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  On  that  place  he  built  a  log 
house  and  in  that  primitive  abode  made  his  home  until  181 7,  when  he  erected 
a  substantial  two-story  brick  house  which  stood  until  torn  down  by  Seth  ^^^ 
Smith  in  1899,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  the  youngest,  Seth,  being  the  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch. 

Seth  Smith  H  was  born  in  1798  and  was  thus  about  thirteen  years  of 
age  when  the  family  settled  in  Clark  county  in  181 1.  There  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  as  a  voung  man  became  a  farmer  and  stockman  on  his  own  account. 


748  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

He  inherited  from  his  pioneer  father  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land 
and  to  this  made  additions  from  time  to  time  until  he  became  the  owner  of 
no  less  than  two  thousand  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  birthright  Quaker,  an 
active  Abolitionist  and  an  ardent  worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  exerting 
much  influence  in  those  directions  in  his  community.  He  died  in  1876,  being 
then  seventy-eight  years  of  age,  and  was  buried  in  the  Selma  cemetery.  His 
wife,  Deborah  (Wildman)  Smith,  died  in  1857.  To  that  union  were  born 
three  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  Selma  neighborhood,  Seth  \N'.  Smith, 
son  of  Seth  and  Deborah  (Wildman)  Smith,  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  village  schools  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  two-years  course  in 
Earlham  College  and  a  year  at  the  Michigan  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Lansing.  He  inherited  some  of  his  father's  lands  and  bought  more  until 
he  became  the  owner  of  about  five  hundred  acres  in  Clark  county,  and  in 
addition  to  his  general  farming  became  a  breeder  of  pure-bred  livestock. 
In  1905  Seth  W.  Smith  and  his  son  Oscar  bought  out  the  Wildman  interest 
in  the  Exchange  Bank.  He  became  president  and  his  son,  cashier,  the  latter 
being  practical  manager  of  the  bank.  In  191 6  Seth  W.  Smith  retired  from 
active  participation  in  the  affairs  of  the  bank  and  moved  to  ^^^^ittier,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living. 

Seth  W.  Smith,  in  1877,  at  New  Vienna,  in  Clinton  county,  married 
Hannah  Lewis,  who  was  born  in  that  village,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mary 
(Hoskins)  Lewis,  also  Quakers.  Isaac  Lewis  was  a  landowner  and  also 
operated  a  tannery  at  New  Vienna.  He  later  moved  to  Sabina,  in  that  same 
county,  and  there  became  president  of  the  Sabina  Bank,  a  position  he  was 
holding  at  the  time  of  his  death,  lie  then  being  past  eighty-five  years  of  age. 
Seth  W.  Smith  and  wife  are  both  birthright  members  of  the  Friends  church 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  tiiat  communion.  Tliere  are 
three  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest,  the 
others  being  Lewis  H.,  who  is  owner  of  the  old  home  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Selma,  which  has  been  in  the  possession  of  the  family  for  more  than  one 
hundred  years,  and  Mary  Emma,  wife  of  Dr.  Herbert  Tebbetts,  a  physician 
and  surgeon,  of  \Miittier,  California. 

Oscar  L.  Smith  was  reared  near  Selma  and  upon  completing  the  c(jurse 
in  the  high  school  there  took  a  course  at  Earlham  College  at  Richmond,  Indi- 
ana. In  1898  he  became  I;ookkeeper  in  the  Exchange  Bank  at  Cedarville, 
\\'.  J.  ^Vildman  at  that  time  being  cashier,  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1905, 
when  he  and  his  father  bought  the  Wildman  interest  in  the  bank,  he  became 
cashier  of  the  bank,  which  position  he  .still  occupies.  In  July,  19 14.  the 
Exchange  Bank  of  Cedarville  secured  a  new  charter  and  has  since  been 
operated  as  a  state  bank.  Mr.  Smith  is  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Cedarville  Lime  Company,  one  of  the  leading  industries  in  the  village,  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  749 

also  looks  after  his  farming  interests,  having  a  farm  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred acres,  located  in  the  Rife  neighborhood  along  the  Little  Miami  river. 
In  1912,  Mr.  Smith  erected  on  West  Ivlain  street  a  buff-colored  brick  house 
and  he  and  his  familly  are  now  residing  there. 

On  October  i,  1903,  Oscar  L.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jean 
Blanche  Ervin,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,  daughter  of  David  S.  and  Belle 
(Murdock)  Ervin.  The  former  formerly  operated  the  D.  S.  Ervin  Lime 
Company's  plant  at  Cedarville,  but  has  now  retired  from  active  business. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  two  children,  Isabelle,  born  in  1908,  and  Eliza- 
beth, 191 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the  L^nitcd  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville. 


AARON  D.  SNIVELV 


Aaron  D.  Snively,  a  Xenia  township  farmer  and  formerly  and  for 
years  a  school  teacher,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  lx)rn  on  a  farm  in  Perry 
township,  Starke  county,  July  21,  1848,  son  of  Jolin  A.  and  Eliza  ( Bordner) 
Snivel)',  whose  last  days  were  spent  there. 

John  A.  Snively  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Sherman)  Snively, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  and  was  but  an  infant  when  her 
parents,  John  Sherman  and  wife,  came  to  this  countr}'  and  settled  in  Starke 
county,  this  state.  Joseph  Snively  was  born  on  a  farm  in  southern  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  vicinity  of  Hagerstown,  a  son  of  Christian  Snively.  a  natixe 
of  Switzerland,  who  had  settled  in  southern  Pennsylvania  about  1755,  the 
first  of  his  family  to  come  to  this  country.  Two  of  Christian  Snively's  sons, 
Henr\^  and  Joseph,  came  to  Ohio,  the  former  settling  in  Butler  county  and 
the  latter  in  Starke  county.  It  was  in  1805  that  Joseph  Snively  entered  his 
land  in  Starke  county  and  that  pioneer  tract  is  still  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
John  A.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  having  been  the  following :  Anna,  who  married  Joseph  Yant : 
Jacob,  who  married  Mary  Ann  Shrefler;  Martha,  who  married  Andrew 
Yoder;  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  Troxler;  Katie,  who  died  unmarried; 
Peter,  Levi  and  Joseph,  who  became  residents  of  Starke  county,  and  Henry, 
who  died  in  youth. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Peny  township.  Stark  county,  John  A. 
Snively  in  time  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  spending  all  his  life 
on  the  old  homestead  farm,  where  he  died  in  1891,  he  then  being  sixty-eight 
years  of  age.  His  wife  had  predeceased  him  about  five  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1886,  she  then  being  sixty-three  years  of  age.  John  A. 
Snively  was  a  Democrat  and  had  served  as  a  school  officer.  He  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  United  Brethren  church  and  their  children  were  reared 


7SO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  that  faith.  There  were  ten  of  these  cliildren,  namely :  Henry,  who  became 
a  farmer  in  Stark  county  and  there  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occiirring 
when  he  was  sixty-nine  years  of  age ;  Isaiah,  also  a  resident  of  Stark  county, 
who  died  there  in  1917;  Aaron  D.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch; 
Sarah  Ann,  who  married  Reuben  Decker  and  is  living  on  the  old  Snively 
home  place  in  Starke  county;  Mary  Ellen,  who  married  Abraham  Whitmire 
and  is  also  living  in  Stark  county ;  Aman,  a  farmer  of  Trumbull  county ;  Eliza- 
beth, wife  of  Melvin  Essey,  of  Canton,  this  state:  Catherine,  wife  of  William 
Wenger  of  Stark  county,  who  died  in  1917;  Dr.  John  H.  Snively,  who  com- 
pleted his  studies  at  the  Ohio  Medical  College  at  Cincinnati  and  has  for  years 
been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  professron  at  West  Lebanon,  this  state, 
and  Dr.  George  Snively,  also  a  graduate  of  Ohio  Medical  College,  and  who 
is  also  practicing  his  profession  at  West  Lebanon. 

Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  on  which  his  father 
also  was  born,  Aaron  D.  Snively  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  same 
little  old  log  school  house  which  his  father  had  attended  in  his  youth  and 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  began  teaching  school.  In  1870,  when  Ohio 
Northern  University  was  opened  at  Ada,  he  entered  that  institution  and  was 
graduated  from  the  same  in  1874,  a  charter  member  of  the  school 
and  a  member  of  the  first  class  in  the  scientific  course  in  that  uni- 
versity. Upon  lea\'ing  the  university  Mr.  Snively  resumed  teaching  and 
followed  that  profession  for  years  thereafter,  his  service  in  the  school 
room  covering  a  period  of  twenty  years.  He  taught  his  first  school 
at  a  school  house  three  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Canton,  in  Hardin 
county,  where  he  was  thus  engaged  for  two  years.  He  then  taught 
for  two  years  in  his  home  county  and  then  went  over  into  Indiana  and  for 
three  years  thereafter  served  as  superintendent  of  schools  at  West  Lebanon 
in  that  state.  He  then  served  for  a  year  as  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Williamsport,  Indiana,  and  for  two  years  as  superintendent  of  schools  at 
Fowler,  same  state,  and  in  1881  returned  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county, 
buying  his  present  place,  the  old  Orchard  farm,  in  the  northern  part  of  Xenia 
township,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home,  .\fter  coming  here  Mr.  Snively 
continued  his  service  as  a  teacher,  two  years  in  the  schools  at  Goes,  eighteen 
months  at  the  Collins  school  and  at  the  time  of  his  retirement  from  the  school 
room  in  1891  had  been  serving  as  superintendent  of  the  high  school  at  Yellow 
Springs.  Upon  taking  possession  of  his  farm  in  1881  Mr.  Snively  erected 
there  a  nine-room  house  and  made  other  improvements,  to  which  he  has  added 
from  time  to  time.  His  original  purchase  was  a  tract  of  seventy-six  acres, 
but  he  has  added  to  this  and  now  owns  one  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  The 
old  farm  house  that  still  stands  on  the  place,  a  brick  house  with  black  walnut 
finish  and  white  ash  floors,  was  erected  by  Jacob  Erow  in  1840  and  is  in  an 
excellent  state  of  preservation.     An  old  smoke-house  with  siding  and  frame 


GREfeNE    COUNTY^    OHIO  75 1 

work  of  walnut,  erected  about  the  same  time,  is  still  standing,  having  weathered 
the  storms  of  more  than  seventy-five  years.  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing Mr.  Snively  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock, 
has  a  herd  of  Jersey  cattle  and  a  good  bunch  of  pure-bred  Poland  China 
hogs.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  his  community  as  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

On  May  3,  1876,  at  Xenia,  Aaron  D.  Snively  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mary  E.  Johns,  of  that  city,  daughter  of  Daniel  S.  and  Maria  (Drake) 
Johns,  natives  of  New  York  state,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five 
children,  namel}- :  Lester,  who  died  at  the  aee  of  si.xteen  months ;  Littell, 
who  is  now  li\ing  at  Ray,  Arizona ;  Frank,  who  is  farming  in  Highland  county, 
this  state,  and  Mabel  and  Homer,  who  are  at  home  with  their  parents.  Lit-' 
tell  Snively,  the  eldest  son,  \\as  graduated  from  the  department  of  engineer- 
ing in  Colorado  L'niversity  and  became  a  ci\'il  engineer,  for  three  years  thus 
engaged  in  government  service  in  the  Pliilippines,  after  which  he  became 
connected  with  irrigation  engineering  works  and  is  still  thus  engaged.  He 
married  Charlotte  Clark,  of  Ft.  Collins,  Colorado,  and  since  1909  has  lieen 
making  his  home  at  Rav,  Arizona. 


THOMAS  W.  TREHARNE,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Thomas  W.  Treharne,  physician  and  surgeon  at  Zimmerman,  is  a 
native  of  Canada,  born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  December  18,  1863,  a  son 
of  John  C.  and  Lydia  (Owen)  Treharne,  natives  of  Wales,  who  were  mar- 
ried in  Ontario  and  there  spent  their  last  days.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  Doctor  Treharne  was  tlie  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Laura,  deceased:  Mary,  deceased;  Hannah,  who  is 
living  in  Canada :  Margaret,  a  professional  nurse,  now  living  in  New  York : 
William,  who  is  a  Canadian  farmer:  Eli,  deceased;  one  who  died  in  infancy: 
David,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Ontario,  and  Franklin,  a  salesman,  living  in 
New  York. 

Thomas  W.  Treharne  received  a  high-school  and  seminary  education 
in  his  native  Ontario  and  when  twenty-six  years  of  age  entered  the  College 
of  Medicine  and  Surgery  at  Detroit.  He  was  graduated  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1892  and  for  a  while  thereafter  was  engaged  in  post-graduate  practice 
in  Detroit.  In  1893.  Doctor  Treharne  came  to  Greene  county  and  opened 
an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Zimmerman,  where  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  (1903-05)  spent  at  Dayton  and  two  years  (1909-10) 
spent  in  Canada,  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  practice.  The  Doctor 
is  a  member  of  the    Greene  County  Medical  Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State 


752  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Medical  Society.  Fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Canadian  Order  of 
Foresters,  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  with  the  Order  of  the  Silver 
Star.     He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 

On  September  28,  1886,  Thomas  \\\  Treharne  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Lillie  Cameron,  who  also  was  born  in  Canada,  and  to  this  union  have 
been  born  six  children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased,  the  living  being  Horace, 
who  is  in  the  service  of  the  National  Army,  now  (spring  of  1918)  stationed 
at  Camp  Sherman ;  Thomas,  a  student  in  the  Beavercreek  high  school,  and 
Louise,  also  in  school. 


CAPT.  JOHN  N.  HANKS. 

Capt.  John  N.  Hanes,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  retired  farmer 
of  Beavercreek  township,  now  living  at  Alpha,  where  he  and  his  brother 
Perry  and  their  sisters,  Mrs.  Mary  Nogle  and  Miss  Martha  Hanes,  are 
domiciled  together,  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  about  a  mile  south- 
west of  Alpha,  February  10,  1834,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Susan  (Coy)  Hanes, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township,  the  latter  a  daughter  of 
Adam  Coy.  Jacob  Hanes  was  born  in  1810,  a  son  of  Jacob  Hanes,  who 
had  come  here  from  Maryland  in  1805  and  had  settled  on  the  farm  alcove 
referred  to,  a  tract  of  a  fraction  under  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  acres 
which  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  family,  and  on  which  the  younger 
Jacob  Hanes  spent  all  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1882.  His  widow 
survived  him  until  1889.  Both  are  buried  in  Mt.  Zion  cemetery.  They  were 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  John  N.  was  the  first-born,  the 
others  being  Catherine,  deceased :  Albert,  who  is  now  living  in  the  Soldiers' 
home  at  Dayton ;  Henry,  a  retired  railroad  man,  living  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Alpha ;  and  Mrs.  Mary  Nogle,  Miss  Martha  Jane  Hanes  and  Perr\',  a  bach- 
elor, who  are  living  with  their  brother  John  at  Alpha. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  John  N.  Hanes  received  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools  and  later  taught  school  for  one  term.  He  was 
li\ing  on  the  farm  when  the  Civil  \\'ar  broke  out  and  on  November  4,  1861, 
he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army,  going  to  the  front  as  a  member 
of  Company  E,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with 
which  command  he  served  until  he  received  his  final  discharge  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  July  10,  1865.  and  two  days  later,  July  12,  1865,  received  from 
Governor  Brough,  of  Ohio,  his  commission  as  captain.  Among  the  engage- 
ments in  which  Captain  Hanes's  regiment  participated  may  be  mentioned 
Stone's  River,  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mission 
Ridge,  Tunnel  Hill,  Dalton,  Buzzard  Roost,  Resaca,  Dallas,  Kenesaw 
Mountain,  Lost  Mountain,  Chattahoochie  River,  Peachtree  Creek,  the  siege 


CAPT.  JOHN  N.  HANES. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  753 

of  Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  the  march  to  Savannah,  the  campaign  in  the  Caro- 
linas,  inchiding  Averasborongh  and  Bentonville,  and  the  march  to  Richmond 
and  thence  on  to  Washington,  where  Captain  Hanes  participated  in  the  Grand 
Review. 

Though  a  participant  in  the  numerous  strenuous  campaigns  on  which 
his  regioient  was  engaged  as  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  under 
General  Thomas,  Captain  Hanes  came  through  without  a  scratch.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned  home  and  presently  went 
to  Dayton,  where  he  opened  an  eating  house,  but  six  months  later  gave  up 
that  business  and  resumed  his  attention  to  farming,  at  the  same  time  en- 
gaging in  the  livery-stable  business.  Later  he  became  a  carpenter  and  still 
later  a  painter,  continuing  engaged  in  the  latter  vocation  for  fifteen  years. 
Meanwhile  he  had  continued  to  retain  his  interest  in  the  work  of  the  home 
farm  and  upon  giving  up  his  business  as  a  painter  gave  his  whole  attention 
to  the  management  of  the  farm,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  in  the  sum- 
mer of  TgT7,  when  he  erected  a  house  at  Alpha  and  he  and  his  two  sisters 
and  his  brother  Perry  are  now  living  there.  Captain  Hanes  is  a  Republican 
and  has  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  is  a 
member  of  Lewis  Post  No.  347,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Xenia.  His 
sisters  and  brothers  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 


OAKEY  C.  TAYLOR. 


Oakey  C.  Taylor,  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and 
for  the  past  twelve  years  a  local  representative  of  the  Wilson  &  Barker  Mon- 
ument Company  at  Jamestown,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  1906,  is 
a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  couple  of  years  spent  in  Missouri  during  his  childhood  and  two 
or  three  years  spent  in  Iowa  not  long  after  his  return  from  the  army.  He 
was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  on  October  5,  1841,  a  son 
of  Robert  and  Mildred  (Johnson)  Taylor,  Virginians,  the  former  of  whom 
was  born  in  the  Old  Dominion  about  the  year  1788  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  in  Illinois. 

Robert  Taylor  was  about  se\-enteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  with 
his  parents  from  Virginia  to  Ohio  in  1805,  the  family  locating  in  that 
section  of  the  state  that  in  18 10  came  to  be  organized  as  Clinton  county, 
it  having  previously  been  included  in  the  territorial  limits  of  Warren  and 
Highland  counties.  There  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  Mildred  John- 
son, a  member  of  another  of  the  Virginia  families  that  had  settled  in  that 
community.  He  established  his  home  in  Clinton  county  and  remained  there 
until  1843,  when  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  moved  to  Missouri, 

(47)  .  ■' 


754  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

where  his  wife  shortly  afterward  died.  He  then  returned  to  Clinton  county 
with  his  children,  but  presently  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  married  again 
and  where  he  died  a  few  years  later,  his  death  occurring  in  1848.  To 
Robert  and  Mildred  (Johnson)  Taylor  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
James,  Catherine  and  Martha,  deceased;  Mrs.  Rachel  Warren,  who  is  liv- 
ing at  Springfield,  this  state;  John,  who  is  dead,  and  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Schell, 
who  is  living  in  Iowa. 

Oakey  C.  Taylor  was  but  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
he  afterward  was  cared  for  in  the  home  of  his  maternal  aunt,  Elizabeth, 
and  grew  up  in  Clinton  county,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  district 
schools.  He  presently  became  an  engineer  in  a  local  mill  and  in  1S61 
was  married.  In  February,  1865,  he  enlisted  for  the  term  of  one  year  as  a 
soldier  of  the  Union  for  service  during  the  Civil  War  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  which  command  he 
served  until  the  following  May,  when  he  was  given  his  honorable  dis- 
charge by  reason  of  disability  on  account  of  illness.  Upon  his  return  from 
the  army  Mr.  Taylor  became  engaged  in  farming  in  Clinton  county  and 
presently  moved  from  there  over  into  Fayette  county,  where  he  remained 
for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Iowa  and 
for  two  years  and  six  months  was  engaged  in  farming  in  tii;it  state.  He  then 
returned  to  Ohio  and  became  engaged  in  farming  in  Greene  county,  but  three 
years  later  returned  to  Clinton  county  and  there  made  his  residence  for  eight 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  back  into  Greene  county  and  located 
on  a  farm  just  south  of  the  village  of  Jamestown,  where  he  remained  for 
twelve  years,  moving  thence  to  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Xew 
Jasper,  where  he  made  his  home  for  another  period  of  twelve  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  Jamestown,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  UiX)n  taking  up  his  residence  in  Jamestown 
Mr.  Taylor  became  connected  with  the  operations  of  the  \\'ilson  &  Barker 
Monument  Company  and  has  since  been  acting  as  a  salesman  for  that  con- 
cern. Mr.  Taylor  is  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  Republican  and  by  religious  persuasion  is  a  Baptist,  a 
member  of  the  church  of  that  denomination  in  Silvercreek  township. 

On  November  7,  1861,  Oakey  C.  Taylor  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Lucinda  McConnell,  who  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  at  Jamestown 
on  October  14,  1908,  and  is  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  that  place.  To  that 
union  were  born  three  children,  namely :  Mary  Elma,  who  is  keeping  liouse 
for  her  father  at  Jamestown;  Rosa,  who  married  T.  A.  Spahr,  of  James- 
town, and  has  two  children,  Oakey,  who  rrarried  Minnie  Roberts  and  is  living 
near  Jamestown,  and  Goldie,  who  married  Frank  Smith  and  is  also  living 
in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown ;  and   Charles   Francis,  now   living  at   Xenia, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  755 

who  married  Hannah  ConkHn  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Willard.  Mr.  Taylor 
has  two  great-grandchildren,  his  grandson,  Oakey  Spahr,  having  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Helen,  and  his  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Goldie  Smith,  a  daughter, 
Wanda  Nell. 


DAVID  McCONNELL. 


David  McConnell,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  former  mayor  of  Osborn 
and  former  postmaster  of  that  village,  former  general  manager  of  the  whip 
factory  there  and  for  some  years  past  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance business  at  that  place,  where  he  has  made  his  home  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  practically 
all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  on  April  15, 
1842,  son  of  James  M.  and  Nancy  (Marshall)  McConnell.  the  former  of 
whom  was  bom  in  the  Old  Dominion  and  the  latter  in  this  county,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  on  that  farm,  the  old  Marshall  place,  which  has  been 
in  the  possession  of  the  family  for  more  than  one  hundred  years,  both  the 
McConnells  and  the  Marshalls  having  been  among  the  early  settlers  here 

James  M.  McConnell  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  old  salt  licks 
in  Kanawha  county,  Virginia,  February  14,  181 7,  a  son  of  David  and  Nancy 
(Munn)  McConnell,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the 
former  in  1787  and  the  latter,  May  30.  1789,  who  were  married  in  that 
county  on  January  5,  181 5.  Grandmother  McConnell  was  a  strict  Presby- 
terian and  family  tradition  has  it  that  so  rigid  vvas  her  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  day  that  she  would  cook  no  food  on  tliat  day,  all  preparations  in 
that  line  being  made  on  the  day  preceding.  Da\'id  McConnell  was  killed 
by  a  fall  from  the  "natural  bridge"  in  Virginia  while  still  a  comparatively 
young  man,  his  widow  being  thus  left  with  three  young  children.  She  later 
moved  with  these  children  to  Cincinnati  and  it  was  in  that  city  that  her 
son,  James  M.  McConnell,  spent  his  youth  and  received  his  schooling,  remain- 
ing there  until  he  came  up  here  as  a  young  man  and  became  a  resident  of 
Greene  county,  locating  in  the  McClellan  neighborhood  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship, where  he  met  and  presently  married  Nancy  Marshall,  eldest  daughter 
of  John  Marshall,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  this  county. 

John  Marshall  was  a  Kentuckian,  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lexing- 
ton, in  1784,  and  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  accompanied  his  father 
up  into  Ohio  in  1803  and  at  the  land  office  at  Dayton  secured  a  patent  to  a 
tract  of  six  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  then  wilderness  along  the  banks 
of  the  Little  Miami  river  in  the  eastern  part  of  what  later  came  to  be  organ- 
ized as  Sugarcreek  township  in  this  county,  where  he  established  his  home, 
his  marriage  taking  place  not  long  afterward,  and  where  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1866,  he  then  being  eighty- 


75°  ■  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

two  years  of  age,  and  he  was  buried  on  his  farm  overlooking-  the  river. 
During  the  War  of  1812  he  served  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Ammi  Mahbie 
and  among  the  campaigns  in  which  he  took  part  was  that  about  W'atertown, 
New  York.  His  first  house  on  his  farm  along  the  river  was  a  log  cabin,  but 
he  later  erected  there  a  brick  house  which  is  still  standing.  With  the  help 
of  his  two  sons  he  cleared  most  of  his  timber  land  and  early  divided  the 
land  among  his  six  children.  Of  these  children  ^Irs.  Nancy  McConneit, 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  the  third  daughter,  the  others  having 
been  Sarah,  who  married  John  Brock ;  Hester,  who  married  Captain  Kyler, 
of  Dayton;  Betsy,  who  married  William  Morgan,  who  was  the  owner  of 
six  hundred  acres  just  below  the  Marshall  place  along  the  river;  James,  who 
remained  on  the  farm,  and  Jesse,  w'ho  also  remained  on  the  farm  which 
came  to  him  from  his  father.  John  Marshall  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  his  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  He  was  twice 
married,  his  second  wife  having  been  a  Munn,  a  kinswoman  of  David  McCon- 
nell's  widow. 

After  the  marriage  of  James  M.  J^IcConnell  and  Nancy  Marsliall  the 
two  established  their  home  on  that  portion  of  the  Alarshall  farm  that  had 
been  apportioned  to  the  latter  by  her  father,  a  tract  of  about  one  hundred 
acres,  which  is  now  owned  by  John  McConnell,  of  Xenia,  a  brother  of  tlie 
subject  of  this  sketch.  To  that  tract  James  M.  McConnell  later  added  by 
the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  men  in  Greene  county  successfully  to  engage  in  tobacco  cul- 
ture and  for  years  his  tobacco  shed,  a  structure  one  hundred  by  forty-four 
feet  in  dimensions,  would  be  filled  every  fall.  James  M.  ^Marshall  was  the 
only  Democrat  in  liis  home  school  district.  Late  in  life  he  laecame  an  adherent 
of  the  Quaker  faith  and  died  in  that  faith.  His  wife  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  .She  died  on  March  8,  1872,  and  he  survived 
her  for  more  than  seventeen  A^ears,  his  death  occurring  on  August  12,  1889. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  first  born,  the  others  being  Sarah  Frances,  who  married  Tliomas 
Ginn  and  died  at  Jamestown,  this  county,  in  1916,  and  John,  a  retired  farmer 
of  this  county,  now, living  at  Xenia,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is 
presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

David  McConnell  was  reared  on  tlie  old  home  place  in  Sugarcreek  town- 
ship, the  place  on  which  his  grandfather  Marshall  had  shot  many  a  deer 
during  pioneer  days,  and  in  the  district  school  of  that  neighborhood  received 
his  early  schooling.  He  was  nineteen  years  of  age  w-hen  the  Civil  A\'ar  broke 
out  and  in  Novemljer,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  behalf  of  the  Union 
cause  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Seventy-fourth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  under  Colonel  Moody,  and  with  that 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  757 

command  served  for  thirteen  months,  or  until  a  severe  attack  of  measles 
in  camp  left  him  in  so  badly  reduced  a  condition  physically  that,  on  a  physi- 
cian's certificate  of  disability,  he  received  his  honorable  discharge.  Upon 
his  return  from  the  army  Mr.  McConnell  took  a  course  in  a  business  college 
at  Dayton  and  not  long  afterward  became  associated  with  the  work  then 
being  done  by  the  L.  H.  Evarts  Company  in  the  publication  of  county  his- 
tories and  for  seven  years  was  thus  engaged,  his  work  in  that  connection 
taking  him  all  over  the  Eastern  states.  It  was  during  the  '70s  that  Mr. 
McConnell  was  engaged  in  the  history  business,  rendering  in  that  capacity 
a  service  which  he  has  ever  regarded  as  having  been  of  incalculable  value 
to  the  many  counties  thus  served,  and  he  has  retained  many  pleasant  recol- 
lections of  that  period  of  his  activities.  In  1883  Mr.  McConnell  and  his 
brother  John  became  engaged  in  the  farm-implement  and  seed  business  at 
Xenia.  doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  McConnell  Brothers,  but  after 
two  years  Mr.  ^McConnell  withdrew  from  the  firm  and  became  a  traveling 
salesman  for  the  Hooven  &  Allison  Company,  cordage  manufacturers  at 
Xenia,  his  territory  covering  Ohio  and  Indiana,  and  he  was  thus  engaged 
for  about  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  transferred  his  services  to 
the  McCormick  Machine  Company  and  was  for  about  three  years  engaged 
as  traveling  salesman  for  that  concern.  In  1891,  Mr.  McConnell  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Tippecanoe  Whip  Company  at  Tippecanoe,  this  state, 
and  became  one  of  the  chief  stockholders  in  the  same.  For  three  years  he 
represented  that  company  as  a  traveling  salesman  and  then,  in  1894,  sold  his 
interest  in  the  concern  and  cast  about  over  the  state  for  a  likely  place  in 
which  to  set  up  another  whip  factory.  The  village  of  Osborn,  in  this  county, 
offered  inducements  to  have  the  plant  located  there  and  Mr.  McConnell 
there  organized  a  company  and  erected  a  plant  for  the  manufacture  of 
whips  and  was  elected  general  manager  of  the  concern,  which  in  the  first 
year  of  its  operations  paid  the  stockholders  a  sixteen  per  cent,  dividend 
on  their  stock.  In  1896,  Mr.  McConnell  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
Osborn  and  resigned  his  position  as  manager  of  the  wliip  company.  For 
eight  years  and  six  months  Mr.  McConnell  was  retained  in  office  as  post- 
master of  Osborn  and  upon  the  completion  of  that  term  of  public  service 
took  up  in  his  home  village,  for  he  had  by  that  time  come  to  regard  Osborn 
as  his  permanent  home,  the  general  real-estate,  bonds  and  life-insurance 
business,  in  which  he  ever  since  has  been  engaged.  As  an  instance  of  Mr. 
McConnell's  success  as  a  real-estate  salesman,  it  may  properly  be  related 
that  during  a  "drive"  made  by  a  big  Texas  land  company  some  years  ago 
he  received  the  prize  offered  the  salesman  for  the  one  closing  the  largest 
acreage  of  sales  in  that  project.  Mr.  McConnell  some  years  ago  was 
unsolicitedlv   made   mavor    of    Osborn,    the    appointment   coming   unsought 


758  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

from  the  village  council.     He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

On  June  9,  1879,  David  McConnell  Avas  united  in  marriage  to  Kate 
Dawson,  who  was  born  at  Jamestown,  this  county,  daughter  of  Dr.  James 
P.  Dawson,  who  during  the  greater  part  of  his  active  career  as  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  this  county  was  engaged  in  practice  at  Bellbrook  and 
to  this  union  twa  sons  have  been  born,  James  Marshall  and  Fred  B.,  both 
of  whom  are  living.  James  ^I.  McConnell  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
pure-bred  chickens  on  his  farm  ten  miles  from  Richmond,  Virginia.  He 
married  Edna  Hoke  and  has  four  children,  Reba,  Virginia,  Mary  Ellen 
and  Theodore.  Fred  B.  McConnell  was  graduated  from  the  Osborn  high 
school  and  later  from  the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor  and  is  now  practicing  law  at  Dayton.  He  married  Cora  W'haley. 
Mr.  McConnell  has  a  pleasant  home  at  Osborn  and  looks  with  misgiving 
upon  the  project  that  may  require  the  abandonment  of  his  home  village 
as  a  flood-prevention  measure.  His  wife  died  on  May  7,  19 16.  She  is 
survived  by  one  brother,  Samuel  Dawson,  of  Franklin,  this  state. 


FLORA NCE  R.  S:\IITH. 


Florance  Smith,  proprietor  of  a  Ross  township  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres  on  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of  Jamestown,  was  born  in  that  township 
on  September  16,  1851,  son  of  James  W.  and  Dorcas  (Spahr)  Smith,  both 
of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families. 

James  W.  Smith  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  Jasper  neighborhood  in 
1821,  his  parents  having  been  early  settlers  there,  coming  to  this  county 
from  .Virginia.  He  grew  up  there  and  after  his  marriage  established  his 
home  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township,  the  place  now  owned  by  his  son  Florance, 
and  there  died  in  1861.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  children. 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now  the  only  survivor,  the  others 
having  been  Philip,  Jacob  and  Mrs.  Arabella  Brickel. 

Florance  Smith  was  but  ten  \'ears  of  age  when  his  father  died.  He  was 
reared  on  the  home  farm,  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools 
and  in  due  time  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  a  vocation  he  ever 
since  has  followed.  After  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1887  he  established 
his  home  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Ross  township  and  has 
continued  to  make  that  his  place  of  residence.  In  addition  to  his  home  place 
of  two  hundred  acres  he  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  over  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Fayette. 

I^lr.  Smith  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  26,  1887,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  Ferguson,  who  died  on  October  9,    1889. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  _  759 

To  that  union  was  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Margaret  E.,  who  died  in 
infancy.  On  February  26,  1891,  Mr.  Smith  married  Mrs.  Ehzabeth  Burr, 
of  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  one  who  died 
in  infancy  and  Herbert,  who  was  born  on  December  20,  1904.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Jamestown 
and  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican. 


ALBERT  McHEXRY  MILLER. 

Albert  McHenry  Miller,  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  retired  farmer 
and  carpenter,  a  former  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home  town- 
ship, who  for  many  years  has  made  his  home  in  the  village  of  Jamestown, 
is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township 
on  August  I,  1841,  son  of  George  and  Caroline  (Wilson)  Miller,  the  former 
of  whom  was  a  native  of  the  old  Keystone  state  and  the  latter  of  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Mammoth  Cave,  who  were  married  in  this 
county  and  here  spent  their  last  da}-s. 

George  Miller  was  twice  married  and  was  the  father  of  eighteen  chil- 
dren. He  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ohio  during  the  days  of  his  young 
manhood  and  set-tied  in  Greene  county,  following  here  his  trade  as  a  brick- 
mason  until  presently  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  on  the  James- 
town and  Xenia  pike  in  New  Jasper  township,  paying  for  the  same  five 
dollars  an  acre,  and  there  established  his  home.  His  first  wife  was  a  Broma- 
gem,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  the  Cedarville  neighborhood, 
who  bore  him  six  children,  three  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and  one  of 
whom,  Simon  Benton  Milller,  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Celina,  Auglaize 
county,  and  is  past  ninety  years  of  age;  the  others  having  been  Dr.  Milton 
Miller  and  Rebecca,  the  latter  of  whom  married  one  of  the  Cedarville  Towns- 
leys.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  George  Miller 
married  Caroline  Wilson,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  that  had 
come  up  here  from  Kentucky,  and  to  that  union  were  born  twelve  children, 
seven  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  the  following  grew  to  maturity : 
Perrv  W.,  who  spent  his  last  days  in  Illinois;  Harney  Anslie,  now  deceased, 
who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  his  service  having  been  rendered  in 
the  Seventv- fourth  Ohio,  commanded  by  Col.  Granville  Moody;  George  C, 
deceased;  John  Thomas,  also  a  soldier  of  the  Union,  who  went  out  as  a 
member  of  the  First  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  commanded  by  one 
of  the  "Fighting"  McCooks,  and  died  in  service ;  Albert  McHenry,  the  imme- 
diate subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  James  D.,  who  also  enlisted  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  LTnion  during  the  Civil  War,  went  to  the  front  with 
the  First  Ohio  and  was  killed  during  the  battle  at  Missionary  Ridge;  William 


760  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Edwin,  a  retired  farmer  of  this  county,  now  living  at  Jamestown ;  Mrs.  Mattie 
M.  Townsley,  now  living  in  Iowa;  Mrs.  Miranda  Caroline  Hite  and  Mrs. 
Amanda  Evaline  Gordon,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  now  hving  at  Belle- 
fontaine  and  the  latter  in  the  vicinity  of  Jamestown,  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Eliza- 
beth Harrison,  who  died  in  1914.  Major-Gen.  John  Harney,  of  Civil  War 
fame,  was  an  uncle  of  these  children. 

Albert  McHenry  Miller  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Xew 
Jasper  township,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood 
and  was  living  on  the  farm  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  August  15, 
1862,  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a 
member  of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  Gen.  J.  Warren  Keifer,  of  Springfield,  cormnanding.  After  some 
service  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  Virginia,  Mr.  Miller  was  assigned 
to  detached  service  as  a  headquarters  guard  and  in  that  capacity  continued 
his  service  until  mustered  out  after  the  close  of  the  war,  his  final  discharge  be- 
ing received  in  May,  1865.  During  this  service  Mr.  Miller  participated  in  some 
most  interesting  experiences,  his  headquarters  activities  bringing  him  in  close 
touch  with  some  of  the  great  leaders  of  the  war,  and  he  was  on  duty  at 
W^ashington  at  the  time  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  He  stood 
guard  at  General  Grant's  headquarters  in  the  Wilderness  and  on  two  occa- 
sions was  guard  over  Belle  Boyd,  the  famous  Confederate  spy,  who  was 
captured  and  brought  into  General  Milroy's  camp,  he  at  that  time  being 
guard  at  Milroy's  headquarters.  He  also  served  in  like  capacity  under  Gen. 
Lew  Wallace,  under  General  French,  of  the  Third  Corps,  Army  of  the 
Potomac;  under  Gen.  H.  G.  Wright  and  under  Gen.  J.  B.  Rickets,  the  latter 
of  whom  it  was  his  duty  to  awaken  at  the  opening  of  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Creek.  He  followed  General  Rickets  out  onto  tlie  pike,  wliere  tlie  general 
was  seriously  wounded  and  he  carried  his  officer  back  to  the  hospital.  Mr. 
Miller  was  present  when  gallant  "Phil"  Sheridan  rode  up  on  his  famous 
black  charger  during  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  and  heard  Sheridan  say 
after  General  Wright  liad  ordered  a  withdrawal:  "Place  the  Eiglith  Corps 
on  the  left;  the  Nineteenth  on  the  right,  and  the  old  slow  Sixth  in  the 
center  and  I'll  whip  hell  out  of  them  before  sundown."  During  the  Ijattle 
of  the  Wilderness  Mr.  Miller  was  within  ten  feet  of  Gen.  John  Sedgwick,  of 
the  Sixth  Corps,  when  the  latter  was  slain.  Mr.  Miller  was  not  of  voting 
age  at  the  time  of  the  first  Lincoln  campaign,  Init  he  voted  for  Lincoln  in 
1864,  his  first  Presidential  vote,  and  at  the  same  time  voted  for  Brougli  for 
governor  of  Ohio,  the  latter  receiving  a  majority  in  excess  nf  one  Inmdred 
thousand.  Mr.  Miller's  experience  as  a  soklier  of  the  L'nion  during  the 
Civil  \\'ar  and  his  thoughtful  consideration  of  the  history  of  that  period, 
together  with  his  compreliensive  knowledge  of  the  general  history  of  the 
countrv.  have  given  him  exceptional  opportunities  for  service  as  a  meml^er 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  76 1 

of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  he  long  has  held 
the  post  of  patriotic  instructor  in  that  organization,  of  which  he  also  is  past 
commander  and  for  man}'  years  one  of  the  most  active  members. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  i\'Ir.  Miller  returned  home 
and  resumed  his  labors  on  the  farm.  Ijut  his  health  presently  began  to  fail 
and  he  sold  his  farming  interests  and  began  working  as  a  carpenter,  a  trade 
in  which  he  had  been  trained  before  going  to  war.  After  his  marriage  in 
the  fall  of  1872  he  established  his  home  in  the  village  of  Jamestown,  where 
he  continued  to  follow  his  vocation  as  a  builder  until  his  retirement.  Mr. 
Miller  is  a  Republican  and  for  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  James- 
town, but  in  1 91 7  resigned  that  office.  By  religious  persuasion  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Missionary  Baptist  church. 

On  September  5.  1872,  Albert  ]\lcHenry  Miller  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Laura  M.  Shrack,  of  this  county,  who  died  at  her  home  in  Jamestown  on 
February  5,  1902.  To  that  union  were  born  three  children,  two  sons  and 
one  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom,  Jessie  S.,  wife  of  the  Rtw.  L.  B.  Albert,  of 
^luskegon,  Michigan,  has  a  life  certificate  as  a  teacher  and  is  principal 
of  one  of  the  schools  at  Muskegon.  Her  husband  also  is  a  teacher.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Albert  have  one  child,  a  son,  Paul  McHenry,  born  in  .1906. 
James  Albert  Miller,  ]\Ir.  Miller's  youngest  son,  born  on  July  i,  1874.  died 
on  April  i.  191 7,  and  twenty  days  later  his  brother.  Anslie  Miller,  met  his 
death  in  a  railway  accident  at  Jamestown.  Anslie  Miller,  born  on  Alay  13, 
1873.  married  Elizabeth  Alice  Saunders,  of  Jamestown,  and  was  the  father 
of  one  son,  James  Albert.  His  widow  and  son  are  still  making  their  home 
at  Jamestown. 


DAVIS   BARNHART. 


Davis  Barnhart,  a  retired  farmer  of  Greene  county  who  for  the  past 
twentv-five  years  has  made  his  home  in  Jamestown,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  December  19,  1854.  a  son  of  John  and 
Jane  (Sheeley)  Barnhart,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship, in   1826. 

John  Barnhart  was  born  in  Lancaster  count}-,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 8, 
and  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Wayne 
county,  where  he  remained  until  1840,  in  which  year  he  came  to  Greene 
county  and  made  a  permanent  settlement  here.  In  1842  he  married  Jane 
Sheeley  and  in  1846  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  just  south  of  James- 
town, in  Silvercreek  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  ]\Iarch  2.  1888.  To  him  and  his  wife  were 
born  six  children,  one  of  whom  died-  in  infancy,  the  others  being  Matilda, 
born  in  1846,  who  married  Jacol3  Shigley.  of  this  county,  and  is  now  living 


762  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

at  Elwood,  Indiana;  Theodorick,  born  in  1S48,  who  died  in  1878:  Davis, 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch:  Morgan,  born  in  1857,  who  is  now 
Hving  in  Madison  county,  Indiana;  and  Arabella,  born  in  1861,  who  died 
on  February  10,   1902. 

Davis  Barnhart  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Jamestown 
and  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  vicinity.  After  his  mar- 
riage in  the  summer  of  1878  he  established  his  home  on  the  home  place, 
^vhich  he  eventually  came  to  own,  and  there  he  continued  to  reside  until 
his  retirement  in  1893  ^^'^  removal  to  Jamestown,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  In  1906-08  Mr.  Barnhart  served  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
mon council  of  the  city  of  Jamestown  from  his  ward.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  he  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Jamestown. 

On  June  4,  1878,  Davis  Barnhart  was  united  in  marriage  to  flattie 
L,  Chalmers,  who  was  born  in  Jamestown,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
(Harper)  Chalmers,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1802  and 
was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents 
in  1816,  and  to  this  union  was  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Edith  Belle, 
born  on  August  5,  1880,  who  died  on  January  6.   1892. 


EUGEXE  S.  KEITER. 


Eugene  S.  Keiter,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of 
Dayton,  his  place  being  located  in  the  Zimmerman  neighborhood  in  Beaver- 
creek  township,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  but  has 
been  a  resident  of  this  county  since  he  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  his 
parents  having  moved  here  in  1875.  He  was  born  on  April  20.  1864.  son 
of  Benjamin  and  Mary  (Hendrickson)  Keiter,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Virginia,  the  former  in  1820,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  Eugene  S.  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  tlie  others  being  Frederick 
Virginia,  wife  of  Alvin  ^lartz,  of  Cleveland,  this  state:  Mrs.  Emma  Beil- 
stein,  deceased:  Druzella,  wife  of  Frank  Roberts,  of  Cleveland;  William, 
who  married  Mary  WoU  and  lives  in  Dayton:  Ella,  wife  of  James  Evman, 
of  Midway;  Effie,  of  Pittsburgh.  Pennsylvania,  and  Herbert,  who  married 
Cora  Carpenter  and  hves  at  Chillicothe. 

Reared  in  this  county,  Eugene  S.  Keiter  received  his  scliooling  here  and 
early  became  engaged  in  farming,  later  taking  up  butchering.  In  the  fall 
of  1916  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  there.  On  September  2;^.  1893,  ^I"".  Keiter  married  Maud  D. 
Stephens,  of  Wilmington,  this  state.-  ;\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Keiter  are  nieml>ers 
of  the  Reformed  church  at  Alpha.  Mr.  Keiter  is  a  Repuljlican  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Alpha  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  763 

CHARLES  L.  JOBE. 

Charles  L.  Jobe,  proprietor  of  the  department  store  at  Xenia  long  oper- 
ated under  the  hrm  name  of  the  Jobe  Brothers  Company,  which  it  still  retains, 
is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  in  Xenia  township,  three  miles  east  of  the 
city  of  Xenia,  a  son  of  John  H.  and  Nancy  (Collins)  Jobe,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  who  spent 
all  their  lives  here. 

John  H.  Jobe  was  born  at  Xenia  on  October  31,  1826,  son  of  George 
and  Alary  Anne  (Hutchinson)  Jobe,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  came  to  this  part  of  Ohio  in  the  days 
of  his  young  manhood  and  located  in  Greene  county.  George  Jobe  served 
as  a  soldier  during  the  War  of  181 2,  serving  under  General  Harrison,  and 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Ft.  Meigs.  He  later  married  Mary  Anne  Hutch- 
inson, a  member  of  the  pioneer  Hutchinson  family  of  the  Bellbrook  neigh- 
borhood, in  Sugarcreek  township,  and  after  his  marriage  located  in  Xenia, 
where  he  followed  the  vocation  of  wagon-making..  Later  he  became  a  land- 
owner, having  bought  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  but  did  not  personally  farm 
the  same,  continuing  his  labors  as  a  wagon-maker  until  failing  health  com- 
pelled his  retirement,  when  he  moved  to  his  farm,  where  he  spent  his  last 
days,  his  death  occurring  there  in  the  spring  of  1867.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  nearly  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  May  24,  1884.  They  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  John 
H.  Jobe  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth. 

John  H.  Jobe  was  about  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Xenia  to  the  farm  and  he  thus  had  the  benefit  of  rural  training.  When 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade  and  for  live  years 
followed  the  same,  afterward  resuming  farming  and  presently  bought  a  farm 
of  his  own  on  the  Jamestown  pike,  three  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  adding  to  his  holdings  there  until  he  became  the  owner 
of  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres.  John  H.  Jobe  was  a  Republican, 
served  for  years  as  trustee  of  Xenia  township  and  was  for  a  time  director 
of  the  Greene  county  infirmary.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Jobe's  wife,  Nancy  Collins,  was  born  in  Xenia 
township  on  February  23,  1837,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Rebecca  (JMcClel- 
lan)  Collins,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  York  county.  Pennsylvania, 
in  1804,  and  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents, 
William  Collins  and  wife,  the  family  settling  on  Massies  creek,  whence  a 
few  years  later  they  moved  to  a  farm  six  miles  north  of  Xenia.  William 
Collins,  the  pioneer,  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  all  of 
whom,  with  one  exception,  reared  families  of  their  own,  hence  the  Collins 


764  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

connection  is  a  numerous  one  in  tlie  present  generation.  Samuel  Collins 
grew  to  manhood  in  this  county  and  married  Rebecca  McClellan,  a  daughter 
of  John  McClellan,  another  of  the  pioneers  of  Greene  county.  After  his 
marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  Col- 
lins place  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  He  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Jobe  was  the  first-born,  the  others 
being  William  H.,  John  O.,  Lydia,  James  M.,  Mary  Jane,  who  married  John 
D.  M.  Stewart,  Isabella,  who  married  S.  K.  Williamson,  and  Anna  Rebecca, 
who  married  R.  W.  Moore.  To  John  H.  and  Nancy  (Collins)  Jobe  were 
born  six  children,  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  but  three  are  now 
living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother.  Homer  H.  Jobe,  who  is 
living  on  the  old  home  place  in  Xenia  township,  and  George  E.,  who  resides 
in  Cedarville  township.  The  others  were  John  Riley,  Laura  B.  and  Samuel, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months. 

Charles  L.  Jobe  spent  his  youth  on  the  home  farm  in  Xenia  township 
and  received  his  elementary  schooling  in  the  district  schools  of  that  neigh- 
borhood, supplementing  the  same  by  attendance  at  the  Xenia  city  schools, 
after  which  he  took  a  two-years  course  at  Wooster  University.  He  then 
entered  the  dry-goods  store  of  Millen,  Jobe  &  Company  at  Xenia,  the  store 
at  that  time  having  been  located  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Whiteman  streets 
and  his  uncle,  J.  H.  Harvey  Jobe,  was  one  of  the  proprietors.  Two  years 
later  he  transferred  his  connection  to  the  Hutchinson  &  Gibney  dry-goods 
store  and  was  thus  connected,  off  and  on,  for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  returned  to  his  first  employment,  the  firm  at  that  time  being  E. 
Millen  &  Company,  his  uncle  having  withdrawn  from  the  firm.  Upon  return- 
ing to  the  Millen  store  Mr.  Jobe  was  made  the  buyer  and  later  became  man- 
ager of  the  store,  a  position  he  continued  to  occupy  until  E.  Millen  &  Com- 
pany closed  out  their  business  in  1888,  when  Mr.  Jobe  and  H.  C.  Hardy 
started  a  dry-goods  store  and  took  over  the  Millen  organization,  doing  busi- 
ness under  the  firm  name  of  Jobe,  Hardy  &  Company.  Two  years  later 
Mr.  Hardy,  who  had  come  over  here  from  Columbus,  withdrew  from  the 
firm  and  Mr.  Jobe's  brother,  J.  Riley  Jobe,  became  a  member  of  the  firm  and 
thus  continued  until  his  death  on  September  20,  1910,  the  business  being 
carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  the  Jobe  Brothers  Comi)any,  which  name 
Mr.  Jobe  has  continued  since  the  death  of  his  brother.  Mr.  Jobe  took  over 
the  interest  held  by  his  brother  after  the  latter's  death,  so  that  since  igio 
he  has  been  sole  proprietor  of  the  store.  In  August,  1890,  the  location  of  the 
Jobe  store  was  changed  from  its  old  stand  at  Main  and  Whiteman  streets 
to  its  present  location  at  23  East  Main  street  and  in  the  fall  of  1907  the 
quarters  were  enlarged,  the  store  now  occupying  a  three-story  building  forty- 
five  by  one  hundred  and  fiftv-five  feet  in  dimension,  the  first  and  second 
floors  being  used   for  retail  purposes  and  the  tliird  floor   for  stock  rooms. 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  765 

\Vhen  Mr.  Jobe  first  became  connected  with  the  business  the  store  was  given 
over  to  dry  goods  and  carpets,  but  in  1894  he  eHminated  the  carpets  and  put 
in  millinery,  later  adding  women's  ready-to-wear  goods.  In  March,  1899, 
a  stock  of  women's  and  children's  shoes  was  added  and  now  the  store  car- 
ries every  class  of  wearing  apparel  for  women  and  children,  the  capacity  of 
the  store  having  been  more  than  quadrupled  since  Mr.  Jobe  became  connected 
with  it.    In  1914  he  put  in  a  new  set  of  fixtures. 

On  September  9,  1886.  Charles  L.  Jobe  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Moore,  who  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Monroe) 
Moore,  both  now  deceased,  the  fomier  of  whom  was  for  years  a  Xenia  merch- 
ant, and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  daughters  both,  Helen, 
who  completed  her  schooling  at  Wilson  College  at  Chambersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  at  home,  and  Margaret,  who  also  completed  her  schooling  at 
Wilson  College  and  afterward  married  Karl  Bloom,  who  is  assisting  Mr. 
Jobe  in  the  management  of  the  store.  The  Jobes  reside  on  East  Market 
street,  their  home  occupying  the  lot  on  which  formerly  stood  the  house  in 
which  Mrs.  Jobe  was  born.  They  are  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church.     Mr.  Jobe  is  a  Republican. 


WILLIAM  H.  BRE\\^ER. 

William  H.  Brewer,  retired  farmer  of  Miami  township  and  one  of  the 
oldest  native  sons  of  Greene  county  now  living  in  this  county,  was  born  on 
a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Yellow  Springs  and  has  lived  in  that 
neighborhood  all  his  life,  a  resident  for  more  than  fifty-five  years  on  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  a  mile  and  a  half  southwest  of  Clifton. 
He  was  born  on  August  20,  1826,  son  of  John  G.  and  Sarah  (Miller)  Brewer, 
the  former  a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  the  latter  of  the  Blue  Ridge  coun- 
try in  Virginia,  who  were  married  in  this  county,  on  the  John  Gregg  farm, 
and  who  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  George,  Rebecca, 
Piny.  John,  Charles,  Sarah,  Louella  and  Russell,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased 
save  William  H.  and  his  brothers  John  and  Russell  and  his  sister  Sarah. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Yellow  Springs,  William  H.  Brewer 
received  his  schooling  in  the  pioneer  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  from 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  trained  in  practical  farming,  a  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed until  his  retirement  about  ten  years  ago.  For  ten  or  twelve  years  he 
also  owned  and  operated  a  threshing-rig  during  seasons.  During  the  early 
'50s  Mr.  Brewer  married  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  in  1862 
taking  possession  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  living  and  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  there.     N^ot  long  after  moving  to  that  place  Mr.   Brewer 


766  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  ^^'ar,  a  recruit  in  tlie  hundred-davs  service, 
and  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  doing  service  in  West  Mrginia. 
and  was  thus  connected  with  the  army  for  one  hundred  and  sixteen  davs 
before  being  mustered  out. 

:Mr.  Brewer's  wife,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Sarah  Bell,  died  on 
April  2,  1915.  To  William  H.  and  Sarah  (Bell)  Brewer  were  born  four 
children,  namely :  Adam,  who  lives  on  the  same  farm  with  his  father  and 
who  married  Ella  Wilson  and  has  three  children.  Belle,  Ernest  and  Xellie; 
John,  now  li\ing  in  Oklahoma,  who  has  been  married  three  times  and  by  his 
first  wife,  Xettie  AIcHatton,  had  two  children,  Mac  and  Bessie,  and  bv  his 
second  wife,  Emma  Sommers,  had  two  children,  Marietta  and  Sarah :  Florence, 
deceased,  and  Rebecca,  who  died  when  a  child. 


HEXRY  FETZ. 


Henry  Fetz,  merchant  at  Xenia,  the  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Second  and  Detroit  streets,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio 
and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a,  resident  of  Xenia  since  the  days 
of  his  infancy.  He  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cincinnati  on  October 
14,  1855,  son  of  Paul  and  Elizabeth  (Lippert)  Fetz,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Germany  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  being  now  in  the  ninetieth 
year  of  her  age.  Paul  Fetz  was  a  young  man  when  he  came  to  this  country 
about  1850  and  located  at  Xenia.  where  he  died  in  1902.  He  was  married 
in  Cincinnati  and  he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being 
George  P.,  who  lives  at  Xenia;  Katherine,  who  married  \\'illiam  Ambuhl 
and  is  also  Hving  in  Xenia;  Charles,  who  died  in  1916,  and  William,  who 
is  now  living  at  Denver,  Colorado. 

Henrj'  Fetz  was  but  one  year  of  age  when  his  parents  located  at  Xenia 
and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  schools  of  that  city.  During  the 
days  of  his  young  manhood  he  was  variously  engaged  until  the  year  1880, 
when,  in  association  with  his  brother,  George  P.  Fetz,  he  opened  a  grocery 
store  at  the  corner  he  now  occupies.  This  partnership  continued  for  twenty- 
three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  George  P.  Fetz  retired  and  since  then 
Henry  Fetz  has  been  carrying  on  the  business  at  the  old  stand  alone. 

On  May  3,  1883,  Henry  Fetz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Matilda  Feurle 
and  to  this  union  have  been  born  three  children,  namely:  Paul  G.,  who  is 
married  and  who  is  connected  with  his  father  in  the  grocery  business:  Alma, 
who  married  Leon  Spahr,  of  Xenia,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Eliza- 
beth Ale.xander,  and  Eda  Elizabeth,  who  married  Philip  W.  Prugh,  of 
Xenia,  and  is  now  residing  in  Chicago. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  767 

FRANK  HUPAIAN. 

Frank  Hupman,  a  former  farmer  and  carpenter,  now  living  retired  at 
Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1852,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Peterson)  Hupman,  both  of  whom  were 
members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  county,  the  latter  having  been  born  in 
this 'County,  a  member  of  the  Peterson  family  which  became  established  in 
the  Caesarscreek  settlement  back  in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  the 
county. 

John  Hupman  was  born  in  Augusta  county,  V^irginia,  in  1821,  a  son  of 
John  Hupman  and  wife,  who  came  to  this  state  with  their  family  and  settled 
on  a  farm  between  Enon  and  Springfield,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  Samuel.  Kate,  Fannie, 
David,  James,  Sarah,  Peter  and  John.  The  latter  was  but  a  child  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  this  part  of  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  he  located 
on  a  farm  on  the  Wilmington  pike  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county, 
later  moving  to  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Spring  Valley,  in 
the  township  of  that  name,  where  he  remained  until  1852,  when  he  bought 
a  farm  on  the  Bellbrook  pike,  in  Xenia  township,  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1880.  For  many  years  he  operated 
a  threshing-machine  in  his  neighborhood.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  by  relig- 
ious persuasion  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.  John  Hupman  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Jane  Peterson,  died  in  18^^.9  and  in  the  spring 
of  1875  he  married  Amanda  O.  Brewer,  of  Enon,  who  still  survives  him. 
To  this  latter  union  was  born  one  son,  John  Edgar,  who  was  killed  by  an 
explosion  while  working  in  a  powder  mill  in  Illinois  in  1899.  ^X  '""is  first 
marriage  John  Hupman  was  the  father  of  the  following  children :  Celia, 
now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Moore,  a  Xenia  undertaker; 
Emma,  wife  of  J.  A.  Webb,  of  West  Jefferson;  Frank,  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  sketch ;  a  son  who  died  in  infancy ;  Cliarles,  a  farmer  of  Beaver- 
creek  township;  J.  S.  C,  who  is  now  living  in  California,  and  Harvey  C,  a 
resident  of  Xenia,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  pai>er-hanging  business. 

Frank  Hupman  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  completed  his  schooling 
in  the  old  Xenia  College,  spending  two  .years  there  under  the  instruction  of 
Professor  Smith.  He  remained  at  liome  until  his  marriage  when  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  and  for  two  years  thereatter  made  his  home  on  a  farm 
on  the  Wilmington  pike  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  then,  his  father  mean- 
while having  died,  he  returned  to  the  home  farm  and  was  in  charge  of  the 
operatijiin  of  that  place  for  several  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved 
to  the  Carothers  farm  on  the  Cincinnati  pike,  having  leased  that  place  for 
five  i'ears.  A  year  later,  however,  he  gave  up  the  farm  and  became  engaged 
in   the   drayage   business   in   Xenia   and   thus   continued   engaged    for   nine 


768  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  resumed  farming,  moving  to  the  John 
Weaver  farm,  where  he  remained  until  his  retirement  in  19 10  and  return 
to  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  made  his  home.  Upon  his  return  to  Xenia  Mr. 
Hupman  became  more  or  less  engaged  in  carpentering,  but  is  now  content  to 
regard  himself  as  "retired"  from  the  active  labors  of  life.  He  was  the  owner 
of  two  farms  in  Xenia  township  and  still  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
five  acres  on  the  Cincinnati  pike,  a  mile  and  a  half  out  of  town.  Mr.  Hup- 
man is  a  Democrat,  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and  a  member  of 
the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Xenia. 

Mr.  Hupman  has  been  twice  married.  On  June  3,  1880,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Alice  Compton,  who  was  born  in  Spring  Valley  township, 
daughter  of  Eber  Compton  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of 
Henry  and  Catherine  (Mock)  Compton,  members  of  pioneer  families  in 
Greene  county,  Henry  Compton  having  been  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Dinah 
(Millhouse)  Compton,  who  came  here  with  their  family  from  North  Caro- 
lina in  the  early  days  of  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  Ohio,  and  to  that  union 
were  born  two  sons,  Orville  C,  born  in  1882,  who  died  when  nine  years  of 
age,  and  another  who  died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  these  children  died 
in  1886  and  in  1890  Mr.  Hupman  married  Olivia  A.  W^eaver,  who  was  born 
in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Boots) 
Weaver.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hupman  are  members  of  tlif  Reformed  church. 


WARREX  HAMILTON   GLOTFELTER. 

The  Glotfelters  have  been  represented  in  Greene  county  since  the  year 
1816,  when  Adam  and  Elizabeth  Glotfelter  came  here  from  Somerset 
county,  Pennsylvania,  with  their  family,  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in 
Beavercreek  township,  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Adam 
Glotfelter  lived  to  be  ninety  years  of  age.  His  death  occurred  on  December 
21,  i860,  and  he  was  buried  in  Mt.  Zion  cemetery.  Solomon  Glotfelter,  one 
of  the  sons  of  this  pioneer  couple,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  August  24, 
1804,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene 
county.  He  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  was  married  in  his  nineteenth 
year,  thereafter  settling  in  a  log  house  on  a  forty-acre  tract  of  land  in 
Sugarcreek  township,  the  place  on  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  now 
living,  and  in  time  came  to  be  the  owner  of  about  three  hundred  acres.  On 
that  place  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  on 
August  7,  1880.  Reared  a  Whig,  Solomon  Glotfelter  became  a  Republican 
upon  the  organization  of  that  party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed 
church. 

Solomon   Glotfelter   was   twice   married.      On    April   8,    1824,    he    was 


WAKRKN    II.   (U.OTFKI.TKK. 


MRS.  AXXA  S.  GLOTFELTER. 


GREEXE    COUNTY.    OHIO  769 

united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  John  and  to  that  union  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, the  last  survivor  of  whom  was  William  Glotfelter,  who  had  moved  to 
Menier,  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of 
these  children  Solomon  Glotfelter  married  Lydia  Gerhard,  who  was  born  m 
Liberty  township,  Frederick  county,  Maryland,  July  9,  181 5,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  an  elder 
brother,  Henry  Clay  Glotfelter,  born  on  August  22,  1844,  who  served  as 
a  corporal  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  during  the  hundred-days  service  in  connection  with  the 
Civil  War,  married  Catherine  Benham  and  made  his  home  at  Dayton,  and 
a  sister,  Ruffina,  wife  of  Samuel  Benham,  of  Goshen,  Indiana.  ]\Irs.  Lydia 
Glotfelter  sur^'ived  her  husband  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  oc- 
curring in  October,   1902,  and  she  was  buried  in  the  Mt.  Zion  cemetery. 

Warren  Hamilton  Glotfelter,  son  of  Solomon  and  Lydia  (Gerhard) 
Glotfelter,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  August  i,  1855. 
He  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighboring  district  school  and  after  his 
marriage  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place  and  has  ever  since 
resided  there,  though  for  some  years  past  he  has  been  living  practically 
retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm.  Politically,  Mr.  Glotfelter  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the-  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  [Mechanics  at  Bellbrook  and  formerly  was  a  member  of , 
the  Xenia  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  His  wife  is  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church. 

On  October  3,  1882,  at  Alpha,  this  county,  Warren  Hamilton  Glotfelter 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  S.  Volkenand,  the  Rev.  David  Winter  offi- 
ciating. [Mrs.  Glotfelter  also  is  a  native  of  Greene  county,  born  at  Alpha  on 
February  20,  1856,  daughter  of  Herman  and  Elizabeth  (Broat)  Volkenand, 
natives  of  Germany,  who  were  married  in  this  county.  Herman  A^olkenand 
was  about  twenty-three  }'ears  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country  and  came 
on  out  to  Ohio,  locating  in  Greene  county.  He  was  for  some  time  after 
coming  here  employed  at  various  occupations,  but  after  his  marriage  bought 
a  small  tract  of  land  on  the  river  in  Beavercreek  township  and  settled  down 
to  farming,  in  time  enlarging  his  holdings  imtil  he  had  two  farms.  His 
wife  died  in  1898  and  he  survived  her  about  seven  years,  his  death  occurring 
in  1905.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Glot- 
felter was  the  second  in  order  of  birth.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Glotfelter  have  four 
children,  Herman  Ray,  Clay  Roy,  Katy  ]\Iay  and  Frank  JMcKinley,  all  of 
whom  are  married  and  have  families  of  their  own,  ]\Ir.  and  ]Mrs.  Glot- 
felter having  ten  grandchildren.  Herman  Ray  Glotfelter  was  born  on  July 
16,  1883,  and  on  November  19,  1903,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Susanna 
Mundabaugh,  to  which  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Mildred  Alav, 
(48) 


yyO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

born  on  September  ii,  1904:  Herman  Ellsworth.  August  11,  1907,  and 
]\Iargaretta  Pearl,  April  3,  1914.  Clay  Roy  Glotfelter  was  born  on  July 
26,  1885,  and  on  September  14,  1905,  married  Bessie  R.  Overholser,  to 
which  union  four  children  have  been  born,  Anna  Evelyn,  born  on  August 
18,  1906:  Clyde  Roy,  Jamiary  21,  1908;  Wilford  Edgar,  March  12,  1911, 
and  Evaline,  who  died  as  an  infant.  Katy  i\Iay  Glotfelter  was  born  on 
August  ID,  1887,  and  on  March  27,  1907,  married  Harry  V.  Rackstraw, 
to  which  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  David  Warren,  born  on 
September  20,  191 5.  Frank  McKinley  Glotfelter  was  born  on  April  20, 
1893,  and  on  December  23,  1914,  married  May  Sidenstick,  to  which  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Ethel  ]\'Iay,  who  died  on  October  8,  191 5,  and 
Paul  William,  born  in  February,  191 7. 


KARLH.  BULL. 


Karlh  Bull,  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Ccdarvillc  Herald,  was  born  at 
Cedarville  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  April  i,  1878, 
son  of  Lancaster  Granville  and  Emmazetta  (Barber)  Bull,  the  latter  of 
whom  also  was  born  at  Cedarville,  January  16,  1849,  daughter  of  Martin  M. 
and  Nancy  (Townsley)  Barber,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this 
county,  and  is  still  living  there. 

Lancaster  Granville  Bull,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  on  Janu- 
ary 16,  1914,  also  was  a  native  of  this  county,  born  at  Goes  Station  on  June 
22,  1850,  son  of  Robert  Scott  and  Ann  (Reid)  Bull,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  Greene  county,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  all  his  life 
was  spent  here.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  three  sons,  Karlh  Bull 
having  two  brothers,  Frank  B.  Bull,  who  for  some  years  has  been  connected 
with  the  staff  of  the  Indianapolis  Star,  and  Ralph  E.  Bull,  now  li\ing  at 
Seattle,  Washington,  with  offices  in  the  White  Building  in  that  city.  Else- 
where in  this  volume  there  is  set  out  at  considerable  length  a  story  relating 
to  the  Bull  family  in  this  county  and  also  to  the  Townsley  family,  both  these 
families  having  been  represented  here  for  more  than  a  hundred  years. 

Karlh  Bull  was  reared  at  Cedarville,  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  there  in  1898  and  then  took  a  course  in  Cedarville  College.  In  April, 
1899,  he  and  Robert  J.  Harper  took  over  the  Ccdan-illc  Herald  and  when, 
in  the  following  year,  Mr.  Harper  retired  from  the  firm,  Mr.  Bull  assumed 
sole  control  of  the  paper  and  has  since  continued  as  editor  and  publisher  of 
the  same.  Mr.  Bull  is  a  Republican ;  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local 
lodge  of  the  ]Masons  at  Cedarville  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church. 

On  January  5,  191 1,  at  Cedarville,  Mr.  Bull  was  united  in  marriage  to 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  77I 

Dora  Siegler,  who  was  born  in  that  village  on  August  9,  1877,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Carrie  (Haller)  Siegler,  who  were  the  parents  of  three  children, 
Mrs.  Bull  having  a  brother,  George  F.  Siegler,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Charlotte 
Watt.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bull  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Eleanor,  born 
on  April  10,  1914. 


CHARLES  I.  CRAMER. 


Ever  since  the  first  decade  of  the  past  century  "the  Cramers  have  been 
represented  in  Sugarcreek  township,  John  and  Margaret  (Hoover)  Cramer, 
great-grandparents  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  having  come  up  here  into  the 
valley  of  the  Little  Miami  from  Kentucky  in  the  year  1807  and  established 
their  home  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  a  half  mile  from 
the  present  village  of  Bellbrook,  where  they  reared  their  family.  Charles  L 
Cramer,  one  of  the  numerous  descendants  in  the  fourth  generation  of  this 
pioneer  couple,  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  he  is  now  living,  on  the  old 
Cramer  homestead  place  founded  by  his  great-grandfather,  and  has  lived 
there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  May  4,  1881,  son  of  John  H.  and  Laura  L. 
(Irvin)  Cramer,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter 
of  whom  is  still  living.  The  late  John  H.  Cramer  was  born  on  a  farm  one 
mile  south  of  Bellbrook  in  1852  and  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  after  his  mar- 
riage locating  on  his  grandfather's  old  place,  the  place  now  occupied  by  his 
son.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  four  children,  Anna,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Ethel,  who  married  Albert  Davis,  of  Bellbrook,  and  died  in  1915;  Charles 
L,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  Ada  B.,  widow  of  the  late  Raymond  Crowl, 
now  living  with  her  mother  in  Bellbrook. 

Charles  L  Cramer  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living 
and  where  he  was  born,  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  the 
adjacent  village  of  Bellbrook,  completing  all  but  the  closing  quarter  of  the 
last  year  in  the  high-school  course.  After  his  marriage,  he  at  that  time  being 
not  yet  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  established  his  home  on  the  home  farm 
and  has  continued  to  make  that  his  place  of  residence.  In  addition  to  his 
general  farming  Mr.  Cramer  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising 
of  live  stock. 

On  October  30,  1901,  Charles  L  Cramer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Maud  K.  Marshall,  who  also  was  born  in  Sugarcreek  township,  daughter  of 
John  and  Harriet  (James)  Marshall,  both  members  of  old  families  in  this 
county,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  John  Howard,  born 
on  June  25.  1902.  Mr.  Cramer  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at  Bell- 
brook and  he  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the  lodge  of  the  P}'thian 
Sisters  at  that  place. 


772  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ELLS\\'ORTH  GRANT  LO\\RY. 

Ellsworth  Grant  Lowry,  proprietor  of  a  garage  at  Cedarville,  wliere  he 
also  is  engaged  in  electric-equipment  contracting,  former  director  and  man- 
ager of  the  plant  of  the  Cedarville  Light  and  Power  Companj-,  former  member 
of  the  city  council  and  former  member  of  the  school  board,  is  a  native  of 
West  Virginia,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Cedarville  for  thirty-three  years. 
He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Berkeley  county.  West  A'irginia.  December  22, 
1864,  son  of  Samuel  Sinith  and  Sarah  C.  (Manor)  Lowry,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  county,  where  they  spent  all  their  li\es. 

Samuel  Smith  Lowry. was  a  farmer,  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  died  in  1882  at  the  age  of  sixty-five  years,  and  his 
widow  survived  him  for  eight  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1890.  They  were 
the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eighth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Margaret,  who  died  in 
Kansas;  Hannah,  who  also  died  in  Kansas:  James  ^I.,  who  is  fanning  in 
Kansas ;  Alary,  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  \\'est  A'irginia : 
John,  who  is  farming  in  the  vicinity  of  ^^'aynesville,  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Warren,  in  this  state:  Joseph,  who  years  ago  became  a  clothing 
merchant  at  Cedarville  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  there :  Martha,  who 
is  still  living  in  Berkeley  county.  West  Virginia,  and  Minnie,  who  lives  in 
Kansas. 

Ellsworth  Grant  Lowrv  remained  at  home  until  he  was  alx)ut  eighteen 
years  of  age,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  home  neighbor- 
hood, and  then,  in  1881,  came  to  Ohio  to  join  his  brother,  who  some  time 
before  had  located  at  Cedarville.  For  a  while  after  coming  here  he  worked 
at  farm  labor  and  then  became  engaged  in  the  office  of  the  S.  K.  Mitchell 
Company,  lumber,  at  Cedarville,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  seven  years.  In 
1896,  Mr.  Lowry  became  interested  in  the  promotion  of  the  movement  to  give 
Cedarville  an  electric-light  plant  and  set  about  the  organization  of  a  company 
with  that  end  in  view,  his  efforts  leading  to  the  organization  of  the  Cedarville 
Light  and  Power  Company,  with  the  following  officers  and  stockholders : 
President,  G.  F.  Sigler:  vice-president,  W.  J.  Tarbox,  and  directors.  '\l.  I. 
Marsh,  D.  S.  Ervin,  O.  L.  Smith,  L.  H.  Sullenberger,  Dr.  John  Dixon  ami 
E.  G.  Lowry.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  company  Mr.  Lowry  was  given 
charge  of  construction  and  after  the  plant  was  erected  he  continued  in  charge 
of  the  same  until  it  was  sold  to  the  Dayton  Power  and  Light  Company.  Dur- 
ing the  'gos  Mr.  Lowry  also  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  hotel  Inisiness  at 
Cedarville.  When  the  lighting  plant  changed  hands  lie  opened  a  garage  and 
automobile-repair  establishment  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  that  business, 
also  filling  contracts  for  installing  electric-light  equipment.     Mr.  Lowry  is  a 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  773 

Republican  and  for  some  time  served  as  a  member  of  the  Cedarville  common 
council  and  of  the  school  board. 

On  October  3,  1889,  Ellsworth  G.  Lowry  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Etta  G.  Gregg,  who  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  David  A.  and  Elenor  (Galloway)  Gregg,  both  now  deceased,  and  to  this 
union  three  sons  have  been  born,  namely :  David  A.,  a  machinist,  living  at 
Dayton,  at  present  a  mechaniciaa  in  the  Aviation  Corps,  McCook's  Field,  who 
married  Clara  Push  and  has  two  children,  Victoria  and  Mildred;  Charles 
E.,  who  now  (1918)  is  a  soldier  of  the  National  Army,  a  corporal  of  Motor 
Transportation  Base  Section  No.  i.  Truck  Company  No.  2,  engaged  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Force  in  France,  and  William  Glenn,  who  is  at 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lowry  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church 
at  Cedarville. 


LEVI  M.  ASHBAUGH. 


Levi  M.  Ashbaugh,  a  farmer  of  the  Osborn  neighborhood  in  Bath  town- 
ship, this  county,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Frederick,  in  the 
county  of  that  name  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  on  June  14,  1841,  son  of 
Aquilla  and  Rachel  (Hann)  Ashbaugh,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native 
of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Maryland,  who  were  the  parents 
of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order 
of  birth.  Aquilla  Ashbaugh  was  a  farmer  and  also  gave  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  trees,  carrying  on  quite  an  extensive  nursery 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Frederick. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Maryland,  Levi  M.  Ashbaugh  remained 
there  until  after  he  had  attained  his  majority,  when  he  came  to  Ohio,  locating 
at  Dayton.  For  four  years  thereafter  he  worked  on  farms  in  the  vicinity 
of  that  cit}'  and  while  thus  engaged,  in  the  fall  of  1865,  married  a  Greene 
county  girl  and  located  in  this  county.  About  1892  Mr.  Ashbaugh  bought 
the  forty-acre  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Bath  township  and  has  ever 
since  made  his  home  there.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  the  public  in 
the  capacity  of  supervisor  of  roads  in  his  home  district. 

In  September  14,  1865,  Levi  M.  Ashbaugh  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Rebecca  Coy,  who  was  born  in  this  county.  May  14,  1845,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  Coy,  the  f(irmer  of  whom  was  twice  married  and 
was  the  father  of  twenty-one  children.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashbaugh  ten  chil- 
dren have  been  born.  The  first-born  of  these  died  in  infancy ;  the  others, 
Nelson,  John,  Rose,  William,  Benjamin,  Dessie,  Ferdinand,  Minnie  and  Maud, 
have  all  married  and  gone  from  the  home  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashbaugh 
are  members  of  the  Dunkard  church. 


774  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

DANIEL  WEBSTER  WOLF. 

Daniel  Webster  Wolf,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  C.  M.  Harner  farm  in 
Beavercreek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in 
that  township  on  June  2^,  1888,  son  of  C.  E.  and  Minnie  (Harner)  Wolf, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  township  and  who  are  now  living 
about  four  miles  north  of  Alpha.  To  them  four  children  were  born,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Mina  (deceased),  Delora  and  Merle  \[. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Daniel  W.  Wolf  received  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools  and  early  began  farming  and  "hustling"  on  his 
own  account.  On  February  22,  191 2,  he  married  Effie  May  Harner,  who 
was  born  in  Bath  township,  daughter  of  C.  M.  and  Emma  (Trollinger) 
Harner,  and  after  his  marriage  made  his  home  on  the  farm  of  his  father-in- 
law,  in  that  township,  and  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harner  left  the  farm  and 
moved  to  Xenia  took  charge  of  the  farm  and  has  since  been  managing  the 
place.  Politically,  Mr.  Wolf  is  a  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  church  at  Byron.  They  have  two  children,  Alfred  Webster 
and  Catherine  May. 


JOHN  A.  BEATTY. 


John  A.  Beatty,  head  of  the  firm  of  J.  A.  Beatty  &  Son,  dealers  in  furni- 
ture at  Xenia,  and  who  also  has  for  years  been  engaged  as  a  traveling  sales- 
man for  a  Michigan  furniture  house,  was  born  in  this  county  and  has  lived 
here  practically  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Bath  township  on 
January  19,  1862,  son  of  John  and  Delilah  (Jones)  Beatty,  the  former  of 
whom  was  born  in  Ireland  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  this  county,  they  having  established  their  home  in 
Bath  township  after  their  marriage. 

John  Beatty  was  born  in  County  Tyrone  and  remained  in  his  native 
Ireland  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  this  country 
and'  was  for  a  time  located  in  the  state  of  New  York,  comin.g  thence  to  Ohio 
and  settling  in  this  county,  where  he  became  engaged  in  farming.  He  presently 
bought  a  farm  of  eighty-three  acres  in  Bath  township  and  after  his  marriage 
established  his  home  there,  he  and  his  wife  spending  the  rest  of  their  lives 
on  that  place.  She  died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  forty-one  years,  and  he  survived 
her  until  October  22,  1888,  he  being  seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  They  were  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  their 
children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eight  of  these  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  Catherine,  who  is  still  living  on  the  home  place  in  Bath  township; 
Wilham  Henry,  who  also  continues  to  live  there,  farming  the  place;  James, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  775 

deceased ;  Charles  Edward,  who  is  a  farmer  in  Bath  township ;  Margaret  Ann, 
who  is  still  living  on  the  home  place;  Frank  E.,  the  present  owner  of  the  old 
Kellogg  strawberry  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Three  Rivers,  Michigan,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  strawberries,  and  Martha  Ellen,  who  is  living 
on  the  old  home  place  in  Bath  township. 

John  A.  Beatty  grew  up  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  schooling  in 
the  neighborhood  schools,  and  when  thirteen  years  of  age  began  to  work  on 
his  own  account,  being  thus  engaged  working  at  farm  labor  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  when  he  became  employed  in  the  grocery  store  of  L.  M. 
Bull  at  Xenia.  Two  years  later  he  married  and  became  employed  in  the 
furniture  store  of  R.  D.  Adair,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  1893,  in  which 
year  he  moved  to  Urbana,  this  state,  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture business  on  his  own  account,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Arnold  &  Beatty. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  his  interest  in  that  store  and  returned  to  Xenia  and 
for  two  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  the  hardware  store  of  J.  C.  Con- 
well,  later  resuming  his  old  position  in  the  Adair  store.  A  year  later  Mr. 
Beatty  resigned  that  position  to  accept  a  position  as  a  traveling  representa- 
tive of  the  Burkhardt  Furniture  Company  of  Dayton,  a  position  he  occupied 
until  1902,  when  he  transferred  his  connection  to  the  Cheboygan  Couch  Com- 
pany and  has  ever  since  been  connected  with  that  concern.  In  the  meantime, 
in  September,  191 5,  Mr.  Beatty  opened  a  furniture  store  at  Xenia,  in  asso- 
ciation with  his  younger  son,  Ernest  D.  Beatty,  under  the  firm  name  of  J. 
A.  Beatty  &  Son,  his  son  taking  the  part  of  active  manager  of  the  store. 

On  March  23,  1886,  John  A.  Beatty  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carrie 
Lantz  and  to  that  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely :  Clark 
Adair,  Ernest  David  and  Mary  Lucile,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  graduate 
from  the  Xenia  high  school  in  1915  and  is  now  studying  in  Christ  Hospital 
at  Cincinnati  to  equip  herself  for  the  profession  of  a  trained  nurse.  Clark 
Adair  Beatty,  who  makes  his  home  at  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  married 
Vivien  Lamb  and  has  two  children,  Jane  Reed  and  Mona  Ruth.  For  six 
years  he  served  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  Ohio  National  Guard,  and  during 
the  Mexican  border  trouble  in  1916  went  with  that  command  to  the  border 
and  was  thus  engaged  in  active  service  for  nine  months.  For  the  past  vear 
and  more  he  has  been  engaged  as  a  tra\eling  salesman  for  the  Cheboygan 
Couch  Company,  the  concern  with  which  'his  father  has  for  years  been  con- 
nected in  a  similar  capacity.  For  two  years  after  leaving  school  Ernest 
David  Beatty  was  engaged  with  the  Dayton  branch  of  the  Sample  Shoe 
Company  and  then  accepted  a  position  with  the  Burkhardt  Furniture  Com- 
pany, for  which  concern  he  traveled  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  in  191 5,  he  became  associated  with  his  father  in  business  at  Xenia, 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  J.  A.  Beatty  &  Son,  furniture  dealers.     He  mar- 


7/6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ried  Oma  Early  and  makes  his  home  at  Xenia.  Both  the  Beatty  brothers 
are  members  of  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  this  affiliation  being 
based  upon  the  service  of  their  grandfather,  James  L.  Lantz.  The  Beatty s 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JAAIES  HAR\'EY  LACKEY. 

James  Harvey  Lackey,  proprietor  of  a  farm  in  Ross  township,  was  born 
in  that  township  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  May  17. 
1857,  son  of  Givens  and  Margaret  Ann  (Turnbull)  Lackey,  the  latter  of 
whom  also  was  born  in  Ross  township,  daughter  of  James  and  Susan  (  Bull) 
Turnbull,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  Ohio. 

The  late  Givens  Lackey  was  a  native  of  the  Old  Dominion,  born  in 
Rockbridge  county,  Virginia,  in'  1826,  and  was  but  three  years  of  age  when 
his  parents,  Isaac  Lackey  and  wife,  came  to  Ohio  in  1829  and  settled  in 
Ross  township,  this  county.  Here  Givens  Lackey  grew  to  manhood  and  in 
time  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account  and  a  breeder  of  Shorthorns. 
On  February  7,  1855,  Givens  Lackey  married  Margaret  Ann  Turnbull  and 
of  the  five  children  born  to  that  union  four  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  having  three  brothers,  Cyrus  C.  Lackey,  also  of  Ross  township ; 
William  Hunter  Lackey,  a  farmer  of  Ross  township,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Clarke 
Lackey,  a  physician  at  Jamestown.  Givens  Lackey  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  L'nited  Presbyterian  church  and  their  sons  were  reared  in  that 
faith. 

James  H.  Lackey  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township  and 
supplemented  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  neighborhood  schools  by  attend- 
ance during  the  years  1875-77  ^t  Xenia  College,  afterward  resuming  his 
labors  on  the  farm,  giving  particular  attention  to  the  live-stock  operations 
carried  on  by  his  father,  and  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1880  estab- 
lished his  home  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living.  Ever  since  1876 
^Ir.  Lackey  has  been  engaged  in  the  breeding  of  Poland  China  hogs  and 
also  has'  for  years  maintained  a  herd  of  Jersey  dairy  cattle.  He  is  a  Repulj- 
lican  and  has  served  as  director  of  his  home  school  district,  for  ten  years  as 
president  of  the  board  of  education  of  Ross  township,  for  some  time  as 
township  assessor  and  as  land  appraiser  and  is  now  treasurer  of  Ross  town- 
ship, a  position  he  has  occupied  for  more  than  four  years. 

On  November  10,  1880,  James  H.  Lackey  was  united  in  marriage  tn 
Delia  Crawford,  who  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Jane  (Cherry)  Crawford,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
three  daughters.  Fay  De  Ette,  wife  of  James  L  Patterson,  a  Xenia  township 
farmer,  and  Myrtle  May  and  Margaret  Jane,  at  home.  The  Lackeys  are 
members  of  the  L'nited  Presbvterian  church  at  Jamestown. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  "J-JJ 

KINGSLEY  M.  JOHNSTON. 

Kingsley  M.  Johnston,  manufacturer  of  the  products  of  the  Johnston 
Remedy  Company  at  Bowersville  and  since  the  death  of  his  father,  the 
founder  of  that  company,  the  head  of  the  concern,  was  born  on  a  farm 
three  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Bowersville  on  October  29,  1872,  son  of 
Lemuel  V.  and  Lucinda  (Devoe)  Johnston,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was 
born  in  this  county,  three  miles  west  of  Bowersville,  daughter  of  David  and 
Mary  (Ary)  Devoe,  pioneers  of  that  section  and  further  mention  of  whom 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Lemuel  V.  Johnston  was  born  in  Hampshire  county,  Virginia,  that 
count}'  since  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  having  been  comprised  within  the 
bounds  of  West  Virginia,  in  1839,  a  son  of  Thornton  and  Elizabeth  (Neil) 
Johnston,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county  and  the  latter  of 
whom  died  there.  In  1855  Thornton  Johnston  came  to  this  county  and  settled 
on  a  farm  south  of  Bowersville,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
his  death  occurring  there  in  1861.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four 
children,  of  whom  Lemuel  \ .  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  John  W.,  who  for  some  time  after  his  father's  death  farmed  the  home 
place  and  then  moved  over  into  Fayette  county,  later  returning  to  this  county 
and  located  on  a  farm  east  of  Bowersville  and  on  the  latter  place  spent  his 
last  days;  Sarah,  who  died  unmarried,  and  Jacob,  who  for  some  years  fol- 
lowed the  profession  of  teaching  and  then  became  engaged  with  his  brother 
and  the  latter's  son  Kingsley  in  the  manufacture  of  proprietory  medicine 
at  Bowersville  and  thus  continued  engaged  until  his  death  in  191 5. 

Having  been  but  sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  with 
his  parents  in  1855,  Lemuel  V.  Johnston  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  south 
of  Bowersville.  After  his  marriage  to  Lucinda  De\oe  he  located  on  a  farm 
three  miles  west  of  Bowersville  and  there  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
1891,  when  he  and  his  son  Kingsley  became  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  proprietory  medicines  at  Bowersville,  under  the  name  of  the  Johnston 
Remed)'-  Company,  and  he  continued  thus  engaged  until  his  death  in  1908. 
His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  four  years,  her  death  having  occurred 
in  1904.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  he  was 
a_  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Lidependent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at 
Port  William.  Lemuel  V.  Johnston  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth, 
the  others  being  Emma,  who  married  Lewis  H.  \\^ilson  and  died  in  1890; 
Horace  V.,  a  farmer  living  west  of  Bowersville:  David  A.,  a  farmer  of  New 
Jasper  township:  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  William  J.  Baker,  living  east  of  Bowers- 
ville, and  Jesse  P.,  a  farmer,  who  died  in  1908  and  whose  widow,  who  before 
her  marriage  was  Jennie  Perkins,  is  now  living  at  Columbus,  this  state. 


778  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Kingsley  M.  Johnston  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  west  of  Bowersville, 
received  his  schooHng  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  and  was  eighteen  years 
of  age  when  he  became  interested  with  his  father  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
Johnston  remedies  at  Bowersville,  put  out  under  the  manufacturers'  title  of 
the  Johnston  Remedy  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Johnston  has  been  the  sole 
proprietor  since  the  death  of  his  father  and  his  uncle.  He  also  owns  a  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  five  acres  three  miles  southeast  of  town. 

On  December  28,  1898,  Kingsley  M.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Myrtle  Rittenhouse,  who  was  born  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  daugh- 
ter and  only  child  of  James  and  Sarah  (Lucas)  Rittenhouse,  the  latter  of 
whom  died  on  October  i,  1912,  and  the  former  of  whom  now  makes  his 
home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Johnston  at  Bowersville.  During  the  earlier  years 
of  his  manhood  James  Rittenhouse  was  engaged  as  a  school  teacher.  He 
then  took  up  farming  and  bought  and  sold  farms  until  1896,  when  he  located 
in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  where  he  remained  until  his  retirement. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  are  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnston.  Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Johnston.  Eliza- 
beth, born  on  February  20,  191 1 ;  Alden,  January  2,  1913,  and  James  Robert, 
June  19,  1917. 


WALTER  W.  BARXETT. 

Walter  W.  Barnett,  hardware  dealer  at  Jamestown,  former  mayor  of 
that  city  and  formerly  and  for  years  a  member  of  the  common  council,  is  a 
native  son  of  Greene  county,  bom  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  on  March 
2,  1877,  son  of  James  H.  and  Martha  Ellen  (Harper)  Barnett,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  and  who  are  still  living  here.  To 
James  H.  Barnett  and  wife  twelve  children  were  born,  namely:  John,  who 
is  now  living  at  Xenia;  Walter  W.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch;  Ernest,  of  Xenia;  Mary,  deceased;  Elizabeth,  deceased;  Harry, 
deceased;  Myrtle,  of  Xenia;  Benjamin,  deceased;  James,  of  Xenia;  Moudy 
and  Clarence,  who  are  now  (1918)  connected  with  the  Xational  Army,  sta- 
tioned at  Camp  Sherman,  and  Henry,  of  Xenia. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Walter  W.  Barnett  received  his  schooling 
in  the  common  schools  and  for  a  while  after  leaving  school  was  engaged  in 
farming.  He  then  became  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  at  Jamestown,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Barnett  Brothers,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  seven 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  engaged  in  the  livery  business  in 
that  town,  continuing  thus  occupied  for  two  years,  or  until  iqio.  in  which 
year  he  bought  the  Paullin  hardware  store  at  Jamestown  and  has  ever  since 
been  engaged  in  the  hardware  business  there.  In  1910  Mr.  Barnett  was 
his  party's  nominee  for  the  office  of  county  commissioner  from  his  district. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  779 

From  1908  to  1912  he  served  as  mayor  of  his  home  town  and  for  eight  years 
served  as  a  member  of  the  common  council.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local 
lodges  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at  Jamestown. 

On  January  14,  1904,  Walter  W.  Barnett  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Stella  Heifner,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Early)  Heifner,  and  a  sister  of  Harry  N.  Heifner,  proprietor  of  the 
Wickersham  House,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnett  are  members  of  the  Friends  church. 


JAMES  G.  CONKLIN. 

James  G.  Conklin,  a  retired  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  living  on  his 
farm  a  mile  south  of  Bowersville,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Lumberton, 
over  the  line  in  Clinton  county,  June  3,  1837,  son  of  Harvey  F.  and  Hannah 
(Noland)  Conklin,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Virginia.  Harvey  F. 
Conklin  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Albany,  New  York,  and  grew  up  there, 
becoming  a  blacksmith.  When  a  young  man  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located 
at  Lumberton,  where  he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  and  where  he  married. 
In  1849  he  moved  with  his  family  up  into  Greene  county  and  bought  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  acres  at  Middletons  Comers  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where 
he  remained  until  his  retirement  and  return  to  Lumberton,  where  he  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 
Harvey  F.  Conklin  was  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife 
were  Methodists.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides 
James  G.,  being  Sarah,  who  is  now  living  at  New  Burlington,  widow  of 
Newton  Shambaugh;  William  W.,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  retired 
farmer,  now  living  at  Xenia;  Henry  H.,  a  banker,  living  at  Xenia;  Thomas, 
retired,  now  living  at  New  Burlington;  Tunis,  also  of  New  Burlington; 
George,  deceased,  and  Charles  C,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township. 

Having  been  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  the 
farm  at  Middletons  Corners,  James  G.  Conklin  there  grew  to  manhood  and 
remained  there  until  his  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight,  when  he  bought 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  that  township.  Two  years  later  he  bought 
the  Hussey  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  a  mile  south 
of  Bowersville,  and  has  since  resided  there,  having  made  many  improvements 
on  the  place,  including  the  erection  of  a  nine-room  house.  Mr.  Conklin  is 
now  living  retired  from  active  farm  labor.  He  is  one  of  the  stockholders 
of  the  Bowersville  bank. 

Mr.  Conklin  has  been  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  Kate 
Hussey,  has  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Ream,  wife  of  Doctor  Ream,  of  Bowers- 


780  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ville,  and  I\Iary,  wife  of  Harvey  \\'ilson,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Following 
the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  daughters,  Mr.  Conklin  married  Alice 
Elliott,  of  the  Bellbrook  neighborhood,  and  to  this  union  four  children  were 
born,  Zora,  wife  of  Clyde  Sutton,  of  Dayton;  Guy,  who  married  Ruth  Sheeley 
and  is  farming  in  New  Jasper  township;  Dorothy,  who  is  now  attending 
Wilmington  College,  and  Robert,  at  home.  ]\Irs.  Conklin  and  her  children  are 
members  of  the  Christian  church  at  Bowersville.  Mr.  Conklin  is  a  Repub- 
lican,    He  formerlv  was  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternitv. 


ARTHUR  UPTOX  CONFER. 

Arthur  Upton  Confer,  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  acres  on  the  Dayton  pike  in  IMiami  township,  was  born  on  that  farm  on 
July  21,  1867,  son  of  George  and  Ann  (Johnson)  Confer,  the  latter  of  whom 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  who  spent  their  last  days  in  tlie  village  of 
Yellow  Springs,  to  which  place  they  moved  upon  their  retirement  from  the 
farm  in  1891. 

George  Confer  was  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  at  Hagerstown,  in  Wash- 
ington county,  that  state,  February  8,  1827,  and  was  but  seven  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  this  state  with  his  parents,  George  and  Elizabeth  (Bow- 
man) Confer,  in  1S34,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  where  the  Confers  ever  since  have 
been  represented.  The  elder  George  Confer  gradually  added  to  his  holdings 
until  he  became  one  of  the  leading  landowners  thereabout,  thus  having  been 
enabled  to  give  to  each  of  his  children  a  farm.  Originally  a  Whig,  he  became 
a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  tlie  latter  party.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  German  Reformed  church  and  his  wife  was  a  Lutheran.  He  died 
in  1857,  he  then  being  seventy-two  years  of  age,  anrl  his  widi)w  survi\ed 
him  twelve  years,  her  death  occurring  at  Xenia,  to  which  city  she  had  moved 
after  the  death  of  her  husband.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
Hannah,  \\'ilHam  G.,  George,  Susan  and  Elizal^eth. 

As  noted  above,  the  junior  George  Confer  was  but  seven  years  of  age 
when  he  came  from  Maryland  to  this  county  with  liis  parents  in  1834  and 
he  received  his  schooling  in  the  district  school  which  for  man}'  years  after 
the  settlement  of  his  parents  there  was  known  as  the  Confer  school  in  Miami 
township.  Upon  reaching  manhood  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the 
home  place  and  after  their  father's  deatii  in  1857  he  and  his  brother  Will- 
iam continued  farming  that  place,  in  partnership,  but  two  or  three  years  later 
the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  George  Confer  bought  more  land  adjoin- 
ing the  tract  which  his  father  had  given  him  in  that  township  and  after  his 
marriage  in  the  spring  of  1861  established  his  home  on  the  latter  place  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  /Si 

there  continued  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  hie  retirement 
thirty  years  later,  in  1891,  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs,-  where  he  and 
his  wife  spent  their  last  days,  her  death  occurring  there  on  March  12,  1913, 
and  his,  June  12,  1917.  Air.  Confer  was  a  Republican  and  had  served  the 
public  in  the  capacity  of  township  supervisor  and  as  director  of  his  school 
district.     He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

On  May  2,  1S61,  in  Miami  township,  George  Confer  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Ann  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  that  township  on  April  15,  1841, 
daughter  of  James  and  Catherine  (Ehrler)  Johnson,  the  former  of  whom  was 
bom  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  France,  who  were  married  in  Clark  county, 
this  state,  and  later  came  down  into  Greene  county  and  located  on  a  farm  in 
Miami  township.  There  Mrs.  Johnson  died  in  1849.  ^f.  Johnson  married 
again  and  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Miami  township,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1890.  To  George  and  Ann  (Johnson)  Confer  were  born  six 
children,  namely:  Alarv  Etta,  who  mar.ried  Joseph  \^ernanda  Shoemaker,  a 
merchant  at  Goes ;  George  Albert,  who  married  Anna  Fogel  and  continues 
farming  in  Miami  township;  Arthur  U.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical sketch:  William  W.,  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, his  first  wife  having  been  Zella  Fogel  and  his  second  Lillie  Powers ; 
Howard  T.,  who  married  Nora  Ginneman  and  is  engaged  in  the  blacksmith 
business  at  Xenia,  and  Susan,  who  married  John  Conrad,  a  Springfield 
butcher,  and  died  on  June  7,  1905. 

Arthur  U.  Confer  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  two 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  has  always  been 
a  farmer.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1 89 1  established  his  home  on  the  old  home  place,  his  parents  retir- 
ing to  the  village  about  that  time,  and  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home  there. 
On  November  10,  19 17,  Mr.  Confer  bought  the  remaining  interests  in  the  old 
home  place  and  is  now  the  sole  owner  of  the  same.  He  has  for  years  made 
a  specialty  of  the  raising  of  pure-bred  live  stock  and  Mrs.  Confer  has  for 
a  long  time  given  particular  attention  to  the  production  of  poultry.  Among 
the  numerous  evidences  of  the  aboriginal  occupancy  of  this  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Miamis,  detailed  reference  to  which  is  made  in  the  historical  section 
of  this  work,  there  is  on  the  Confer  farm  a  well-defined  Indian  burial  ground, 
evidently  established  by  the  Shawnees  who  formerly  roamed  up  and  down 
this  valley  and  had  their  habitation  here. 

On  January  13,  1891,  Arthur  U.  Confer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Clara  K.  Miller,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  July  13,  1868,  daughter 
of  Israel  and  Jane  (Arthur)  Miller,  of  the  Osborn  neighborhood,  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  1900  and  the  latter,  in  1906,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  four  children,  namely:     Florence  Ann,  born  on  .August  16,  i8g6,  who 


782  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

married  Chester  Semler  and  lives  on  a  farm  four  and  a  half  miles  west  of 
Yellow  Springs:  Chester  Miller,  August  14,  1897,  who  is  at  home  assisting 
his  father  in  the  management  of  the  farm;  Harry  Lamar,  November  4,  1901, 
who  is  now  a  student  in  the  high  school  at  Yellow  Springs,  and  Clarence, 
who  died  in  infancy  in  1905.  The  Confers  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Confer  and  his  son  Chester  are  members  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 


WILLIAM  R.  BAKER. 


William  R.  Baker,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  former  auditor  of  Greene 
county  and  formerly  and  for  years  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in 
Xenia,  in  which  city  he  is  now  living  retired,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county, 
born  on  a  farm  in  Silvercreek  township,  one  mile  west  of  the  village  of 
Jamestown,  August  31,  1841,  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Elizabeth  ( Towell ) 
Baker,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1814  and  the  latter,  in 
Virginia,  in  1813,  who  were  married  in  this  county  and  here  established  their 
home,  many  years  later  moving  to  Columbus,  where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

John  W.  Baker  was  a  son  of  William  and  Dorothy  (W'inans)  Baker 
and  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  county  from  Kentucky 
with  his  parents  in  1828.  Two  years  previously  William  Baker  had  come 
up  here  from  Kentucky  on  a  visit  to  his  kinsman.  Doctor  Winans,  \^ho  was 
at  that  time  practicing  his  profession  at  Jamestown,  then  a  hamlet  of  fewer 
than  a  dozen  houses,  and  had  been  so  favorably  impressed  by  the  promising 
conditions  here  that  he  decided  to  locate  in  this  county.  Returning  to  Ken- 
tucky he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  in  1828  came  with  his  family 
and  took  up  his  permanent  abode  at  Jamestown,  where  he  erected  a  frame 
building  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Johnson's  grocery  store  and  tliere  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  of  harness.  Not  long  afterward  he  established  a 
tavern  at  Jamestown  and  Baker's  Tavern  was  for  years  a  popular  stopping 
place  both  "for  man  and  beast,"  a  large  yard  and  stable  at  the  rear  afford- 
ing accommodations  for  the  latter.  That  tavern  occupied  the  southeast  corner 
of  Main  and  Limestone  streets.  William  Baker  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  eight  sons  and  three  daughters  and  John  W.  Baker  was  the  fifth  son.  The 
latter  grew  to  manhood  at  Jamestown  and  there  married  Elizabeth  Towell, 
who,  as  noted  above,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1813.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Sarah  Towell,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  Virginia,  his  native 
state,  after  whiciT  his  widow  came  w  itli  her  cliildren  to  Ohio  and  after  a 
sometime  residence  at  Xenia  located  at  Jamestown.  After  his  marriage  John 
\\'.  Baker  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Jamestown  and  remained 
there  until  his  sons  were  well  grown  bovs.  when  he  moved  to. a  farm  be  had 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  783 

bought  in  Sugarcreek  township,  south  of  Jamestown,  where  he  remained 
until  in  the  early  '60s,  when,  in  order  to  secure  better  advantages  in  the  way 
of  schooling  for  the  younger  daughter  he  moved  to  Columbus,  where  he 
again  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  and  was  thus  engaged  until 
his  retirement.  He  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days  at  Columbus,  her 
death  occurring  there  in  1900  and  his,  in  1901.  They  were  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  were  seven  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Sarah  E.,  widow  of  James  Alex- 
ander, now  living  with  her  daughters  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin;  James  C, 
who  died  in  the  days  of  his  youth;  John  H.,  also  now  deceased;  Samuel  T., 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  is  living  on  his  farm  in  the  Cedarville  neigh- 
borhood; Erastus  F.,  a  traveling  salesman,  who  died  at  Chicago  in  1914,  and 
Clarissa  A.,  wife  of  W.  H.  Dye,  now  living  in  Florida. 

William  R.  Baker  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Jamestown 
and  was  a  well-grown  lad  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  farm,  where  he  was 
living  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  for 
service,  a  member  of  Company  A,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  with  that  command  for  three  years,  or  until  the  com- 
pletion of  his  term  of  enlistment,  being  mustered  out  in  the  fall  of  1864, 
when  his  younger  brother  Samuel  took  his  place  in  the  company.  During 
that  period  of  service  Mr.  Baker  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land, Fourteenth  Anny  Corps,  Second  Division,  Third  Brigade,  and  was  an 
orderly  at  division  headquarters  when  mustered  out.  He  participated  in 
many  of  the  notable  battles  and  engagements  of  the  war,  including  those  of 
Stone's  River,  Chickamauga,  Jonesboro  and  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  upon 
the  completion  of  that  active  service  became  an  ambulance  driver  and  thus 
continued  his  service  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

Not  long  after  his  return  from  army  service  Mr.  Baker  became  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  the  grocery  store  of  H.  H.  Eavey  at  Xenia,  beginning  that 
employment  in  1867,  and  two  years  later,  in  1869,  bought  a  half  interest  in 
the  store.  Soon  afterward  the  firm  again  was  reorganized,  Mr.  Baker's 
brother-in-law,  W.  B.  Harrison,  buying  his  partner's  interest,  the  firm  then 
becoming  Baker,  Harrison  &  Company,  and  Mr.  Baker  continued  thus  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  until  his  election  in  the  fall  of  1883  to  the  office 
of  auditor  of  Greene  county.  He  was  retained  in  office,  by  successive  reelec- 
tions,  until  1896,  when  he  declined  to  be  the  further  nominee  of  the  party 
that  had  honored  him  by  these  successive  nominations  without  opposition. 
For  four  years  after  his  retirement  frorn  the  auditor's  office  Mr.  Baker  was 
engaged  in  prospecting  in  the  Scioto  oil  fields  and  since  then  has  been  living 
practically  retired,  his  chief  attention  being  given  to  the  management     of  a 


784  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

farm  he  owns  in  this  county,  making  his  home  in  the  old  \\'.  B.  Harrison 
residence  at  202  East  Market  street.     He  is  a  Repubhcan. 

Mr.  Baker  has  been  twice  married.  On  March  i,  1876.  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Anna  Harrison,  who  was  born  and  reared  in  this  county,  her 
home  having  been  about  eight  miles  east  of  Xenia.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
James  and  Ruth  (Hanna)  Harrison  and  a  sister  of  W.  B.  Harrison,  who 
for  years  was  a  merchant  and  manufacturer  at  Xenia  and  a  politician  of 
more  than  local  influence.  To  that  union  were  born  two  daughters,  Florence 
B.,  who  married  Frank  Wickersham  and  now  lives  in  Denver,  Colorado,  and 
Jessie  R.,  wife  of  J-  A.  Chew,  managing  editor  of  the  Xenia  Gazette.  The 
mother  of  these  daughters  died  in  October,  1892,  and  on  September  12,  1905, 
Mr.  Baker  married  Mrs.  Agnes  (Garrett)  Harrison,  widow  of  the  late  W. 
B.  Harrison,  mentioned  above.  Mrs.  Baker  was  born  at  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware, a  daughter  of  Elwood  Garrett  and  wife,  and  was  living  in  that  city 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Harrison,  her  home  since  then  having 
been  in  Xenia.  Her  father,  Elwood  Garrett,  a  Quaker,  who  died  in  1 910  at 
the  great  age  of  ninety-three  years,  was  a  photographer  and  was  ffuite  an 
inventor,  he  having  put  up  the  first  telephone  in  use  in  the  city  of  Wilming- 
ton. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  (  Scientist ) 
and  -\Ir.  Baker  is  a  member  of  the  Ma?nnic  order. 


CLARK  K.  BICKETT. 


Clark  K.  Bickett.  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  the  Bickett  road  in  Xenia 
township,  rural  mail  route  Xo.  2  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship on  March  28,  1866,  son  of  Matthew  A.  and  Caroline  (Kendall) 
Bickett,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  that  township  and  the  latter  of 
whom  is  still  living  there. 

Matthew  Alexander  Bickett  was  born  on  January  19,  183 T,  a  son  of 
William  R.  and  Isabella  (Alexander)  Bickett,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  the  Coaquilla  valley  of  Pennsylvania  about  1796,  a  son  of  Adam 
and  Elizabeth  (Reed)  Bickett,  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to  tliis  country 
some  years  after  their  marriage  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  Adam 
Bickett's  last  days  were  spent,  his  death  occurring  there  not  many  vears 
after.  His  widow  and  her  children,  of  whom  William  R.  Bickett  was  the 
youngest,  came  to  Ohio  in  18 18  and  settled  in  this  county,  purchasing  a 
tract  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Xenia  township,  which  tract  is  stili 
held  in  the  family.  There  William  R.  Bickett  grew  to  manhood,  married 
and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1865.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1885.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Second  United  Presbvterian  church  at  Xenia  and  their  children 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  785 

were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these  children,  Adam  R.,  Mat- 
thew A.,  Mary  Jane  (Mrs.  Solomon  Foust),  Elizabeth  Isabella,  Lydia  Ann 
and  W.  Harvey. 

Reared  on  tlie  home  farm  in  Xenia  township,  Matthew  A.  Bickett 
established  his  home  in  that  same  township  after  his  marriage  in  1865  and 
continued  to  make  his  home  there  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  November,  191 1.  His  widow  is  still  making  her  home  on  the  old  home 
place.  She  was  born  in  that  township,  Caroline  E.  Kendall,  a  daughter  of 
William  and  Eleanor  (Jackson)  Kendall,  who  were  married  in  that  town- 
ship and  there  spent  their  last  days.  William  Kendall,  who  was  a  soldier 
in  the  War  of  1812,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  a  son  of  Robert  Kendall  and 
wife,  who  later  came  up  into  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county.  His  wife, 
Eleanor  Jackson,  was  born  in  Xenia  township,  a  member  of  one  of  the 
pioneer  families  of  that  part  of  Greene  county.  Of  the  six  children  born 
to  William  Kendall  and  wife,  all  are  deceased  except  Mrs.  Bickett.  Matthew 
A.  Bickett  was  a  member  of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at 
Xenia,  as  is  his  widow,  and  their  children  were  reared  in  accordance  with 
the  tenets  of  the  same.  There  are  seven  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  as  follow :  Charles 
A.,  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  New  Jasper  tovraship,  this  county,  who  mar- 
ried Edna  Watt,  of  Greenfield,  Ohio;  William  Albert,  who  married  Mar- 
garet Harper  and  is  farming  in  Xenia  tov\-nship ;  Anna  M.,  unmarried,  who 
continues  to  make  her  home  with  her  mother;  the  Rev.  John  W.  Bickett,  a 
minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church,  who  married  Leota  Watt,  of 
Greenfield,  Ohio,  and  is  now  stationed  at  New  Concord,  this  state;  Eleanor 
I.,  who  married  Herbert  Tate  and  is  now  living  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bellbrook,  and  David  Cameron  Bickett.  who  married  Pearl  McCampbell,  of 
this  county,  and  is  farming  the  old  home  place  in  Xenia  township. 

Clark  K.  Bickett. grew  to  manhood  on  the  old  home  farm,  completed 
his  schooling  by  a  course  in  the  old  Xenia  College  on  East  Church  street 
and  after  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1889  began  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  bought  the  William  McQuiston  place  of  one  hundred  acres 
on  the  Bickett  road  four  miles  east  of  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  made  his 
home  and  on  which  in  19 16  he  erected  a  new  dv^'elling  of  nine  rooms,  the 
same  being  equipped  with  electric  lights,  hard-wood  floors,  two  bath  rooms 
and  various  up-to-date  conveniences  for  housekeeping.  He  also  built  the 
forty-by-seventy-two  barn  on  the  place,  erected  two  silos,  one  of  a  hundred- 
ton  capacity  and  the  other  of  seventy-five-ton  capacity,  and  laid  a  cement 
floor  one  hundred  and  eight  by  one  hundred  and  three  feet  on  his  barnyard. 
On  his  original  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  he  laid  twenty-two  hundred  rods 
of  tile  and  on  the  tract  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining,  which  he 

(49) 


786  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

later  bought.  He  also  has  done  extensive  tiling.  In  addition  to  his  general 
farming  Mr.  Bickett  has  for  years  given  considerable  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  live  stock,  feeding  a  couple  of  car  loads  of  steers  and  two  or  three 
hundred  head  of  hogs  annually,  feeding  all  the  grain  he  raises,  besides 
buying  thousands  of  bushels  for  that  purpose.  He  has  a  herd  of  Jerseys 
for  dairy  purposes  and  his  specialty  in  the  way  of  hogs  is  Duroc-Jerseys. 
Politically,    Mr.    Bickett    is   an    "independent"    Republican. 

On  May  24,  1899,  Clark  K.  Bickett  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Turnbull,  who  was  born  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  Ann  (Spencer)  Turnbull,  and  to  this  union  four  children 
have  been  born,  Mary  E.,  Joseph  T.,  Blanche  and  Robert,  the  two  former 
of  whom  are  now  (1918)  students  in  the  Xenia  high  school,  the  first-namied 
being  a  senior.  The  Bicketts  are  members  of  the  Second  United  Presby- 
terian church  at  Xenia. 


CHARLES  DILL  DOBBINS. 

The  late  Charles  Dill  Dobbins,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  on  the  line 
between  Cedarville  and  Ross  township  on  January  10,  1909,  was  a  native 
son  of  Ohio  and  all  his  life  was  spent  in  this  state,  a  resident  of  Greene 
county  since  the  time  of  his  marriage  in  1876.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Lima,  county  seat  of  Allen  county,  March  10,  1853,  son  of  Hugh  and  Mary 
(Elwell)  Dobbins,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  and  reared  in  Clark  county, 
this  state. 

Hugh  Dobbins  was  born  in  Pennsyhania  and  was  twelve  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  the  family  settling  in  Allen  county, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  became  a  farmer  and  landowner  and  served 
for  fourteen  years  as  auditor  of  the  county.  After  his  marriage  he  moved 
to  Lima  and  later  lived  at  Yellow  Springs.  For  years  he  was  a  Republican, 
but  in  his  later  years  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Prohibition  part)'.  He  and 
his  family  were  Presbyterians.  Hugh  Dobbins  was  twice  married,  and  by 
his  first  wife,  Mary  Elwell,  was  the  father  of  four  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  otiiers 
being  Chalmers,  also  deceased:  Libbie,  wife  of  Clark  Funston,  of  Yellow 
Springs,  this  county;  and  James,  a  farmer,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Ada,  this 
state.  The  mother  of  the  children  died  in  1856  and  Hugh  Dobbins  later 
married  Mary  Funston,  who  died  in  1908.  This  latter  marriage  was  without 
issue. 

Charles  D.  Dobbins  was  reared  on  the  farm  and  completed  his  early 
schooling  at  Ada.  He  plowed  the  first  furrow  for  the  foundation  of  the 
main  building  of  the  Ohio  Northern  University  and  later  entered  the  college, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  787 

pursuing  his  studies  there  with  a  view  of  entering  the  gospel  ministry,  but 
faihng  health  interrupted  his  studies  and  he  did  not  finish  the  course.  After 
his  marriage  in  1876  Mr.  Dobbins  made  his  home  in  Greene  county,  buying 
here  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  on  the  line  between  Cedar- 
ville  and  Ross  township  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  addition  to 
his  general  farming  he  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock, 
with  particular  reference  to  pure-bred  Merino  sheep  and  Poland  China  hogs. 
Originally  a  Republican,  Mr.  Dobbins  in  his  later  years  became  a  Prohibi- 
tionist. 

On  October  25,  1876,  Charles  D.  Dobbins  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora 
E.  Turnbull,  who  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  survives  her  husband,  now 
making  her  home  in  Cedarville,  to  which  place  she  moved  in  191 1  and  bought 
a  liome  on  North  Main  street.  She  is  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville,  as  was  her  husband.  To  Charles  D.  and  Flora  E. 
(Turnbull)  Dobbins  were  born  seven  children,  namely:  Orlando,  who  mar- 
ried Aha  Spangler  and  is  living  on  the  home  place,  a  part  of  which  he  is 
farming;  Alma,  wife  of  Harry  King,  a  farmer,  living  at  Washington  Court 
House,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette;  Mary,  wife  of  Omer  Burrell, 
of  Springfield,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark;  Hattie,  wife  of  Denver 
Wisecup,  of  Oxford,  this  state;  Max  Elwell,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years,  and  Zelpha,  who  is  living  with  her  mother  at  Cedarville. 

Mrs.  Dobbins  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  a  daughter  of  Samuel 
K.  and  Catherine  (Funston)  Turnbull,  both  now  deceased,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  on  September  5,  1913,  she  then  being  eighty-six  years  of  age,  and  the 
former,  January  5,  1917,  he  then  being  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
Samuel  Kyle  Turnbull,  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  also  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Kyle)  Turnbull,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  William  Turnlnill 
and  wife,  who  had  come  up  here  with  their  family  from  the  vicinity  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  had  settled  in  Cedarville  township  in  the  early 
days  of  the  settlement  of  that  region,  all  of  which,  together  with  further 
details  of  the  history  of  the  Turnbull  family  in  Greene  county,  is  set  out  at 
considerable  length  elsewhere.  The  stone  house  erected  by  William  Turn- 
bull  upon  coming  to  this  county  is  still  standing,  now  owned  by  the  Fowler 
family,  on  the  Columbus-Cincinnati  pike,  about  three  miles  southwest  of 
Cedarville.  Catherine  Funston  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark, 
a  daughter  of  John  and  Keziah  (Scott)  Funston,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Scott,  who  had  come  up  here  into  Ohio  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  had  settled  in  Clark  county,  not  far  north 
of  the  Greene  countv  line.  John  Funston  was  a  son  of  Paul  Funston,  whose 
parents  had  come  to  this  country  from  Ireland.  To  Samuel  K.  and  Catherine 
(Funston)    Turnbull  were  born   four  children,   those  besides   Mrs.   Dobbins 


70O  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

being  John  Edwin  Turnbull,  \vho  is  living  on  the  home  place  in  Cedarville 
township;  Fannie,  wife  of  Charles  Barber,  of  Cedarville,  and  Melda,  who 
married  Edwin  Bull  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased. 


SAMUEL  T.  BAKER. 


Samuel  T.  Baker,  farmer  and  stockman,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War, 
president  of  the  Greene  County  Fair  Association,  former  mayor  of  James- 
town and  former  township  trustee,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all 
his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Xenia-Jamestown  pike,  one  mile 
west  of  Jamestown,  March  17,  1847,  son  of  John  Winans  and  Elizabeth 
(Towell)  Baker,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  in  Silver- 
creek  township,  in  1813,  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Towell,  pioneers  of 
that  section,'  who  had  come  here  from  Pennsylvania.  John  Towell  was 
regarded  as  the  strongest  man  in  Greene  county  in  his  generation  and  he 
died  as  a  result  of  putting  his  great  strength  to  an  excessive  test.  On  a 
wager  he  carried  four  bushels  of  wheat  up  a  stairway  in  a  mill,  but  the 
strain  was  too  much  and  he  died  shortly  afterward,  leaving  his  widow  with 
four  small  children,  of  whom  Mr.  Baker's  mother  was  the  youngest,  the 
others  being  John,  who  became  known  as  Squire  Towell  and  lived  in  Ross 
township,  Samuel,  who  moved  to  Indiana,  and  Mrs.  Caanan  Brouse,  who 
also  moved  to  Indiana.  The  Widow  Towell  did  not  remarry  and  lived  to 
be  ninety-six  years  of  age. 

John  Winans  Baker  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1814  and  was  but  a  child 
when  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Winans)  Baker,  came  up  here  with  their 
family  in  1816  and  settled  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Jamestown,  where 
John  Baker  built  a  large  house  and  became  a  considerable  landowner.  He 
did  a  large  business  in  hauling  to  Cincinnati.  He  and  his  wife  were  Metho- 
dists and  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  Mathias,  George,  William, 
Douglas,  John  Winans,  Hilary,  Jacob,  Andrew,  Mary  and  four  daughters 
who  died  young.  John  Winans  Baker  grew  up  in  tlic  Jamestown  neighbor- 
hood and  after  his  marriage  became  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at 
Jamestown,  remaining  there  until  his  sons  were  grown,  when  he  moved  to 
his  farm  southeast  of  the  village.  Upon  his  retirement  he  and  his  wife 
moved  to  Columbus,  where  in  1900  ?ilrs.  Baker  died  from  the  effect  of 
injuries  received  in  a  fall  down  a  cellarway,  she  then  being  eighty-seven 
years  of  age.  A  year  later  John  W.  Baker  fell  down  stairs  and  received 
injuries  from  which  he  died  on  Christmas  Day,  1901.  They  were  Methodists 
and  he  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Jamestown.  John 
W.  Baker  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following: 


.\Ml>S   WILSOX   CUKSWF.I.I, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  789 

James,  who  died  in  youth ;  Sarah,  now  Hving  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  widow 
of  James  Alexander ;  William  Raper,  of  Xenia ;  John  H.,  who  died  at 
Columbus ;  Erastus  Frank,  who  died  at  Chicago ;  Isadora,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years,  and  Arvilla,  who  is  the  widow  of  Willis  H.  Dye  and  is 
now  living  in  Florida. 

Samuel  T.  Baker  was  reared  at  Jamestown,  where  he  received  his  school- 
ing and  became  familiar  with  the  details  of  the  grocery  business  in  his  father's 
store.  He  was  but  a  boy  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out  and  in  January,  1864, 
he  then  not  being  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  A,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
became  an  orderly  to  Major-Gen.  Charles  T.  Walcott,  commanding  the  First 
Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  and  while  thus  detailed  went  with 
Sherman's  army  to  tht  sea  and  participated  in  the  Grand  Review  at  Wash- 
ington, being  mustered  out  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Upon  the  completion  of 
his  military  service  Mr.  Baker  returned  home  and  not  long  afterward  opened 
a  grocery  store  at  Grape  Grove,  but  presently  returned  to  Jamestown  and 
was  there  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  and  Alf  Johnson  started  a  horse-breeding  farm  just  east  of 
the  village,  making  a  specialty  of  breeding  and  training  saddle,  draft  and 
coach  horses.  For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Baker  exhibited  his  horses  at  county 
and  state  fairs  and  in  show  rings  and  acted  as  judge  and  starter  at  race 
meets  over  a  wide  territory.  He  also  made  a  specialty  of  auctioneering  at 
horse  and  general  farm  sales  and  for  forty— five  years  followed  that  vocation 
throughout  this  section  of  Ohio  and  over  in  Indiana.  For  the  past  five  years 
Mr.  Baker  has  been  serving  as  president  of  the  Greene  County  Fair  Associa- 
tion. On  the  place  on  which  he  lives,  the  old  Amos  W.  Creswell  farm  east 
of  Cedarville,  Mr.  Baker  has  in  late  years  given  much  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  registered  Berkshire  hogs  and  in  191 3  was  the  winner  of  the  grand 
champion  sweepstakes  for  boars  at  the  Ohio  state  fair.  Mr.  Baker  is  a 
Republican,  served  for  two  terms  as  mayor  of  Jamestown  and  for  two  terms 
as  1.ownship  trustee.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Cedarville. 

Mr.  Baker  has  been  twice  married.  In  t868  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Sarah  Rebecca  Townsley,  a  member  of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer 
families,  and  to  that  union  two  children  were  bom,  Harry  T.,  now  living  at 
Columbus,  and  Raymond,  now  living  at  Cincinnati.  The  mother  of  these 
sons  died  in  1898  and  on  October  9,  1901,  Mr.  Baker  married  Ada  L.  Cres- 
well, who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Amos  W.  and  Rebecca 
(Ward)  Creswell,  who  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  but  two  of  whom, 
Mrs.  Baker  and  William  Ward  Creswell,  grew  to  maturity.  Mrs.  Baker  is 
connected  with  two  of  the  oldest  families  in  Greene  county.     She  completed 


790  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

her  schooling  in  the  college  at  Delaware,  this  state.     Her  father,  Amos  W. 
Creswell,  who  was  the  owner  of  five  hundred  acres  of  land  east  of  Cedar ville, 
a  part  of  which  tract  is  now  occupied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker,  was  born  in 
that  same  neighborhood  on  March  13,  1827,  son  of  Samuel  and  Letitia  (Wil- 
son)  Creswell,  the  latter  of  whom,  born  in  1802,  was  a  daughter  of  Amos 
Wilson,  who,  with  his  brother,  Major  Daniel  Wilson,  is  traditionally  said  to 
have  been  the  first  permanent  white  settler  in  the  region  that  came  to  be 
organized  as  Greene  county,  Amos  \\'ilson  being  credited  with  liaving  built 
the  first  house  in  the  county,  which  he  later  sold  to  his  brother  Daniel,  all 
of  which  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  work.     The  Creswells  also  have  been 
here  since  the  days  before  the  organization  of  the  county,  as  is  set  out  at 
length  elsewhere.    Amos  Wilson  Creswell,  father  of  Mrs.  Baker,  was  a  grand- 
son of  James  and  Catherine  Creswell,  the  former  of  whoru  was  killed  by 
Indians  in  Kentucky,  after  which  his  widow  and  her  children,  two  sons  and 
five  daughters,  came  up  here  and  settled  on  what  is  now  the  Andrew  Jacksoi. 
farm  in  Cedarville  township.     Samuel  Creswell,  born  in  1778,  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth  of  the  children  of  this  pioneer  widow,  the  others  having 
been  Ann,  who  married  Thomas  Spencc  and  had  three  children :  Margaret, 
who  married  John   McClellan   and   had   six   children :    Betsy,   who  married 
Daniel  Boyles ;  Catherine,  who  married  William  McClellan ;  Sarah,  who  mar- 
ried Simon  Bromagem,  and  James,  who  married  Ann  Junkin.     Samuel  Cres- 
well   was   a   soldier  of  the   second   war   with    England,    181 2.      To   Samuel 
i-nd    Letitia    (Wilson)    Creswell   were   born   five   children,   namely:     James, 
l.orn  in    182 1,  who  married  Ellen  Cregor  and  mo\-e<l  to  Crawford  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1895;  Ann,  born  in  1823,  who  remained  unmarried. 
making  her  home  with  her  brother  Amos  and  died  in  1904;  Samuel  R.,  born 
in   1825,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years;  Amos  W.,   father  of  Mrs. 
Baker,  and   Benoni,  born  in    1828,  who  married  Mary  Jane   Marshall  and 
spent  all  his  life  in  Cedarville  township,  his  death  occurring  in  1914.     Amos 
Wilson  Creswell  was  twice  married.     In  1864  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Hannah  Rebecca  Ward,  who  was  born  on  April  27,  1841,  and  to  that  union 
were  born  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Baker,  the  first-born,  was  born  on 
November  24,   1865,  the  others  being  William  \\'ard,  born  on  December   r, 
1867,  who  married  Ethel  May  Fields:  Samuel  Lee,  born  in  1870,  who  died 
in  1877;  one  who  died  in  infancy  in  1872,  and  Anna  Lnella,  Ixirn  in   1873, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  six  months.     The  mother  of  these  children  died  on 
January  26,  1875,  and  Mr.  Creswell  later  married  Mrs.  Margaret  A.  Raney, 
a  daughter  of  J.   N.  Townsley.     He  died  on  December  20,   1899,  and  the 
brick  house  he  erected  on  his  farm  in   1878  is  now  occupied  by   Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baker. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHJO  791 

WALLACE  FRANCIS  ANDRE^^'S. 

Wallace  Francis  Andrews,  tlie  owner  of  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  land  in  this  county  and  now  living  retired  in  Xenia,  was  born  on 
a  farm  in  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyhania,  April  5.  1859,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Susan  (Bryson)  Andrews,  who  spent  their  last  days  in  that  county. 
Samuel  Andrews  also  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county  and  his  wife  was 
born  in  Fayette  county,  in  that  same  state.  She  died  in  1892  at  the  age  of 
seventy  years,  and  he  died  in  1897,  aged  seventy-five.  They  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  two  sisters,  Anna,  wife  of  Charles  Cunningham,  of  Mt.  Pleasant, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Margaret,  wife  of  John  Stoner,  a  farmer,  of  Silvercreek 
township,  this  county.  Samuel  Andrews  was  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Westmoreland  county,  the  coal  rights  to  w-hich 
he  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and 
his  wife  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  Wallace  F.  Andrews  com- 
pleted his  schooling  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  Institute  and  when  a  young  man 
went  to  Kansas,  to  "grow  up  with  the  country."  From  Kansas  he  went  up 
into  Nebraska  and  for  a  time  was  employed  in  the  latter  state  on  a  big 
ranch.  He  later  bought  a  tract  of  railroad  land  in  that  state  and  held  on  to 
it  for  ten  years,  occupying  it,  however,  for  but  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania,  married  there  in  1892  and  took  care  of 
his  father's  farm  until  1896,  w'hen  he  came  to  Ohio  and  bought  a  farm  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  Fayette  county.  There  he  lived  for  five 
years,  or  until  1901,  when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  bought  a 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  in  New  Jasper  township,  on  which  he 
made  his  home.  When  Mr.  Andrews  came  to  this  county  he  still  held  on  to 
his  Fayette  county  farm,  but  later  sold  the  same,  that  transaction  being  the 
first  one  in  which  Fayette  county  farm  land  was  sold  for  one  hundred  dollars 
an  acre.  Upon  selling  that  farm  he  liought  a  tract  of  four  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  which  latter  place  his  son 
is  now  operating.  Since  entering-  upon  possession  of  his  place  in  New  Jasper 
township  he  has  added  more  in  Cedarville  township,  adjoining  the  same,  and 
now  has  there  four  hundred  acres  on  the  Jamestown  pike.  In  191 1  he 
remodeled  the  house,  the  same  standing  on  that  part  of  his  farm  formerly 
known  as  the  old  Watt  place.  In  April.  191 8,  Mr.  Andrews  and  wife  moved 
to  Xenia  to  live  and  now^  reside  at  436  North  Galloway  street.  Mr.  Andrews 
is  a  Democrat. 

On  January  29,  1891,  Wallace  F.  Andrews  was  united  in  marriage  in 
Pennsylvania  to  Anna  Junlc,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Dunbar,  in 
Fayette  county,  that  state,  daughter  of  Robert  Junk  and  wife,  the  latter  of 


792  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

whom  lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-six  years,  his  death  occurring  in  191 6, 
and  to  this  union  five  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Elbert,  who  is  now 
managing  his  father's  Ross  township  farm;  Alice,  who  is  at  home  with  her 
parents;  Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years  of  typhoid  fever; 
Howard,  who  died  of  the  same  disease  at  the  same  time,  he  being  fifteen 
years  of  age  at  the  time,  and  Mary,  who  was  born  in  1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Andrews  are  members  of  the  United  Presbvterian  church. 


JAMES  C.  CUNNINGHAM.  .     . 

James  C.  Cunningham,  a  farmer  of  the  Bellbrook  neighborhood,  a 
member  of  the  board  of  the  Greene  County  Fair  Association  and  for  years 
a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Sugarcreek  township,  was  born  at  Bellbrook 
and  has  lived  in  and  about  that  village  all  his  life,  owner  and  occupant  of 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  a  half  mile  out  of  Bellbrook,  for  the  past 
eleven  or  twelve  years.  He  was  born  on  December  19,  1848,  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  E.  (Stratton)  Cunningham,  the  former  of  whom  came  to  Greene 
county  from  Shelby  county,  this  state,  when  twenty  years  of  age  and  located 
at  Bellbrook.  James  Cunningham  was  a  cooper  by  trade  and  upon  locating 
at  Bellbrook  engaged  in  that  business  there,  continuing  thus  engaged  until 
1858,  when  he  located  on  the  farm  on  which  his  son  James  is  now  living 
and  there  was  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement  and  return  to  his  old 
home  in  Bellbrook,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  1896.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  Robert, 
Frank  P.,  Angeline,  Charles,  Martha,  Elizabeth,  Amanda,  James  C.  Will- 
iam, Margaret  and  Minnie. 

James  C.  Cunningham  was  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Bellbrook  to  the  farm  just  east  of  the  village.  He  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  Bellbrook  schools  and  for  some  time  thereafter  remained  on  the 
home  farm,  later  going  to  the  farm  of  his  uncle,  Matthew  Berryhill.  where 
he  remained,  engaged  in  farming  that  place,  until  his  marriage  in  1880, 
when  he  began  housekeeping  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  township  of  Spring 
Valley  and  tliere  remained  for  seventeen  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  that  place  and  bought  the  old  home  farm  where  his  father  formerly  had 
lived  just  on  the  edge  of  Bellbrook,  established  his  home  there  and  has  since 
made  that  his  place  of  residence.  Mr.  Cimningham  is  a  Republican  and  for 
nearly  thirty  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  Sugarcreek  township  scliool 
board.  He  also  is  a  memljer  of  thfe  ofificial  board  of  tlie  Greene  County  Fair 
Association,  while  as  a  member  of  the  Grange  he  has  for  years  done  wliat 
he  could  in  that  connection  to  promote  the  general  agricultural  interests 
of  his  iiome  neigliborhood.     He  was  reared  a  Presbvterian  and  his  wife  is 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  793 

a  Methodist.  Mrs.  Cunningham,  who  before  her  marriage  was  Grace  Jeffries, 
was  living  at  Xenia  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Cunningham  in  1880. 
her  parents,  Francis  H.  and  Sarah  C.  (Needham)  Jeffries,  having  moved 
to  that  city  from  Lewisburg.  this  state. 


PROF.   JAMES   HERBERT   FORTNEY,   M.   A. 

Prof.  James  Herbert  Fortney,  supervisor  of  schools  in  District  No.  2 
of  Greene  county,  is  a  native  son  of  Greene  county  and  has  resided  in  this 
county  most  of  his  life,  now  a  resident  of  Cedarville,  though  for  some  time 
during  the  early  part  of  his  educational  career  he  was  engaged  in  school 
work  in  neighboring  counties.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Osborn,  a  son 
of  David  and  Alta  (Fuller)  Fortney,  both  now  deceased,  who  were  born 
on  adjoining  farms  in  Pike  township,  four  miles  north  of  the  village  of 
New  Carlisle,  in  the  neighboring  count}-  of  Clark,  the  latter  on  February  7, 
1847,  daughter  of  James  and  IMary  Jane  (Verdier)  Fuller,  who  were  born 
in  Virginia  and  who  had  come  to  this  state  with  their  respective  parents  in 
the  days  of  their  youth,  marrying  and  estabhshing  their  home  in  Clark 
county,  where  James  Fuller  became  a  fanner  and  stock  buyer. 

David  Fortney  was  born  on  February  9,  1842,  son  of  Jacob  Fortney 
and  wife, 'natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  both  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  ancestry, 
who  were  married  in  Ohio  and  here  spent  their  last  days.  On  the  home 
farm  in  the  northwestern  part  of  Clark  county  David  Fortney  grew  to  man- 
hood and  early  became  a  school  teacher,  farming  during  the  summers  and 
teaching  during  the  winters.  He  married  in  Clark  county  and  in  1875  came 
down  into  Greene  county  and  located  at  Osborn,  \^here  he  became  engaged 
in  the  coal  and  lumber  business  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  December  30,  191 3.  In  addition  to  his  coal  and 
lumber  business  at  Osborn  Mr.  Fortney  also  was  a  stockholder  in  the 
Osborn  Bank  and  in  the  Ohio  Whip  Company.  He  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  for  forty  years  he  was  an  office 
bearer  in  the  church  and  long  a  class  leader  and  Sunday  school  worker.  His 
wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  for  more  than  fifteen  years,  her  death 
having  occurred  in  1897,  she  then  having  been  fifty  years  of  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  those  besides  Professor  Fortney  being  Ann, 
wife  of  Harvey  E.  Snyder,  of  Osborn ;  Mary,  unmarried,  who  is  also  living 
at  Osborn,  where  she  has  continued  in  charge  of  the  business  there  built  up 
by  her  father,  and  Carleton  E.  Fortney,  a  mining  engineer,  now  following 
that  vocation  in  southern  Illinois. 

James  H.  Fortney  completed  his  schooling  at  Ohio  Wesleyan  University, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1902.     Upon  leaving  college  lie 


794  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  pubhc  schools  of  Chnton  county  and  pres- 
ently became  employed  as  an  instructor  in  the  high  school  at  Williamsburg. 
While  there  he  was  chosen  by  the  school  board  of  St.  Paris  to  take  the 
superintendency  of  the  St.  Paris  high  school  and  accepted  the  call.  During 
his  service  at  New  Paris,.  Professor  Fortney  attended  college  during  the 
summers  and  thus  Ijecame  qualified  for  his  Master  degree.  When  the  new 
state  school  law  became  operative  in  1912  the  Professor  was  elected  super- 
visor of  District  No.  2  in  Greene  county  and  has  since  then  made  his  home 
at  Cedarville.  that  point  being  rather  centrally  situated  with  respect  to  the 
territory  comprised  in  his  district,  which  includes  the  schools  of  the  town- 
ship of  New  Jasper,  Ross  and  Cedarville  and  the  Clifton  consolidated  school. 
In  1904  Prof.  James  H.  Fortney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carrie  Ryan, 
who  also  was  born  at  Osborn,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Ellen  (Folkerth) 
Ryan,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  one  child 
has  been  born,  a  son,  James  Herbert,  Jr.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Fortney  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  Professor  is  a  teacher 
in  the  Sunday  school.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  Scottish  Rite  (t,2^)  Mason,  affili- 
ated with  the  blue  lodge.  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  at  ^Villiamsburg■,  with 
the  commandery  (Knights  Templar)  at  Urbana  and  with  the  consistory 
(Scottish  Rite)  at  Dayton. 


CHARLES  THOMPSON. 


Cliarles  Thompson,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  formerly  and  for  years 
engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  at  Xenia  and  later  a  rural  mail  carrier, 
now  living  retired  in  the  city  which  has  been  his  home  for  many  years,  is 
a  native  of  the  great  Empire  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since 
the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  of  Xenia  since  the  year  1867,  having  located 
there  not  long  after  his  return  from  service  in  the  army  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  was  born  in  Onondaga  count}-.  New  York.  October  6,  1839,  a  son 
of  John  Thompson  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Gail,  both  natives  of 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Ohio.  John  Thomp- 
son was  a  ship  carpenter.  He  was  married  in  Massachusetts  and  after  a 
sometime  residence  there  moved  to  Onondaga  county,  New  York,  whence, 
in  1845,  h^  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Piqua,  where  he 
resumed  work  at  his  trade  and  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children.  Eliza,  Deborah,  John, 
Martha,  Emma,  Jane,  James,  Charles  and  two  who  died  in  early  youtli. 

Having  been  but  about  six  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
New  York  state  to  Piqua,  Charles  Thompson  grew  to  manhood  in  that  cit}-. 
receiving  his  schooling  in  the  public  schools  there,  and  was  living  there  when 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  795 

the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  April  i8,  i86i,  three  days  after  President 
Lincoln  issued  his  first  call  for  volunteers  to  put  down  the  armed  assault 
against  the  Union,  Mr.  Thompson  enlisted  for  service  and  went  to  the  front 
as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Eleventh  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
serving  with  that  command  until  the  end  of  his  period  of  enlistment,  four 
months.  He  later  re-enlisted  and  was  attached  to  Company  A,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Tenth  Ohio,  attached  to  the  Eighth  Army  Corps,  and  with  that 
command  was  sent  into  Virginia  and  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  partici- 
pated in  all  the  battles  from  the  Wilderness  to  Spottsylvania  Court  House. 
Mr.  Thompson  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  for  three  years,  two  months 
and  thirteen  days  and  received  his  discharge  at  Washington,  D.  C,  June  25, 
1865,  the  war  then  being  over.  During  this  period  of  service  he  served  with 
the  Third  Brigade,  Army  of  W^est  Virginia,  to  December,  1862;  Eighth 
Corps,  Middle  Department,  to  March,  1863;  First  Brigade,  Second  Division, 
Eighth  Army  Corps,  Middle  Department,  to  July,  1863;  Second  Brigade. 
Third  Division,  Third  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  to  March,  1864,  and 
Second  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Sixth  Army  Corps,  to  the  time  of  his  dis- 
charge, the  only  period  of  disability  he  suffered  during  that  time  being  a 
period  of  eight  weeks  when  he  was  laid  up  with  typhoid  fever. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Thompson  returned  to 
Ohio  and  was  employed  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Miami  until  1867,  when 
he  moved  to  Xenia  and  there  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business,  continuing 
thus  engaged  in  that  business  in  that  city  for  twenty-four  years,  during  more 
than  twenty-two  years  of  which  time  he  had  his  store  on  Main  street,  ^^'hen 
the  system  of  rural  mail  delivery  was  inaugurated  in  the  Xenia  postoffice  Mr. 
Thompson  was  made  the  carrier  on  the  first  route  thus  established  out  of 
that  office  and  continued  to  carry  the  mail  on  that  route  for  seventeen  years. 
or  until  his  retirement  in  March,  1913,  since  which  time  he  has  been  "taking 
things  easy."  I\'Ir.  Thompson  has  been  quite  a  traveler  in  his  time  and  has 
at  one  time  and  another  visited  most  of  the  chief  points  of  interest  to  travelers 
in  the  United  States.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  local  post 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

On  December  31,  1867,  the  year  in  whicli  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
Xenia,  Charles  Thompson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada  P.  Harner,  who 
was  born  in  Greene  county,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  (Kirshner)  Harner, 
both  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  stock,  their  respective  parents  having  come  to  this 
county  from  Pennsylvania  in  pioneer  days,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent 
in  Xenia.  Jacob  Harner  was  a  Republican  and  had  served  for  some  time  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  Greene  county,  as  well  as  ha\ing  served  in  township  offices. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  landowner.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church 
and  his  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.     They  were  the  parents 


796  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  five  children,  of  whom  ]\Irs.  Thompson  is  now  the  only  survivor.  Two 
of  these  children  died  in  early  youth  and  Solomon  and  Caroline,  the  two 
others  who  reached  maturity,  are  also  now  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


JACOB  I.  WOLF. 

Jacob  I.  Wolf,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Xenia  in  the  spring  of  1898  and 
wHose  widow  is  still  living  in  that  city,  was  for  years  one  of  Xenia's  best- 
known  business  men.  For  thirty  years  or  more  he  was  engaged  there  in  the 
grocery  business,  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
Citizens  'National  Bank  and  was  an  elder  in  the  First  Reformed  church.  Mr. 
Wolf  was  a  native  son  of  Greene  county,  born  at  Byron,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  pioneer  families  here,  and  nearly  all  his  life  was  spent  in  this  county, 
the  exception  having  been  a  brief  period  in  the  early  days  of  his  business 
career  when  he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Kenton.  He  grew  up  on  a 
farm  in  the  Byron  neighborhood  and  was  engaged  in  farming,  occupying  his 
winters  by  teaching  school,  until  after  his  marriage,  after  which  he  became 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Fairfield.  Not  long  afterward  he 
moved  to  Kenton  and  was  there  engaged  in  business  for  one  year,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  moved  to  Xenia  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harner  &  Wolf,  48  East  Main  street,  and 
thus  continued  to  his  death,  which  occurred  on  May  7,  1898.  He  was  born 
on  November  14,  1833,  and  was  thus  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  business  at  Xenia.  Mr.  Wolf 
was  for  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Citizens  National 
Bank  of  that  city.  He  was  a  zealous  worker  in  the  First  Reformed  church 
and  was  an  elder  of  the  congregation  of  the  same  at  the  time  o£  his  death. 
Mr.  Wolf  took  a  particularly  earnest  interest  in  the  work  of  the  churcli  and 
it  has  been  rightly  said  of  him  that  "his  church  was  his  home,"  for  to  it  he 
gave  the  sincere  devotion  of  his  heart.  For  some  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  but  was  not  an 
active  member  of  that  organization  at  the  time  of  his  death.  During  the 
Civil  War  Mr.  Wolf  responded  to  the  call  for  hundred-day  \(ilunteers  and 
thus  rendered  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Wolf  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  se\en  children  Ijorn  to 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kershner)  ^Volf,  the  others,  all  now  deceased,  ha\ing 
been  Abraham,  Joshua,  Daniel,  John  Lewis,  Sarah  and  Christina.  Tiie 
Wolfs  are  one  of  the  pioneer  families  in  this  county,  as  are  the  Kershners, 
and  elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  is  furtlier  mention  of  these  families. 
Jacob  \\o\i  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  his  parents  were  born  in  Mary- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  797 

land.  They  were  early  settlers  in  tiie  Byron  neighborhood  in  this  county. 
EHzabeth  Kershner's  mother,  Christina  Philipina  (Itenire)  Kershner,  was 
of  European  birth,  a  native  of  the  grand  duchy  of  Baden. 

On  January  31,  1859,  at  Dayton,  this  state,  Jacob  I.  Wolf  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Julia  Ann  Folkereth,  who  wa,s  born  in  the  vicinity  of  that 
city  on  September  4,  1838,  and  who  is  still  living,  continuing  to  make  her 
horne  at  225  East  Church  street,  Xenia,  her  home  for  many  years.  Her 
parents  were  Christopher  and  Hannah  Folkereth  and  she  had  two  sisters, 
Mrs.  Kit  Carson  and  Mrs.  Jennie  Serface,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living, 
and  one  brother.  Pierce.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolf  were  born  five  children. 
May,  the  first-born,  died  in  childhood  and  the  others  are  Mrs.  D.  K.  Prugh, 
Mrs.  Charles  B.  Gowdy,  Marshall  L.  Wolf,  cashier  of  the  Citizens  National 
Bank  of  Xenia,  and  Edna  G.  Wolf,  special  agent  at  Xenia  for  the  Penn 
Mutual  I-ife  Insurance  Company.  Mrs.  Prugh  has  two  children,  Mildred 
W.,  now  a  junior  at  Wellesley  College,  and  Philip  W.  Prugh,  an  artist  at 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Gowdy  has  one  son,  Richard  W.  Gowdy,  who  is  attending 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Mr.  Wolf  has  two  daughters,  Julia  and 
Josephine,  both  students  in  Xenia. 


WILSON  COMPTON. 


The  late  Wilson  Compton,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Spring  Valley  in 
November,  1912,  and  whose  widow  is  still  living  there,  was  born  on  a  farm 
about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  northeast  of  the  village  of  Spring  Valley  on  Sep- 
tember 7,  1841,  son  of  Henry  and  Catherine  (Mock)  Compton,  both  mem- 
bers of  pioneer  families  in  this  county. 

Henry  Compton  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1798  and  was  but  seven 
years  of  age  when  he  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents,  Stephen  and  Dinah 
(Millhouse)  Compton,  Quakers,  who  drove  through  and  settled  on  a  tract 
of  land  about  where  now  stands  the  mill  at  New  Burlington,  wiiere  they 
established  their  home.  It  was  amid  that  pioneer  environment  that  Henry 
Compton  grew  to  manhood.  He  received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood 
schools  and  for  some  years  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his  home 
on  his  father's  land  and  then  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  a  half 
mile  west  of  that  place,  to  which  he  later  added  until  he  became  the  owner 
there  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres.  He  had  other  farm  holdings  in  this 
county,  his  land  here  aggregating  about  four  hundred  and  seventv-five  acres, 
besides  which  he  was  the  owner  of  six  hundred  acres  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Fayette.  He  spent  his  last  days  on  his  farm,  his  death  occurring 
there  on  November  20,  1880,  he  then  being  eiglity-two  years  of  age.  Henry 
Compton  was  twice  married.    His  first  wife  was  Mary  Horner,  member  of 


798  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

one  of  the  pioneer  families  of  this  county.  To  that  union  were  born  three 
sons,  Stephen  and  Ezra,  who  estabhshed  themselves  over  in  Fayette  county, 
and  ]\Iartin,  who  moved  to  Iowa.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of 
these  sons  Henry  Compton  married  Catherine  Mock,  who  was  born  on  the 
farm  adjoining  that  on  which  her  husband  lived,  December  29,  1810,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Mary  (Horney)  Mock,  and  to  that  union  were  born  three 
sons  and  one  daughter,  Eber,  Amos  M.  and  Wilson,  who  became  Greene 
county  farmers,  and  Cynthia,  who  married  James  Dougherty,  a  Xenia  manu- 
facturer. The  mother  of  these  children  survived  her  husband  about  ten 
years,  her  death  occurring  on  April  6,  1890.  Her  father,  John  Mock,  came 
to  this  county  from  North  Carolina  in  1804,  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  War 
of  1812,  moved  over  into  Fayette  county  in  1853  and  there  died  in  1862. 

Wilson  Compton  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Spring 
Valley  and  in  the  schools  of  that  village  received  his  schooling.  As  the 
youngest  son  he  remained  at  home  and  gradually  assumed  the  management  of 
his  father's  farming  interests  on  the  home  place,  making  his  home  there 
after  his  marriage  in  1867.  After  his  father's  death  he  inherited  the  home- 
stead place  of  something  more  than  two  hundred  acres  and  continued  to 
reside  there  until  in  1889,  in  the  fall  of  which  year  he  bought  "Oakhill,"  the 
highest  point  of  land  in  Spring  Valley  township,  and  there  resided  until  his 
retirement  and  removal  to  the  village  of  Spring  Valley,  where  he  built  a 
house  and  spent  his  last  days  and  where  his  widow  continues  to  make  her 
home.  In  addition  to  his  farm  "Oakhill,"  a  little  more  than  a  mile  east  of 
Spring  Valley,  Mr.  Compton  retained  possession  of  the  old  home  place  in 
the  neighborhood.  He  was  a  Republican  and  in  1890  served  as  real-estate 
appraiser  for  the  township  of  Spring  Valley. 

On  January  10,  1867,  Wilson  Compton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel 
A.  Gaddis,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Harveysburg,  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Warren,  July  8,  1844,  daughter  of  Allan  and 
Rachel  Ann  (Mershon)  Gaddis,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
the  latter  of  Kentucky,  who  had  come  to  tliis  state  with  their  respecti\e  par- 
ents in  the  days  of  their  youth  and  who  were  married  at  Kenton.  Allan 
Gaddis  was  a  farmer  in  Warren  county.  His  first  wife  dietl  in  1845,  leaving 
two  .sons  and  a  daughter,  George,  William  and  Rachel,  and  he  later  married 
and  moved  to  Decatur,  Illinois,  where  he  died  on  Xo\emlier  8,  1865.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Compton  were  born  two  children,  daughters,  Rosa  G.  and 
Birdie,  both  of  whom  are  still  living.  Rosa  G.  Compton  married  F.  B. 
Smith,  of  Spring  Valley,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Rachel  Smith,  born 
on  July  27,  1893,  who  married  Lindley  Marlett,  of  Springfield,  this  state,  and 
has  a  daughter.  Rose  Marie.  Birdie  Compton  married  William  Alexander, 
a  member  of  the  old  Alexander  family  of  this  county,  further  mention  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  799 

which  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  lives  on  the  old  Compton  home 
place  in  Spring  Valley  township.  She  and  her  husband  have  three  cliildren, 
Mildred,  Robert  E.  and  Virginia.  Mrs.  Compton  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church,  as  was  her  husband. 


JOHN  HIGGINS. 

John  Higgins,  Sugarcreek  township,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  a  fraction 
under  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres,  situated  on  rural  mail  route  No,  12  out 
of  Dayton,  is  a  native  of  England,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county 
since  he  was  but  an  infant  and  therefore  feels  quite  as  much  a  "Buckeye"  as 
though  born  here.  He  was  bom  in  1854,  son  of  Anthony  and  \Vinifred 
(Stanton)  Higgins,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ireland,  who  came  to  the 
United  States  with  their  family  in  1855  and  proceeded  on  out  to  Ohio  and 
located  at  Bellbrook,  in  this  county.  Anthony  Higgins  was  a  stonemason 
and  for  some  time  after  coming  here  followed  that  vocation  at  Bellbrook,  but 
later  took  up  farming  in  that  neighborhood  and  died  on  the  farm  about 
twenty-five  years  ago.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
Thomas,  John,  Mary,  Winifred   (deceased),  Anthony,   Ellen  and  Gertrude. 

Reared  at  Bellbrook,  John  Higgins  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools 
of  that  village  and  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  farm  he  became  a  practical 
farmer,  a  vocation  he  ever  since  has  followed  and  is  now  the  owner  of  a 
farm  of  nearly  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres.  Mr.  Higgins  became  the  pos- 
sessor of  that  farm  before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age  and  has  lived  there 
continuously  since  his  marriage.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Holy  Angels  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Higgins  is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally, 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians. 

On  June  18,  1896,  John  Higgins  was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret 
Volkenand  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  Winifred,  born 
on  April  23,  1898,  and  Herman,  January  30,  1901.  Mrs.  Higgins  was  born 
in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  Herman  and  Elizabeth 
(Brod)  Volkenand,  who  were  married  in  this  county  in  1852  and  who  were 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  Leonard,  Anna,  Elizabeth  (deceased), 
George,  Herman,  John  (deceased)  and  Margaret.  The  elder  Herman  Volke- 
nand and  his  wife  were  both  of  European  birth,  born  in  what  then  was  the 
state  of  Hesse-Cassel,  but  now  and  since  1866  a  part  of  the  Prussian  prov- 
ince of  Hesse-Nassau,  the  former  in  1826  and  the  latter  in  1828.  Herman 
Volkenand  was  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Hayes)  Volkenand,  who 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  only  Herman  came  to  America. 
The  latter  received  his  education  in  his  native  land  and  when  twenty-five 
years  of  age  came  to  the  United  States,  sailing  on  March  i,  1851,  and  arriv- 


800  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ing  at  the  port  of  New  York  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks.  Upon  his  arrival 
he  started  on  a  prospecting  trip  through  the  West  and  Northwest,  visiting 
the  states  of  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin,  but  in  the 
fall  of  that  same  year  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Greene  county,  where  he 
had  friends,  and  went  to  work  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood  as  a  woodchopper, 
at  the  rate  of  forty  cents  a  cord  and  "find"  himself.  In  1852  he  married 
Elizabeth  Brod,  whom  he  had  known  in  his  home  country  and  who  had  come 
here  some  little  time  before,  and  not  long  afterward  bought  a  small  farm  on 
which  he  began  operations  on  his  own  account. 


JOHN  G.  WARNER. 

The  late  John  G.  Warner,  an  honored  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who^ 
died  at  his  home  in  Yellow  Springs  in  the  fall  of  1914  and  whose  widow 
and  one  of  his  daughters.  Miss  Emma  Warner,  are  still  living  there,  was 
born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  and  there  spent  most  of  his  active 
life,  having  resided  there  until  his  removal  to  Yellow  Springs  in  1902.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Selma,  in  Madison  town- 
ship, January  9,  1840,  son  of  Isaac  and  Sarah  (Gill)  Warner,  who  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  he  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  John  G.  Warner  was  attending  Antioch 
College  at  Yellow  Springs  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Though  not  yet 
"of  age"  he  at  once  offered  his  services  to  help  put  down  the  armed  rebellion 
against  the  government  and  on  April  17,  1861,  two  days  following  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  first  call  for  volunteers,  his  name  was  enrolled  on  the  roster 
of  the  Seventeenth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  the  first  vohmteer 
thus  to  go  from  Antioch  College,  which  institution  in  the  trying  months  to 
follow  was  almost  deprived  of  male  students.  Upon  the  completion  of  the 
original  term  of  enlistment,  which  was  for  three  months,  Mr.  Warner  lost 
little  time  in  re-entering  the  service,  re-enlisting  on  August  7.  Seven  days 
later  he  was  at  the  side  of  General  Lyon  when  the  latter  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  Missouri,  April  10,  1861.  The  young  man  then 
served  under  General  Fremont  and  in  1862  was  with  Grant  in  the  Tennessee 
campaign,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  where  he  was  detailed  for 
service  on  General  Sherman's  staff.  He  continued  his  service  as  an  aide  to 
the  beloved  "Tecumseh"  until  after  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  his  most  im- 
portant duty  being  to  give  the  pickets  the  countersign.  After  the  fall  of 
Vicksburg  Mr.  Warner,  on  account  of  illness,  was  placed  on  detailed  duty 
and  not  long  afterward  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  the  Fourth  Ohio 
Cavalry  and  returned  home.  It  was  not  long,  however,  until  he  was  suffi- 
ciently recuperated  to  feel  that  he  could  properly  re-enter  the  service  and 
he  re-enlisted,  returning  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  and 


JOHX  G.  WARNER. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8oi 

Forty-sixth  Regiment,  Ohio  \"ohinteer  Infantry,  with  which  command  he 
served  until  September,  w^hen  he  was  finally  mustered  out.  During  the 
three  years  of  his  army  life  Mr.  Warner  participated  in  some  very  hard 
service,  but  the  duties  connected  with  his  last  period  of  enlistment  seemed 
mere  "pl^y"  ''^  comparison  with  those  he  had  been  called  on  to  perform  dur- 
ing the  earlier  periods  of  his  service. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Warner  returned  home 
and  was  shortly  afterward  married.  He  then  left  the  farm  and  became 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  but  finding  that  this  form  of  endeavor  was 
not  to  his  liking  presently  sold  his  store  at  Selma  and  returned  to  the  home 
farm  in  the  Selma  neighborhood,  presently  obtaining  possession  of  the  same, 
and  there  continued  to  make  his  home,  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock  raising,  until  1902,  in  which  year  he  retired  from  the  active  labors  of 
the  farm  and  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his 
death  occurring  there  on  September  10,  19 14.  His  body  was  taken  back  to 
the  vicinitv  of  his  old  home  in  Clark  county  for  interment  and  is  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  South  Charleston. 

On  January  9,  1865.  in  Clark  county,  Joiin  G.  Warner  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Anna  Murray,  who  also  was  born  in  that  county,  daughter  of 
George  and  Lavina  (Morris)  Murray,  and  who  survives  her  husband,  she 
continuing  to  make  her  home  at  Yellow  Springs.  To  John  G.  and  Anna 
(Murrav)  Warner  were  born  seven  children,  two  of  whom,  Georgia  and 
Lavina,  died  in  infancy,  the  others  being  the  following:  Mungo  P.,  the 
first-born,  Lydia  A.,  Isaac  S.,  Sarah  A.  and  Emma,  all  of  whom  are  still 
living  and  the  latter  of  whom  continues  to  make  her  home  with  her  mother 
at  Yellow  Springs.  Mungo  P.  Warner,  who  is  now  engaged  in  farming 
in  the  vicinity  of  Onondaga,  Michigan,  married  Myrtle  Draggro,  now  de- 
ceased, and  to  that  union  were  born  seven  children,  two  of  whom.  Angle 
and  Guy,  are  deceased,  the  others  being  Harold,  Ruth,  Bryce,  Wilbur  and 
Robert  Murrav,  the  last-named  of  whom  has  been  adopted  by  his  fatlier"s 
eldest  sister  and  her  husband,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard  A.  Loe,  of  Ohio  City, 
this  state.  Lydia  Warner  married  Howard  A.  Loe  and  now  resides  at  Ohio 
City.  As  noted  above,  she  and  her  husband  have  adopted  the  youngest  child 
of  her  elder  brother,  ]\Iungo  P.  Warner.  Isaac  S.  Warner  married  Adalia 
Little,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  is  now  living  at  Dayton.  To  him  and  his 
wife  has  been  born  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy.  Sarah  A.  Warner,  who 
married  W.  C.  Shade,  is  also  living  at  Dayton.  She  and  her  husband  have 
two  daughters,  Margaret  and  Elizabeth.  Miss  Emma  Warner,  as  noted 
above,  is  still  making  her  home  with  her  mother  at  Yellow  Springs.  Mrs. 
Warner  and  her  daughter  take  an  interested  part  in  local  church  v/ork,  as 
well  as  in  the  general  good  works  of  the  community  in  which  they  live. 
(50) 


802  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ALLEN  H.  A'HARS. 

The  late  Allen  H.  Miars,  who  died  at  his  farm  home  in  Spring  Valley 
township  in  the  spring  of  1916,  and  whose  son,  Fremont  Miars,  now  owns 
and  occupies  the  place,  was  a  native  "Buckeye"'  and  all  his  life  was  spent  in 
this  state.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Union  township,  five  miles  north  of 
Wilmington,  in  the  neighboring  count)^  of  Clinton,  April  21,  1828,  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Hannah  (Haines)  Miars,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  the 
same  county,  a  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Leonard)  Haines,  who  had 
come  to  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  in  1800  and  had  become  pioneers  of  the 
Waynesville  neighborliood.  Jacob  Haines  was  a  Pennsylvanian  and  his  wife 
was  born  at  Guilford  Court  House,  in  North  Carolina.  She  was  a  girl  when 
the  battle  was  fought  at  that  place  during  the  Revolution  and  recalled  that 
after  the  battle  a  couple  of  soldiers  entered  the  Leonard  home  and  asked  for 
something  to  eat,  seating  themselves  at  the  fireplace  while  the  meal  was  being 
prepared.  When  they  were  called  to  partake  of  the  meal  it  was  found  that 
one  of  the  soldiers  had  meanwhile  died  while  sitting  there.  According  to 
Cartmell's  "History  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley,"  the  Miars  family  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  that  valley,  having  bought  their  lands  from  Lord 
Fairfax.  Capt.  John  Miars,  a  brother  of  Martin  Miars,  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  memorial  sketch,  served  through'  the  Revolution.  Capt.  Jacob 
Miars  also  served  through  the  Revolution  and  afterward  founded  the  town 
of  Myersdale,  Pennsylvania.  This  family  was  largely  represented  in  the 
armv  during  the  Civil  War,  serving  on  both  sides.  Six  of  the  name  lie 
buried  in  the  Confederate  cemetery  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  while  just  over 
the  wall  in  the  Federal  cemetery  are  the  graves  of  five  of  the  name.  William 
H.  Miars  is  mentioned  as  a  gallant  officer  in  the  Laurel  Brigade  and  Samuel 
D.  Miars  served  with  "Stonewall"  Jackson.  Capt.  Jack  Miars,  son  of  Will- 
iam H.  Miars,  led  the  first  company  of  soldiers  through  the  breach  in  the 
wall  of  the  city  of  Pekin  to  the  relief  of  the  besieged  legations  during  the 
Boxer  rebellion  in  China  in  1900.  Allen  H.  Miars  was  a  member  of  a  mili- 
tary company  before  the  Civil  War  and  responded  to  the  call  to  help  repel 
the  Morgan  invasion  of  the  state.  When  that  call  came  it  found  him  cradling 
wheat  in  a  field  nearby  his  home.  Hanging  his  cradle  in  a  tree,  he  went  to 
the  house,  got  a  blanket  and  a  tincup,  said  goodby  to  his  family  and  joined 
his  company  at  Deserted  Camp.  Jacob  Haines  was  a  son  of  Joshua  Haines 
and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Rich,  and  was  a  descendant  of  the  nobility 
of  Scotland.  Upon  coming  to  Ohio  he  settled  on  a  tract  of  sixty  acres  in 
the  vicinitv  of  Center  meeting  house,  accumulated  there  in  time  a  large  estate, 
died  on  that  farm  and  was  buried  in  Center  graveyard.  He  had  four  brothers, 
Joseph,  John,  Israel  and  Job,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Lydia  Reese,  and  he  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  803 

his  wife  had  seven  children,  Jonathan,  Joshua,  Isaac,  Zimri,  Hannah,  Abigail 
and  Lydia. 

Samuel  Miars  was  born  in  Frederick  county,  Virginia,  October  29,  1 799, 
and  was  about  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  Martin 
and  Jane  (Summers)  ]\liars,  to  Ohio  in  1810  or  181 1,  the  family  settHng 
near  Center  church  in  the  Wilmington  neighborhood,  in  Clinton  county. 
Alartin  Miars  and  his  wife,  both  of  whom  were  native  Virginians  and  Quakers, 
established  their  home  there  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 
The\-  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides  Samuel  having  been 
David,  John,  Martin,  Jacob,  Elizabeth,  Mary  and  Jane,  the  descendants  of 
whom  in  the  present  generation  form  a  numerous  connection  in  this  part  of 
Ohio.  Samuel  Miars  grew  to  manhood  on  that  pioneer  farm  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Center  meeting  house  and  after  his  marriage  to  Hannah  Haines 
established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  that  vicinity,  but  later  moved  to  another 
place  on  the  Burlington  and  Wilmington  pike,  near  Antrim's  Corner,  and 
there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  both  dying  in  April, 
1874,  within  four  days,  Samuel  ]\Iiars  then  being  seventy-five  years  of  age. 
He  was  the  owner  of  eight  hundred  acres  of  land.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  the  others  besides 
Allen  H.,  the  eldest,  having  been  Mary  Jane,  who  married  William  F.  Ogles- 
bee:  Alartin  H.,  who  continued  to  farm  the  old  home  place:  Isaac,  whose 
last  days  were  spent  on  a  farm  two  miles  east  of  Wilmington :  John  Milton, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  California,  and  Sarah  Louise,  who  married 
Alfred  McKay,  of  Wilmington. 

Reared  on  the  farm,  Allen  H.  Miars  received  his  schooling  in  the 
neighborhood  schools  and  remained  at  home  until  after  his  marriage  in  the 
^'pring  of  1859,  after  which  he  located  on  the  Hazard  farm  two  miles  east 
of  Wilmington  and  there  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  There  he 
remained  for  twenty-three  years,  or  until  1882,  when  he  bought  the  Gest 
farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  three-quarters  of  a  mile  west 
of  the  village  of  Spring  Valley  and  moved  into  Greene  county,  i- 1-- 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming 
Mr.  Miars  had  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  high  grade 
cattle.  He  had  maintained  his  birthright  interest  in  the  Friends  church  and 
by  political  affiliation  was  a  Republican. 

It  was  in  March,  1859,  that  Allen  H.  hilars  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Marv  ]\Ielinda  Stump,  who  was  born  in  Warren  county  October  28,  1829, 
a  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Prudence  (Smalley)  Stump,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  daughter  of  William  Smalley,  an  old  Indian  fighter  who  had  helped 
build  the  first  house  in  Cincinnati  and  was  the  first  settler  in  the  section  that 
came  to  be  organized  as  Clinton  and  Warren  counties.  William  Smalley 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1761  and  was  at  Ft.  Du  Ouesne  when  the  Indians 


804  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

made  a  raid  on  the  fort,  his  father  being  among  those  slain.  Young  Sniahey 
then  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  was  taken  into  captivity  by  the  Indians 
and  for  seven  years  was  thus  held,  during  that  time  being  compelled  to  wit- 
ness 'many  an  act  of  cruel  savagen'  on  the  part  of  his  captors,  several  white 
prisoners  having  been  burned  at  the  stake  during  that  period,  and  on  one 
occasion  he  saw  an  infant  torn  from  its  mother's  arms  and  thrown  into  the 
flames.  He  left  camp  to  keep  from  seeing  Colonel  Crawford  burned.  In 
1784  he  escaped  from  his  captors  and  returned  to  Pittsburgh,  a  few  years 
later  coming  down  the  river  and  locating  at  Ft.  Washington,  where  Cin- 
cinnati came  to  be  established.  He  took  part  in  the  campaigns  against  the 
Indians  up  in  this  section  of  Ohio  with  General  Harmar  and  with  General 
St.  Clair  and  was  later  in  charge  of  sharpshooters  in  W'ayne's  army  in  the 
Auglaize  country  and  was  present  when  Colonels  Lynch  and  Truman  were 
killed.  He  took  part  in  Perry's  battle  of  Lake  Erie  in  the  War  of  181 2  and 
using  his  rifle,  he  fired  thirty-three  shots,  twenty-nine  of  which  took  eft'ect. 
Mrs.  Prudence  Stump,  daughter  of  this  pioneer  and  mother  of  Mrs.  Miars, 
lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years,  her  death  occurring  in  Xovember, 
1902.  Allen  H.  Miars  died  on  March  15,  1916,  and  his  widow  survived 
him  less  than  a  year,  her  death  occurring  on  January  16,  1917.  Her  father, 
Jonas  Stunip,  was  a  son  of  Daniel  and  Mary  (Ramey)  Stump,  Virginians, 
who  in  18 1 7  liberated  their  slaves  and  came  to  the  free  state  of  Ohio,  leav- 
ing their  home  in  Frederick  county,  in  the  Old  Dominion,  on  account  of  their 
antipathy  to  the  institution  of  slavery.  Daniel  Stump  was  a  son  of  Capt. 
John  Stump,  of  the  German  navy,  who  married  Margaret  Lynx,  gave  up 
his  seafaring  life,  came  to  the  American  colonies  and  settled  in  the  Shenan- 
doah valley,  his  wife,  it  being  said,  forfeiting  her  right  to  a  large  estate  by 
coming  to  this  country.  Three  of  the  sons  of  Capt.  John  Stump  served 
seven  years  as  soldiers  of  the  patriot  army  during  the  Revolutionar\-  War, 
attached  to  Company  4,  Morgan's  Regiment.  It  is  related  that  at  the  siege 
of  Yorktown,  Jacob  Stump  remarked  to  a  comrade,  "See  me  shoot  the 
epaulet  ofif  that  British  officer's  shoulder."  He  fired  and  the  epaulet  was 
torn  from  the  shoulder  of  the  officer.  To  Allen  H.  and  Mary  Melinda 
(Stump)  Miars  was  born  one  child,  a  son,  Fremont,  who  owns  and  occupies 
the  old  home  place. 

Fremont  Miars,  son  and  only  child  of  .\llen  H.  and  INIary  Melinda 
(Stump)  Miars,  was  born  in  Clinton  county  on  September  17.  1861,  on  the 
Hazard  farm,  and  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  Hazard  school  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  boyhood  home,  supplementing  the  same  by  attendance  at  the 
^^'ilmington  schools,  after  which  he  entered  Wilmington  College  and  later 
received  further  instruction  in  the  college  at  Lebanon  and  at  Delaware  Col- 
lege.   For  two  years  after  leaving  college  Mr.  Miars  was  engaged  in  mercan- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  805 

tile  pursuits  at  Hartmonsville,  West  Virginia,  and  then  returned  home,  his 
presence  on  the  farm  being  necessary  in  order  to  reUeve  his  father  of  tlie 
further  responsibilit)^  of  the  farm  management.  After  his  marriage  in  1893 
he  estabhshed  his  home  in  the  home  of  his  parents  and  has  since  continued 
to  make  that  his  place  of  residence,  now  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  more 
than  three  hundred  acres. 

On  February  8,  1893,  Fremont  Miars  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cora 
Bryce,  who  was  born  in  the  village  of  Spring  Valley,  this  county,  daughter 
of  Alexander  and  Margaret  (Irvine)  Bryce,  residents  of  that  village.  Alex- 
ander Bryce  was  born  at  Paisley,  Scotland,  and  was  there  trained  in  the  art 
of  shawl  weaving.  In  1849  l''^  came  to  the  United  States  and  became  employed 
in  the  woolen  mills  at  Urbana,  this  state,  later  coming  to  Greene  county, 
making  his  home  at  Alpha  and  at  Spring  Valley,  in  which  latter  village 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  His  wife  was  eight}-  at  the  time  of 
her  death.  Thev  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  and 
were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Miars  was  the  fifth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Catherine  D.,  who  is  living  at 
Xenia;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Samuel  Stiles,  a  Xenia  township  farmer;  James 
Irvine,  who  became  a  resident  of  Dayton,  where  he  died,  and  Anna,  who 
married  Walter  Barley  and  is  now  living  at  Portland,  Oregon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miars  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mary  Margaret,  born  on  March. i, 
1900,  who  attended  the  Spring  Valley  schools  and  Xenia  high  school  and  is 
now  a  student  in  Ohio  State  University.  They  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  church.     Mr.  Miars  is  a  Repul^lican. 


JOHN  B.  ALLEN. 

John  B.  Allen  was  one  of  the  leading  figures  of  Xenia  for  over  half  a 
centur}-.  Born  near  Mount  Jackson,  Shenandoah  county,  Virginia,  August 
5,  1816,  he  came  to  Xenia  in  1836  and  made  his  home  here  in  this  city 
until  the  day  of  his  death,  December  21.  1893.  He  was  a  son  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Holker)  Allen,  of  English  ancestry.  He  was  educated  at  the 
college  at  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  just  before  reaching  his  majority 
came  to  Xenia  alone,  his  sister,  Mrs.  John  Walton,  being  located  in  the  city. 
Soon  after  coming  to  Xenia  he  opened  a  private  bank,  and  from  that  time 
■  forward  banking  was  his  life  work.  He  saw  the  city  rise  from  a  village 
of  a  few  hundred  until  it  became  a  thriving  metropolis  of  eight  thousand, 
and  in  this  growth  he  had  an  active  part.  He  continued  his  private  bank 
until  it  was  merged  into  a  national  bank,  and  remained  the  president  of  this 
bank,  the  Xenia  National  Bank,  until  his  death.     He  had  other  interests,  Init 


8o6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

he  was  essentially  a  banker  and  every  other  activity  in  which  he  was  engaged 
was  subordinate  to  his  banking  interests. 

Mr.  Ahen  was  married  on  December  lo,  1839,  to  Sarah  Ann  Xunne- 
maker.  To  this  marriage  were  born  two  children,  Mary  A.,  who  became 
the  wife  of  the  poet,  Coates  Kinney,  and  Clara,  unmarried.  The  two  sisters 
are  still  living  in  Xenia,  making  their  home  together  in  the  old  Allen  home- 
stead. Mrs.  Allen  died  on  April  30,  1902.  She  had  been  a  life-long  worker 
in  the  Methodist  church,  and  was  a  woman  of  unusual  character. 

Mr.  Allen  was  never  a  seeker  after  political  preferment,  but  his  friends 
forced  him  to  Ijecome  an  active  worker  in  political  affairs,  feeling  that  he 
was  exceptionally  C|ualified  for  public  life.  He  consented  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  the  city  council,  and  was  elected  and  re-elected  term  after  term.  For 
some  years  he  was  president  of  the  city  council.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  for  several  years.  In  1891  he  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  state  Senate  and  was  re-elected  in  the  fall  of  1S93.  but  his 
death  occurred  before  he  took  up  his  duties  for  the  second  term.  John  B. 
Allen  was  such  a  man  as  make  cities  what  they  are  today.  Devoted  to  his 
work,  he  was  no  less  devoted  to  the  life  of  his  fellowman.  He  left  behind 
liim  the  reputation  of  a  man  wlio  was  always  ready  to  share  his  worldly 
goods  with  those  less  fortunately  situated  in  life  and  those  who  remember 
him  in  his  later  years  recall  his  intense  interest  in  the  well-being  of  those 
around  him.  Thus  he  lived,  and  thus  he  died — a  man  full  of  the  milk  of 
human  kindness.  Those  who  may  read  these  lines  in  the  years  to  come  will 
here  read  of  the  life  and  career  of  one  of  Xenia's  best  loved  citizens  of  a 
past  generation. 

Mrs.  John  B.  (X^unnemaker)  AWtn  was  the  only  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Mary  (Hivling)  X'^unnemaker.  Her  father  was  born  in  Maryland. 
August  3,  1790,  where  he  was  reared  to  manliood.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
six  he  came  to  Xenia,  wliere  he  lived  the  remainder  of  liis  life.  He  was  a 
bookkeeper  and  principal  salesman  in  the  dry-goods  store  of  John  Hivling 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  married  Mary  Hivling-,  a  daughter  of  his  pro- 
prietor, on  October  28,  1821.  He  died  February  27,  1866.  As  before  stated, 
Mrs.  John  B.  Allen  was  the  only  daughter  of  this  marriage.  Later,  'Sir. 
X^^unnemaker  became  a  merchant  and  banker,  and  was  associated  witli  liis 
son-in-law,  John  B.  Allen,  in  the  Ijanking  business. 

Mrs.  Xunnemaker  was  a  capable  woman  in  many  ways.  Her  husljand , 
became  one  of  the  wealthy  men  of  the  county.  He  was  jirudent  in  his  deal- 
ings, scrupulouslv  honest  in  all  his  transactions,  and  never  failed  to  help  those 
who  came  to  him  for  assistance.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Capt.  John  Hivling,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Xunnemaker,  was  one  of 
the  big  men  of  early  Xenia.     He  built  the  first  large  hotel  in  the  city,  which 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  807 

Stood  at  the  corner  of  Detroit  and  Main  streets,  part  of  which  is  still  stand- 
ing in  191 7.  The  Captain  was  born  in  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania,  July 
14,  1779,  and  came  to  Greene  county  in  1809.  He  became  a  large  land- 
owner, buying  land  by  the  thousand-acre  lots.  At  his  death  on  November 
4,  185 1,  he  was  the  wealthiest  man  in  the  county.  He  was  interested  in  the 
first  bank,  in  the  old  Little  Miami  Railroad,  and  in  every  feature  of  the  life 
of  Xenia  which  promised  to  make  it  a  better  and  larger  city.  He  was  a 
Mason  and  helped  organize  the  first  lodge  in  Xenia,  taking  an  active  part  in 
its  affairs  through  his  life.  Many  of  the  features  of  the  life  of  Captain 
Hivling  are  of  interest  to  the  general  history  of  the  county,  and  are  given 
extended  mention  in  the  historical  volume. 


REV.  ALVA  D.  \\'ENRICK. 

The  Rev.  Alva  D.  Wenrick,  minister  of  the  Brethren  church  and  pro- 
prietor of  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  rural  mail  route 
X'o.  8  out  of  Dayton,  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  this  state,  August  17, 
1880,  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Sarah  (Fahanstock)  Wenrick,  both  deceased, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  were  the  parents 
of  three  sons,  the  eldest  of  whom,  Frank,  is  deceased,  and  the  youngest, 
Thomas,  is  a  farmer  living  in  Montgomery  county. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  Alva  D.  Wenrick  was  placed  in  the  Ohio 
State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia,  where  he  learned  the 
details  of  the  blacksmith  and  machinist  trades.  Before  he  was  sixteeil  he 
received  his  discharge  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  blacksmith  and 
machine  shop  at  the  Home,  continuing  thus  engaged  for  eighteen  months, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Sidney  and  was  soon  made  foreman  of 
a  shop  there.  X'ot  long  afterward  he  started  out  as  a  journeyman  machinist 
and  until  1902  was  engaged  traveling  all  over  the  country,  during  that  time 
finding  employment  in  no  fewer  than  one  hundred  railway  shops.  In  1902 
Mr.  ^^'enrick  located  in  Dayton  and  there  married  Carrie  C.  Coy,  of  Beaver- 
creek township,  this  county,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  Coy,  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  After  his  marriage  he  began  work- 
ing in  the  plant  of  the  N'ational  Cash  Register  Company,  pursuing  his 
studies  at  night,  and  in  due  time  received  examination  credits  for  his  gradu- 
ation at  Taylor  College  at  Upland,  Lidiana.  In  1906  Mr.  ^^'enrick  was 
ordained  a  minister  of  the  Brethren  church  and  has  ever  since  given  his 
attention  to  preaching,  general  public  speaking  and  missionary  work.  N^ot 
long  after  his  return  to  Da}i:on  Mr.  Wenrick,  in  association  with  Harry 
Stutz.  built  the  first  automobile  constructed  in  that  city.  Since  taking  pos- 
session of  his  farm  in  Beavercreek  township  he  has  done  well  and  has 
recently  completed  a  fine  new  house  there,  his  place  being  about  four  miles 


8o8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

east  of  Dayton.  In  addition  to  his  property  in  this  county  he  has  land  hold- 
ings in  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Oklahoma  and  town  property  in  Dayton. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  various  local  offices,  at  present 
a  member  of  the  school  board.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wenrick  five  children 
have  been  born,  Ralph,  Ruth   (deceased),  Harold,  Frank  and  Ronald. 


WTLLIAM  W.  FERGUSON. 

William  W.  Ferguson,  formerly  and  for  more  than  twenty  years  justice 
of  the  peace  in  and  for  Beavercreek  township  and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm 
on  the  Shoups  Mill  road  in  that  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out  of 
Dayton,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Mad  River  township,  two  miles  east  of 
Dayton,  in  the  adjoining  county  of  Montgomery,  April  13,  1848,  and  has 
lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  he  was  two 
years  of  age.  He  is  a  son  of  John  W.  and  Anna  (Feirstine)  Ferguson,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  August  13,  1820, 
daughter  of  George  Feirstine  and  wife,  Lutherans,  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch 
stock,  who  reared  a  considerable  family  and  spent  all  their  lives  in  that 
county.  Two  of  their  sons,  George  and  Samuel  Feirstine,  came  to  Ohio 
and  located  in  Montgomery  county.  Samuel  Feirstine  there  enlisted  for 
service  during  the  Mexican  War  and  died  while  in  service.  Anna  Feirstine 
came  out  here  to  make  her  home  with  her  brother  George  and  it  was  here 
that  she  met  and  married  John  W.  Ferguson,  the  two  later  coming  o\er 
into  Greene  county  and  locating  in  Beavercreek  township,  where  their  last 
days  were  spent. 

John  W.  Ferguson  was  born  in  the  state  of  Delaware  in  1819  and  was 
seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents,  William  and  Jane  (Wat- 
son) Ferguson,  to  Ohio,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  two  miles  east  of 
Dayton.  William  Ferguson  also  was  born  in  Delaware.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Ireland  of  Protestant  parentage  and  was  but  a  girl  when  she  came  to  this 
country  with  her  parents,  the  family  locating  in  Delaware,  where  she  mar- 
ried William  Ferguson  about  the  year  181 3.  William  Ferguson  developed 
a  farm  in  Montgomery  county  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last 
days.  They  were  Methodists  and  were  the  parents  of  nine  sons,  of  whorii 
but  one,  Joseph  Ferguson,  now  living  in  Kansas,  survives,  the  others  having 
been  Samuel,  \Villiam,  John  W.,  Charles,  Robert,  Hugh.  Christopher  and 
one  who  died  in  infancy.  Of  these  sons  Charles  and  Robert  joined  the  train 
of  gold  hunters  who  went  to  California  in  1849  and  spent  their  last  days  in 
the  West.  Hugh  established  his  home  in  Bath  township,  this  county.  Reared 
in  jNIontgomery  county,  John  W.  Ferguson  remained  there  a  few  years  after 
his  marriage  and  then,  in  1850,  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  rented 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  0O9 

one  of  the  Gerlailgh  farms  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood.  In  1857  ^e  bouglit 
a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  on  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike  in 
Beavercreek  township,  the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  George 
F.  Ferguson,  and  was  getting  the  same  in  the  way  of  development  when  he 
died  in  1861,  leaving  his  widow  with  six  small  children,  the  eldest  of  whom, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  but  thirteen  years  of  age.  In  that  same  year 
all  these  children  were  stricken  with  diphtheria  and  two  of  them,  John,  aged 
seven,  and  Charles,  aged  ten,  died.  The  others  besides  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  were  George  F.,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume ;  Jane,  wife  of  John  Kable,  of  Sugarcreek  township,  and  Robert 
H.,  a  clerk  on  the  Miami  Conservancy  Board  at  Dayton.  The  ^^'idow  Fergu- 
son did  not  remarry.  She  kept  her  family  together,  superintended  the  devel- 
opment of  the  home  farm  and  there  continued  to  make  her  home  until  her 
death  in  February,  1898.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  and 
her  children  were  reared  in  the  faith  of  that  communion. 

William  W.  Ferguson  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  his  widowed 
mother's  mainstay  in  the  affairs  of  the  farm  and  as  the  eldest  of  her  children 
early  took  charge  of  the  management  of  the  place.  After  his  marriage  in 
1 8/ 1  he  established  his  home  there  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  after 
his  mother's  death  in  1898,  when,  in  1899,  he  bought  the  Moler  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  on  the  Shoups  Mill  road  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, enlarged  the  brick  house  w^ich  stood  on  that  place,  made  other  improve- 
ments and  has  since  made  his  home  there,  though  now  practically  retirerl 
from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  the  management  of  the  same  having  been 
turned  over  to  his  sons.  He  and  his  wife  also  own  the  old  Harshman  home 
place  of  two  hundred  acres  in  that  neighborhood,  the  place  where  Mrs.  Fergu- 
son was  born.  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  Democrat,  was  a  member  of  the  local 
school  board  for  several  years  and  for  twenty-three  years  served  as  justice 
of  the  peace  in  his  home  township,  finally  declining  to  stand  for  re-election 
to  the  office  to  which  his  neighbors  persistently  continued  to  elect  him.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  commission  that  had  in  hand  the  erection  of  the  Greene 
county  court  house  in  1901.  He  is  a  Ro\al  Arch  Mason,  affiliated  with  the 
blue  lodge  and  the  council  at  Xenia. 

On  December  21,  1871,  ^^'illianl  W.  Ferguson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Anna  M.  Harshman,  who  was  Ijorn  two  miles  north  of  Zimmerman  in 
Beavercreek  township,  daughter  of  John  Harshman,  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  seven  children 
have  been  born,  namely:  John  H.,  a  mechanic,  who  married  Jennie  Bates 
and  now  lives  at  Dayton ;  Horace  E.,  better  known  as  Harry,  who  married 
Mary  Shoup  and  is  assisting  in  the  operation  of  the  home  farm ;  Delia,  who 
married  William  Evans,  a  Bath  township  farmer;  Anna,  at  home;  Hattie. 


8lO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

who  married  Harry  Steadman  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  years ; 
Robert,  who  married  Bessie  Shoup  and  is  Hving  on  a  part  of  the  home  farm, 
and  Samuel,  also  at  home. 


JACOB  SIPE. 


The  late  Jacob  Sipe,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Beavercreek  township  on 
March  30,  1916,  was  born  in  that  same  township,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Zimmerman,  September  22,  1838,  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Harshman) 
Sipe,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  neighborhood,  a  member  of 
one  of  the  pioneer  families  there,  the  Harshmans  having  been  among  the 
early  settlers  about  Zimmerman,  as.  is  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  John 
Sipe  was  born  in  the  Mud  Run  neighborhood  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  in  1812,  a  son  of  Francis  Sipe  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a 
Harner,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  from  Pennsylvania.  After  his  marriage  to 
Elizabeth  Harshman,  John  Sipe  made  his  home  in  Greene  county,  buying  a 
farm  of  ninety  acres  near  Zimmerman,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life. 
He  also  for  some  time  operated  the  mill  that  had  been  erected  there  by  his 
wife's  father.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  namely : 
Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years ;  Jacob,  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch;  John,  who  married  Sadie  Jones  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in 
Blackford  county,  Indiana:  Sarah,  unmarried,  who  is  living  on  the  home  farm 
with  her  brother  Daniel ;  George,  wlio  married  Mary  Thomas  and  is  living  on 
a  farm  in  Blackford  county,  Indiana ;  Samuel  and  William,  twins,  the  former 
of  whom  is  now  living  at  Dayton  and  the  latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years;  Ezra,  who  died  in  Michigan;  Andrew,  who  is  now  living  in 
Paulding  county,  this  state;  Mary  Catherine,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
years ;  Daniel,  unmarried,  who  is  still  operating  the  home  farm  near  Zimmer- 
man ;  Levi,  deceased,  and  Oliver,  who  became  a  lawyer  and  spent  his  last  days 
in  Dayton. 

Jacob  Sipe  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  near  Zimmerman  and  in  1868  he 
and  his  brothers,  George  and  John,  bought  fifty  acres  a  mile  northeast  of  Zim- 
merman. A  few  years  later  Jacolj  Sipe  bought  his  brothers'  interests  in  that 
place  and  after  his  marriage  on  December  28,  1876,  to  Clistie  Moon,  he  estab- 
lished his  home  there.  In  1877  he  built  a  new  house  on  that  place  and  in  1808 
remodeled  the  same  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  liis  life.  Mr.  Sipe  was  a 
Republican,  and  for  si.x  years  served  as  school  director  in  his  district.  Two 
years  before  his  death  he  became  affiliated  with  the  Reformed  church.  To 
Jacob  Sipe  and  wife  were  born  four  children,  namely:  Ellen  and  Edith, 
twins,  the  latter  of  whom  died  when  eleven  days  old  and  tlie  former  of  whom 
is  still  living  with  her  mother  on  the  home  farm ;  OHver,  a  carpenter,  now 
living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Minnie  Coy  and  has  two  children.  Harold  and 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8ll 

Carl ;  and  Harry,  also  a  carpenter,  now  living  at  Latonia,  Kentucky,  who 
married  Edith  Cummins  and  has  seven  children.  Hazel,  Ruth,  Grace,  El\'a, 
Harry,  Esther  and  Helen. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Sipe  has  continued  to  make  her 
home  on  the  farm.  She  was  born  in  Blackford  county,  Indiana,  daughter  of 
Harrison  and  Ellen  (Swift)  Moon,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Ireland 
and  was  two  years  of  age  when  her  parents  came  to  this  country  witli  their 
family  and  located  in  Eayette  county,  this  state.  Ellen  Swift's  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Hannah  Stafford.  Harrison  Moon  was  born  in  the  vicinity 
of  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  March  12,  1818,  son  of  Reese  and  Elizabeth 
(Ladd)  Moon,  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  and  settled 
in  Fayette  county,  where' he  grew  up  on  a  farm  and  married  Ellen  Swift. 
Reese  Moon  was  born  in  Wales  about  the  year  1794.  About  1845  Harrison 
Moon  moved  to  Blackford  county,  Indiana,  bought  a  farm  about  two  miles 
from  Hartford  City,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their 
lives.  They  were  Methodists  and  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  wliom 
but  three  are  now  living,  Mrs.  Sipe  having  two  brothers,  John  and  Hugh 
Moon,  now  living  retired  at  Hartford  City,  Indiana. 


WILLIAM  F.  COSTENBORDER. 

William  F.  Costenborder,  formerly  and  for  years  a  railway  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railway  Company  and  for  the  past  fifteen 
years  or  more  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  which  he  makes  his  home  in 
Beavercreek  township,  was  born  in  that  township  on  June  9,.  1862,  son  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Shoup)  Costenborder,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
that  same  township,  members  of  pioneer  families.  Jacob  Costenborder  was 
born  on  March  21,  1828,  and  remained  in  this  county  until  the  time  of  Iiis 
retirement  from  the  farm,  when  he  moved  to  California,  where  his  last  davs 
were  spent.  His  wife  died  in  1908.  She  was  born  in  1834.  Thev  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  William  F.  was  the  third  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  Martha,  deceased;  Samuel  J.,  who  is  now  li\ing  at 
Dayton;  Mrs.  Anna  Bosley,  also  of  Dayton;  Mrs.  Lillie  Archer,  of  Belmont, 
this  state ;  Mrs.  Ida  Archer,  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  Chester,  of  Dayton. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  William  F.  Costen- 
border received  his  schooling  in  the  common  schools  and  remained  at  home, 
assisting  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  until  he  was  twenty-six  vears  of  age, 
when  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railway  Company  and  in 
due  time  became  a  locomotive  engineer,  a  vocation  he  continued  to  follow 
until  he  decided  to  return  to  farming.  On  November  4,  1902,  Mr.  Costen-- 
border bought  the  farm  of  fifty  acres  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Beaver- 


8l2  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

creek  township  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr.  Costenborder 
is  a  Republican  and  is  affihated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church. 

On  September  15,  1897,  William  F.  Costenborder  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  INIaude  Alexander,  of  the  Xenia  neighborhood,  a  daughter  of  George 
and  Jennie  (Long)  Alexander,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  who  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  those  besides  Airs.  Costenborder  being  Blanch- 
ard,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Indiana;  Charles,  who  is  living  in  Iowa,  and 
2\Irs.  I\Iay  Sutton,  of  Yellow  Springs,  this  county.  A  child  born  to  ]Mr.  and 
]\Irs    Costenborder  died  in  infancy. 


CHARLES  AI.   BURR. 


Charles  AI.  Burr,  the  proprietor  of  a  farm  east  of  Jamestown  in  Silver- 
creek  township  and  the  operator  of  a  four-hundred-acre  farm  of  the  AlcClin- 
tock  estate  in  that  township,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county,  born  on  a  farm 
north  of  Bowersville,  in  Jefferson  township,  January  i,  1874,  son  of  \\"illiam 
H.  and  Flora  B.  (Hussey)  Burr,  both  of  whom  are  still  living,  residents  of 
the  Bowersville  neighborhood,  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  else- 
where in  this  volume. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Charles  ]M.  Burr  received  his  schooling  in 
what  then  w-as  known  as  the  Compton  school  and  as  the  eldest  son  early 
assumed  responsibilities  in  connection  with  the  operation  of  the  farm,  for 
some  time  being  in  practical  charge  of  the  home  farm,  but  after  his  marriage 
he  rented  a  farm  south  of  Bowersville  and  there  lived  for  a  couple  of  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  a  tract  of  seventy  acres  east  of  Jamestown 
in  Silvercreek  township,  later  adding  to  that  tract  an  adjoining  tract  of  six- 
teen acres,  and  there  he  lived  until  1917,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  McClin- 
tock  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in  that  same  township  and  has  since  been 
operating  the  same  in  addition  to  looking  after  the  details  of  management  on 
his  own  farm.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  Mr.  Burr  is  gi\"ing  con- 
siderable attention  to  the  raising  of  Hve  stock,  both  cattle  and  hogs. 

On  February  23,  1898,  Charles  'SI.  Burr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Delia 
Bailey,  who  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  daughter  of  Daniel  M.  and 
Flora  (Glass)  Bailey,  both  members  of  old  families  in  this  county  and  fur- 
ther mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Burr  are  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  at  Jamestown.  Mr.  Burr  is  a 
member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  (Cyclone  lodge)  and 
he  and  liis  wife  are  both  affiliated  with  the  lodge  of  the  Pythian  Sisters.  Mr. 
Burr  is  a  Republican,  as  is  his  father  and  as  was  his  grandfather. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


GEORGE  GRANT  jNIILLER. 


George  Grant  Miller,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer  and  dairyman  and 
proprietor  of  a  farm  of  ninety-two  acres  on  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of 
Osborn,  was  born  in  this  county,  December  2,  1868,  son  of  Reuben  and  Mary 
Ann  (Tobias)  Miller,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members 
of  pioneer  families.  Reuben  Miller  was  born  on  April  2,  1836,  and  his  wife 
was  born  in  1840.  They  were  married  in  1867  and  to  them  were  born  four 
sons,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being 
William,  deceased;  Edward,  now  a  resident  of  Dayton,  and  Lewis,  who  is 
living  at  Fairfield. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  George  G.  Miller  received  his  schooling  in 
the  district  school  in  the  vicinity  of  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  and 
early  began  practical  farming,  continuing  thus  engaged  after  his  marriage 
in  1899.  Recently  he  bought  the  farm  of  ninety-two  acres  on  which  he  is 
now  living  and  is  steadily  improving  the  same,  with  a  view  to  giving  par- 
ticular attention  to  the  raising  of  big-type  Poland  China  hogs.  Mr.  ^filler 
is  a  Republican. 

On  April  2,  1899,  George  G.  Miller  was  united  in  rparriage  to  Edith 
Williamson,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Edward  J.  and 
Martha  (Roher)  Williamson,  of  Beavercreek  township,  who  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Miller  being  Bertha,  deceased ;  George, 
who  is  living  at  Shoups  Station;  Chester,  of  Dayton;  Frank,  of  Chicago, 
and  one  deceased.  , 


WILLIAM   H.   ARTHUR. 

William  H.  Arthur,  proprietor  of  a  Cedarville  township  farm  on  rural 
mail  route  No.  i  out  of  Cedarville,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  village  of  South  Charleston,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark,  October 
7,  1863,  son  of  Christopher  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Watkins)  Arthur,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  the  South  Charleston  neighborhood,  members  of 
pioneer  families  in  that  community,  and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there,  both 
being  now  deceased.  Among  Christopher  C.  Arthur's  land  holdings  was 
the  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  acres  in  Cedarville  township  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  William  H.  Arthur,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
The  latter  is  the  eldest  of  the  three  sons  born  to  his  parents,  the  others 
being  John  Arthur,  now  a  resident  of  Springfield,  this  state,  and  Edgar 
Arthur,  who  owns  and  occupies  the  old  home  farm  in  Madison  township. 
Clark  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  just  above  referred  to,  William  H.  Arthur 
received  his  schooling  in  the  district  school  in  that  neighborhood  and  in  the 


8 14  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

schools  of  South  Charleston  and  he  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
live  years  of  age,  when,  in  1888,  he  took  charge  of  the  farm  his  father  had 
bought  in  Cedarville  township,  this  county,  and  has  ever  since  been  operat- 
ing the  same,  having  established  his  home  there  after  his  marriage  in  1892. 
When  his  father  died  in  1908  Mr.  Arthur  bought  the  interests  of  the  other 
heirs  in  that  place  and  has  since  made  improvements  on  the  same. 

On  Xovemljer  26,  1892,  William  H.  Arthur  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Florence  N.  Sellers,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  from  where  she 
is  now  living,  daughter  of  Albert  and  Harriet  (Johnson)  Sellers,  and  to  this 
union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Howard.     Mr.  Arthur  is  a  Republican. 


LEANDER    SPAHR. 


Leander  Spahr,  proprietor  of  a  Spring  Valley  township  farm  on  the 
lower  Bellbrook  pike,  five  miles  west  of  Xenia,  was  born  in  that  township  on 
January  23,  1855,  son  of  Elijah  and  Ann  (McKay)  Spahr,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  McKay,  both  the  Spahrs  and  the  McKays 
being  old  families  in  Greene  county. 

Elijah  Spahr  was  born  in  Hardy  county,  Virginia,  in  February,  181 6, 
and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Greene  county, 
the  family  estabHshing  their  home  here.  He  early  learned  the  woodworker's 
trade  and  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood  was  engaged  in  making  plows 
and  fanning  mills  in  the  Philip  Pagett  factory.  He  married  Mrs.  Ann 
McKnight,  widow  of  James  McKnight  and  daughter  of  Jesse  McKay  and 
who  by  her  first  marriage  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  all  of  whom  lived 
to  maturity.  After  his  marriege  Elijah  Spahr  resided  for  a  time  on  the  James 
McKnight  farm  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  later  bought  the  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  two  acres  in  that  same  township  on  which  he  spent -the  remainder 
of  his  life.  Upon  taking  possession  of  that  place  he  made  a  clearing  and 
during  the  early  "60s  erected  a  frame  house,  mainly  of  walnut,  on  the  place. 
There  Elijah  Spahr  died  in  1893,  he  then  being  seventy-six  years  of  age.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  To  them  were  born  seven  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Angeline,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years; 
Lavina,  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  Philip  Peterson :  Rebecca  E.,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years:  Martha,  who  also  died  when  twenty- 
three  years  of  age ;  Leroy,  who  became  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  at 
Dayton  and  died  in  1906,  and  Ella,  wife  of  L.  Arthur  Bal)h,  a  farmer  of 
Spring  Valley  township. 

Leander  Spahr  was  born  on  the  old  AIcKnight  farm  and  was  but  a  child 
when  his  parents  moved  to  the  place  on  which  the)'  spent  the  remainder  of 


GRKENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  815 

their  lives.  He  received  his  schooHng  in  the  Richland  school  and  after  his 
school  days  were  over  continued  on  the  farm  and  after  his  father's  death  was 
made  the  executor  of  the  estate.  In  1905  Mr.  Spahr  bought  the  old  Bingham 
place  of  fifty  acres  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  has  since  made  his  home 
there.  Mr.  Spahr  is  a  Republican  and  for  five  years  was  president  of  the 
local  school  board.  Since  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  has  been  a  memlier 
of  the  Richland  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  for  thirty-five  years  and 
more  has  been  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School  there.  He  also  has 
held  other  offices  in  the  church,  was  for  some  time  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  and  for  some  time  class  leader.  Mr.  Spahr  formerly  was  a  member 
of  the  Grange  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics. 


MARTIN  A.  OSTER. 


]\Iartin  A.  Oster,  who  has  been  engaged  in  the  hardware  and  implemoni 
business  at  Yellow  Springs  for  many  years,  is  a  son  of  Adam  and  Eninia 
(Fleckenstein)  Oster,  and  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Xenia  on  February 
23,  1864 

Adam  Oster  also  was  born  in  this  county,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
1834  at  Byron.  After  reaching  manhood  he  took  up  farming,  which  occu- 
pation he  followed  all  h's  life.  In  1861  he  married  Emma  Fleckenstein,  who 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  who  had  come  to  this  county  as  a  child  with 
her  parents  To  this  union  were  born  four  children,  Martin  A.,  the  imme- 
diate subject  of  this  review ;  John,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
in  Yellow  Springs ;  George,  a  resident  of  Dayton,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the 
cafe  business  and  Anna,  who  died  in  infancy.  At  the  age  of  lwent\-s!x 
years,  Adam  Osier  settled  on  a  farm  near  Xenia,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years,  after  which  he  moved  to  a  farm  about  four  miles  west  of  Yellow 
Springs,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  lliere 
in  1884.     His  wife's  death  occurred  in  the  previous  year. 

Martin  A.  Oster  was  only  one  year  old  at  the  time  his  parents  moved 
from  tha  farm  near  Xenia  to  the  home  place  west  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  lie 
was  reared  to  the  life  of  a  farmer.  After  living  on  the  farm  for  some  vears 
after  his  marriage,  he  decided  to  engage  in  the  hardware  and  implement  busi- 
ness, and  on  N^ovember  5,  1899,  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  opened 
up  a  store  in  this  line  on  Dayton  street,  and  has  been  continuouslv  thus  en- 
gaged since  that  time. 

On  August  17,  1886,  Martin  A.  Oster  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Ani'.a  Hornick,  a  nati\'e  of  this  county,  daughter  of  Sebastian  H.  and  Eliza- 
beth Hornick,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  six  children:  Ed-Aard, 
unmarried,  living  in  Yellow  Springs;  Emma,  who  died  in  infancy:  Mamie, 


8l6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  at  Yellow  Springs ;  Lena,  living  at  home  with 
her  parents;  Tresia,  who  teaches  in  the  county  schools,  and  Paul,  who  is  a 
student  in  the  public  school.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
Mr.  Oster  holds  membership  with- Eagle  Lodge  Xo.  397,  at  Springfield.  In 
politics,  he  is  independent. 


GEORGE  ANDERSON,  ]\I.  D. 

Dr.  George  Anderson,  who  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  has  been  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Alpha,  and  who  also  is  the  owner  of 
a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  village,  on  which  he  gives  consider- 
able attention  to  the  raising  of  swine  for  breeding  purposes,  is  a  native  son 
of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  near  the  banks 
of  the  Muskingum  ri\-er  in  Alorgan  county,  a  son  of  Curtis  and  Mary  Ann 
(Singer)  Anderson,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  state,  natives 
of  Harrison  county,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  in  the  last-named 
county. 

Curtis  Anderson  was  born  in  1832.  his  parents  having  been  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Harrison  county,  this  state,  having  come  over  into  Ohio 
from  Pennsylvania.  He  early  learned  the  trade  of  sawyer  and  after  his 
marriage  moved  down  into  Morgan  county,  where  he  set  up  a  steam  saw-mill 
and  began  to  cut  out  the  virgin  forest  along  the  banks  of  the  IMuskingum  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  point  at  which  he  had  settled,  finding  a  ready  mar- 
ket for  his  lumber  at  Zanesville.  He  presently  went  back  to  Harrison  county, 
where  he  bought  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  and  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1908.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  is  his  widow,  and  was  a  Republican.  His 
widow,  who  is  still  living  on  the  home  farm  in  Harrison  county,  was  born 
in  1836.  To  Curtis  and  Mary  A.  (Singer)  Anderson  were  born  four  sons, 
of  whom  Doctor  Anderson  is  the  youngest,  the  others  being  John  S.  and 
H.  C,  who  are  continuing  to  operate  the  home  farm  in  Harrison  county,  and 
Lincoln,  who  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  that  same  neighborhood. 

George  Anderson  was  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Morgan  county  to  Harrison  county  and  he  was  reared  on  the  home  farm 
in  the  latter  county,  receiving  his  elementary  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that 
neighborhood  and  supplementing  the  same  by  a  course  in  Franklin  College, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1888.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
been  reading  medicine  and  upon  lea\  ing  college  took  a  formal  course  of 
reading  along  that  line  under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Magrew  at  New 
Athens.  Thus  equipped  by  preparatory  study  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Baltimore  and  was  graduated  from  that  institu- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  817 

tion  in  1891  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  1893  Doctor  Ander- 
son came  to  Greene  county  and  bought  out  the  old  established  practice  of 
Dr.  J.  A.  McClure  at  Alpha,  as  well  as  Doctor  McClure's  home  on  the  corner 
where  the  Dayton-Xenia  pike  passes  the  village,  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  there.  In  1899  Doctor  Anderson  took  a  course  in  the  New  York 
Post-Graduate  Medical  School.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society.  The  Doctor  owns 
a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township  and  has  for  some  time  been  engaged  there 
in  raising  pure-bred  registered  O.  I.  C.  hogs  for  stock  purposes,  though  not 
]5ennitting  this  diversion  to  interfere  with  his  practice.  The  Doctor  is  a 
Republican  and  for  four  years  was  a  member  of  the  township  board  of 
education. 

On  December  25,  1891,  at  Columbus,  this  state.  Dr.  George  Anderson 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Winifred  J.  Barrett,  who  was  born  in  Harrison 
county,  this  state,  but  who  was  living  at  Columbus  at  the  time  of  her  mar- 
riage, and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  a  son  and  a  daugiiter. 
Horace  Wilson  and  Winifred  Annette,  the  latter  of  whom  was  graduated 
from  the  Beavercreek  township  high  school  and  is  at  home.  Prof.  Horace 
Wilson  Anderson,  M.  A.,  now  teaching  at  Zimmemian,  this  county,  was  born 
in  March,  1894,  and  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  Beavercreek  township 
high  school  entered  Antioch  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  from  which  he  later  received  his  Master  degree. 


ALFRED  LOY. 


Alfred  Loy,  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  who  for  many  years  has  been  a 
resident  of  the  village  of  Bellbrook  and  who  has  served  as  postmaster,  as 
mayor,  as  councilman,  as  marshal  and  as  an  officer  of  that  village  in  other 
public  capacities,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  hfe. 
He  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Centerville,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Mont- 
gomery, November  26,  1837,  son  of  Jacob  T.  and  Rachel  (Bankson)  Loy, 
whose  last  days  were  spent  in  this  state,  the  latter  dying  on  September  11, 
1858,  and  the  former,  in  April,    1887. 

Jacob  T.  Loy  was  a  native  Hoosier,  born  in  the  then  Territory  of  Indi- 
ana, January  i,  1816,  and  who  later  came  to  Ohio.  At  \\'aynesville,  this 
state,  in  1837,  he  married  Rachel  Bankson,  who  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
Jersey  on  June  27,  1817,  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  her  parents  moved 
from  that  state  with  their  family  to  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  Jacob  T. 
Loy  located  in  Montgomery  county  and  a  few  years  later  moved  over  into 
Preble  county  and  it  was  in  this  latter  county  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
spent  his  youth.  Jacob  T.  Loy  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
(50 


OIO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  following:  Peter  W.  B., 
who  is  now  living  at  Peru,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Mary  Elizabeth  Hart,  of  Darke 
county,  this  state;  Catherine  A.,  deceased;  Francis  A.,  now  a  resident  of 
Morgan  county,  Kentucky;  Jacob  H.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Walker, 
of  Darke  county,  this  state,  and  Rachel  C,  Letta  Maria  and  Melissa  E., 
deceased. 

Alfred  Loy  was  but  a  small  boy  when  he  moved  with  his  parents  from 
Montgomery  county  to  Preble  county  and  in  the  latter  county  he  received 
his  schooling.  He  early  became  more  or  less  dependent  upon  his  own  efforts, 
for  before  he  was  eleven  yea,rs  of  age  he  left  the  home  farm  and  for  two 
years  thereafter  worked  on  the  farm  of  another  "for  his  board  and  keep" 
in  order  to  gain  the  advantage  of  better  schooling  than  was  afforded  in  his 
home  district.  Upon  leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade  of  brickmaker  and 
bricklayer  and  was  thus  engaged  for  seven  years.  In  1862  he  married  and 
afterward  began  farming  and  was  thus  engaged  when  in  January,  1865,  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  War  and  was  attached 
to  General  Thomas's  brigade,  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  served 
with  this  command  until  he  reached  his  final  discharge  in  September,  1865. 
During  his  absence  at  the  front  his  wife  made  her  home  at  Bellbrook  and 
upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  he  returned  to  Bellbrook  and 
has  lived  there  and  in  that  neighborhood  ever  since.  For  some  time  he  was 
engaged  in  saw-mill  work  and  in  threshing-machine  work  and  for  three  years 
lived  on  a  farm.,  but  about  forty  years  ago  left  the  farm  and  returned  to  Bell- 
brook, where  he  has  since  remained.  During  the  administration  of  President 
Harrison  Mr.  Loy  was'  appointed  postmaster  of  Bellbrook  and  for  eight 
years  occupied  that  position.  He  also  served  for  several  years  as  a  member 
of  the  village  council,  was  for  three  months  mayor  of  the  village,  filling  a 
vacancy  in  that  office,  and  has  also  served  as  constable,  marshal  and  about  all 
the  other  offices  connected  with  the  local  administration  of  affairs  in  his 
home  town.  Mr.  Loy  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of  W.  H.  Bird  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  at  Spring  Valley,  a  member  of  the  Grange  and  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  was  his  wife,  and  has  for  many' 
years  been  an  office  bearer  in  his  church,  having  served  as  class  leader,  as 
steward,  as  a  trustee  and  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 

On  August  19,  1862,  on  the  Clear  Spring  camp-meeting  ground  near 
Spring  Valley,  Alfred  Loy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  J.  Debarr,  daugh- 
ter of  the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  and  Mary  Ann  (Talbert)  Debarr,  of  Belli jrook, 
the  former  of  whom  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Loy  celebrated  their  golden-wedding  anniversary  in  1912  and  Mrs. 
Loy  died  on  October  15,  1914.  To  them  two  children  were  born,  Elmer 
Elsworth,  born  on  May  20,  1863,  who  died  on  March  7,  1866,  and  Omar 
Weston,  born  on  October  10,  1866,  who  died  on  June  15,  1882. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  819 

SAMUEL  S.  JOHNSON. 

Samuel  S.  Johnson,  a  retired  coal  dealer  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Plattsburg,  in  Harmony  township,  in  the 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  February  23,  1843,  son  of  James  and  Catl'crine 
(Smith)  Johnson,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  tlie  latter 
in  Ohio. 

James  Johnson  was  born  in  1800  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents 
came  to  Ohio  from  Kentucky  and  settled  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cable,  in 
Champaign  county,  where  they  established  themselves  on  a  farm.  There  he 
grew  to  manhood,  becoming  a  practical  farmer,  and  after  his  marriage  began 
farming  in  Harmony  township,  in  Clark  county,  on  a  place  not  far  from 
Plattsburg,  and  lliere  he  remained  until  1848,  in  which  year  he  returned  to 
Champaign  county,  resumed  farming  there  and  there  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1866.  His  widow  survived  him  eight  years, 
her  death  occurring  on  December  17,  1874.  They  were  the  parents  of  ele\'cn 
children,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Ezra,  Nancy,  Sarah,  James,  Jefferson,  Samuel, 
Olive,  Clay  and  Arminda,  of  whom  but  three  are  now  living,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  and  his  sisters,  Sarah  and  Arminda. 

Samuel  S.  Johnson  was  about  five  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  Clark  county  to  Champaign  county  and  in  the  latter  county  he  grew 
to  manhood,  received  his  schooling  and  becaine  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account,  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  there  after  his  marriage  in 
1873.  During  the  Civil  War  he  rendered  service  as  a  soldier,  a  memlaer  of 
Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantrv.  Mr.  Johnson  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Champaign  county 
until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1893  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs, 
where  for  a  year  he  had  charge  of  the  college  boarding  house.  He  then,  in 
1894.  became  engaged  in  the  coal  business  at  Yellow  Springs  and  continued 
thus  engaged  until  on  February  7,  1915.  when  he  sold  his  coal  yards  and 
establishment  to  P.  W.  Drake  and  has  since  been  living  retired.  Mr.  Johnson 
is  a  Republican  with  independent  leanings.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  a  Royal  Arch  and  York  Rite  Mason,  affiliated 
with  the  blue  lodge  at  Yellow  Springs  and  the  chapter  and  commandery  at 
Urbana,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Urbana  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

On  November  25,  1873,  in  Champaign  county,  Samuel  S.  Johnson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Amanda  Mahan,  of  that  county,  born  on  December  11, 
1846.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  one  child,  a  daughter.  Miss  Anza  John- 
son, born  on  April  25,  1875,  who  is  living  at  home  and  who  is  a  professional 
nurse,  now  giving  her  special  attention  to  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  Society. 
The  Johnsons  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 


820  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

'  B.  J.  MIDDLETON. 

For  nearly  one  hundred  years  the  family  of  Middleton  has  been  repre- 
sented in  Green  county  and  the  old  home  place  at  Middletons  Corners,  in 
Caesarscreek  township,  now  occupied  by  B.  J.  Middleton,  has  been  in  the 
family  ever  since  the  tract  was  settled  there  by  James  and  Thomas  Middleton 
about  the  year  1825.  These  brothers,  James  and  Thomas  Middleton,  were 
Virginians,  born  in  Berkeley  county,  sons  of  Bethuel  and  Naomi  (Ganoe) 
Middleton,  also  natives  of  that  county,  who  came  to  Greene  county  after  their 
sons  had  effected  a  settlement  here  and  here  spent  their  last  days. 

James  Middleton  grew  to  manhood  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Martins- 
burg,  in  Berkeley  county,  Virginia,  and  when  a  young  man  he  and  his 
brother  Thomas  rode  out  here  into  Ohio  and  secured  possession  of  the  tract 
surrounding  what  for  many  years  has  been  known  as  ^liddletons  Corners, 
in  Caesarscreek  township,  a  portion  of  which  tract  has  long  been  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  After  thus  securing  their  location  the 
Middleton  brothers  returned  to  their  home  in  Virginia,  were  there  married 
and  at  once  returned  to  their  new  possessions,  establishing  there  their  homes. 
Middletons  Corners  thus  coming  into  being.  These  brothers  were  accom- 
panied back  here  by  their  parents  and  the  other  members  of  the  family. 
Bethuel  Middleton,  the  father,  died  there  in  1855,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three 
years.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children.  Upon  his  return 
to  Virginia  after  having  secured  a  location  in  this  county,  James  Midddleton 
was  there  united  in  marriage  to  Angeline  Musetter,  also  a  native  of  Berkeley 
county,  whose  family  also  later  became  represented  in  Greene  county,  and 
upon  his  return  here  with  his  bride  established  his  home  at  the  point  he  and 
his  brother  has  selected  as  a  location  and  on  that  place  he  and  his  wife  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  on  January  16,  1888,  he 
then  being  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Reformed  church  at  Maple  Corners  and  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  third  in  order  of  Ijirth. 

B.  J.  Middleton,  son  of  James  and  Angeline  (Musetter)  r^Iiddleton,  was 
born  on  the  old  Middleton  place,  where  he  is  still  living,  September  27,  1834, 
and  has  lived  there  practically  all  his  life,  for  some  time  past  living  retired 
from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  the  place  now  being  under  the  manage- 
ment of  his  son-in-law,  C.  B.  Hazard,  who  makes  his  home  there.  Mr.  Mid- 
dleton is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

On  January  8,  1868,  Mr.  Middleton  was  united  in  marriage  to  Isadora 
Watts,  who  was  born  at  Richmond,  Indiana,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  S.  and  Mar- 
garet (Mendenhall)  Watts,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Stillwater,  in  Tuscarawas  countv,  this  state,  and  who  were  for  some  time 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  .       821 

residents  of  Greene  county,  making  their  home  at  Xenia,  where  Doctor  Watts 
was  for  some  time  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  to  this  union 
were  born  three  daughters,  Carrie  E.,  Laura  A.,  and  Margaret  M.  Carrie  E. 
Middleton  married  J.  Albert  Davis,  a  farmer  Hving  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
village  of  New  Burlington,  and  has  three  children,  Leah  May,  Mary  Isadora 
and  Bertha  Opal.  Laura  A.  Middleton  married  W.  S.  Racer,  of  Xenia,  and 
died  on  March  4,  191 1.  Her  husband  died  on  June  30,  1916.  Margaret  M. 
Middleton  married  C.  B.  Hazard,  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  and 
who,  as  noted  above,  has  for  some  time  been  in  active  management  of  the 
Middleton  farm. 


ORVILLE  DEWEY  TOBL\S. 

Orville  Dewey  Tobias,  proprietor  of  a  Beavercreek  township  farm  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  10  out  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  this  county,  March  8,  1861,  son  of  William  and  Jane  (Miller) 
Tobias,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  whose  last  days 
were  spent  here. 

William  Tobias  was  born  in  the  village  of  Zimmerman  on  March  14, 
1 82 1,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Hanney)  Tobias,  who  had  come  to 
this  county  from  Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  located  in  the 
settlement  that  early  took  the  name  of  Zimmerman,  in  Beavercreek  township. 
There  Samuel  Tobias  bought  twenty-five  acres  of  land,  built  a  log  cabin  and 
established  his  home.  There  he  died  in  1829,  leaving  his  widow  with  six 
children,  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  those  besides  William,  who  was 
eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  having  been  Lydia,  who 
became  the  wife  of  William  Kirkpatrick ;  Margaret,  who  married  Noah  Enry 
and  moved  to  Illinois;  Daniel,  who  made  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  Troy, 
this  state;  Samuel,  who  died  unmarried,  and  Catherine,  who  married  Wallace 
Haines.  The  widow  Tobias  married  Michael  Swigart  and  lived  to  be  seventy- 
six  years  of  age,  her  death  occurring  in  187 1. 

Following  the  death  of  his  father  William  Tobias  was  taken  into  the 
home  of  Peter  Swigart,  a  brother  of  his  stepfather,  and  there  remained  until 
he  was  past  twenty-one  years  of  age.  When  twenty-five  years  of  age  he 
married  and  began  farming  on  his  own  account,  for  some  years  renting  farms, 
and  in  1869  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
is  now  living  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  January,  191 1,  he  then  lacking  but  three  months  of  being  ninety  years  of 
age.  William  Tobias  was  a  Republican.  Reared  a  Lutheran,  he  later  became 
affiliated  with  the  Reformed  church  and  for  many  years  served  as  a  deacon 
of  the  Beavercreek  congregation  of  the  latter  communion. 

William  Tobias  was  twice  married.     On   December  24,    1846,  he  was 


822      ■  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Swigart,  who  died  in  1851,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years,  leaving  two  sons,  Martin  Luther  and  Samuel,  both  of  whom  are 
now  deceased,  the  former  of  whom  became  a  farmer  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship and  the  latter  of  whom  made  his  home  in  Dayton.  ^Martin  L.  Tobias 
was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Christine  Peeples,  he  had  two  children, 
Edgar  and  Clara,  and  by  his  second  wife,  Mary  Barnhart,  he  had  three  chil- 
dren, Eva,  Grace  and  John.  Samuel  Tobias  married  Emma  John  and  had 
three  children.  Homer,  Harold  and  Howard.  On  June  19,  1852.  William 
Tobias  married,  secondly,  Jane  Miller,  who  was  born  in  Bath  township,  tliis 
county,  November  23,  1824,  daughter  of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Wheeler) 
Miller,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter  of  Maryland,  who 
came  to  Ohio  after  their  marriage,  first  locating  at  Columbus,  then  at  Cincin- 
nati and  then  in  Greene  county,  becoming  early  settlers  in  Bath  township, 
where  the  former  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life.  James  Miller  was  a  soldier 
of  the  War  of  1812.  He  died  in  1840  and  was  buried  in  the  Byron  cemetery. 
His  widow  survived  him  until  1854,  her  death  occurring  at  Dayton.  To  Will- 
iam and  Jane  (Miller)  Tobias  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following : 
William  A.,  who  became  a  farmer  in  Beavercreek  township,  where  he  died 
in  April,  191 /,  and  who  had  married  Jannie  .Alice  Garlough  and  had  one 
child,  a  son,  Emerson  D. ;  Elizabeth  and  Catherine,  twins,  the  former  of 
whom  is  unmarried  and  both  of  whom  are  now  living  at  Dayton,  the  latter 
the  widow  of  the  late  John  W.  H.  Barney,  by  whom  she  was  the  mother  of 
four  children,  Dora,  Bertha,  Eugene  J.  and  Ralph;  Daniel  and  Calvin,  who 
died  in  the  days  of  their  young  manhood;  one  who  died  in  infancy,  and 
Newton  W.,  now  a  druggist  living  at  Ada,  who  married  May  Kemp  and  has 
one  child,  Vivian  G.  Mrs.  Jane  Miller  Tobias  survived  her  huslwnd  nearly 
two  years,  her  death  occurring  in  December,  1912. 

Orville  D.  Tobias  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  father  bought  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood.  He  received 
his  schooling  in  the  local  schools. and  after  his  marriage  in  1890  continued 
to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  managing  the  same  for  his  father,  and 
after  the  latter's  death  bought  the  place  from  the  other  heirs  and  has  since 
been  the  owner  of  the  same,  a  farm  of  something  more  than  one  hundred 
acres.  Mr.  Tobias  is  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  Silver 
Star  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Alpha.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Beaver 
Creek  Reformed  church,  as  is  his  wife,  was  formerly  and  for  years  a  deacon 
of  that  congregation  and  is  now  an  elder  in  the  church. 

Mr.  Tobias  has  been  twice  married.  On  November  12,  1890,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Anna  (Koogler)  Coffman,  a  widow,  who  died 
eighteen  months  later,  and  on  March  6,  1898,  he  married  Mrs.  Effie  (Miller) 
Armstrong,  a  widow  and  the  mother,  by  her  first  marriage,  of  four  children. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  823 

Harry,  who  is  now  living  in  Batli  township;  Mayme.  wife  of  Vernoit  Ewing. 
of  Dayton;  Louise,  at  home,  and  Nellie,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  child- 
hood. Mrs.  Tobias  is  a  daughter  of  Israel  and  Jane  Miller,  both  now 
deceased,  who  were  residents  of  Bath  township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobias 
one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Raymond,  born  on  December  27,  1900,  who 
is  now  (1918),  a  student  in  the  Beaver  Creek  high  school. 


LEE  R.  FAWLEY. 


Lee  R.  Fawley,  manager  of  the  store  of  the  Koontz  Hardware  Company 
at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county, 
December  25,  1886,  son  of  George  and  Laura  (Kaley)  Fawley,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  the  former  in  1854  and  the  latter 
in  1858,  who  are  now  living  on  their  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  PaintersxHlle.  in 
this  county,  where  they  have  resided  for  years. 

George  Fawley  was  for  years  a  school  teacher  in  Greene  county.  He 
received  his  schooling  in  Highland  county,  where  he  was  born,  and  when 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age  began  teaching  school  in  Clinton  county.  A 
few  years  later  he  moved  into  Greene  county  and  Ijegan  farming,  meanwhile 
continuing  engaged  in  teaching  during  the  winters  and  for  twenty  years  was 
one  of  Greene  county's  teachers.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Painters ville  and  has  since  then  devoted  his  time  to  farming,  still  making 
his  home  on  Ihat  farm.  To  him  and  his  wife  have  been  born  seven  children, 
of  whom  four  are  still  living,  those  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being 
Olive,  who  married  O.  E.  St.  John,  a  farmer  of  Caesarscreek  township,  and 
has  one  child :  Orville,  a  farmer,  of  Jefferson  township,  who  married  Myrtle 
Sturgeon  and  has  three  children,  and  Alonzo,  who  married  Lanna  Faulkner 
and  has  one  child.  The  deceased  children  of  this  family  were  Clarence,  Glenn 
and  Daisy. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Lee  R.  Fawley 
received  his  schooling  in  the  common  schools  and  upon  leaving  school  became 
employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  A.  E.  Faulkner  at  Paintersville 
and  was  thus  engaged  for  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  became  a 
clerk  in  the  hardware  store  of  Howard  Applegate  at  Yellow  Springs  and 
when  that  store  was  bought  by  the  Koontz  Hardware  Company  about  a  year 
ago  was  made  manager  of  the  same,  which  position  he  now  occupies.  Mr. 
Fawlev  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Paintersville. 

On  April  24,  1917,  Lee  R.  Fawley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara  Diehl, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Diehl  and  wife,  of  Xenia.  j\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Fawley  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


824  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

L.  MADISON  RAHN. 

L.  Madison  Rahn,  now  living  retired  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in 
this  county  and  has  spent  the  most  of  his  life  here,  though  for  some  years  he 
was  a  resident  of  Dayton  and  of  Columbus,  engaged  in  the  buggy  business 
in  those  cities,  and  later,  for  a  year  he  was  engaged  as  a  traveling  salesman 
for  the  Osborn  Milling  Company.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  adjoining  what 
is  now  the  government  aviation  field  in  the  vicinity  of  Fairfield,  April  19, 
1867,  son  of  Adam  and  Emaline  (Feighner)  Rahn,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Canton,  county  seat  of  the  county  of  Stark,  this 
state,  and  who  became  residents  of  Greene  count}-  about  the  year  1862,  locat- 
ing in  Bath  township. 

Adam  Rahn  was  born  on  a  .farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Canton 
on  May  12,  1831,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  On  April  7,  1853,  he  married 
Emaline  Feighner,  who  was  born  in  that  same  neighborhood,  and  in  185Q 
moved  with  his  family  from  Canton  to  Montgomery  county,  where  he 
remained  until  about  1862,  when  he  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  located 
on  what  then  was  known  as  the  Wilson  farm  just  at  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  of  Fairfield  and  adjoining  what  is  now  the  great  aviation  field  estab- 
Hshed  by  the  United  States  government  there  upon  the  outbreak  of  hostilities 
with  Germany  in  the  spring  of  19 17,  and  it  was  on  that  place  that  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  born.  In  1869  Adam  Rahn  moved  to  a  farm  in  the  north- 
east corner  of  Bath  township  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  March  13,  1916.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  three  sons  and 
six  daughters,  the  others  of  this  family  having  been  William,  Samuel,  Mary, 
Catherine,  Matilda,  Belmina,  Emaline  and  Caroline,  the  only  one  of  these 
now  living  being  Emaline,  a  resident  of  Columbus,  this  state.  Mrs.  Emaline 
Rahn,  who  is  deceased,  was  one  of  a  family  of  nine,  she  having  had  three 
brothers,  Samuel,  Solomon  and  William ;  three  sisters,  Elizabeth,  Catherine 
and  Marie,  and  two  half-brothers.  John  and  Henry.  To  Adam  Rahn  and 
wife  were  bom  six  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  Clayton,  deceased : 
Charles,  a  resident  of  Dayton,  who  has  been  married  tliree  times,  his.  last  wife 
being  Elizabeth  Blair:  Emma,  who  is  living  at  'S'ellow  Springs:  Albert,  also 
a  resident  of  Yellow  Springs,  who  married  Abbie  May  Alexander  and  has 
three  children,  Ralph,  who  died  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  then  having 
been  a  student  in  the  Yellow  Springs  high  school,  and  Harold  and  Helen; 
Madison,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Adam  and 
Flavius,  deceased. 

L.  Madison  Rahn  was  but  two  \-ears  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  onto 
the  home  farm  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Bath  township  and  there  he  grew 
to  manhood,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  common  schools.  He  remained 
on  the  home  farm  until  1891,  when  he  went  to  Dayton  and  was  there  enga-^ed 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  825 

in  the  buggy  business  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1894,  he 
went  to  Cokimbus  and  in  the  latter  city  was  engaged  in  the  same  hne  until 
he  took  employment  with  the  Osborn  Milling  Company,  at  Osborn,  this 
county.  For  a  year  he  continued  this  latter  employment  and  then  returned 
to  the  home  farm  and  took  charge  of  the  same,  continuing  thus  engaged  until, 
his  retirement  on  April  4,  191 7,  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he 
since  has  made  his  home.  Mr.  Rahn  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  a 
Democrat  and  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 


GEORGE  H.  DRAKE. 


George  H.  Drake,  a  former  merchant  and  lumber  dealer,  now  li\ing 
retired  from  active  business  in  the  city  of  Yellow  .Springs,  where  he  has  made 
his  home  for  qearly  thirty  years,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clark  on  September  8,  i860.  He  is  a  son  of  William  W.  and 
Bethany  (Caylor)  Drake,  the  former  of  whom  was  also  born  in  that  county, 
in  1830,  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  in  1840.  She,  however,  was 
reared  in  Clark  county,  a  member  of  the  household  in  which  Samuel  Shallen- 
barger,  former  congressman  from  this  district,  was  reared.  William  W. 
Drake  was  married  in  1857  and  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Clark 
county,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  first- 
born, the  others  being  Ruthetta,  wife  of  William  M.  Wilson,  a  farmer  and 
stockman,  now  living  at  Alberta,  Canada;  Oliver,  who  established  his  home 
on  the  old  home  place  in  Clark  county  after  his  marriage  and  who  died  there 
in  191 7;  Ralph,  who  is  married  and  living  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county; 
Elmer,  who  also  is  married  and  living  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county, 
and  Pierre  W.,  who  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business  at  Yellow 
Springs,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Drake  &  Van  Kirk,  and  further  men- 
tion of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  George  H.  Drake  received 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  married  in  1885  and  con- 
tinued farming  in  Clark  county  until  1889,  in  which  year  he  disposed  of  his 
interests  there  and  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  became  engaged  in 
the  furniture  and  undertaking  business.  Two  years  later,  in  1891,  he  sold 
that  establishment  and  bought  a  general-merchandise  store,  turning  the  same 
over  to  the  management  of  Howard  Applegate.  while  he  himself  became 
engaged  in  the  hardwood  and  lumber  business,  in  partnership  with  C.  A.  Lit- 
tle, an  arrangement  which  continued  for  about  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  bought  Mr.  Little's  interest  in  the  business  and  conducted  the  same 
alone  until  1913,  in  which  year  he  sold  out  to  his  brother,  Pierre  W.  Drake. 


826  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  has  since  been  living  retired.  Air.  Drake  is  a  Republican.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  he  is  a  member  of  the 
local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Drake  has  been  twice  married.  In  1885,  in  Clark  county,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Emma  J.  Kirkwood,  who  was  born  in  Greene  countv, 
and  who  died  in  1887.  In  June,  1895,  Mr.  Drake  married  Addie  L.  Sibley, 
who  was  born  at  Clinton,  Massachusetts,  daughter  of  Terrant  \\'.  and  Ada- 
line  F.  Sibley,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  one  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  The  other,  Miss  Genevieve  F.  Drake,  is  now  engaged  as 
assistant  librarian  in  the  public  librar}-  at  Davton. 


SAMUEL  W.  COX. 


Samuel  W.  Cox,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  formerly  and  for  many 
years  a  blacksmith  at  Yellow  Springs,  this  coutity,  now  living  retired  in  that 
village,  was  born  there  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on 
December  5,  1833,  the  site  of  the  house  in  which  he  was  born  later  being  occu- 
pied by  the  old  Yellow  Springs  House,  the  scene  of  great  activity  during  the 
days  when  Yellow  Springs  enjoyed  wide  fame  as  a  watering  place  and  which 
later  was  destroyed  by  fire.  His  parents  were  Samuel  W.  and  Elizabeth 
(Jones)  Cox,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter,  of  Virginia, 
who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  village  of  Yellow  Springs  and 
whose  last  days  were  spent  there. 

The  elder  Samuel  W.  Cox  became  early  trained  to  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith and  as  a  young  man  went  to  Georgetown,  D.  C,  where  lie  became 
employed  on  tlie  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  canal  and  where  he  met  and  married 
Elizabeth  Jones,  who  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  and  their  first 
two  children  were  born  in  Georgetown.  Later  he  came  to  Ohio  and  settled 
at  Yellow  Springs,  in  this  county,  v.here  he  set  up  a  blacksmith  shop  and 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives.  During  tlie  administration 
of  President  Polk  in  the  '40s  Samuel  W.  Cox  served  as  postmaster  of  Yellow 
Springs.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  but 
three  are  now  living,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  George  Cox, 
also  a  resident  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Juliette  Vose,  of  Cincin- 
nati. The  others  of  these  children  were  Chapman,  Sarah  Ann,  who  married 
Doctor  E.  Thorn;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Runyan,  Horatio,  Joseph,  Charles  and 
Chauncey. 

Reared  at  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  was,  born,  the  younger  Samuel  W. 
Cox  received  his  schooling  there  in  a  little  log  house  on  the  hill,  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Neff  place,  his  first  teacher  there  having  been  Adam  Kedzie. 
\\'!ien  eleven  vears  of  age  he  became  an  assistant  to  his  father  in  the  latter's 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  S27 

blacksmith  shop  and  thus  early  became  a  worker  in  iron,  a  business  which 
he  continued  to  follow  at  Yellow  Springs  all  his  active  life,  or  until  his  retire- 
ment about  fifteen  years  ago,  an  injury  received  about  that  time  having  neces- 
sitated his  retirement  from  active  labor.  Mr.  Cox  was  working  at  his  trade 
during  the  time  of  the  Civil  War  and  upon  the  call  for  the  hundred-days 
service  enlisted  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  that  term  of  service  he  re-enlisted  and  ser\'ed  until  the  close  of 
the  war  as  a  member  of  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-fourth  Ohio. 
On  December  4,  1855,  at  Yellow  Springs,  Samuel  W.  Cox  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mai-y  Jane  Rice,  who  was  born  at  Lincolnville,  Maine,  and  who 
had  come  to  this  county  with  her  parents,  and  to  that  union  were  born  four 
children,  Cora,  Edward,  Mary  and  Frankie,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased, 
the  first-named  and  the  last  having  died  in  youth.  The  mother  of  these 
children  died  on  March  15,  1907,  and  on  July  30,  1909,  Mr.  Cox  married 
Susan  Ault,  of  Yellow  Springs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cox  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  local 
post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  of  the  Good  Templars. 


SAMUEL  FRALICK. 


Samuel  Fralick,  now  hving  retired  at  Yellow  Springs,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  that  village  since  1908,  in  the  spring  of  which  year  he  moved  there 
with  his  family  in  order  that  his  daughters  might  continue  their  studies  in 
Antioch  College.  Miss  Mary  B.  Fralick  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1910  and  afterward  became  engaged  in  teaching  at  Selma  and  later  at 
Powell,  but  is  now  a  member  of  the  teaching  force  of  the  Yellow  Springs 
high  school.  Miss  Susan  G.  Fralick  was  graduated  from  Antioch  in  191 2  and 
later  was  engaged  for  some  time  as  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of  Manchester, 
this  state,  but  is  now  conducting  a  private  school  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Mr.  Fralick  was  a  farmer  and  stockman  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Madison  until  he  retired  from  the  farm  in  1895  and  moved  to  the  village  of 
Sedalia,  in  that  county,  in  order  that  his  children  might  have  the  advantage 
of  the  village  schools,  and  there  he  became  engaged  in  the  hotel  and  livery 
business,  proprietor  of  the  Midway  House,  continuing  thus  engaged  until 
the  spring  of  1908,  when  he  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  as  noted  abo\e,  so 
that  his  daughters  might  have  a  home  there  while  completing  their  studies 
in  Antioch  College,  and  there  he  has  continued  to  make  his  home.  The 
Fralicks  are  members  of  the  United  Presbvterian  church. 


828  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

GEORGE  W.  McCULLOUGH. 

George  W".  McCullough,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  who  has  for  years 
been  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio  since  he  was  four  years  of  age.  He  was  born  at  Rumley,  in 
Hampshire  county,  Virginia,  April  13,  1842.  son  and  only  surviving  child  of 
John  and  Mary  (Smarr)  McCullough,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Vir- 
ginia, of  Scottish  descent,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Ohio,  they 
having  come  out  here  more  than  seventy  years  ago,  locating  in  Clark  county. 

John  McCullough  was  born  at  Rumley,  Virginia,  and  there  received  his 
schooHng  and  grew  to  manhood.  He  married  there  and  began  farming  in  his 
native  county  of  Hampshire,  continuing  thus  engaged  there  until  1846,  when 
he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  county  and  with  his  family  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  in  1883.  John  McCullough  was  twice  married.  By  liis 
marriage  to  j\Iar\-  Smarr  he  was  the  father  of  three  children,  Frank,  who 
was  born  in  Virginia  and  who  died  when  seven  or  eight  years  of  age;  George 
\y.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Anna,  who  died  when  ten 
years  of  age.  The  mother  of  these  children  .died  in  1848,  two  years  after 
coming  to  Ohio,  and  John  McCullough  later  married  IMargaret  Ann  Kitchen, 
of  Clark  county,  and  to  that  union  were  bom  three  sons,  Charles,  who  is  now 
living  in  Nebraska;  Isaac,  of  Detroit,  ^Michigan,  and  Erasmus  Jackson 
McCullough,  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Clifton,  this  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  George  \\'.  ]\IcCullough 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  after  his  marriage  in 
the  summer  of  1862  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  A  year  later,  in 
June,  1863,  he  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  Union  cause  and  went  to 
the  front.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  McCullough 
returned  to  the  farm  and  there  remained  until  1873,  '"  which  year  he  moved 
down  to  Yellow  Springs  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  butcher  business, 
in  which  line  he  has  been  engaged  practically  all  the  time  ever  since.  For 
three  years  also,  years  ago,  Mr.  McCullough  was  engaged  at  Yellow  Springs 
in  the  livery  and  undertaking  business,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Littleton  & 
McCullough.  Years  ago  he  took  a  trip  West,  thinking  to  better  his  condition, 
but  after  a  few  years  of  experience  there  returned  to  Yellow  Springs  and 
resumed  his  butcher  business,  in  which  he  ever  since  has  been  engaged.  Mr. 
McCullough  is  a  Republican,  has  for  years  been  a  member  of  tlie  local  post. of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  present  commander  of  the  same,  and  is  a 
Mason  and  an  Odd  Fellow  and  has  filled  all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodges  of 
both  of  those  orders.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church. 

Mr.  McCullough  has  been  twice  married.     On   Tune   15.   1862,  he  was 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  829 

united  in  marriage  to  Louisa  Rhoades,  of  Clifton,  this  county,  who  died  in 
1867,  leaving  one  child,  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Green,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing at  Sedalia,  Missouri,  a  widow.  On  Deceml^er  31,  1870,  Mr.  McCuUough 
married  Mary  A.  Polling,  who  was  bom  in  Clark  county,  where  her  parents 
also  were  born,  and  to  this  union  seven  children  have  been  born,  namely : 
Effie,  who  married  Fred  Sharp,  now  living  at  Gage,  Oklahoma,  and  has  three 
children;  Blanche,  who  married  Walter  Stansberry,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and 
has  three  children;  Mrs.  Grace  Straus,  who  died  in  1916;  Frank,  now  living 
at  Springfield,  who  married  Nellie  Marshall  and  has  one  child;  Edward,  who 
married  Stella  Runyan  and  now  lives  at  Wichita,  Kansas ;  Charles,  who  is 
married  and  has  two  children,  and  George,  who  died  at  Springfield  when 
twenty-three  years  of  age. 


WILLIAM  CLIFFORD  SUTTON. 

William  Clifford  Sutton,  a  former  member  of  the  common  council  of  the 
city  of  Xenia  and  for  years  engaged  in  business  in  that  city,  proprietor,  in 
association  with  his  brother,  of  a  music  store,  and  who  also  is  now  engaged 
in  the  sale  of  automobiles,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  village  of  New  Jasper,  in  the  township  of  that  name,  in  this  county, 
October  23,  1877,  son  of  John  R.  and  Emma  N.  (Cooper)  Sutton,  both  of 
whom  were  also  bom  in  that  same  township,  and  who  are  now  living  retired 
at  Xenia,  having  moved  from  the  farm  to  that  city  in  1907.  John  R.  Sutton 
and  Emma  N.  Cooper  were  married  in  1875  and  to  that  union  were  born  two 
sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  Charles  Leroy  Sutton,  bom 
in  1879,  who  is  associated  with  his  brother  in  the  operation  of  the  Sutton 
music  store  at  Xenia  and  who  married  Florence  Iviser,  of  Bellefontaine,  this 
state. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  William  C.  Sutton 
supplemented  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  by  a 
course  in  the  Xenia  city  schools.  In  1901  he  became  associated  with  L.  E. 
Drake  in  business  at  Xenia,  the  firm  there  conducting  a  music  store  for  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1903,  Mr.  Sutton  bought  his  partner's 
interest  in  the  store  and  continued  the  management  of  the  same,  later  taking 
into  partnership  with  him  his  brother,  Charles  Leroy  Sutton,  and  has  ever 
since  been  thus  engaged,  the  Sutton  music  store  being  located  at  50-52  East 
Main  street.  The  Sutton  brothers  own  the  building  in  which  they  are  carry- 
ing on  their  business,  having  bought  the  same  on  October  15,  1917.  In  1910 
William  C.  Sutton  opened  what  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  "Bijou" 
moving-picture  theater  in  Xenia,  rebuilt  the  same  in  1914  and  continued  to 
operate  the  theater  until  September  i,  191 7,  when  he  sold  the  place  and 
became  engaged  in  the  sale  of  automobiles,  in  addition  to  his  music-store 


830  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

business,  having  the  local  agency  for  five  makes  of  cars  and  trucks.  Mr. 
Sutton  v^-as  for  eight  years  a  member  of  the  city  common  council  from  his 
ward,  occupying  that  position  at  the  time  the  city  government  was  changed  to 
a  commission  form  of  government  on  January  i,  1918. 

On  December  24,  1902,  William  C.  Sutton  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Fay  Cherrv^  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Evaline  (Tedrick)  Cherry,  of  Newark, 
this  state,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  and  to  this  union  has  been  born 
one  child,  John  Thomas  Sutton,  born  on  November  4,  1903.  ^Ir.  and  Mrs. 
Sutton  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mr.  Sutton  is 
affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  of  the  Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  of  the 
Alodern  Woodmen  of  America. 


CHARLES  T.  STEVENSON. 

Charles  T.  Stevenson,  proprietor  of  a  Miami  township  farm,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Cedarville  township  on  December  2,  1870,  son  of  Capt.  John  and 
Jane  (Bradfute)  Stevenson,  who  are  now  living  retired  in  the  village  of 
Yellow  Springs. 

Capt.  John  Stevenson  earned  his  title  by  service  in  the  Union  army 
during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township  on  July 
5,  1829,  and  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life,  being  now  one  of  the  oldest 
living  native-born  residents  of  Greene  county.  During  his  younger  days  he 
was  engaged  in  carpentering  and  building,  but  not  long  after  his  marriage 
in  the  summer  of  1S58  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship and  there  continued  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  his  retire- 
ment from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  and  his  wife 
are  now  living.  They  have  three  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having 
a  brother,  William  B.  Stevenson,  who  married  Lizzie  Andrews,  a  Greene 
countv  girl,  and  after  years  of  farming  retired  from  the  fann  and  mo\ed  to 
Cedarville,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  now  living,  and  a  sister,  J^Iiss  Lizzie 
May  Stevenson,  who  is  living  with  her  aged  parents  at  Yellow  Springs. 

Charles  T,  Stevenson  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship and  completed  his  schooling  at  Antioch  College,  which  institution  he 
entered  in  1885.  After  leaving  college  lie  resumed  farming  and  was  thus 
engaged  on  the  old  home  place  until  1898.  in  wiiich  year  he  went  to  Illinois, 
where  he  was  for  two  years  engaged  as  manager  of  a  stock  farm.  He  tlien 
was  for  four  years  engaged  in  a  similar  capacity  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Wabash,  Indiana,  and  afterward  for  some  time  in  a  like  capacity  in  Virginia. 
In  the  meantime,  in  1901,  Mr.  Stevenson  had  married  one  of  Greene  county's 
daughters  and  upon  his  return  from  Virginia  bought  the  place  on  which  his 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  83I 

wife  was  reared,  the  McMillan  farm  in  Miami  township,  and.  has  continued 
there  to  reside. 

It  was  in  1901  that  Charles  T.  Stevenson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Hattie  May  McMillan,  daughter  of  James  Harvey  and  Mary  (Akin)  McMil- 
lan,' of  Miami  township,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daugh- 
ter, Nina  Elizabeth,  born  in  191 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevenson  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.     Mr.  Stevenson  is  a  Republican. 


OSCAR  S.  HARGRAVE. 

Oscar  S.  Hargrave,  proprietor  of  a  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  8  out 
of  Xenia,  in  New  Jasper  township,  was  born  east  of  Bowersville  in  Jefferson 
township  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all  his  life.  He  was  born 
on  February  19,  1874,  son  of  William  Herbert  and  Minerva  (Thompson) 
Hargrave,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Fayette  county,  and  who  are  still 
living  here. 

William  Herbert  Hargrave  was  born  on  a  farm  two  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Bowersville  and  has  been  a  farmer  all  his  life.  He  remained  at  home 
until  his  marriage  and  then  located  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  still  living 
and  where  he  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy-one  acres.  Mr.  Hargrave  is  a 
Republican,  has  served  as  central  committeeman  for  that  party  from  his  town- 
ship and  has  also  held  county  and  township  offices.  He- and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  are  four  of  these  children,  sons  all,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Marion  L.,  a  farmer,  who 
moved  from  this  county  to  Paulding  county,  this  state,  and  thence  to  Claire, 
Michigan,  where  he  is  now  living,  and  who  married  Hester  Fannon  and  has 
five  children,  Bessie,  Homer,  Edith,  Veda  and  Pauline;  Claude  E.,  who  is 
farming  a  part  of  his  father's  farm  and  who  married  Lillian  Brakefield  and 
has  two  children,  Harold  and  Helen;  and  Jacob,  who  also  in  farming  a  part 
of  the  old  home  place  and  who  married  Belle  Ford  and  has  two  children, 
Robert  and  Paul. 

Oscar  S.  Hargrave  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  After  his  marriage  when  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  home  farm  for  three 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living 
in  New  Jasper  township  and  has  since  resided  there.  He  has  a  farm  of 
seventy-four  acres  and  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live 
stock.  Mr.  Flargrave  is  a  Republican  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the 
local.lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics  at  New  Jasper. 

Mr.  Hargrave  has  been  twice  married.     On  January  29,  1902,  he  was 


832  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

united  in  marriage  to  Herma  D.  Stephens,  daughter  of  WilHam  S.  and  Cleota 
(Pilcher)  Stephens,  of  Port  William,  and  to  that  union  was  born  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Isa  Marie.  Mrs.  Henna  Hargrave  died  in  September,  1910,  and 
on  December  30,  1912,  Mr.  Hargrave  married  Mary  Leona  Hite,  who  was 
bom  in  New  Jasper  township,  this  county,  daugliter  of  William  Raper  and 
Meldah  R.  (Spahr)  Hite,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county  and 
who  are  still  living,  now  residents  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper.  William 
Raper  Hite  was  for  years  a  farmer  and  also  was  engaged  on  county  road  and 
bridge  contract  work.  He  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  They  have  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Hargrave  is  the  third  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Allen  Delmer,  a  stock  salesman,  now  living 
at  Cleveland,  this  state,  and  who  married  Eva  Babb;  Clarence  G.,  a  painter, 
living  at  home  at  New  Jasper,  and  Eva  Elizabeth,  who  married  Loren  A. 
Rogers,  who  teaches  in  the  Ross"  township  centralized  school  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Roger  Russell.  Mrs.  Hargrave  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 


OTIS  T.  WOLFORD. 

Otis  T.  Wolford,  of  "Forest  Mill  Farm,"  is  one  of  Greene  county's 
landowners  and  stockmen  who  for  years  has  taken  a  special  interest  in  the 
raising  of  pure-bred  live  stock,  an  exhibitor  at  fairs  and  stock  shows 
througliout  this  part  of  the  state.  He  and  his  wife  are  the  owners  of  a  farm 
of  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  acres  a  half  mile  off  the  Jamestown  and 
Xenia  pike,  a  part  of  the  old  Brown  estate  of  two  thousand  acres  settled  by 
Mrs.  Wolford's  grandfather,  Jacob  Brown,  in  the  middle  of  the  '30s  of 
the  past  centurv.  In  March,  iqi8,  they  also  bought  a  half  interest  in  two 
hundred  and  twenty-four  acres  on  the  Federal  pike,  known  as  the  Sarah 
Jane  ^Vilson  or  Mary  McLaughlin  farm,  this  latter  tract  also  being  a  part 
of  the  two  thousand  acres  of  the  Jacob  Brown  estate  in  the  Military  Sur- 
vey. 

Jacob  Brown  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  of  old  English 
stock,  as  was  his  wife,  Judith  Walter,  also  of  Virginia,  both  the  Brown  and 
the  Walters  families  having  laeen  established  in  Virginia  in  Colonial  days. 
He  was  reared  in  Virginia,  a  farmer,  and  there  married.  By  religious  per- 
suasion they  were  Hicksite  Friends  and  so  bitterly  opposed  to  the  institu- 
tion of  human  slavery  that  in  1835  they  disposed  of  their  interests  in  the 
Old  Dominion  and  came  to  Ohio,  settling  in  Greene  county.  The  decision 
on  the  part  of  the  Browns  to  come  to  this  county  was  based  on  the  good 
report  taken  back  by  George  Walters  Brown,  Jacob  Brown's  eldest  son, 
who  in  1829  had  made  a  comprehensive  trip  on  horseback  through  this  re- 


i--.Sa»^'y/'a.y!s  £Sra 


f^AU\(  it     '  y)rrffH 


i 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  833 

gion  and  as  far  west  as  Illinois  and  soud:  into  Kentucky.  On  all  this  long 
trip  he  saw  no  land  with  as  fair  a  prospect  as  that  in  Greene  county  and 
he  so  reported,  particularly  emphasizing  the  desirability  of  a  tract  of  two 
thousand  acres  held  by  Colonel  Elzy,  of  Virginia,  as  a  grant  for  military 
services  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  The  matter  was  investigated,  the 
family  was  favorable  to  the  emigration  and  Jacob  Brown  traded  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Loudoun  county,  giving  some  cash  for 
"boot,"  for  the  Elzy  tract  in  this  county  and  in  1835  moved  here  with  his 
family,  driving  through  with  such  household  and  other  belongings  as  could 
conveniently  be  brought.  George  W.  Brown,  the  family's  "pathfinder," 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  this  county,  living  to  be  eighty  years  of  age,  his 
death  occurring  on  May  17,  1883.  What  attracted  him  to  the  Elzy  tract 
was  the  obvious  excellence  of  the  soil,  the  presence  of  ample  timber  and 
water  facilities  for  the  operation  of  a  mill  on  the  place,  and  when  the  family 
became  established  on  that  place  a  water-wheel  saw-mill  was  erected  and 
was  for  years  operated  there  by  Nixon  G.  Brown,  continuing  indeed  until  in 
the  '70s.  There  was  also  a  grist-mill  attached  and  many  neighbors  brought 
their  logs  and  their  grist  to  the  Brown  mill.  Upon  their  arrival  here  tiie 
Browns  rented  a  stone  house  on  the  Columbus  pike  five  miles  northeast  of 
Xenia  and  there  resided  until  they  could  erect  a  log  house  on  their  own 
place.  This  house  was  lathed  and  plastered  on  the  inside  and  weather- 
boarded  on  the  outside  and  was  thus  doubly  substantial.  There  Jacob  Brown 
and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  helped  organize  the 
Oakland  meeting  of  Friends  and  for  many  years,  or  until  the  Oakland 
meeting  house  and  school  house  was  erected,  meetings  were  held  in  their 
house.  The  Oakland  meeting  was  discontinud  about  1885,  most  of  the 
members  having  died  or  moved  away,  and  the  old  meeting  house  later  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  As  Jacob  Brown's  children  married,  their  father  gave 
them  their  respective  portions  of  the  land  and  the  family  became  well  estab- 
lished. Following  are  the  names  of  the  children  of  Jacob  and  Judith 
(Walters')  Brown:  George  W.,  noted  above  as  the  family's  "pathfinder;" 
Helen,  who  died  in  Virginia:  Diana,  who  also  died  in  Virginia;  Mrs.  Lydia 
Ellen  Greenlease,  who  died  in  Virginia:  William,  who  established  his  home 
in  this  countv;  Thomas,  who  also  made  his  home  here;  Sarah  Jane,  who 
married  Aaron  Wilson  and  lived  in  the  Springboro  neighborhood,  in  War- 
ren countv;  Ruth  Hannah,  who  married  James  Harrison,  of  Xenia;  Lu- 
cinda,  who  married  William  Blaine;  N'ixon  G.,  father  of  Mrs.  Wolford,  and 
Nancy. 

Nixon  G.  Brown,  youngest  of  the  four  sons  of  Jacob  Brown,  was  born 
in  Loudoun  county,  \^irginia,  February  2,  1827,  and  was  thus  but  a  lad 
when  he  cam.e  to  this  countv  with  his  parents  in   1835.     He  grew  to  man- 

(52) 


834  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

hood  on  the  big  farm  his  father  opened  up  and  received  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  that  neighborhood.  On  May  12,  1853,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Hannah  P.  Wilson,  who  also  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Vir- 
ginia, daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Nichols)  Wilson,  and  after  his 
marriage  established  his  home  on  a  part  of  the  parental  tract,  and  there  he 
and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  He  died  on  March  11,  1904,  in  his 
seventy-eighth  year,  and  his  widow  survived  him  but  five  days  more  than  a 
month,  her  death  occurring  on  April  16  of  that  same  year.  They  main- 
tained their  interest  in  the  Oakland  meeting  of  Friends,  of  which  Nixon 
Brown  was  an  officer,  until  the  discontinuance  of  the  same  in  the  '80s.  They 
were  very  sociable  and  were  widely  known  as  "Uncle  Nixon"  and  "Aunt 
Hannah"  Brown.  They  were  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Mary  Eliza- 
beth, who  with  her  husband  now  owns  the  home  place,  and  Harriet  Ann, 
the  latter  of  whom  on  May  6,  1885,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Dr.  \\'.  P. 
Madden,  of  Xenia,  who  died  on  May  30,  1908,  his  widow  surviving  him 
less  than  three  years,  her  death  occurring  on  December  2,   1910. 

Mary  Elizabeth  Brown  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  ex- 
cellent advantages  in  the  way  of  schooling.  On  March  17,  1885,  she  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Otis  T.  Wolford,  who  had  come  to  this  county  from 
Maryland  in  1875.  After  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolford  made  their 
home  on  the  old  Brown  place,  which  they  now  own,  and  there  Mr.  Wolford 
gave  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of  pure-bred  Aberdeen-Angus  cattle 
and  was  for  years  an  exhibitor  at  stock  shows  and  state  fairs,  though  of 
late  years  he  has  not  given  so  much  attention  to  this  line.  He  is  still  living 
on  the  farm  and  giving  the  same  his  active  attention.  He  and  his  wife 
also  maintain  a  home  at  Xenia,  where  the  latter  spends  some  of  her  time, 
having  apartments  in  the  Manhattan   Hotel  building. 

Otis  T.  Wolford  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Maryland,  sixth  in 
order  of  birth  of  the  eleven  children  born  to  his  parents,  John  and  Mahala 
(Brewer)  Wolford,  natives  of  that  same  county,  and  Lutherans,  who  spent 
all  their  lives  there,  the  latter  dying  on  January  24,  1872,  and  the  former, 
December  29,  1S84.  The  other  children  of  this  family  follow :  John  H., 
former  mayor  of  Cedarville,  who  died  on  October  11,  19 16,  and  whose 
widow,  who  was  America  Mills  and  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  is  still 
living  at  Cedarville;  Alvin  Victor,  deceased,  whose  widow,  who  was 
Estella  Lott  and  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  is  now  living  at  Dayton ;  Mary 
Elizabeth,  who  died  when  a  child;  Emily  Virginia,  deceased;  Ida  Mahala, 
who  married  William  G.  Haines,  of  this  county,  and  has  two  sons.  Dr.  Roy 
Haines,  of  Paintersville,  and  Frederick,  of  Xenia;  Peter  Elsworth.  now  Hv- 
ing  at  Washington  Court  House,  who  married  Margaret  Wendell  and  has 
one  child,  a  daughter;  Sarah  Ellen,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  Cedarville; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  835 

William  Grant,  now  living  in  Dixon,  Illinois,  who  is  married  and  has  three 
children;  Thomas  Cowton,  who  married  Anna  Shinn  and  is  living  on  a 
farm  east  of  Xenia,  and  Anna  Savilla,  who  died  in  the  days  of  her  girl- 
hood. 


LEONIDAS  CROMWELL  WALKER,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Leonidas  Cromwell  Walker,  who  for  more  than  thirty  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Jamestown,  is  a  native  son  of 
Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Eagle 
township,  Vinton  comity,  January  21,  1855,  a  son  of  Benjamin  Morris  and 
Margaret  (  Ratclifif )  Walker,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  that  part  of  Ross 
county  now  included  in  Vinton  county,  June  5,  182 1,  daughter  of  Ezekiel 
and  Dorothy  (Hammer)  Ratcliff,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Chatham 
county.  North  Carolina,  in  1795,  and  was  eight  years  of  age  when  his  parents, 
John  and  Ruth  Ratcliff,  Quakers,  moved  from  that  place  to  the  new  state 
of  Ohio  in   1S03  and  settled  in  Ross  county. 

Benjamin  Morris  Walker  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  May 
22,  1816,  a  .^on  of  John  and  Letitia  (Humphrey)  Walker,  the  latter  of  whom 
died  in  Virginia^  where  the  former  married  again  and  later  came  over  into 
Ohio  with  his  family  and  settled  in  what  is  now  Vinton  county,  where  he 
spent  his  last  days.  John  Walker  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia, 
March  28,  1787,  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Sophia  ( VanHorn)  Walker.  Quakers, 
both  of  whom  were  born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  former  of 
whom  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  patriot  army  during  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Benjamin  W'alker  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Spring-field  township,  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania,  October  26,  1757,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Hannah  Walker, 
Quakers.  He  grew  up  in  that  township  and  some  time  prior  to  September 
I,  1776,  enlisted  for  service  during  the  Revolution  as  a  member  of  Capt.  Evan 
Edwards'  companv  of  the  Third  Pennsylvania  Line,  and  with  that  command 
served  until  Februarv  20,  1781.  In  February.  1780,  in  his  home  township, 
Benjamin  Walker  married  Sophia  VanHorn.  who  was  born  in  that  same  town- 
ship, April  21,  1757,  a  daughter  of  Garret  and  Mary  VanHorn,  and  in  1785 
or  1786  he  moved  with  his  family  from  Pennsylvania  to  Loudoun  county, 
\'irginia,  and  there  became  engaged  in  the  tanning  business,  erecting  a  tan- 
nery nearby  his  home.  That  old  stone  tannery  is  still  standing  and  some  years 
ago  while  making  a  visit  to  the  old  home  of  his  great-grandparents  in  Vir- 
ginia Doctor  Walker  secured  a  photograph  of  the  same.  Benjamin  Walker 
and  his  family  were  members  of  the  Friends  church.  He  died  at  his  home 
in  Loudoun  county  on  Septembber  i,  1821,  and  his  widow  survived  him  for 
more  than  twentv  vears,  her  death  occurring  in  February,  1845.     On  account 


836  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  her  husband's  Revolutionary  \\'ar  service  she  was  a  pensioner  of  the  gov- 
ernment. Benjamin  Walker  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children, 
namely:  Garret,  born  on  August  20,  1780;  Joseph,  April  12,  17S2;  William. 
February  13,  1785;  John,  Doctor  \\'alker's  grandfather,  March  28,  1787; 
Mary,  September  27,  1789;  Benjamin,  January  3,  1793 ;  Sarah.  June  2^,  1795  :' 
a  daughter  who  died  the  day  after  her  birth,  February  16,  1797.  and  Fbenezer. 
March  7,  1798,  who  died  of  typhoid  fever  while  serving  as  a  boy  soldier 
during  the  \\'ar  of  181 2. 

John  ^Valker  grew  up  in  Loudoun  county  and  there  became  a  farmer  and 
shoemaker,  following  the  latter  vocation  during  the  winter  periods.  During 
the  War  of  1812  he  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  Taylor's  Militia  of 
Loudoun  county.  He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Letitia 
Humphrey,  Doctor  Walker's  grandmother.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Winnie  (Morris)  Humphrey,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Col.  Thomas 
Humphrey,  an  officer  of  the  Revolutionary  army.  To  that  union  were  born 
several  children.  After  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children  John 
Walker  married  Abigail  Brooks  and  a  few  years  later,  in  1824,  moved  over 
into  Ohio  and  on  October  20  of  that  year  setded  on  a  farm  in  what  is  now 
Vinton  countv.  but  which  then  was  comprised  within  the  bounds  of  Jackson 
county,  and  there  established  his  home.  He  died  on  August  i,  18^4,  and  is 
buried  in  the  cemetery  one  mile  north  of  Londonderry,  in  Ross  county. 

Benjamin  M.  Walker,  son  of  John  and  Letitia  (Humphrey)  Walker, 
was  eight  ^■ears  of  age  when  his  father  moved  with  his  family  from  Vir- 
ginia to  Ohio.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  and 
began  farming  on  his  own  account,  in  time  becoming  the  proprietor  of  twelve 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  that  county  and  a  successful  oil  operator.  Reared 
as  a  Quaker,  he  remained  faithful  to  the  tenets  of  that  faith  and  he  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Friends  church.  Reared  a  Whig,  he  became 
a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  the  latter  party.  Benjamin  M.  Walker 
lived  to  be  three  days  past  eighty-three  years  of  age,  his  death  occurring  at 
Londonderrv  on  May  25,  1899.  His  wife.  Margaret  Ratcliff,  had  long  pre- 
deceased him,  her  death  having  occurred  on  September  19,  1875. 

To  Benjamin  M.  and  Margaret  (Ratcliff)  Walker  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Doctor  Walker  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  the  following:  Stephen,  born  on  December  4,  1841,  who  enlisted  his 
sendees  in  behalf  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War,  was  commissioned  first 
lieutenant  of  Company  D,  Eighty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  serving  as  captain  of  that  company  when  he  met  a  soldier's  fate  at 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  on  Sunday  evening,  Septemljer  20.  1863.  a  minie 
ball  going  through  his  heart:  John  W.,  February  28.  1844,  who  served  as  a 
soldier  in  that  same  company  and  regiment  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Battle 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  837 

Creek,  Michigan ;  Simon  R.,  October  1 1,  1846,  who  became  a  civil  engineer  and 
is  now  the  official  surveyor  of  Vinton  county,  making  his  home  at  McArthur; 
Benjamin  Rufus,  May  23,  1852,  a  farmer  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  VVorth- 
ington.  in  Franklin  county;  Emma  Alice,  March  3,  1858,  who  married  Henry 
Stephens  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased,  and  Margaret, 
who  married  Fremont  Milner  and  is  living  at  Leesburg.  The  body  of  Lieu- 
tenant Stephen  Walker,  whose  death  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  is  noted 
above,  was  buried  on  the  field.  In  the  following  February  his  father  went 
to  the  battlefield  to  recover  the  body.  As  this  was  beyond  the  Federal  lines 
he  was  given  an  escort  of  soldiers.  Several  bodies  were  uncovered  before 
he  found  the  one  sought,  among  these  being  the  body  of  Lieutenant  Jackson 
and  the  latter  and  that  of  Lieutenant  Walker  were  given  burial  in  the  National 
cemetery  at  Chattanooga.  Lieutenant  Walker  fell  just  north  of  Snodgrass 
Hill,  not  far  from  the  spot  where  the  monument  erected  to  the  Eighty-ninth 
Ohio  now  marks  that  regiment's  particupation  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Vinton  county,  Leonidas  Cromwell  Walker 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  neightorhood  school  and  supplemented  the 
same  by  a  course  in  the  Normal  School  at  Lebanon,  after  which  he  taught 
school  for  five  terms,  in  the  meantime  spending  his  summer  vacation  periods 
in  the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Dr.  George  Ireland  at  Wilmington, 
being  thus  prepared  for  entrance  at  Hahnemann  Medical  College  at  Chicago, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine in  18S2.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Walker  returned  home  and 
opened  an  office  in  the  vicinity  of  Eagle  Mills,  where  he  was  engaged  in  prac- 
tice for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  moved  to  Halltown,  in 
Ross  county,  and  was  there  engaged  in  practice  until  Januarv  i,  1885,  when 
he  came  to  Greene  county  and  opened  an  office  at  Jamestown,  wliere  he  lias 
since  been  engaged  in  practice,  with  his  present  office  and  dwelling  on  East 
Main  street.  In  1896  Doctor  Walker  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the 
Metropolitan  Post-Graduate  School  of  Medicine  at  New  York.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Greene  County  Medical  Society,  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical 
Society,  of  the  Miami  Valley  Homeopathic  Society  and  of  the  Ohio  State 
Homeopathic  Societv.  The  doctor  is  a  Republican  and  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of  Jamestown  Lodge 
No.  352,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  has  l^een  four  times  worshipful 
master  of  the  same. 

On  June  2,  1881,  Dr.  Leonidas  C.  Walker  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ellen  Marsh,  who  was  born  near  Lower  Salem,  in  Washington  county,  this 
state,  March  25,  1857,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  Marsh,  both  now 
deceased,  who  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Walker  is  the 
youngest,  the  others  being  William,  Maria,  John  and  Susan.  James  Marsh 
was  born  on  October  8,  1821,  and  his  wife  was  born  on  July  i,  1826.     They 


838  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

were  married  on  May  16,  1841.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Walker  have  two  children, 
Bessie,  born  in  Eagle  township,  Vinton  county,  November  20,  1882,  w-ho 
married  Charles  E.  Fisher,  a  business  man  of  Xenia,  and  Charles  T.,  born 
in  Harrison  township,  Ross  county,  November  17,  1884,  who  is  now  engaged 
in  the  automobile  business  at  Jamestown.  Mrs.  Fisher  is  a  member  of  Cathe- 
rine Greene  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution  at  Xenia. 
Charles  T.  \\'alker  married  Eskelene  Reynolds,  daughter  of  Professor 
Reynolds,  superintendent  of  the  Greene  county  schools,  and  has  one  child, 
a  son,  Ned  Lewis,  born  on  March  9,  191 7. 


JOHN  A.  TIBBS. 

John  A.  Tibbs,  assessor  of  Miami  township  and  the  proprietor  of  a  farm 
adjoining  the  western  line  of  the  village  of  Yellow  Pine,  is  a  Virginian  by 
birth,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Ohio  since  he  was  eight  years  of  age.  He  was 
born  on  August  i,  1856,  at  Morgantown,  county  seat  of  Monongalia  county, 
which  then  was  a  part  of  the  Old  Dominion,  but  which  since  the  Civil  War 
has  been  a  part  of  the  state  of  West  Virginia,  and  his  parents,  Samuel  and 
Sarah  (Bennett)  Tibbs,  also  were  natives  of  that  same  section. 

Samuel  Tibbs  was  born  in  181 2  and  grew  to  manhood  at  Morgantown, 
where  he  married  and  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home  until  1864,  when 
he  moved  over  into  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  Scioto  county,  where  he 
remained  until  1884,  in  which  year  he  moved  to  Champaign  county.  In  this 
latter  county  he  remained  until  1900,  when  he  moved  down  into  Clark  county, 
where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his  death  occurring  there  in  1902.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  namely :  Sylvanus,  Mary  and 
Adaline,  who  died  in  youth ;  Martha  Jane,  Cordelia  and  Hester  Ann,  also  now 
deceased ;  Louise,  who  married  G.  L.  Dodge,  of  Champaign  county,  and  has 
eleven  children;  Charles,  deceased;  John  A.,  the  subject  of  tiiis  biographical 
sketch;  Samuel  and  David,  deceased,  and  George  Edward,  wlio  is  farming  in 
the  vicinity  of  Topeka,  Kansas. 

As  noted  above,  John  A.  Tibbs  was  but  eight  years  of  age  when  his 
parents  came  to  Ohio  and  he  completed  his  schooling  in  Scioto  county,  mov- 
ing thence  with  his  father  to  Champaign  county  in  1884  and  thence,  in  1900, 
to  Clark  county,  continually  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  in  1902,  Mr.  Tibbs  came  down  into  Greene  county  and 
bought  his  present  farm  just  west  of  the  corporation  line  of  Yellow  Springs 
and  has  since  resided  there.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Tibbs 
has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock,  his  specialty 
being  Duroc-Jersey  hogs.  He  is  a  Republican  and  both  in  Champaign  county 
and  in  Clark  countv  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  839 

districts  in  which  he  resided  in  those  respective  counties,  and  not  long  after 
coming  to  Greene  county  was  elected  assessor  of  Miami  township,  which 
office  he  is  still  holding,  now  serving  his  fourth  term. 

John  A.  Tibbs  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louise  Cunningham,  of  Scioto 
county,  this  state,  daughter  of  John  D.  and  Melissa  (Woodring)  Cunning- 
ham, who  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children  and  the  former  of  whom  lived 
to  be  ninety-eight  years  of  age,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five  children, 
four  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  Claude,  deceased ;  Harry,  unmarried, 
who  is  still  living  at  home  with  his  parents  and  who  is  engaged  as  a  mail 
carrier  at  Yellow  Springs;  Orin  T.,  who  married  Gertrude  Adamson,  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  has  three  children,  John  Charles,  June  Elizabeth  and 
Robert  Orin;  Edna,  who  died  when  six  years  of  age,  and  James  Raymond, 
now  living  near  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  who  married  Dorothy  Ellis,  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  has  two  children,  Marjorie  Law  and  James  R.,  Jr. 


EDwix  ^^^  wing. 


Edwin  W.  Wing,  former  clerk  of  the  village  of  Clifton  and  formerly 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  there,  now  living  retired  at  his  home  in 
that  place,  is  a  native  of  the  great  Empire  state,  but  has  been  a  resident  of 
Ohio  since  he  was  six  years  of  age  and  of  Greene  county  most  of  the  time 
for  the  past  twenty  years  or  more.  He  was  born  at  Hinsdale,  New  York, 
June  27,  1859,  son  of  William  H.  and  Jane  A.  (Bullard)  Wing,  natives  of 
that  same  state,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  1865  and  established  their  home  on  a 
farm  in  the  Mechanicsburg  neighborhood  in  Champaign  county,  where  they 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

William  H.  Wing  was  born  in  Rensselaer  county,  New  York,  in  1818, 
son  of  William  and  Miriam  Wing,  also  natives  of  that  state,  who  spent  all 
their  lives  in  their  native  state.  The  Wings  are  of  old  Colonial  stock,  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  this  country  having  been  a  Quaker  who  came  here 
from  Plolland,  the  family  originally  having  gone  from  England  to  Holland. 
In  Rensselaer  county.  New  York,  William  H.  Wing  grew  to  manhood  and 
married  Jane  A.  BuUard,  who  was  born  at  Hinsdale,  also  of  an  old  Colonial 
family,  the  Bullards  being  of  "Mayflower"  descent.  After  his  marriage  Will- 
iam H.  Wmg  became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Hinsdale,  and 
was  thus  engaged  there  when,  in  the  early  '60s,  he  came  to  Ohio  on  a  little 
vacation  trip  and  was  so  favorably  impressed  with  the  appearance  of  things 
in  this  section  of  the  state  that  he  decided  to  locate  here.  Returning  to  New 
York  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  with  his  family  came  back  to 
Ohio  and  bought  about  a  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Mechanicsburg,  in  Champaign  county,  and  there  established  his  home,  that 


840  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

place  having  been  the  nucleus  of  the  present  celebrated  "Woodland  Farm,"' 
widely  known  in  consequence  of  the  astonishing  results  achieved  there  in  the 
way  of  alfalfa  culture  and  which  has  been  referred  to  as  "one  of  the  mile- 
stones of  American  agriculture."  The  story  of  the  work  done  by  William 
H.  Wing  and  his  sons  in  the  way  of  alfalfa  culture  is  well  known  throughout 
this  section  of  Ohio  and  need  not  be  repeated  here.  The  story  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Wing  Seed  Company,  growing  out  of  the  demand  made 
upon  the  Wings  for  alfalfa  seed,  also  is  well  known  and  is  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  agricultural  development  of  this  part 
of  the  state.  Since  the  death  of  the  late  Joseph  Wing  ("the  Alfalfa  King"), 
first  president  of  the  company,  who  died  in  191 5,  Charles  Wing,  another  of 
the  sons  of  William  H.  Wing,  has  acted  as  president  of  the  same.  William 
H.  Wing  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  biographical  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Joseph,  Jennie 
May,  Willis  O.  and  Charles  B.  William  H.  Wing  died  in  1890  and  his  widow 
survived  him  for  twenty-five  years,  her  death  occurring  in  September,  191 5. 

Edwin  W.  Wing  was  six  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents 
from  New  York  to  Ohio  and  he  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Mechanicsburg,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  village, 
and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  an  assistant  in  the  labors  of  the  home 
farm  and  in  the  development  of  the  interests  that  have  made  the  name  Wing 
known  far  and  wide  among  agriculturists.  In  1890  Mr.  Wing  married  a 
Greene  county  girl  and  after  his  marriage  continued  his  agricultural  opera- 
tions in  Champaign  county  until  1896,  when  he  moved  to  Clifton  and  there 
became  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  buying  the  George  H.  Smith  stcre, 
which  he  continued  to  operate  for  eight  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
sold  the  same  and  for  a  time  thereafter  was  engaged  in  developing  his  realty 
interests  at  Clifton,  erecting  the  building  in  which  the  postoffice  now  is  located 
and  also  the  building  in  which  the  local  Knights  of  Pythias  have  their  hall. 
He  and  his  family  then  went  to  Georgia,  exjiecting  to  establish  their  home 
in  the  South  if  conditions  seemed  favorable,  but  after  a  residence  of  a  couple 
of  years  in  that  state  returned  to  Clifton,  where  they  have  since  resided.  Since 
his  return  from  the  South  Mr.  Wing  has  been  living  practically  retired. 
For  some  time  he  rendered  public  service  as  clerk  of  the  village. 

On  April  2,  1890,  at  Clifton,  Edwin  W.  Wing  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Sarah  Iliff.  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  David  B.  and  Flora 
(Grindle)  Iliff,  both  also  Greene  county  folk,  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still 
living  here.  David  B.  Iliff  was  for  years  engaged  in  operating  a  paper  mill 
in  the  vicinity  of  Clifton  and  after  his  retirement  from  business  made  his 
home  in  that  village,  where  his  death  occurred  on  October  16,  191 5.  He  and 
his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children.  Mrs.  Wing  having  two  brothers, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  84I 

John  and  George  Iliff,  and  three  sisters,  Mrs.  Anna  Bowen,  Mrs.  Jessie 
Baker,  of  Kansas,  and  Mrs.  Edith  Randall,  also  of  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wing  have  three  daughters :  Alice  May,  wife  of  Irvin  Linson,  a  farmer, 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Enon,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark;  Ethel,  wife  of  Nelson  Stretcher,  of  Covington,  Kentucky,  and  Florence, 
who  was  born  during  the  time  of  the  family's  residence  in  Georgia  and  who 
is  now  in  school  at  Clifton.     The  Wings  are  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


PROF.  CHESTER  A.  DEVOE. 

Prof.  Chester  A.  Devoe,  superintendent  of  county  school  district  No.  3, 
comprising  the  schools  of  Jamestown,  Silver  Creek  township,  Caesarscreek 
township  and  the  centralized  school  in  Jefferson  township,  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  Caesarscreek  township  on  January  15,  1883,  son  of  John  and  Mary  M. 
(Williams)  Devoe,  who  are  still  living  in  that  township,  where  they  have 
made  their  home  since  their  marriage  on  March  8,  1882.  John  Devoe  was 
born  in  that  same  township,  February  7,  1855,  and  his  wife  was  born  in  High- 
land county,  this  state,  March  11,  1861.  They  have  three  children.  Professor 
Devoe  having  a  sister,  Loura,  who  married  James  Jones  and  is  living  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Mt.  Tabor  church  in  this  county,  and  a  brother,  Marion 
A.,  who  is  unmarried  and  who  is  still  living  on  the  old  home  farm. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Chester  A.  Devoe 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  supple- 
mented the  same  by  attendance  at  the  State  Normal  School  at  Lebanon,  com- 
pleting there  the  course  for  teachers  in  1901.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
began  teaching  and  for  seven  years  thereafter  was  engaged  during  the  winters 
as  a  teacher  in  the  district  schools  of  New  Jasper  township  and  Caesarscreek 
township.  He  then  was  appointed  principal  of  the  Caesarscreek  township 
high  school  and  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  that  township  and  vvas  thus 
employed  for  eight  years,  or  until  his  election  in  1916  to  the  }X)sition  he  now 
occupies,  that  of  superintendent  of  school  district  No.  3,  comprising  the  schools 
of  Jamestown,  Caesarscreek  township,  Silvercreek  township  and  the  centralized 
schools  of  Jefferson  township.  Professor  Devoe  holds  a  life  certificate  from 
the  state  as  a  teacher  in  both  the  grade  and  high  schools  and  is  a  member  of 
the  county  examining  board  for  teachers.  For  two  years  he  was  chairman 
of  the  county  "dry"  association  and  has  ever  been  an  ardent  exponent  of  the 
principles  of  the  temperance  movement  in  this  state. 

On  March  29,  1906,  Prof.  Chester  A.  Devoe  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Sarah  E.  Jones,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lydia  (Thomas)  Jones,  of  New 
Jasper,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  Nellie,  -Edna,  Mary, 
Paul  and  Martha.    Professor  and  Mrs.  Devoe  are  members  of  the  Methodist 


842  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Episcopal  church  at  Jamestown  and  the  Professor  is  the  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school.  In  1916  he  was  president  of  the  Greene  County  Sunday 
School  Association,  an  organization  to  which  he  has  for  years  given  earnest 
attention.  The  Professor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Xenia  and  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at  Paintersville. 


HUGH  A.  ALEXANDER. 

The  late  Hugh  A.  Alexander,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Miami  township 
in  the  summer  of  1906,  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  died  and  there 
spent  all  his  life.  The  Alexanders  have  been  represnted  in  this  county  ever 
since  the  year  181 1,  when  Hugh  Alexander,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  memt/rial  sketch,  came  up  here  from  Kentucky  and  bought  a  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Miami  township.  Jacob  Alexander,  one  of  the  sons  of  this 
pioneer,  married  Margaret  Alexander  and  established  his  home  on  a  portion 
of  that  tract,  erecting  on  the  same  a  log  cabin  in  which  he  and  his  wife  began 
housekeeping.  Jacob  Alexander  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred 
and  se\enty-five  acres  and  on  that  place  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occur- 
ring there  in  183CS.  His  widow  survived  him  for  nearly  thirty  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  1S66.  she  then  being  past  seventy  years  of  age.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children. 

Hugh  A.  Alexander,  last  survivor  of  the  ten  children  born  to  Jacob  and 
Margaret  ( .-\lexander)  Alexander,  was  born  on  the  home  farm  in  ]\Iianii 
township  on  ]\Iarch  20,  1827.  He  was  but  eleven  years  of  age  when  his  father 
died  and  he  grew  up  on  the  home  place  and  after  his  marriage  in  18^10 
established  his  home  there,  continuing  to  reside  there  the  rest  of  his  life,  liis 
death  occurring  there  on  July  8,  1906.  For  some  years  before  his  death  he 
had  been  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  having 
turned  the  management  of  the  same  over  to  two  of  his  sons.  In  1917  the 
farm  was  sold  to  William  Conley.  By  political  affiliation  Mr.  .Mexander  wa-". 
a  Republican. 

In  i860,  at  Dayton,  this  state.  Hugh  A.  .Mexander  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Catherine  Stahl,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  biU  who  was  but  a  cliild 
when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  ]iarents,  the  family  locating  at  Dayton. 
To  that  union  \\ere  liorn  eleven  children,  namely:  John,  who  for  _\-ears  has 
been  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  who  married 
Minnie  Roach  and  has  five  children,  Archibald.  Carl,  Wilma,  Donald  and 
Helen:  Cynthia,  wife  of  Jacob  Johnson,  of  Yellow  Springs,  this  county: 
Margaret,  who  is  now  living  at  Cedarville,  to  which  place  she  moved  with  her 
mother  after  the  death  of  her  father:  Jacob,  now  a  farmer  at  Knowles,  Okla- 
homa, who  married  Man-  Merrill  and  has  two  children,  Emmet  and  Wiley; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  843 

Hugh,  who  married  Flora  Raney  and  became  engaged  in  association  with 
his  brother  William  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  where  he 
died  on  September  ,i8,  1917,  leaving  three  children,  Eleanor,  Ruth  and 
Dorothy;  Minnie,  who  married  Riley  McMillan,  a  farmer  of  Cedarville  town- 
ship, and  has  four  children,  Ethel,  Harvey,  Wilbur  and  Esther;  Anna,  who 
is  engaged  in  her  brother's  store  at  Yellow  Springs ;  Abbie,  who  married 
S.  A.  Rahn,  who  formerly  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Yellow 
Springs,  and  became  the  mother  of  three  children,  Ralph  (deceased),  Harold 
and  Helen :  William,  who  married  Nellie  Newell  and  is  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Yellow  Springs:  Arthur,  now  living  at  Kansas  City,  who 
married  Lunetta  McMillan,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Grace ;  and  Walter, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years.  Following  the  death  of  her  husband  in 
iqo6  Mrs.  Alexander  and  her  daughters,  Margaret  and  Anna,  moved  to 
Cedarville,  where  Mrs.  Alexander  died  on  December  14,  1917,  and  \\here 
Miss  Margaret  Alexander  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Alexander  was  a  member  of 
the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  as  are  her  daughters. 


WILLIAM  A.  DEAN. 


Though  no  longer  a  resident  of  Greene  county  and  now  living  retired  at 
Columbu.s,  Indiana,  William  A.  Dean  has  never  lost  his  interest  in  Greene 
county  affairs  and  it  is  but  fitting  that  in  the  history  of  his  old  home  county 
there  should  be  set  out  some  of  the  details  of  his  former  connection  with 
the  afi'airs  of  this  county,  together  with  proper  reference  to  the  several  pio- 
neer families  of  Greene  county  with  which  he  is  connected  and  with  which 
his  wife  is  connected,  for  both  are  members  of  families  that  have  been  closely 
associated  with  the  affairs  of  this  county  since  pioneer  days  and  which  still 
have  a  wide  connection  hereabout. 

William  A.  Dean  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clin- 
ton on  A-Iarch  11,  1857,  son  of  William  Campbell  and  Susan  (Janney)  Dean, 
both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  this  part  of  the  state,  both  the  Deans 
and  the  Janneys  having  settled  here  in  early  days,  the  Deans  coming  up  from 
Kentucky  and  the  Janneys,  over  from  Virginia.  Susan  Janney  was  born 
in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  in  1820,  and  was  twelve  years  of  age  when  her 
parents,  Stephen  and  Letitia  (Taylor)  Janney,  native  Virginians,  Quakers, 
who  were  married  in  that  state,  drove  through  with  their  family  to  Ohio  in 
1832  and  settled  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Springboro  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Warren,  where  they  established  their  home  and  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  days. 

The  Deans  are  one  of  the  old  famiHes  of  Greene  county  and,  as  noted 
above,  are  still  numerously  represented  hereabout,  the  family  having  had  its 


844  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

beginnings  here  with  the  coming  of  Daniel  Dean  and  his  family  up  from  Ken- 
tucky in  1812.  Daniel  Dean,  the  pioneer,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  son  of 
Roger  and  Mary  Dean,  and  was  but  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  this  country  in  1784,  landing  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  In  1788  he  w<-nt 
to  Kentucky,  where  in  1791  he  married  Janet  Steele.  After  his  marriage  he 
continued  to  make  his  home  on  his  Kentucky  farm  until  181 2,  when  he 
decided  to  move  up  into  Ohio.  He  had  previously  bought  a  tract  of  eighteen 
hundred  acres  of  land  along  Caesarscreek,  in  this  county,  and  in  181 2  estab- 
lished his  home  there,  as  is  set  out,  together  with  a  comprehensive  history 
of  the  Dean  family  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  There  were  five  sons  and  six 
daughters  in  this  pioneer  family,  all  of  whom  li\-ed  to  rear  families  of  their 
own.  The  five  sons  were  Robert,  William,  Daniel,  Joseph  and  James.  Thirty- 
six  members  of  this  family  served  as  soldiers  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War  and  all  returned  home  save  one,  who  died  at  the  front. 

Robert  Dean,  first-born  of  the  children  of  Daniel  and  Janet  (Steele)  Dean, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1793  and  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Greene  county  in  1812.  He  straightway  enlisted  his 
services  in  behalf  of  America's  second  war  of  independence,  then  in  progress, 
and  served  as  a  member  of  Capt.  Robert  McClellan's  company  on  a  tour  of 
duty  to  Ft.  Wayne,  in  the  Territor)'  of  Indiana.  On  the  tract  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  which  he  inherited  from  his  father  in  what 
later  came  to  be  organized  as  New  Jasper  township  he  established  his  home 
and  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  on  May  8,  1856,  and  he  was 
buried  in  the  Dean  burying  ground.  Robert  Dean  was  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  having  been  a  Campbell  and  his  second,  an  Orr,  and  was  the  father 
of  a  considerable  family,  one  of  his  sons,  William  Campbell  Dean,  a  child 
by  the  first  marriage,  having  been  the  father  of  the  immediate  subject  of  this 
biographical  sk-etch. 

William  Campbell  Dean  was  born  on  the  old  Dean  place  in  New  Jasper 
township  on  July  4.  1822,  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  During  the  days  of  his 
young  manhood  he  went  South  and  was  for  eighteen  months  engaged  as  a 
guard  in  the  Tennessee  state  penitentiary  at  Nashville.  Upon  his  return  to 
Greene  county  he  married  Susan  Janney,  mentioned  in  a  preceding  paragraph, 
and  after  his  marriage  became  engaged  with  his  brother  Daniel  in  the  grocery 
business  at  Xenia,  the  brothers  conducting  at  the  northwest  comer  of  Detroit 
and  ]\Iain  streets  (where  the  Steele  building  now  stands)  the  first  store  e.xclu- 
sively  devoted  to  the  .sale  of  groceries  ever  started  in  Xenia.  After  four  years 
of  this  form  of  mercantile  business  William  C.  Dean  sold  his  interest  in  the 
store  to  his  brother  and  moved  to  Clinton  county,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  this  county 
and  bouglit  the  interests  of  the  other  heirs  in  the  old  Dean  farm  in   Xew 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  845 

Jasper  township,  then  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-four  acres,  estab- 
lished his  home  tliere,  on  the  place  where  he  was  born,  and  there  spent  tlie 
remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  September,  1888,  he  tlien  loeing 
in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  William  C.  Dean  was  a  Republican  and 
had  served  as  townsiiip  trustee.  Originally  memljers  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
church,  he  and  his  wife  later  became  memljers  of  the  Friends  church  and  their 
children  were  reared  in  the  latter  faith.  There  were  five  of  these  children,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  tliird  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  Letitia,  unmarried,  who  is  living  on  the  old  home  place  in  New  Jasper 
township ;  Anna,  now  living  at  Indianapolis  and  who  has  been  twice  married, 
her  first  husband  having  been  William  Hazelrig  and  her  second,  William  Bal- 
dock;  Charles  S.,  of  Xenia,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  and  Susan,  who  married  Edgar  Ballard  and  is  still  li\-ing  on  the 
old  Dean  place  in  New  Jasper  township. 

\\'illiam  A.  Dean  was  but  an  infant  when  his  parents  returned  to  this 
county  from  tlieir  brief  residence  in  Clinton  county,  where  he  was  born,  and 
he  was  reared  on  the  old  home  place  in  New  Jasper  township.  He  receixed 
his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  at  Antioch  College.  Upon  his 
father's  death  in  1888  he  inherited  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  nine  acres  of 
land  on  tlie  New  Burlington  pike  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  after  his 
marriage  two  years  later  began  housekeeping  there,  Ijut  in  1903  he  sold  tliat 
place  and  moved  to  Portage  county,  this  state,  where  he  bought  a  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  on  which  he  made  his  home  for  twelve  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  farming  interests  and  has  since  lieen 
living  retired.  In  the  spring  of  1917  he  and  his  wife  moved  to  Columbus, 
Indiana,  where  they  have  since  been  living.  Mr.  Dean  is  a  Republican  and 
for  some  time  during  his  residence  in  Portage  county  served  as  township  trus- 
tee. He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  They 
have  one  child,  a  son,  Edwin  Janney  Dean,  who  married  Frances  Elliott,  of 
Warren,  Ohio,  and  lives  at  Newton  Falls,  this  state.  They  have  one  son, 
William  A. 

On  I'ebruary  27,  1890,  William  A.  Dean  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mariella  Rader,  who  was  born  at  Xenia  on  August  2,  1859,  daughter  of  Adam 
and  Susan  ( iMcKnight)  Rader,  the  former  of  wliom  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  the  latter  in  Virginia,  but  who  had  been  residents  of  Greene  countv 
since  the  days  of  their  childhood,  they  having  accompanied  tiieir  respective 
parents  to  this  section  of  Ohio  when  they  were  mere  children.  Adam  Rader 
was  born  at  Fredericksburg,  Pennsylvania,  November  15,  1818,  and  was  not 
yet  three  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Adam  Rader  and  wife,  came  to  Ohio, 
driving  through,  in  1821  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike 
in  Beavercreek  township,  this  county.     During  the  days  of  his  youth  his  par- 


846  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ents  left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  grew  up  and  was  for  years 
engaged  in  the  cooperage  and  brickmaking  business.  On  December  13,  1849, 
at  171  Columbus  avenue,  Xenia,  the  younger  Adam  Rader  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Susan  V.  McKnight,  who  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia, 
February  21,  1827,  and  who  was  but  about  fourteen  years  of  age  when  her 
parents,  Josiah  McKnight  and  wife,  came  to  Ohio  and  settled  at  Xenia.  After 
their  marriage  Adam  Rader  and  his  wife  established  their  home  at  tlie  above 
number  in  Xenia  and  with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  at  Jamestown, 
in  this  county,  there  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Rader  died 
there  on  May  15,  1894,  and  her  husband  survived  her  for  more  tlian  eleven 
years,  his  death  occurring  on  January  30,  1907,  he  then  l^eing  in  tiie  eighth- 
ninth  year  of  liis  age.  They  were  members  of  the  Reformed  church  at  Xenia 
and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these  chil- 
dren, namely:  Emma,  who  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years;  Edwin  C,  a  con- 
tractor at  Xenia  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  thi-; 
volume :  Henry  Willard,  Mrs.  Dean's  twin  brother,  who  is  now  living  at  Day- 
ton, this  state:  ^.lartha,  still  living  at  Xenia.  widow  of  Dr.  H.  R.  McClelland, 
and  Ada  ^'irginia,  wife  of  D.  C.  F.  Oglesbee,  of  Xenia. 


BURLEY  [.  COY. 


Burley  J.  Coy,  merchant  in  the  village  of  Zimmerman,  in  Beavercreek 
township,  this  county,  was  born  in  that  township  on  January  2,  1873,  son 
of  Abraham  and  Catherine  (Zimmerman)  Coy,  both  members  of  pioneer 
families  in  that  part  of  the  county,  as  will  be  noted  by  exlensive  reference 
made  to  these  families  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Abraham  Coy  was  bom 
in  Beavercreek  township  in  1820,  a  son  of  Jacob  Coy,  and  died  on  October 
19.  1905.  For  some  time,  many  years  ago,  he  operated  a  store  at  Zimmer- 
man and  was  the  first  postmaster  of  that  village,  that  having  been  back  in  the 
davs  of  the  stage  coacli.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, four  of  whom,  Mary,  Ellen,  George  and  William,  died  during  the  "60^, 
the  others  being  the  following:  C  Lincoln,  who  is  living  in  Beavercreek 
township :  Lewis,  who  lives  at  Dayton ;  Burley,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
Dr.  Marcellus  Cov,  of  Dayton:  Parmelia.  wife  of  Melville  Brewer,  of  Beaver- 
creek township:  Emma,  who  is  living  at  Dayton,  and  Lodema,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Stewart,  of  Beavercreek  townshi]). 

L^pon  completing  his  schooling  in  the  home  schools  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship, Burley  J.  Coy  was  for  a  time  variously  engaged  and  then  took  up  rail- 
roading, employed  as  a  motorman  on  the  traction  line  between  Dayton  and 
Piqua,  and  for  eighteen  years  was  thus  engaged.  He  then  bought  a  corner 
lot  at  Zimmerman  and  on  that  lot,  just  opposite  the  site  on  which  his  father 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  847 

years  ago  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  built  a  store  building  and  became 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account,  with  a  view  eventually  to  making  a 
general  store  of  his  place.  Mr.  Coy  is  a  Republican  and  has  held  township 
offices.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  with  the  Elks,  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  with  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 


CHARLES  E.   FISHER. 


Charles  E.  Fisher,  proprietor  of  a  meat  shop  at  36  East  ]\Iain  street, 
Xenia,  was  born  in  that  city  on  January  9,  1879,  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Katherine  (Wolf)  l~isher,  natives  of  Germany,  and  the  former  of  whom 
died  on  January  j8,  1918,  he  having  been  succeeded  in  the  meat  business 
there  by  his  son,  the  subject  of  this  sketcli. 

Andrew  Fisher  was  born  in  the  city  of  Frankfort,  the  most  ancient  of 
the  old  free  cities  of  Germany,  February  18,  1842,  and  was  but  a  child  when 
he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  eastern  Penn- 
sylvania. There  he  remained  until  1853,  in  which  year,  he  then  being  but 
eleven  }-ears  of  age.  he  came  o\er  into  Ohio  to  join  his  elder  brother.  George 
Fisher,  who  was  at  that  time  the  forman  of  a  distillery  at  Spring 
\'alley,  in  this  county.  At  Spring  Valley  Andrew  Fisher  completed 
his  schooling  and  "  as  a  young  man  became  engaged  in  farming  in 
the  vicinity  of  Frost  Station.  On  the  last  one-hundred-days  call  for 
volunteers  for  service  in  the  Union  army  during  the  progress  of  the 
Civil  War  he  enlisted  and  was  sent  with  his  comrades  into  Virginia,  where 
he  was  captured  by  the  enemy  and  was  for  four  months  confined  in  Libby 
Prison.  In  1868,  at  Xenia,  Andrew  Fisher  married  Katherine  Wolf,  who 
was  but  nine  months  of  age  when  her  parents  came  to  this  country  from  Ger- 
many with  their  family  and  located  at  Cincinnati.  As  a  young  woman  Kathe- 
rine Wolf  went  from  Cincinnati  to  Xenia  and  in  the  latter  city  was  married 
and  spent  the  rest  of  her  life,  her  death  occurring  there  on  May  21,  1910. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church.  Andrew  Fisher  years  ago 
became  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  at  Xenia  and  so  continued  until 
he  retired  and  in  the  fall  of  1903  sold  his  place  to  his  son,  Charles  E.,  who 
is  still  conducting  the  same,  .\ndrew  Fisher  for  some  time  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  citv  council  from  his  home  ward.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born 
ten  children,  eight  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  these,  besides  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  being  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Homer  Hawkins,  of  Xenia  township : 
Maud  and  May,  twins,  the  former  of  v.hom  married  W.  L.  Miller  and  the 
latter,  William  Grottendick,  and  both  of  whom  are  now  deceased:  Harry  ;\1., 
a  locomotive  engineer  on  the  Pennsylvania  railroad,  who  married  Stella 
Hamilton,  of  Xenia:  Clarence  W.,   who  married   Xellie  \'anCleave   and   is 


848  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

also  living-  in  Xenia;  Elmer  A.,  who  married  Mrs.  VanWinkle  and  is  also  liv- 
ing at  Xenia:  and  Fred  C.  also  of  Xenia,  who  married  Hazel  Berry. 

Charles  E.  Fisher  was  reared  at  Xenia,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the 
schools  of  tliat  city,  and  early  became  familiar  with  the  details  of  the  retail 
meat  business,  presently  becoming  engaged  in  that  business  on  his  own  account. 
In  1869  his  father  had,  in  association  with  his  brother-in-law,  opened  a  small 
shop  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Columbus  streets,  later  moving  to  Detroit 
street  and  thence,  in  1880,  to  38  East  Main  street  and  shortly  after  to  36 
East  I^Iain  street,  where  the  shop  has  ever  since  been  located.  On  September 
10,  1903.  Charles  E.  Fisher  bought  out  his  father's  business  and  has  since 
been  conducting  the  same  at  the  same  old  stand.  Mr.  Fisher  is  a  member 
of  Xenia  Lodge  Xo.  49,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  the  local  lodge  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  is  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  Xenia  lodge  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

On  March  23,  1904,  at  Janiestown,  this  county,  Charles  E.  Fisher  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Bessie  Walker,  of  that  place,  daughter  of  Dr.  L.  C. 
and  Ella  (Marsh)  Walker,  who  are  still  living  at  Jamestown  and  who  have 
two  children,  ?tlrs.  Fisher  having  a  brother,  C.  Tiffin  \\"alker,  who  is  married, 
his  wife  being  a  Revnolds,  and  lives  at  Cedarville. 


MICHAEL  A.  BROADSTOXE. 

Michael  A.  Broadstone  was  born  in  Greene  county.  Ohio,  on  October 
30,  1852,  and  has  made  the  county  his  home  practically  all  of  his  life.  Born 
on  a  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  he  passed  his  boyhood  days  in  a  manner 
similar  to  that  of  most  of  the  boys  reared  on  the  farm  in  his  day.  After 
completing  his  elementary  education  in  the  rural  schools,  he  became  a  stu- 
dent in  Xenia  College  and  there  prepared  himself  for  the  teaching  profes- 
sion. Before  reaching  his  majority  he  was  teaching  in  Cedarville  township 
and  later  taught  in  Sugarcreek  township.  He  saved  his  money  in  order  to 
continue  his  education  and  subsequently  entered  the  Xational  Xormal 
School  at  Lebanon,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Broadstone  later  became  a  representative  of  the  firm  of  L.  H. 
Everts  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  a  company  engaged  in  the  publishing 
of  county  atlases  and  histories.  During  the  eight  years  that  he  was  with 
this  firm  he  traveled  over  several  states  in  the  Union,  thereby  gaining  a 
fund  of  experience  that  has  been  valuable  to  him  later  in  life.  He  located 
permanently  in  Xenia  in  1882,  having  been  married  the  previous  year,  and 
has  since  made  that  city  his  home.  He  purchased  in  March,  1882,  an  in- 
terest in  the  undertaking  business  of  John  Shearer  and  was  in  that  business 
for  several  years.     At  different  times  he  was  in  partnership  with   W.   it. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  849 

McMillen  and  subsequently  was  associated  with  T.  M.  Moore  for  eleven 
years.  For  several  years  in  connection  with  the  business  he  conducted  it 
alone. 

While  thus  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business,  Mr.  Broadstone  spent 
his  spare  time  in  studying  law  and  in  June,  1895,  passed  the  state  board  of 
examination  at  Columbus  and  was  admitted  to  the  practice  of  law  in  all 
the  courts  of  the  state;  since  which  time  he  has  devoted  most  of  his  time 
to  the  practice  of  law,  though  while  thus  occupied  he  has  found  time  to 
participate  in  local  political  activities  and  has  filled  various  official  positions. 
Mr.  Broadstone's  first  official  position  was  that  of  a  member  of  the  Xenia 
common  council,  an  ofiice  in  which  he  served  for  a  five-year  period  follow- 
ing his  first  election  to  the  council  in  1883,  and  during  part  of  which  time 
he  served  as  president  of  the  council.  He  was  elected  county  coroner  and 
in  that  office  served  three  terms  of  three  j'ears  each.  Upon  the  death  of 
S.  N.  Adams,  county  recorder,  in  1900,  Mr.  Broadstone  was  appoined  to 
fill  out  the  unexpired  term  and  was  then  elected  to  that  office  as  the  nominee 
of  the  l^^epublican  party.  He  was  re-elected  and  thus  served  for  about  three 
terms  in  that  office.  The  last  official  position  filled  by  Mr.  Broadstone  was 
that  of  state  senator  from  this  district,  a  position  which  he  filled  from  1912 
to  1914.  At  present  he  is  serving  as  attorney  in  Greene  county  for  the 
Miami  Conservancy  Board.  In  1918  Mr.  Broadstone  was  prominently  men- 
tioned by  the  press  and  solicited  by  his  friends  over  the  state  to  become  a 
candidate  for  the  office  of  lieutenant-governor  of  Ohio,  but  declined  to  con- 
sider the  candidacv  on  account  of  the  press  of  business  which  engages  him 
and  because  of  a  severe  accident  which  befell  him  in  the  spring  of  that  year, 
when  he  was  caught  beneath  on  o\-erturned  automobile. 

On  March  8,  1881,  at  Cold  water,  Michigan,  Mr.  Broadstone  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ella  Cretors,  then  a  teacher  in  the  state  public  school  at 
Coldwater.  Mrs.  Broadstone  was  born  in  Xenia,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  B. 
Cretors,  and  was  graduated  from  the  old  Xenia  Female  Seminary,  later 
Xenia  College,  and  was  a  student  in  the  latter  during  the  time  of  Mr.  Broad- 
stone's  attendance  there.  To  Air.  and  Mrs.  Broadstone  have  been  born  three 
daughters,  Louise  D.,  Jean  and  Patricia,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  wife  of 
hlndlev  M.  Torrence  of  Xenia,  secretary  of  the  Ohio  Retail  Lumbemien's 
Association  and  editor  of  IVood  Consf ruction,  the  official  organ  of  that 
association.  Louise  D.  Broadstone  married  John  W.  Dillencourt,  now  liv- 
ing at  St.  Louis,  where  he  is  engaged  as  manager  of  the  fine  cordage  depart- 
ment of  the  Graham  Paper  Company,  and  has  three  children.  Margaret. 
John  B.  and  Jane.  Jean  Broadstone  married  Lawrence  E.  Laybourne,  a 
lawyer  now  practicing  at  Springfield,  this  state,  and  has  two  children,  Everett 

(.53) 


850  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

B.  and  Lawrence.  J\Ir.  Broadstone  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the 
Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  P3'thias  at  Xenia.  The  family 
residence  is  at  loi  East  Church  street  and  Mr.  Broadstone  has  offices  in 
the  Steele  buildmg. 


CHARLES  A.  WEAVER. 

Charles  A.  Weaver,  vice-president  of  the  Xenia  Business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation and  proprietor  of  a  clothing  store  at  13  East  Alain  street,  is  a  native 
son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life,  a  resident  of  Xenia  since 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  just  over  the  line  in 
Chester  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  a  mile  east  of  the 
village  of  New  Burlington,  in  1879,  son  of  Volcah  E.  and  Arabella  (Peter- 
son) Weaver,  who  retired  from  the  farm  in  1900  and  moved  to  Xenia,  where 
they  are  now  living. 

Volcah  E.  Weaver  was  born  in  the  village  of  Xew  Burlington  on  October 
2,  1842,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Anna  (Ellis)  Weaver,  both  members  of  pioneer 
families  in  that  vicinity.  Samuel  Weaver  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Winchester,  in  Virginia,  a  son  of  Abraham  and  Mary  Magdaline  Weaver, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  at  her  home  in  Virgina,  leaving  six  sons  and  three 
daughters.  Not  long  after  the  death  of  his  wife  Abraham  Weaver  came  to 
Ohio,  bringing  with  him  his  si.x  sons  and  one  of  his  daughters,  and  settled 
in  Greene  county.  He  bought  a  tract  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Caesars- 
creek  township  and  there  established  his  home.  His  death  occurred  not  long 
afterward  and  he  was  buried  in  the  burying  ground  at  Vorah  church.  Samuel 
Weaver,  one  of  the  six  sons  of  Abraham  Weaver,  had  heen  trained  as  a 
tailor  in  Virginia  and  upon  coming  to  Ohio  did  not  remain  on  the  farm  wiih 
his  father,  but  located  in  Cincinnati,  where  for  some  time  lie  worked  at  his 
trade,  later  coming  up  here  and  locating  at  Xenia,  where  he  opened  a  tailor 
shop,  which  he  presently  moved  to  the  village  of  Xew  Burlington,  where  he 
engaged  in  business  and  was  thus  engaged  at  that  place  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  1885. 

Samuel  Weaver  was  born  in  1809.  Xot  long  after  coming  to  Greene 
county  he  married  Anna  Ellis,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  one  mile  east  of 
Xew  Burlington,  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county,  in  181 4,  daughter 
of  Joel  and  EHzabeth  (Schillinger)  Ellis,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  South 
Carolina,  where  they  were  married,  later  locating  in  Kentucky,  whence,  in 
1S12,  they  came  up  into  this  part  of  Ohio  and  settled  in  Spring  Valley  town- 
ship, this  county.  Joel  Ellis  was  of  Scottish  descent  and  was  the  son  of 
Abraham  Ellis,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who  came  into  Ohio  from  Vir- 
ginia at  an  early  day  in  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  state  and  bought  a 
farm  in  the  Port  William  neighborhood  in  Clinton  county,  where  he  spent 
his  last  days,  his  body  now  hing  in  the  Lumberton  cemetery.     Abraham  Ellis 


k 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  85 1 

was  the  father  of  foiir  sons  and  three  daughters  and  the  descendants  of  these 
children  not  many  years  ago,  Volcah  E.  Weaver  being  one  of  the  chief  pro- 
moters of  the  project,  erected  at  the  grave  of  their  Revolutionary  ancestor 
in  the  Lumberton  cemetery  a  monument  fittingly  setting  out  his  record  as  a 
soldier  during  the  time  of  the  War  of  Independence.  Joel  Ellis  bought  a 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  six  acres  of  land  in  Spring  Valley  township  upon 
coming  to  this  county  in  1812.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Baptist 
church  and  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters, 
namely :  Adam  S.  Ellis,  who  spent  his  last  days  on  the  home  farm,  ha\'ing 
come  into  possession  of  the  same,  increasing  the  acreage  to  three  hundred  and 
fiftv-two  acres,  and  on  which  he  died  unmarried,  his  place  being  left  by  will 
to  his  nephew,  Volcah  E.  Weaver;  Anna,  who  married  Samuel  Weaver,  the 
New  Burlington  tailor,  and  Alary  (Pollv),  who  married  Doctor  Bald,  of  New 
Burlington,  and  died  one  year  later.  To  Samuel  and  Anna  (Ellis)  Weaver 
were  born  four  children,  namely :  Manuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years ;  Amanda,  who  is  now  living  at  Centerville,  this  state,  widow  of  Joseph 
Nutt;  Volcah  E.,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Mary 
Jane,  wife  of  John  Oglesbee,  of  Xenia.  The  mother  of  these  children  sur- 
vived her  husband  five  years,  her  death  occurring  in  i^'()0. 

Reared  at  New  Burlington,  the  place  of  his  birth,  Volcah  E.  Weaver 
received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  village  and  as  a  young  man 
began  farming  on  his  grandfather  Ellis's  place  just  east  of  the  village 
and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  his  own,  a  tract  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-three  acres  on  the  line  between  Greene  and  Clinton  counties.  Ur-cn 
the  death  of  his  uncle,  Adam  S.  Ellis,  he  inherited  the  old  Ellis  place  of  tbrco 
hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  and  there  continued  to  make  his  home  until  his 
retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  and  his  wile  are 
still  living.  Upon  moving  to  Xenia  Mr.  Weaver  l.iought  a  house  at  31,:; 
South  Detroit  street,  remodeled  the  same  and  is  there  now  living.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church.  It  was  in  1877.  in  Clinton 
county,  that  Volcah  E.  Weaver  was  united  in  marriage  to  Arabella  Peterson, 
who  was  born  in  that  county,  daughter  of  Abraham  Peterson  and  wife,  both 
now  deceased,  and  to  this  union  v^-ere  born  three  children,  Charles  A.,  Laura 
E.,  and  Anna  Elizabeth,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Laura  E.  Weaver  married 
Norman  G.  Buxton,  who  is  now  president  of  a  bank  at  Johnstown,  in  Licking' 
county,  this  state,  and  who  also  or.erates  a  farm  of  tliree  hundred  and  nine:y 
acres  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  that  place.  Miss  .\nna  Weaver,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  and  later  took  a  three-year  course  at 
the  Mary  Baldwin  Seminary  in  Virginia,  is  liv-inr  with  her  parents  in  Xenia. 

Charles  A.  Weaver  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  New  Bur- 
lington and  in  the  business  college  at  Xenia  and  when  nineteen  vears  of  age 
became  employed  in  the  clothing  store  of  R.  S.  Kingsbury  at  Xenia.  Two 
years  later,  in  1904,  he  and  C.  E.  Nesbit,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  work- 
ing in  the  Kingsbury  store,  decided  to  engage  in  business  for  themselves  and 


852  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

at  13  East  Market  street  opened  a  clothing  store,  doing  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Nesbit  &  Weaver,  an  arrangement  which  continued  for  about 
ten  years,  or  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Nesbit  on  February  20,  1914.  After  the 
death  of  his  partner  Mr.  Weaver  bought  the  latter's  interest  in  the  store  and 
has  since  been  conducting  the  business  alone.  In  19 15  he  remodeled  the  store, 
putting  in  an  entirely  new  set  of  fixtures  and  furnishings.  For  the  past  two 
years  Mr.  Weaver  has  been  serving  as  the  vice-president  of  the  Xenia  Busi- 
ness Men's  Association,  with  which  useful  organization  he  has  long  been 
actively  connected.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  and  Scottish  Rite  (^2')  Alason, 
affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge,  the  chapter  and  the  council.  Royal  and  Select 
Masters,  at  Xenia,  and  with  the  consistory  at  Dayton,  and  is  also  a  noble  of 
the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  affiliated  with  Antioch 
Temple  at  Dayton.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

On  January  12,  1913,  Charles  Weaver  was  united  in  marriage  to  A'erna 
Baker,  who  was  born  at  Fremont,  in  Sandusk\-  county,  this  state,  daughter  of 
William  L.  and  Anna  Baker,  both  of  whom  are  still  living  and  the  former  of 
whom  is  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Fremont,  Ohio,  and  to  this  union 
one  child  has  been  born,  a  son  Charles  Ellis,  born  on  December  17,  1914. 


FRANCIS  MARION   BURRELL. 

Francis  Marion  Burrell,  proprietor  of  "Fairview  Farm"  in  Sugarcreek 
township,  rural  mail  route  No.  7  out  of  Xenia,  former  trustee  of  that  town- 
ship, chairman  of  the  Greene  coimty  Democratic  central  committee,  com- 
mander of  the  local  camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  at  Xenia  and  for  years  the 
county  agent  for  a  fertilizer  firm,  was  born  in  Greene  county  and  has  lived 
here  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  Febru- 
ary I,  1869,  son  of  Albert  and  Phoebe  (Smith)  Burrell,  the  former  of  whom 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Cix'il  War  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

Having  Ijeen  but  eighteen  months  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  from 
Caesarscreek  township  to  Xenia  township!  Francis  M.  Burrell  grew  up  in 
the  latter  township  and  received  his  schooling  in  the  Clarks  Run  school. 
After  his  marriage  he  rented  a  farm  in  the  Clifton  neighborhood  and  two 
years  later  bought  the  William  McClellan  farm  of  fifty  acres  just  off  the 
Upper  Bellbrook  pike  in  Sugarcreek  township,  where  he  now  lives,  and  has 
ever  since  made  his  home  there,  a  few  years  later  having  added  to  that  tract 
by  the  purchase  of  an  adjoining  tract  of  ninety-five  acres  over  the  line  in 
Beavercreek  township,  and  calls  his  place  "Fair\-iew."  a  very  appropriate 
name.    In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  Mr.  Burrell  has  for  years  acted  as 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  853 

the  county  agent  for  a  fertilizer  company  and  spends  about  half  his  time  in 
that  behalf,  now  having  thirteen  men  acting  as  salesmen  under  him  in  this 
county.  Mr.  Burrell  is  a  Democrat,  served  for  four  years  as  trustee  of  Sugar- 
creek  township,  for  nine  years  as  a  member  of  the  township  board  of  educa- 
tion and  is  now  chairman  of  the  county  Democratic  central  committee.  He 
is  the  present  commander  of  the  Xenia  Camp  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Bellbrook  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  representa- 
tive from  that  lodge  to  the  grand  lodge  for  twelve  successive  years,  and  a 
member  of  the  local  council  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Me- 
chanics at  Bellbrook.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church 
at  Xenia.  Mr.  Burrell  has  in  his  house  tlie  first  iron  safe  brought  to  Greene 
county,  this  interesting  relic  of  another  day  being  the  old  safe  that  was  in  use 
in  the  old  court  house  and  which  was  handed  down  by  his  wife's  grandfather 
Baker,  who  came  into  possession  of  it  when  the  old  court  house  was  dis- 
mantled. 

On  December  25,  1894,  Francis  M.  Burrell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Mary  E.  Baker,  who  Avas  born  in  Xenia  township,  daughter  of  Abram  H.  and 
Sarah  .\.  (Miller)  Baker,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Frederick  City, 
Maryland.  Abram  H.  Baker  was  born  at  Xenia,  son  of  Major  Brinton 
Baker,  who  came  here  from  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and 
set  up  a  saddlery  shop  at  Xenia  in  pioneer  days  and  who  for  four  years 
(1852-56)  was  treasurer  of  Greene  county.  Abram  H.  Baker  followed  his 
father  as  a  saddler  and  continued  thus  engaged  until  his  death  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two  years.  His  wife  died  in  1898  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burrell  have  seven  children,  namely :  Elmer  Ankeney  Burrell,  who 
is  now  assisting  his  grandfather  Burrell  on  the  latter's  farm  in  Xenia  town- 
ship ;  Sara  Ruth,  at  home ;  Abram  Albert  and  Marion  Millard,  who  are 
attending  high  school  at  Xenia,  and  Phoebe  Mary,  Marguerite  Rebecca  and 
Kenneth  Baker. 


CHARLES  DEWITT  CLINTON  HAMILTON. 

The  late  Charles  Dewitt  Clinton  Hamilton,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War, 
formerly  and  for  years  engaged  in  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  former  mayor 
of  that  village  and  for  years  also  justice  of  the  peace  in  and  for  his  home 
township,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Yellow  Springs  on  September  12,  191 2, 
had  been  a  resident  of  this  part  of  Ohio  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm 
in  the  vicinitv  of  Dayton  on  January  10,  1845,  second  in  order  of  birth  of 
the  four  sons  born  to  John  W.  and  Anna  Hamilton,  who  later  became  resi- 
dents of  Yellow  Springs,  which  town  John  ^^^  Hamilton  served  for  some 
time  in  the  capacity  of  mayor  and  was  for  forty  years  justice  of  the  peace, 
widely  known  as  "Squire"  Hamilton.     In  addition  to  his  three  full-brothers. 


854  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

William,  of  Troy,  this  state;  James,  of  New  York  City,  and  John,  of  Xenia, 
Charles  D.  C.  Hamilton  had  a  half-brother,  Edward. 

Reared  at  Yellow  Springs,  Charles  D.  C.  Hamilton  received  his  school- 
ing in  the  schools  of  that  village  and  was  living  there  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out.  When  the  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  was 
enlisted  in  1861  his  elder  brother  \\'illiam  marched  away  with  the  colors  of 
that  regiment  and  in  the  next  year,  1862,  although  but  eighteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time,  he  enlisted  in  the  same  command  and  with  his  brother  remained 
with  that  regiment  until  its  period  of  enlistment  expired,  when  it  was  reor- 
ganized and  again  mustered  in,  this  time  as  the  Eighth  Ohio  Ca\alry,  and 
with  this  latter  command  Mr.  Hamilton  rendered  further  service  until  t'ne 
close  of  the  war.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  I\Ir.  Hamilton 
returned  to  Yellow  Springs  and  during  the  years  1866-67  was  a  student  at 
Antioch  College.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he  married  and  for  some  time  there- 
after was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at  Yellow  Springs,  but  later 
opened  a  shop  for  the  repair  of  clocks,  watches  and  jewelry  and  was  thus 
engaged  for  years,  or  until  failing  health  compelled  his  retirement  from  active 
business.  Prior  to  his  death,  as  the  local  newspaper  set  out  in  an  appreciati\e 
obituary  notice  following  his  death  in  the  fall  of  1912,  Mr.  Hamilton  "had 
been  in  feeble  health  for  many  months  and  during  that  time  had  been 
anxiously  considered  by  his  many  friends  and  most  tenderly  cared  for  by 
his  devoted  wife."  This  newspaper  further  observed  that  "the  funeral  serv- 
ices were  conducted  by  Rev.  Graham  and  by  Burkholder  Post,  Mr.  Hamilton 
being  a  member  of  both  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post. 
The  services  were  very  impressive  both  at  tlie  house  and  at  the  grave  in  Glen 
Forest."  In  addition  to  his  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Mr.  Hamilton  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  was  a  lifelong  Republican  and  liad  tilled  the  office  of  mayor 
and  of  justice  of  the  peace,  as  the  local  newspaper  fittingly  said,  "with  satis- 
faction to  his  fellow  citizens." 

On  November  23,  1868,  at  Yellow  S])rings,  Charles  D.  C.  Hamilton  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Hester  Horney,  daughter  of  .\nderson  and  Mary 
(Baldwin)  Horney,  of  that  place,  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  which  numl)er  Mrs.  Hamilton  was  the  .seventh  in  order  of  birth,  the  otliers 
being:  Reese,  who  died  while  rendering  service  in  behalf  of  his  country  as 
a  soldier  of  the  Union  durmg  the  Civil  War:  Caroline,  unmarried,  who  is  liv- 
ing at  Yellow  Springs:  Mrs.  Mary  Robinson,  a  widow,  also  living  at  Yellow 
Springs;  Mrs.  Eliza  Gist,  also  a  widow,  now  living  at  Richmond,  Indiana; 
Uriah,  who  died  while  giving  his  service  to  his  country  as  a  soldier  during 
the  Civil  War:  Julia,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  David,  deceased.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  were  born  four  children,  one  of  whom.  Olivia  T^etha. 
died  when  eight  or  nine  years  of  age,  the  others  being  Mrs.  Ottie  Justice,  of 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  855 

Springfield,  this  state ;  Mrs.  Rena  Pyle,  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  and  Dr.  How- 
ard Hamilton,  who  is  now  enrolled  as  a  surgeon  in  the  national  army.  Since 
the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Hamilton  has  continued  to  make  her  home  in 
Yellow  Springs.  As  was  her  husband,  she  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 


JOSEPH  DOWNEY. 

Joseph  Downey,  one  of  the  "old  settlers"  of  Miami  township,  this  county, 
living  on  a  farm  about  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  village  of  Yellow 
Springs,  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  the  year  1868,  is  a  native  son 
of  Ohio  and  has  Hved  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Zanesville,  on  October  9,  1832,  and  on  Thanksgiving  Day,  1855,  at  Spring- 
field, this  state,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna  Ahern,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland  on  March  6,  1S35. 

After  their  marriage  Joseph  Downey  and  his  wife  set  up  housekeeping 
on  the  Kelley  farm  just  north  of  Yellow  Springs  and  there  made  their  home 
for  five  or  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  moved  to  the  village  of 
Yellow  Springs,  where  they  remained  until  1867,  when  they  moved  to  a  farm 
three  miles  west  of  that  village.  In  the  following  year,  1868,  Mr.  Downey 
bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  west 
of  the  village,  and  there  has  ever  since  made  his  home,  for  some  years  past 
howe\-er,  living  practically  retired  from  the  active  labors  of  the  farm,  his 
sons  now  managing  the  place.  He  and  his  wife  celebrated  their  golden- 
wedding  anniversary  in  1905  and  have  now  been  married  sixty-two  years. 
Mr.  Downey  is  a  life-long  Democrat.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  ihat  faith 

To  Joseph  and  Anna  (Ahern)  Downey  nine  children  have  been  born, 
namely:  Edward,  William,  John,  James,  Joseph  (deceased),  Mary.  Charles, 
Martin,  and  Anna  (deceased).  Of  these  children,  Edward,  William,-  James 
and  Mary  are  at  home  caring  for  their  aged  parents'  interests  and  looking 
after  the  affairs  of  the  farm,  and  Charles  and  Martin  are  operating  a  saw- 
mill at  Fairfield.  Edward  Downey,  the  eldest  son,  received  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  Yellow  Springs  and  at  what  then  was  known  as  the  Confer 
school,  in  the  district  to  which  the  family  moved  upon  leaving  the  village, 
the  other  children  being  similarly  schooled,  and  as  a  young  man  became 
engaged  at  the  carpenter  trade.  He  continued  working  at  that  vocation  most 
of  the  time  up  to  about  two  years  ago,  since  which  time  he  has  been  devoting 
his  time  to  the  home  farm,  he  and  his  brothers  being  engaged  there  in  general 
farmine. 


856  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

THOMAS  VINCENT  ILIFF. 

Thomas  Vincent  Iliff,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  formerly  and  for 
)'ears  engaged  in  the  lime  and  quarry  business,  now  living  retired  at  his  home 
in  Cedarville,  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  Cedarville  on  August  24, 
1842,  son  of  Wesley  and  Sarah  (Ballard)  Ilifif,  the  former  of  whom  also 
was  torn  in  this  county  and  the  latter,  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

^\'esley  Iliff  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  James- 
town, a  son  of  James  and  Betsy  (Hill)  Iliff,  who  had  come  to  this  county 
from  Pennsylvania  about  the  3'ear  1804  and  had  established  their  home  in  the 
Jamestown  settlement.  James  Ilifif  there  si>ent  his  last  days.  His  widow  later 
went  over  into  Indiana,  where  her  last  days  were  spent.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  Jesse,  James,  John,  \\'esley,  William,  Thomas, 
David  and  Helen.  Reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Wesley  Ilifif 
early  became  engaged  in  the  lime  business  at  Cedarville  and  for  forty  years 
was  thus  engaged,  the  business  after  his  death  being  carried  on  by  his  eldest 
son,  the  late  William  H.  Iliff.  In  early  manhood  Wesley  Iliff  married  Sarah 
Ballard,  who  was  born  in  Pennsyh^ania  and  who  was  but  a  girl  when  she 
came  to  Greene  county  with  her  parents,  Joseph  and  Sarah  Ballard,  the  family 
establishing  their  home  on  a  farm  two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  James- 
town. Joseph  Ballard  was  a  son  of  Lyman  Ballard,  a  soldier  o£  tlie  Revo- 
lutionary War.  Wesley  Iliff  died  in  1889,  he  then  being  seventy-one  years 
of  age.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Mary,  William 
H.,  Thomas  Vincent,  John  W.,  Martha,  Emma,  Harriet,  Flora,  Louise  and 
Charles.  Ma:y  Iliff,  now  deceased,  was  twice  tnarried,  her  first  husband 
having  been  Joseph  Lawrence  and  her  second,  Joseph  Williamson.  The  late 
W^illiam  H.  Iliff,  who  was  for  years  engaged  in  the  stone  and  lime  business 
at  Cedarville,  had  the  distinction  of  having  been  the  first  man  in  Cedarville 
township  to  enlist  his  ser\ices  in  behalf  of  the  Union  following  the  President's 
call  for  volunteers  on  that  fateful  day  in  April,  1861,  and  he  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Twelfth  Ohio  Volunteers.  His  service 
as  a  soldier  covered  a  period  of  three  years  and  thirteen  days.  His  widow, 
who  was  Susan  Small,  is  still  living  at  Cedarville.  John  W.  Iliff,  who  is  now 
living  in  Chicago,  went  to  the  front  as  a  drummer  boy,  he  having  Ijeen  too 
young  for  other  service,  going  as  a  member  of  Company  D,  Forty- fourth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  he  served  for  three  years.  He 
also  was  engaged  in  the  stone  business  until  his  retirement.  His  wife,  who 
was  Josie  Adams,  is  now  deceased,  and  he  makes  his  home  in  Chicago.  Martlia 
Iliff  is  also  living  in  Chicago.  Emma  Iliff  died  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood. 
Harriet  Iliff  married  \\'.  H.  Owens,  a  Cedarville  blacksmith,  and  is  still  living 
in  that  village.  FlorH  Iliff  married  William  Karch,  nov>  deceased,  a  ul  she 
makes  her  home  in  Chicago.     Louise  Iliff  died  in  earlv  childhood.     Charles 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  857 

Iliff,  who  married  Minnie  Phillips,  was  a  blacksmith  and  is  now  living  retired 
in  Chicago. 

Thomas  V.  Iliff  received  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  his  home  neigh- 
borhood and  early  became  engaged  in  the  limestone  cjiiarries  with  his  father  and 
brothers,  continuing  thus  engaged  until  on  Avigust  13,  1862,  when  he  enlisted 
for  service  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Forty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which 
his  brother  John  also  was  connected.  It  is  but  fitting  in  this  connection  to 
rote  that  the  three  Iliff  boys  were  in  active  service  before  they  had  attained 
their  respective  majorities,  each  celebrating  the  twenty-first  anniversary  of  his 
birth  in  the  field.  Mr.  Iliff  went  with  his  command  by  boat  from  Cincinnati 
to  Maysville,  in  which  latter  place  he  became  engaged  in  his  first  l^attle.  His 
service  in  the  army  covered  a  period  of  nearly  three  years  and  included  action 
pretty  much  all  over  the  states  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Virginia.  Upon 
the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Iliff  returned  home  and  resumed 
his  place  in  connection  with  his  father's  kilns  and  quarries.  Ht  married 
in  the  fall  of  1869  and  continued  to  make  his  home  at  Cedarville  until  188S, 
when  he  opened  an  establishment  for  the  sale  of  lime  at  Cincinnati,  where 
the  Iliff's  already  had  developed  a  business,  and  there  made  his  home  for  three 
\'ears,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  the  business  to  D.  S.  Ervin,  of  Cedar- 
ville, and  moved  to  Columbus,  where  for  something  more  than  seven  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  selling  of  lime.  He  later  became  connected  with  the 
contracting  firm  of  his  nephews,  Harry  and  Walter  Iliff,  and  continued  thus 
employed  until  his  retirement. 

On  October  27,  1869,  Thomas  Vincent  Iliff  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Sophia  Lovett,  who  also  was  born  in  Greene  county,  a  daughter  of  George 
R.  and  Elizabeth  (Moore)  Lovett,  of  New  Jasper  township, ' the  former  of 
whom  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter,  of  Virginia.  George  R. 
Lovett  was  a  farmer  and  upon  his  retirement  moved  to  Cedarville,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  widow  survived  him  for  some 
years,  she  having  been  seventy-five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  eight  of  these  children,  three  of  whom 
died  in  youth,  the  others,  besides  Mrs.  Iliff,  being  Bushrod,  who  enlisted  his 
services  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  of  small- 
pox in  camp  at  Columbus;  Mary,  widow  of  Jolm  Phillips,  of  Springfield, 
this  state;  Lila,  who  married  Frank  Humphries  and  is  now  deceased,  and 
Rosa,  widow  of  Charles  Minser,  of  Cedarville.  To  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Iliff  were 
bnrn  two  daughters,  Gertrude  and  Nellie,  the  former  of  whom  has  been 
twice  married,  after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  Fred  Fields,  she  having 
married  Hugh  Stormont,  a  rural  mail  carrier  out  of  Cedarville.  She  has  two 
sons,  Fred  L.  and  Roger.     Nellie  Iliff  married  George  Winter,  of  Xenia,  and 


858  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

lias  two  children,  Olive  Gertrude  and  James  Alfred.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Iliff 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Cedarville.  Mr.  Iliff  is 
past  commander  of  Curry  Post  Xo.  94,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  at 
Cedarville. 


WILLIAM  L.  CLEM  AN  S. 

William  L.  Clemans,  formerly  and  for  years  engaged  in  the  banking- 
business  at  Cedarville  and  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  with  offices 
at  Cedarville  and  at  Jamestown,  making  his  home  on  a  farm  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  former  city,  was  born  at  Jamestown,  in  this  county,  and 
most  of  his  life  has  been  spent  in  Greene  county,  a  continuous  resident  here 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  was  born  on  July  7,  1865,  a  son  of  the  Rev. 
Francis  M.  and  Sarah  Isabella  (Chaffin)  Clemans,  both  of  whom  also  were 
born  in  this  county,  on  adjoining  farms  in  Ross  township,  the  latter  a  daugh- 
ter of  Solomon  and  Elizabeth  Chaffin,  who  were  among  the  early  residents 
of  that  part  of  the  countv.  She  was  born  in  1841  and  died  on  No\-ember  5, 
1885. 

The  Rev.  Francis  M.  Clemans,  who  was  for  many  years  an  influential 
figure  in  the  Alethodist  Episcopal  church  in  this  state  and  who  died  at  his 
home  in  the  city  of  Washington  Court  House,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Fayette,  January  7,  191 5,  was  born  in  1834,  a  son  of  William  T.  Clemans  and 
wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  Dallw,  both  born  in  Maryland  and  who  had 
come  to  this  county  with  their  respecti\'e  parents  in  pioneer  days,  the  two 
families  settling  in  Ross  township.  The  pioneer  Clemans  bought  in  go^d 
faith  a  tract  of  one  hundred  acres  out  of  an  old  militarj'  grant  in  that  town- 
ship, paying  for  the  same  two  dollars  an  acre,  and  there  established  his  home 
and  made  improvements.  After  he  had  become  comfortablv  settled  on  t!ie 
place  a  man  from  Pennsylvania  came  along  and  disclosed  a  prior  claim  to  the 
land,  but  offered  to  settle  at  the  original  purchase  price.  The  new-comer's 
title  was  pro\-ed  to  the  satisfaction  of  Mr.  Clemans,  who  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  down  through  the  mud  to  Xenia,  where  he  borrowed  two  hundred 
dollars  at  the  old  State  Bank,  taking  the  amount  in  silver,  and  rode  back, 
turning  over  to  the  Pennsylvania  claimant  the  load  of  silver.  And  thus  the 
old  Clemans  farm  was  paid  for  twice.  William  T.  Clemans  grew  up  in  that 
township  and  became  in  turn  the  owner  of  a  good  farm  there,  remaining 
there  until  1850,  when  he  moved  to  Van  Wert  county  and  bought  a  farm 
adjoining  the  city  of  that  name.  There  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
were  the  parents  of  two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

\\'hen  his  parents  moved  to  Van  Wert  county  Francis  M.  Clemans  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  and  he  remained  in  Greene  county.     He  early  began 


GREEXE    COUXTY,    OHIO  859 

leaching  school,  first  teaching  in  the  district  sciiools  in  his  home  township. 
During  the  tenn  1858-59  he  served  as  superintendent  of  the  Bowersville 
schools  and  then  was  made  superintendent  of  the  Jamestown  schools,  a  position 
he  occupied  during  the  Civil  War  period  and  for  two  years  thereafter  and 
during  which  time  he  married  Sarah  Isabella  Chaffin,  who  was  a  teacher  in 
the  Jamestown  school  when  he  assumed  the  superintendency  of  tlie  same. 
In  the  meantime  Air.  Clemans  had  been  giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of 
theology  with  a  view  to  entering  the  gospel  ministry  and  in  1866  was  ordained 
as  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a  vocation  he  followed  until 
his  voice  failed  in  1905  and  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the  pulpit.  The 
first  charge  held  by  the  Rev.  Francis  M.  Clemans  was  the  old  Union  circuit 
around  Bellbrook  in  his  home  county,  his  next  charge  was  at  Spring  Valley 
where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  thence  in  succession  to  Kings  Creek 
circuit,  three  years:  Mechanicsburg,  three  years;' Middletown.  three  years: 
Miamisburg,  three  years;  Jamestown,  three  years:  Franklin,  three  \ears: 
Fairfield  for  a  period  and  then  to  the  Broadway  church  at  Dayton,  where 
he  was  serving  as  pastor  when  his  retirement  became  necessary  by  reason 
of  a  partial  paralysis  of  his  vocal  organs.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  pul- 
pit he  and  his  wife  moved  to  their  farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres 
eight  miles  east  of  Washington  Court  House.  In  1914  he  left  the  farm  and 
moved  into  the  cit}-  of  Washington  Court  House  where  he  shortly  afterward 
died.  Air.  Clemans  was  an  active  worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance  and 
for  three  years  after  his  retirement  from  the  i^ulpit  rendered  service  in  that 
behalf  as  the  superintendent  of  the  Cincinnati  district  of  the  Ohio  Anti- 
Saloon  League.  For  fifty  years  he  had  been  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  James- 
town lodge  of  that  order,  and  had  attained  to  the  thirty-second  or  Scottish 
Rite  degree,  a  member  of  the  Miami  Valley  consistory  at  Dayton,  and  was 
also  a  noble  of  the  Ancient  Arabic  Order  of  Xobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
affiliated  with  the  temple  at  Dayton.  Mr.  Clemans  was  twice  married.  As 
noted  above,  his  first  wife  and  the  mother  of  his  children,  died  in  1886  and 
he  afterward  married  Mrs.  Clara  (Chaffin)  Clark  (a  cousin  of  his  first  wife), 
who  died  on  September  6,  1914.  He  had  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
having  a  brother,  Frederick  Alarion  Clemans,  of  Mechanicsburg,  cashier  of 
the  Farmers  Bank  there. 

^\'illiam  L.  Clemans  grew  up  subject  to  the  ^•ariations  of  his  father's 
itinerarv  in  so  far  as  places  of  residence  were  concerned  and  his  early  schooling 
was  thus  obtained  in  the  various  towns  in  which  his  father  was  engaged  as 
pastor.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  left  school  and  entered  the  Farmers 
Bank  of  Mechanicsburg  as  a  bookkeeper,  a  position  he  occupied  during  the 
years  1883-86.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  cashier  of  the  Peoples  Bank  at 
Jamestown  and  there  remained  until  1888,  in  which  vear  he  entered  into  a 


86o  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

private  partnership  with  George  Harper,  of  Cedarville,  and  opened  the  Bank 
of  Cedarville,  a  concern  with  which  he  remained  connected  until  1896,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insurance  business  at 
Cedarville,  also  maintaining  an  office  at  Jamestown.  !Mr.  Clemans  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  has  rendered  service  as  a  member  of  the  Cedarville  town  council. 
Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  J^Iasonic  lodge  at  Cedarville.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  other  property  interests  Mr.  Clemans  is  the  owner  of  his  father's 
old  farm  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  acres  in  Fayette  county  and  has  a 
farm  of  three  hundred  acres  near  Kenton,  in  Hardin  county,  Ohio. 

In  June,  1890,  William  L.  Clemans  was  united  in  marriage  to  Retta 
Belle  Turnbull,  who  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  she  and  Mr.  Clemans 
make  their  home  nearby  the  village  of  Cedar\ille.  a  daughter  of  John  M. 
and  Margaret  (Allen)  Turnbull,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  of  whom  was 
a  member  of  the  well-known  Turnbull  family  in  this  county,  further  men- 
tion of  which  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  'Sir.  and  ]\Irs.  Clemans 
are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church.  They  have  one  son, 
Frederick  Lerov  Clemans,  who  lives  on  his  farm,  adjoining  that  of  his  parents, 
and  operates  both  his  place  and  theirs.  Frederick  L.  Clemans  married  Gert- 
rude Revnolds,  daughter  of  Professor  Reynolds,  a  former  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  this  county  and  now  county  superintendent  of  schools. 


Z.  T.  SWEENEY. 


Z.  T.  Sweeney,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-two 
acres  in  Beavercreek  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  4  out  of  Osborn,  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Virginia  on  June  8,  1848,  son  of  John  B.  and  Mary  (Wil- 
son) Sweenev,  also  Virginians,  who  came  with  their  family  to  this  county 
about  the  vear  1850  and  settled  in  the  Cedarville  neighborhood.  During  the 
Civil  War  John  B.  Sweeney  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  and 
ser\ed  until  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health.  His  third  son,  John  Sweeney, 
also  enlisted  for  service  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro..  John 
B.  Sweeney  and  his  wife  were  Methodists.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  youngest,  having  had  four  brothers, 
James  M.,  Joseph,  John  and  Madison  S.,  all  now  deceased,  and  a  sister, 
]\Iary,  widow  of  George  W.  Duffield. 

Having  been  little  more  than  an  infant  when  he  came  to  this  county  with 
his  parents  in  1850,  Z.  T.  Sweeney  was  reared  here,  receiving  his  schooling 
in  the  Cedarville  schools,  and  early  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter,  at  which 
he  worked  until  his  marriage  in  1872  to  Mrs.  Rebecca  Tobias,  after  whicli 
he  began  farming  in  Beavercreek  township  and  has  ever  since  been  thus 
engaged.     He  is  a  Democrat.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sweeney  have  five  children, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  <5DI 

namely:  Lesse  Kate,  wife  of  William  Kendig,  of  Miami  county,  this  state; 
Julianna  and  Jeannette,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  married  Harry  Kendig,  an 
Osborn  merchant,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  John,  and  the  latter  of  whom  mar- 
ried D.  I.  Harshman,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Harshman  Improve- 
ment Company  of  Montgomery  county,  and  has  a  daughter,  Jeannette; 
Fred  C,  making  his  home  on  a  part  of  the  home  farm,  and  who  married 
Anna  Harner  and  has  seven  children,  Lester,  Robert,  Kathleen  Louise, 
Jeannette,  Edward,  Jasper  and  Mary  Elizabeth ;  and  Bertha  Rebecca,  who 
married  Kendall  Mays,  a  Dayton  landscape  gardener,  and  has  two  children, 
Gerald  and  Tzora  Rebecca. 


JOHN  EDWIN  TURNBULL. 

John  Edwin  Turnbull,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  about  two  hundred  acres 
two  miles  southeast  of  Cedarville,  was  born  on  that  farm,  as  was  his  father 
before  him,  the  place  having  been  in  the  family  ever  since  its  original  entry 
from  the  government.  He  was  born  on  November  9,  1859,  son  of  Samuel 
Kyle  and  Catherine  (Funston)  Tumbull,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  the. 
neighboring  county  of  Clark,  three  miles  north  of  Clifton,  daughter  of  John 
and  Hannah  Funston,  who  had  settled  there  upon  coming  to  this  country 
from  Scotland.  Samuel  Kyle  Turnbull  was  born  on  August  8,  1829,  son 
of  John  and  Margaret  (Kyle)  Turnbull,  pioneers  of  the  Cedarville  neigh- 
borhood, and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere.  The  Turnbulls 
were  members  of  the  Massies  Creek  Seceder  church  and  after  the  "union" 
became  affiliated  with  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville.  S.  K. 
Turnbull  became  owner  of  the  homestead  farm  and  there  erected  the  house 
in  which  his  son  John  E.  made  his  home  until  the  spring  of  1918.  Upon 
retiring  from  the  farm  in  1895  S.  K.  Turnbull  moved  to  Cedarville  and  there 
died  on  January  5.  1917.  His  wife  had  died  in  August,  1913.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  John  E.  was  the  second  in  order  of 
birth,  the  others  being  Flora,  now  living  at  Cedarville.  widow  of  Charles 
Dobbins ;  Fannie,  also  of  Cedarville,  widow  of  Charles  Barber,  and  Melda, 
who  married  Ed.  O.  Bull  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now  deceased. 

Reared  on  the  home  fann,  John  E.  Turnbull  received  his  schooling  at 
the  Crossroads  school  and  at  Cedarville  and  from  the  days  of  his  bo\hood 
was  his  father's  "right-hand  man"  in  the  operation  of  the  farm  and  after 
his  father's  retirement  in  1895  assumed  charge  of  the  place,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-six  acres  of  which  he  inherited  after  his  father's  death.  Since 
then  he  has  bought  an  additional  sixty  acres  and  is  thus  now  the  owner  of 
about  two  hundred  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Turnbull  is  a  Republican  and  for  eight 
years  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  township  school  board.     He  and  his 


862  '  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

family  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Cedarville  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same.  In  the  spring-  of  1918  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Turnbull  retired  from  the  farm  and  moved  to  the  village  of  Cedar- 
ville, where  they  now  reside. 

On  Xovember  23,  1883,  John  E.  Turnbull  \\'as  united  in  marriage  to 
Jennie  Smith,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedar\dlle  township,  daughter  of  John- 
athan  and  Ellen  Smith,  whose  home  was  on  the  Columbus  pike,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  three  children,  Nellie,  wife  of  Leroy  ^tlarshall,  a  Xenia 
lawyer;  Howard  E.,  who  married  Letta  Bumgardner  and  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing- in  Cedarville  township,  and  Paul  B.,  who  is  now  (spring  of  1918)  in 
the  National  Army  officers  training  school  at  Camp  Sherman.  Paul  B.  Turn- 
bull  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  and  froni  [Marietta  College 
and  during  his  college  days  acquired  quite  a  reputation  as  an  athlete.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  twelve  called  to  service  from  this  county  in  the  making 
of  the  National  Army  in  1917  and  is  now  stationed  at  Camp  Sherman.  In 
August,  1917,  he  married  Marian  Fudge. 


CHARLES  McPH EPSON. 

Charles  McPherson,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  on  the  lower  Bellbrook  pike  four  miles  southwest  of  Xenia  in  Spring 
Valley  township,  was  born  on  that  farm  and  has  lived  there  all  liis  life.  He 
was  born  on  April  29,  1855,  son  of  AVilliam  and  Mary  Ann  (  Rader).  JMcPher- 
son,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  old  families. 

Williani  McPherson  was  born  in  the  then  village  of  Xenia  on  February 
16,  1816,  son  of  John  H.  and  Margaret  (Hivling)  McPherson.  the  latter  of 
whom  was  born  in  Maryland  and  was  a  daughter  of  John  Hivling.  who  was 
sheriff  of  Greene  county  back  in  1813-14.  John  H.  McPherson  was  one  of  the 
early  artisans  to  locate  at  Xenia  and  was  a  chairmaker  and  painter,  h'or  some 
time  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Xenia  and  for  more  than  ten  venrs'  served 
as  recorder  of  the  county,  his  tenure  in  that  office  beginning  in  1830.  Of  the 
children  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  John,  [Moses,  Sopliia  and  \^'illiam  li\-c'd 
to  rear  families  of  their  own  and  of  these  Williani  [\IcPherson  was  the  last 
survivor,  his  death  occurring-  in  1913,  he  then  being  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven 
years. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  William  McPherson  received  his  schooling  in  the  .schools 
of  that  city  and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  went  to  Dayton,  where  he  spent 
a  year  learning  the  trade  of  saddle-making.  He  then  returned  to  Xenia  and 
was  engaged  working  at  that  trade  until  until  his  marriage  in  184.0.  after 
which  he  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits  and  began  to  fann  a 
tract  of  land  belonging  to  his  grandfather  Hivling  on  what  is  known  as  Da}'- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  863 

ton  hill,  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Xenia.  In  1848  he  bought  a  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-three  acres  in  Spring  Valley  township,  the  place  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  his  son  Charles,  and  in  1850  established  his  home  there. 
Air.  McPherson  was  a  Republican,  was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church  at 
Xenia  and,  fraternally,  was  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  that  city. 

William  McPherson  was  twice  married.  It  was  in  1840  that  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Maiy  Ann  Rader,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Christina  (Smith) 
Rader,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  ten  children,  seven  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  those  liesidei 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  John  H.,  former  auditor  of  Greene  c<3unty: 
Joshua,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  \^'ar,  going 
to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company  C,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Oliio 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  died  at  Nashville  while' engaged  in  service:  Ann, 
who  married  E.  S.  Barnett,  of  Xenia  township ;  Sophia,  who  married  Will- 
iam Priest,  also  of  Xenia  township ;  Adam,  who  moved  to  Iowa,  and  William, 
who  was  graduated  from  Ohio  State  Uni\-ersit}"  and  later  Ijecame  professor  of 
chemistry  in  that  institution.  Following  the  death  of  the  nifjther  of  these 
children  ilr.  McPherson  in  1891  married  Mrs.  ]\lary  Ann   (Price)   Wright. 

Charles  McPherson  was  reared  on  the  farm  on  which  he  v.as  born, 
recei\'ing  his  schooling-  in  the  neighborhood  schools.  He  graduatly  relieved 
his  father  of  the  responsibilities  of  farm  management,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage in  1892  assumed  management  of  the  place.  After  his  father's  death 
he  bought  the  interests  held  by  the  other  heirs  in  the  home  place  and  has 
since  been  owner  of  the  same,  with  the  exception  of  fifteen  acres  of  the 
original  tract  which  he  sold  for  the  convenience  of  a  neighbor.  Of  late  years 
]\Ir.  McPherson  has  been  aided  in  the  operations  of  the  farm  hy  his  son, 
Donald  McPherson,  who  is  married  and  lives  on  the  place.  In  addition  to 
their  general  farming  Mr.  ]\IcPherson  and  his  son  give  considerable  attention 
to  the  raising  of  live  stock. 

In  1892  Charles  McPherson  was  united  in  marrisge  to  Eva  Taylor,  who 
was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  of  Wesley  Tajdor  and  wife,  and  to  this  union 
one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Donald,  who,  as  mentioned  above,  is  now 
assisting  his  father  in  the  management  of  th.e  home  farm.  Donald  McPher- 
son completed  his  schooling  in  the  Xenia  high  school  and  from  boyhood  has 
taken  an  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  home  farm.  He  married  r^Iary  Cle\-ell 
Weaver,  daughter  of  Alpha  Weaver,  of  this  county,  and  makes  his  home  on 
the  home  place.  The  McPhersons  are  members  of  the  Reformed  church  at 
Xenia.  Mr.  McPherson  is  a  Republican,  but  has  not  been  an  aspirant  for 
public  office. 


004  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

HORACE  STEPHEN  WEEKS. 

Horace  Stephen  Weeks,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  seventy-five  acres  in 
the  Mt.  Zion  neighborhood  in  Beavercreek  township,  was  born  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Warren  and  has  hved  in  Ohio  all  his  life  with  the  exception 
of  several  years  during  the  days  of  his  boyhood  when  his  family  lived  in 
Missouri.  He  was  born  on  March  6,  1859,  son  of  Stephen  and  Margaret 
(Campbell)  Weeks,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  New  Jersey  on  Novem- 
ber 26,  1824.  Stephen  Weeks  was  born  in  Warren  countv,  this  state, 
December  21,  1826,  and  after  his  marriage  in  that  county  continued  to 
make  his  home  there  until  about  1866,  when  he  moved  up  into  Greene 
county  and  settled  in  the  Bowersville  neighborhood.  Four  years  later  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Missouri,  but  about  five  years  later  returned  to 
Ohio.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  ninth  in  order  of  birth.  Arthur,  the  first- 
born is  deceased.  The  next  two  in  order  of  birth  died  in  infancy.  Alfred 
is  now  living  at  Dayton.  Alice,  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  David  O. 
Sheeley.  Mrs.  Catherine  Pedicord  is  now  living  at  Decatur,  Illinois. 
Emma  married  Jesse  Turner  and  is  living  at  Alpha.  Isaac  is  deceased. 
Helen  married  David  Coy  and  is  living  in  Montgomery  county.  James  is 
deceased  and  William  married  Keturah  Wiedman  and  is  now  living  at 
Tadmore,  Ohio. 

Horace  S.  Weeks  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to 
this  county  and  was  about  eleven  when  they  moved  to  Missouri.  His  early 
schooling  was  thus  received  in  the  Bowersville  schools  and  in  Missouri. 
He  was  sixteen  when  the  family  returned  to  this  county  from  Missouri 
and  located  in  Beavercreek  township.  When  twenty-one  he  went  over  into 
the  neighboring  county  of  Alontgonjery  and  in  Mad  River  township  began 
farming  on  his  own  account  and  was  thus  engaged  there  for  five  vears,  at 
the  end  of  which  time,  he  meanwhile  having  married,  he  returned  to  Greene 
county  and  began  farming  on  the  Harshman  farm  in  Bath  township.  Four 
years  later  he  rented  the  farm  on  which  the  Fairfield  aviation  field  is  now 
located  and  for  eleven  years  made  his  home  there,  farming  that  place  until 
1 90 1,  when  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Bea\ercreek 
township  and  has  ever  since  resided  there.  Mr.  Weeks  is  a  Republican  and 
has  rendered  public  service  as  supervisor  of  highways  in  his  home  district. 
He  formerly  gave  some  attention  to  lodge  work,  but  is  not  now  active  in  • 
that  connection.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed 
church. 

On  October  30,  1884,  Horace  S.  Weeks  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  Charlotte  Tinnerman,  of  Davton,  who  was  born  in  that  city,  daugh- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  065 

ter  of  Henry  J.  and  Mary  (Knapp)  Tinnerman,  the  latter  of  whom  was 
bom  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  June  3,  1847,  and  both  of 
whom  are  still  living  at  Dayton.  Henry  J.  Tinnerman  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many and  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  he  came  with  his  parents  to  this 
country.  He  became  a  brickmaker  and  established  himself  in  business  in 
Dayton,  where  he  is  still  living,  residing  at  1105  Hupman  avenue.  To  him 
and  his  wife  were  born  eight  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Weeks  being 
William,  deceased;  Harry  L.,  of  Dayton;  Mary,  wife  of  Edwin  Anderson, 
of  Newport,  Kentucky;  Charles,  deceased;  George  C,  of  Dayton;  Elmer 
F.,  of  Dayton,  and  lone,  wife  of  William  M.  Hunter,  of  Dayton.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weeks  have  four  children,  namely:  Pearl  W.,  born  on  July  26,  1885, 
who  married  Leigh  Stephens,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer,  and  has  had 
four  children,  Paul,  Lucille  (deceased),  Donald  and  Marjorie;  Henry.  June 
28,  1890,  now  living  at  Dayton,  who  married  Ethel  Sunderland  and  has 
two  children,  Evaline  and  Myron;  and  Warner  and  Harold,  twins,  Febru- 
ary 4,  1895,  the  former  of  whom  is  still  at  home,  and  the  latter  now  em- 
ployed at  Dayton.  Harold  was  drafted  into  the  United  States  army  and 
discharged  on  account  of  disabilitv. 


HERMAN  H.  VOLKENAND. 

Herman  H.  V^olkenand,  a  farmer  of  Beavercreek  township,  was  born 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  near  the  banks  of  the  Little  Miami 
river;  in  that  township,  son  of  Herman  and  Martha  (Brod)  Volkenand. 
furdier  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Reared  on  that 
fami,  he  received  his  schooling  in  the  McCieilan  district  school  and  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  until  he  was  twenty-three  years  of  age.  In  1889 
he  went  to  Dayton  and  was  there  for  three  years  employed  by  the  Davis 
Sewing-Machine  Works.  He  then  was  for  three  years  engaged  on  the  Day- 
ton police  force  and  was  thereafter  variously  engaged  in  that  city,  including 
three  years  as  an  assembler  in  the  plant  of  the  Tiger  Bicycle  Company,  fol- 
lowing his  trade.  In  the  meantime,  in  1896,  he  married  and  in  1899  he  re- 
turned to  the  home  farm  in  this  county  and  began  to  operate  the  same  for 
his  father,  who  had  retired  and  was  then  making  his  home  in  Dayton.  After 
his  father's  death  he  bought  the  home  place  of  seventy-five  acres  and  he  and 
his  family  are  still  living  there.  He  has  two  valuable  properties  in  Dayton, 
and  also  holds  an  interest  in  oil  stock.  Mr.  Volkenand  is  independent  in  his 
political  views.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  Mt.  Zion  Reformed 
church. 

On  ^larch  2J,  1896,  Herman  H.  Volkenand  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ida  Mav  Glander,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Preble  countv,  this  state. 
(54) 


866  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Cole)  Glander,  both  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased, and  to  this  union  six  children  have  been  born,  namely;  Lorine  Helen, 
born  on  March  27,  1898,  who  married  Joseph  Orville  Mills  and  is  now  liv- 
ing on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  this  county;  Leona  Virginia,  May 
23,  1900;  Edna  Marie,  October  13,  1906;  Mary  Ellen,  November  26, 
1908;  Herman  John,  March  24,  1912,  and  Ruth  Irma,  June  21,  1917. 


WILLIAM  G.   PRIXTZ. 


William  G.  Printz,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  in  the  village  of  Clif- 
ton, is  a  native  of  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark  and  all  his  life  has  been 
spent  in  this  part  of  the  state.  He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  Springfield  town- 
ship, four  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Springfield,  July  14,  1850,  son  of  Peter 
and  Ethelinda  (Kelly)  Printz,  the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  member  of  the  well-known  Springfield  Kellys,  for- 
merly and  for  years  prominent  in  manufacturing  circles  in  that  city.  Peter 
Printz  was  born  at  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  but  a  child  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Ohio  in  1815,  the  family  settling  on  the  farm  south 
of  Springfield  above  mentioned.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home 
on  that  place  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
in  1869.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Isaac, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Margaret  Ryan,  who  lives  in  Cleveland;  Silas  W.,  a  farmer, 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Enon,  in  Clark  county;  Sarah,  deceased;  Oliver, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Ruth  Ann  Bollman,  whose  husband  is  a  Clark  county 
farmer;  FrankHn  P.,  deceased;  Daniel,  deceased;  Emma  Jane,  deceased, 
and  Eugene,  a  painter,  who  is  living  at  Springfield. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  Springfield,  William  G.  Printz 
received  his  schooling  in  the  "ol'  Possum"  school  house  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. When  a  young  man  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  after 
his  marriage  in  1881  worked  on  the  farm  of  John  Allen  in  Greene  township, 
in  the  lower  part  of  his  home  county,  and  moved  to  the  same,  remaining 
there  until  his  retirement  two  years  later  and  removal  to  the  neighboring 
village  of  Clifton,  where  he  is  still  living.  Politically,  Mr.  Printz  is  a  Demo- 
crat and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the  Junior  Order  of 
United  American  Mechanics.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church. 

On  September  7,  1881,  in  Clark  county,  William  G.  Printz  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Thursey  Jane  Cultice,  who  was  born  at  Jamestown,  in  this 
county,  but  who  was  but  a  child  when  she  moved  with  her  parents.  George 
and  Sarah  R.   (Rice)   Cultice,  up  into  Clark  county.     Both  George  Cultice 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  86/ 

and  his  wife  were  natives  of  Virginia  and  they  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Printz  was  the  eighth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others 
being  "Waher,  deceased;  John,  deceased;  Hannah,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Margaret  and  Martha,  twins,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased  and  the  latter 
of  whom  married  a  Kelly  and  is  living  at  Springfield;  William,  a  farmer, 
who  also  is  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  at  Cedarville ;  Hester,  de- 
ceased, and  Georg^e  Henry,  who  is  living  in  Darke  county,  this  state. 

To  William  G.  and  Thursey  J.  (Cultice)  Printz  have  been  born  five 
children,  namely:  Daisy  Maud,  born  on  July  9,  1883,  who  died  on  August 
22,  1903;  Stella,  November  20,  1884,  who  died  on  December  19  of  that 
same  year;  Warren  D.,  March  i,  1886,  now  postmaster  of  the  village  of 
Clifton;  Lottie  Jane,  November  4,  1891,  who  married  Arthur  Reed,  of 
Clifton,  and  has  two  children,  sons  both,  Leo  William  and  Lamar;  and  An- 
drew William,  November  2,  1895,  now  living  at  Springfield,  where  he  is 
engaged  as  a  molder,  and  who  married  Anna  Strowbridge  and  has  one 
child,  a  son,  Andrew  William.  Jr. 

Warren  D.  Printz,  postmaster  of  Clifton,  was  about  seven  years  of 
age  when  his  parents  moved  from  the  farm  to  Clifton  and  his  schooling  was 
received  in  the  schools  of  that  village.  Upon  completing  the  first-year  work 
in  the  high  school  he  turned  his  attention  to  a  mercantile  career  and  in 
March,  1912,  became  employed  in  the  store  of  J.  A.  Fudge  at  Clifton.  On 
February  25,  191 5,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  the  village  and  is  now 
serving  in  that  important  pubHc  capacity.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  On  February  25,  1908,  Warren  D.  Printz  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Elvie  D.  Post,  of  Washington  Court  House,  county  seat  of  the 
neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  and  to  this  union  three  children  have  been 
born,   Anita  Helen,   Thelma   Doris  and  Warren   Granville. 


REV.  GEORGE  HIRAM  GEYER. 

Though  never  a  resident  of  Xenia,  save  incidentally  and  casually,  for 
his  wife  was  a  Xenia  girl,  the  late  Rev.  George  Hiram  Geyer  was  well  known 
and  highly  regarded  in  that  city,  where  his  widow  and  children  have  long 
made  their  home,  and  it  is  regarded  as  but  fitting  to  include  in  this  com- 
pilation, comprising  a  review  of  the  lives  and  characters  of  many  who  have 
definitely  impressed  the  mark  of  their  personalities  upon  the  community, 
a  brief  biographical  sketch  of  this  good  man.  Among  the  most  intimate 
friends  of  the  late  Mr.  Geyer  was  Joseph  Clark,  of  Albany,  New  York,  who 
after  the  death  of  his  friend  in  1900  compiled  a  volume  of  biographia  and 
memoria  relating  to  his  loved  and  departed  friend,  under  the  title  of  "In 
Memoriam,"  from  which  the  following  biographical  sketch  is  taken: 


868  GREEX-E    COUNTY,    OHIO 

"George  Hiram  Geyer  was  born  in  Pomeroy,  Ohio,  May  26,  1868.  and 
was  the  eldest  in  a  family  of  four  sons  and  three  daughters.  John  Geyer 
and  Katharine  Ohiinger,  his  parents,  were  of  Gemian  descent,  though  both 
were  born  in  this  country.  His  grandfather.  Rev.  William  Geyer,  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  ministers  in  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Ohio. 

"As  a  little  boy  he  was  most  trustworthy,  industrious  and  obedient, 
growing  to  young  manhood  loved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
attended  the  public  schools,  and  when  sixteen  years  old  was  graduated  from 
the  Pomeroy  high  school  at  the  head  of  his  class,  the  theme  of  his  commence- 
ment oration  being  '.\  Man's  a  Man  for  a'  That."  *  *  *  in  September, 
1885,  he  entered  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  at  Delaware.  And  here,  this 
first  year  away  from  home,  on  the  'Day  of  Prayer  for  Colleges,"  he  heard 
a  call  of  God — a  call  so  clear  and  unmistakable,  that  the  voice  never  left 
him  in  the  vears  that  followed.  *  *  *  After  one  year  at  college  he 
returned  to  Pomeroy  and  taught  a  year  in  the  high  school,  which  only  two 
years  before  he  had  left  as  a  pupil. 

"On  April  28,  1887,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  quarterly  con- 
ference of  the  Pomeroy  church.  In  September,  1887,  he  returned  to  Dela- 
ware and  during  the  fall  term  preached  his  first  sermon  at  Lewis  Center 
from  the  text:  'The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  not  want."  In  the  fall 
of  1888  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Pomeroy  high  school,  and  again 
left  college,  this  time  to  teach  two  years.  As  a  teacher  he  was  successful 
beyond  the  hopes  of  his  friends.  He  entered  college  for  the  third  time  in 
1890,  and  was  graduated  with  honor  in  the  class  of  '92,  receiving  the  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  During  his  college  course  there  was  no  honor  the 
university  coulld  bestow  which  he  did  not  receive.  In  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  in  the  Chrestomathean  Literary  Society,  in  the  Delta 
Tau  Delta  fraternity,  as  well  as  in  the  class  room,  his  ability,  his  industry 
and  his  fidelity  were  recognized  and  rewarded.  In  the  spring  of  his  senior 
year  he  brought  honor  to  the  university  and  his  friends  by  winning  first 
place  in  the  state  oratorical  contest,  and  second  honors  in  the  interstate 
contest,  with  his  oration  on  'The  Optimism  of  History.'  Notwithstanding 
the  success  that  always  crowned  his  efforts  he  never  lost  the  modesty  and 
simplicity  of  his  nature,  but  was  reserved  and  in  no  way  self-assertive. 
Often  during  his  college  course  he  preached  on  Sabbath,  and  for  three 
months  in  the  summer  of  i8qi  he  supplied  the  pulpit  of  ^^'alnut  Street 
Methodist   Episcopal   church,    Chillicothe,   Ohio. 

"On  August  30,  1892,  Mr.  Geyer  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Brown 
Dodds,  of  Xenia,  Ohio;  Dr.  James  W.  Bashford,  his  college  president  and 
friend,  officiating.  In  setting  up  a  home  of  his  own  he  never  lost  sight  of 
his  one  ideal — 'the  glorv  of  God.'  And  it  was  here  in  his  home  life  that  the 
transparency  of  his  character  was  most  apparent.     Nothing  ever  marred  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  869 

liappiness  of  that  home  where  father,  mother  and  three  beautiful  children 
were  all  in  all  to  each  other.  Curtis  Bayley  was  born  in  Boston,  March  31, 
1895;  Mary  Katharine,  March  15,  1897,  and  George  Dodds,  in  fronton, 
May  5,   1S98. 

"In  September,  1892,  Mr.  Geyer  entered  the  Boston  University,  School 
of  Theology,  graduating  in  1895,  being  awarded  the  highest  honors  of  the 
institution  by  the  vote  both  of  the  faculty  and  of  his  class.  During  his  stay 
in  Boston  he  was  pastor  of  Hope  chapel,  a  mission  supported  and  conducted 
by  the  Old  South  chuixh.  In  October,  1895,  he  was  admitted  into  the  Ohio 
conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  was  ordained  by  Bishop 
John  H.  Vincent,  who  sent  him  to  Spencer  church,  fronton,  Ohio.  Here 
he  spent  the  three  best  working  years  of  his  life.  Not  only  did  his  own 
pulpit  and  parish  receive  his  untiring  service,  but  there  was  nothing  of  pub- 
lic interest  in  the  city  for  which  he  did  not  labor.  While  here  he  wrote  four 
lectures:  'Joseph;  or  Religion  and  Greatness,'  'Paul  the  Apostle,'  'Daniel 
Manin'  and  'The  Cost  of  Our  Country.'  These  he  occasionally  ga\'e  in  other 
churches. 

"In  October,  1898,  he  became  the  pastor  of  King  Avenue  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  but  at  the  end  of  three  months  he  was 
taken  sick  with  la  grippe  which  so  weakened  his  lungs  that  he  was  sent  to 
Asheville,  North  Carolina,  for  special  treatment,  and  his  going  was  made 
possible  by  the  unequaled  generosity  of  his  church.  After  six  months  in 
the  South  he  returned  to  Columbus  and  continued  his  work  without  inter- 
ruption until  March  1,  1900,  when  he  was  taken  with  his  second  attack  of 
la  grippe  from  which  he  never  recovered,  and  his  death  occurred  on  June 
25,  1900."  The  body  was  brought  to  Xenia  for  interment  in  Woodland 
cemetery. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  ]\Irs.  Geyer  has  been  making  her  place 
of  residence  at  Xenia,  the  home  of  her  girlhood.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Dodds  and  Alary  E.  (Brown)  Dodds,  for  many  years  among 
the  best  known  citizens  of  Xenia  and  further  mention  of  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Carrie  Brown  Dodds  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  in 
1884  with  the  second  honors  of  her  class.  She  then  taught  one  term  of  dis- 
trict school  and  in  1885  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University.  She  spent  the 
period  of  her  junior  year  as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Elyria  and 
then  re-entered  the  university,  from  which  she  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  in  1889.  While  in  the  university  she  served  as 
president  of  the  Athen?euin  Literary  Society  and  also  earned  the  additional 
high  honor  of  election  to  Phi  Beta  Kappa.  Upon  leaving  the  university 
she  entered  upon  a  course  of  instruction  in  nursing  in  the  Woman's  Hos- 
pital at  Chicago  and  was  graduated  from  the  hospital  school  in  1890,  after- 


870  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ward  spending  a  year  in  the  medical  school  at  St.  Louis.  During  the  school 
term  of  1891-92  she  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  at  Xenia 
and  in  the  summer  of  1892  was  married  to  the  Rev.  George  H.  Geyer. 
Upon  her  return  to  Xenia  after  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Geyer  re- 
sumed the  part  she  had  taken  in  the  cultural  life  of  the  city  during  the  time 
of  her  former  residence  there  and  has  since  maintained  these  activities  in  a 
ver\'  helpful  way,  particularly  in  the  service  of  the  church  and  kindred 
movements.  Since  leaving  the  university  Mrs.  Geyer  has  not  neglected  her 
scholastic  interests  and  her  alma  mater  has  conferred  upon  her  the  Master's 
degree.  She  is  the  teacher  of  the  Busy  People's  Bible  class  of  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  her  endeavors  in  that  direction  have  made 
of  this  class  one  of  the  most  notable  units  in  the  rapidly  expanding  Bible- 
class  movement  in  this  part  of  the  state.  As  a  field  worker  in  behalf  of  the 
adult  Bible-class  movement  Mrs.  Geyer's  activities  have  taken  her  all  over 
the  states  of  New  York,  West  Virginia  and  Ohio,  and- she  was  a  delegate 
to  the  last  general  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  was 
held  at  Saratoga,  New  York,  in  May,  1916.  Mrs.  Geyer  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Greene  County  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association  and  has 
ever  maintained  her  friendly  and  helpful  interest  in  that  useful  organiza- 
tion. When  the  United  States  entered  the  World  War  in  191 7  she  was 
made  Greene  county  chairman  of  the  Woman's  Committee  of  the  Council 
of  National  Defense  and  has  organized  the  entire  county  along  four  lines — 
Red  Cross,  Food  Conservation,  Child  Welfare  and  Liberty  Loan — among 
the  women.  .She  also  is  secretary  of  the  County  Food  Administration  Com- 
mittee and  gives  almost  her  entire  time  to  war  work. 

Mrs.  Geyer's  elder  son,  Curtis  Bayley  Geyer,  who  was  born  at  Boston 
on  March  31.  1895,  is  now  (1918)  connected  with  the  great  National  Army 
of  the  United  States  in  the  World  War.  He  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia 
high  school  in  1913  at  the  head  of  his  class  and  in  19 14  entered  Ohio  Wes- 
leyan  University  and  was  a  junior  there  when  this  government  declared 
war  against  Germany  in  the  spring  of  1917.  He  at  once  left  his  studies  and 
volunteered  for  service  May  15.  191 7,  shortly  thereafter  being  attached  to 
the  One  Hundred  and  Forty-seventh  Field  Hospital  Corps,  One  Hundred 
and  Twelfth  Sanitary  Train,  Thirty-seventh  Division,  United  States  Army, 
and  was  stationed  at  Camp  Sheridan,  Montgomery,  Alabama,  for  training 
for  foreign  service,  and  is  leaving  "An  eastern  port"  for  service  in  France 
as  this  goes  to  press..  He  was  a  "track"  man  in  university  athletics,  win- 
ning two  medals  for  long  distance  running.  He  is  a  student  volunteer  for 
the  mission  field  of  the  Methodist  church. 

Mrs.  Geyer's  only  daughter,  Mary  Katharine  Geyer,  who  was  born  at 
Ironton,  Ohio,  March  15,  1897,  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  87I 

at  the  head  of  her  class  in  191 5,  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  that 
same  year  and  is  now  in  her  junior  year  preparing  for  field  work  in  the 
foreign  missionary  service.  She  has  recently  received  three  prizes  for  high 
scholarship  in  the  university. 

George  Dodds  Geyer,  second  son  and  last-born  child  of  the  Rev.  George 
H.  and  Carrie  B.  (Dodds)  Geyer,  was  born  at  Ironton,  Ohio,  May  5,  1898, 
and  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  in  19 16,  president  of  his 
class.  He  entered  Ohio  Wesleyan  University  in  1916  for  his  freshman 
year,  and  was  president  of  his  class.  In  1917  he  entered  the  Boston  Uni- 
versity School  of  Business  Administration  and  is  now  pursuing  his  studies 
there  in  the  sophomore  class. 


CHARLES  S.  HUPMAN. 

Charles  S.  Hupman,  a  Spring  Valley  township  farmer,  was  born  in  that 
township  on  February  10,  1S58,  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Peterson)  Hupman, 
the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county.  John  Hupman  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  182 1  and  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  and 
settled  in  Clark  county,  later  coming  down  into  Greene  county.  Here  he 
grew  to  manhood,  became  engaged  in  farming  and  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life.  John  Hupman  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife,  Jane  Peterson, 
he  was  the  father  of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Cecelia,  deceased;  Sarah  Emily, 
wife  of  J.  A.  Webb;  Susan,  deceased;  Frank,  who  is  living  at  Xenia;  Jonas, 
who  died  in  infancy;  Jonas  S.  C,  now  Hving  in  California,  and  Harry  C, 
of  Xenia.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1859  and  in  1875  John 
Hupman  married  Amanda  Brewer.  To  that  union  one  child  was  born,  a 
son,  John,  now  deceased. 

Charles  S.  Hupman  was  in  high  school  when  his  father  died  and  his 
presence  was  thus  required  on  the  home  farm.  After  his  marriage  he  con- 
tinued farming  in  Spring  Valley  township  and  has  ever  since  been  thus  en- 
gaged. Mr.  Hupman  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Second  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia. 

Mr.  Hupman  has  been  twice  married.  On  March  i,  1887,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Georgiana  McPherson,  of  Spring  Valley  township, 
who  died. in  1901.  To  that  union  were  bom  three  children,  William  Paul 
Hupman,  who  is  now  in  the  service  of  the  National  Army;  Anna  Vesper, 
who  married  Fred  Brewer,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  has  two  sons,  Warren 
and  William  R.,  and  Emily  Johanna,  who  died  in  infancy.  In  1904  Mr. 
Hupman  married  Clara  J.   Bickett,  of  Xenia. 


872  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

WALTER  BUELL  HARDY. 

Walter  Buell  Hardy,  who  died  at  his  home  in  the  village  of  Yellow- 
Springs  in  1888,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  his  whole  life  was  spent  m 
this  state,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  education  to  which  he  had  early  dedicateil 
it.  Three  of  his  daughters  also  early  devoted  their  energies  to  the  cause  of 
education  and  have  rendered  conspicuous  service  in  that  behalf,  one  of  these 
daughters,  Miss  Pauline  Adelaide  Hardy,  being  still  engaged  in  educational 
work  at  "^'ellow  Springs,  while  Miss  Irene  Hardy's  labors  al  Leland  Stan- 
ford, Jr.,  University  and  in  other  Western  institutions  of  learning  ha\e 
gained  for  her  a  high  place  in  the  estimation  of  educators.  W.  B.  Hardy  wa? 
born  in  Preble  county,  this  state.  May  5,  18 18,  last-born  of  the  seven  children 
born  to  his  parents,  the  Rev.  John  and  Rachel  (  Downing )  Hardy,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  Missouri,  who  were  married 
in  Kentucky  and  whose  other  children  were  Benjamin,  Thomas,  Curtis,  I.au- 
rinda,  Eliza  Jane  and  Frances.  The  Rev.  John  Hardy  was  a  ministser 
of  the  Christian  church  and  died  when  his  last-born  child,  the  subject  of  this 
memorial  sketch,  was  eighteen  months  of  age. 

Reared  in  Preble  county,  Walter  Buell  Hardy  received  his  schooling 
there  and  early  became  engaged  in  teaching  school.  He  married  in  his  home 
county  in  the  fall  of  1840  and  afterward  established  his  home  at  Eaton,  the 
county  seat  of  that  county,  and  was  for  years  thereafter  connected  with  the 
schools  of  that  city,  and  with  Eaton  Institute.  His  wife  died  in  1868  and  in 
1875  he  moved  to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  entered  the  normal  department 
of  Antioch  College.  Mr.  Hardy  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  Y'ellow  Springs, 
his  death  occurring  there  on  March  14,  1888,  and  he  was  buried  in  the  ceme- 
tery at  Yellow  Springs. 

On  October  t6.  1841,  in  Preble  county,  Walter  Buell  Hardy  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  Ryan,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  and  who  had  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  this  state  in  1829,  the  family  settling  in  Preble  county, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  five  children,  Irene,  Laurinda  Elizabeth.  Pauline 
Adelaide,  Caroline  and  Louis  W.,  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  newspaper  man, 
connected  with  the  Springfield  Sun,  who  continues  to  make  his  home  in  Yellow 
Springs.  Miss  Irene  Hard\-.  whose  labor  in  the  field  of  education  has  been 
noted  above,  is  now  living  at  Palo  Alto,  California,  and  though  now  blind,  an 
affliction  which  came  upon  her  some  years  ago,  continues  actively  engaged 
in  educational  service,  a  service  to  which  she  has  devoted  her  life'  since  she 
was  sixteen  years  of  age.  her  first  work  as  a  teacher  having  laeen  performed 
at  that  age  at  Richmond,  Indiana.  She  later  became  a  teacher  in  Antioch 
College  at  Yellow  Springs,  from  which  institution  she  had  received  her  degree 
of  Bachelor  of  .\rts.  and  later  went  \\'est,  having  connection  with  the  high 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8/3 

school  at  Oakland,  California,  going  thence  to  Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  Uni- 
versity, where  she  taught  English  literature  and  rhetoric  for  seven  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  she  was  retired  as  assistant  professor.  Miss  Hardy 
also  has  written  quite  a  bit  of  poetry  and  her  published  works  ha\e  attracted 
appreciative  attention  in  literary  circles.  Laurinda  Elizabeth  Hardy,  who  died 
in  1892,  was  for  tv.enty-five  years  engaged  in  educational  work.  Miss  Pauline 
Adelaide  Hardy,  who  continues  to  make  her  home  at  Yellow  Springs,  also 
began  her  educational  labors  early,  her  first  work  as  a  teacher  having  been 
performed  in  the  schools  of  her  native  county,  Preble.  After  being  graduated 
from  Antioch  College  she  taught  in  the  West  for  two  years.  She  later  be- 
came a  teacher  in  Antioch  College.  At  Yellow  Springs  she  has  since  con- 
tinued to  make  her  home,  engaged  in  teaching.  Caroline  Hardy  married 
Robert  A.  Braden  and  is  now  living  at  Dayton,  this  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Braden  were  connected  with  the  Christian  PubHshing  House  for  many  years. 
Mr.  Braden  owned  and  edited  the  Ohio  Poultry  Journal. 


WILLIAM  A.  TURXBULL. 

William  A.  Turnbull,  postmaster  at  Cedarville,  was  born  in  Cedarville 
township  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this  county  all  liis  life.  He  was  born 
on  a  farm  two  miles  southeast  of  Cedarville  on  March  9,  1873,  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Sarah  J.  (Barber)  Turnbull,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that 
same  township,  members  of  pioneer  families,  and  whose  lives  were  spent 
here,  the  latter  dying  on  May  30,  1897.     She  was  born  in   1831. 

Alexander  Turnbull  was  bom  on  a  farm  adjoining  that  on  which  his  son 
William  was  born,  Januar\-  24,  1836,  and  was  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Kyle)  Turnbull,  earnest  pioneers  of  that  cdinmunity,  further  mention  of 
whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  John  Turnbull  was  twice  married, 
his  second  wife  having  been  Margaret  J.  Allen,  and  was  the  fatlier  of  nine- 
teen children.  He  was  an  active  member  of  the  old  Seceder  church  and  was 
the  owner  of  six  hundred  or  seven  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  helped  his 
children  get  a  substantial  start  in  life.  .Alexander  Turnbull,  a  veteran  oi  the 
Civil  War,  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville  township  on  April  8,   lyi.S. 

William  A.  Turnbull  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Cedarville  town- 
ship and  completed  his  schooling  in  the  Cedarville  high  school.  From  the 
davs  of  his  boyhood  he  was  well  trained  in  tlie  ways  of  practical  farming 
and  after  his  marriage  in  1889  established  his  home  on  the  home  place, 
which  he  began  to  operate,  at  the  same  time  operating  a  small  farm  of  his 
own  adjoining,  and  there  continued  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement 
from  the  farm  and  removal  in  19 14  to  Cedarville,  where  he  since  has  made 
his  home,  he  and  his  wife  being  very  pleasantly  situated  there  in  a  comfort- 


874  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

able  house  of  the  bungalow  type  on  Cedar  street,  erected  in  the  winter  of 
1914-15.  Mr.  Turnbull  is  a  Democrat  and  as  a  precinct  committeeman  in 
his  home  precinct  and  as  a  member  for  years  of  the  Greene  county  Demo- 
cratic central  committee  has  rendered  yeoman  service  in  behalf  of  his  party. 
In  1914  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Cedarville  and  is  still  occupying 
that  position. 

On  December  i,  1889,  William  A.  Turnbull  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ida  Wolford,  who  was  born  at  Xenia,  daughter  of  John  Henry  and  America 
Wolford.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turnbull  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  at  Cedarville. 


JOSEPH  DRISKILL. 

Joseph  Driskill,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  a  retired  farmer,  now- 
living  at  the  pleasant  village  of  Bowersville,  is  a  native  "Buckeye"  and  has 
lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Union  township, 
Highland  county,  Januarj'  7,  1845,  son  of  Eleven  O.  and  Lucinda  (Hamilton) 
Driskill,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  great-great-grandfather  of  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Hamilton,  of  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia.  John  Hamilton  died  in  Virginia  in  1819  and  his  widow  came  to 
Ohio  with  her  children  and  settled  in  Highland  county,  where  she  lived  to 
the  great  age  of  one  hundred  and  one  years.  She  was  the  mother  of  six 
children,  those  besides  Lucinda  having  been  Elias,  who  spent  his  last  days 
farming  in  Highland  county;  Moses,  who  moved  to  the  Rising  Sun  neigh- 
jjorhood  in  Indiana;  Isaac,  who  moved  to  Peoria  county,  Illinois;  James, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  from  the  effects  of  a  rattlesnake  bite, 
and  Ella,  who  married  Lewis  Chancy  and  in  1853  went  to  Des  Moines, 
Iowa. 

Eleven  Driskill  was  born  in  Caroline  county,  Maryland,  October  13, 
1815,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Owens)  Driskill,  the  latter  of  whom 
also  was  born  in  Maryland.  John  Driskill  was  born  in  County  Cork,  Ire- 
land, and  upon  coming  to  the  United  States  in  the  days  of  his  young  manhood 
located  in  Maryland,  where  he  presently  married,  but  later  made  his  way  out 
to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Highland  county,  where  he  established  his  home  on 
a  woods  tract,  on  which  he  made  a  clearing  and  erected  a  log  cabin.  Tliat 
old  log  cabin  is  still  standing.  John  Driskill  died  there  in  1827  and  his 
widow  survived  him  until  1850.  They  were  members  of  the  Campliellite 
church  and  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  Eleven  was  the  second 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Nancy,  who  married  John 
Hutchinson  and  moved  to  Ray  county,  Tennessee;  Elizabeth,  who  married 
Thomas  Dixon,  of  the  Russell   Station  neighborhood  in  Highland  county; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  875 

Maria,  who  married  Moses  Hamilton  and  moved  to  the  Rising  Sun  neigh- 
borhood in  Indiana;  Nellie,  who  married  Joshua  Dormand  and  moved  to 
Van  Buren  county,  Iowa ;  Nettie,  who  married  James  Armstrong,  who  also 
went  to  Van  Buren  county,  Ohio,  and  thence,  in  1849,  to  California:  Jane, 
who  also  went  to  Iowa ;  and  Ephraim,  who  married  Ann  Rook  and  moved  to 
Knox  county,  Illinois. 

Eleven  Driskill  was  but  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  and 
he  early  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  beginning  work  on  the  fai'm  of  his 
uncle,  Ben  Shockley,  at  a  wage  of  forty  dollars  a  year,  which  he  never 
received.  After  his  marriage  to  Lucinda  Hamilton  he  established  a  home  of 
his  own  in  Highland  county  and  his  wife  died  in  Clinton  county  in  1858.  He  , 
later  married  Harriet  Dormand,  of  Boone  county,  Kentucky,  and  in  i860 
located  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of  Utica,  in  Clark  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  remained  for  ten  years,  or  until  1870,  when  he  returned  to  his 
old  home  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his 
death  occurring  on  October  11,  1889.  He  was  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church.  To  Eleven  and  Lucinda  (Hamilton)  Driskill  were 
born  eight  children,  namely:  Ephraim,,  a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Rees- 
ville  and  whose  wife,  Hester  Ann  Chapman,  died  in  1904:  Martha  Jane,  who 
married  Riley  Michaels,  of  Elighland  county,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  hus- 
band, is  now  deceased;  Joseph,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical 
sketch ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  who  married  John  W.  Thomas,  of  Lynchburg,  this 
state;  Ann  Eliza,  who  died  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Sarah  Lydia, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  Henrietta  Clarissa,  wife  of  Alonzo 
Smith,  of  Lynchburg,  and  Nancy  Ellen,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Joseph  Driskill  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  mother  died  and 
when  his  father  moved  to  Indiana  he  was  taken  into  the  home  of  Isaiah 
Brewer,  a  farmer  of  the  New  Vienna  neighborhood,  in  Clinton  county,  his 
schooling  thus  being  completed  in  the  Hoskin  school  and  in  the  Hart  school 
in  their  neighborhood.  On  September  2,  18G1,  he  then  being  not  sixteen 
vears  of  age,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G.  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volun- 
teer Infantrv,  Capt.  I.  T.  Moore,  Col.  Thomas  Kilby  Smith,  which  com- 
mand he  joined  at  Lima,  and  to  which  lie  remained  attached  until  he  received 
his  final  discharge  in  September,  1865.  During  this  service  Mr.  Driskill 
suffered  more  than  the  usual  viscissitudes  of  a  soldier's  life,  was  twice  cap- 
tured by  the  enemy,  for  nine  months  held  in  the  horrid  prison  pen  at  Ander- 
sonville,  twice  escaped  death  when  many  of  his  companions  were  lost  in  river 
disasters,  and  during  his  Andersonville  experience  contracted  a  trouble  with 
his  eyes  that  developed  upon  his  return  from  the  army  and  from  the  effects 
of  which  ever  since  the  spring  of  1876  he  has  been  totally  blind.  L^pon 
leaving  Lima  with  his  company  late  in  the  fall  of   1861   Mr.   Driskill  was 


8/6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

headed  for  Ft.  Donelson,  but  that  point  meantime  having  been  taken  by 
the  enemy  his  company  was  diverted  to  Paducah,  where  they  helped  in  the 
erection  of  a  fort  and  were  then  sent  up  the  river  to  Corinth,  but  the  high 
stage  of  water  compelled  a  landing  at  Shiloh,  where  on  April  6  and  7  they 
participated  in  the  great  battle  at  that  point  and  where  Mr.  Driskill  received 
a  wound  which  kept  him  in  the  hospital  until  the  following  August.  He 
rejoined  his  company  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  December,  1862,  and  there- 
after participated  in  the  campaigns  in  which  his  regiment  was  engaged  until 
taken  prisoner  on  July  22,  1864.  He  saw  serxice  in  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg  from  May  until  the  fall  of  that  city  on  July  4,  1863.  He  then  went  on 
to  Jackson,  aided  in  taking  that  city,  then  on  into  Georgia  to  take  part  in 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  where  he  was  captured,  July  22,  1864,  with  eighteen 
hundred  others  and  was  sent  to  Andersonville  prison,  where  he  was  held 
until  the  close  of  the  war  in  April,  1865.  He  took  boat  at  Augusta,  Georgia, 
went  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  and  Hilton  Head  Island,  took  ship  there  for  Xew 
York  City,  landing  June  10,  1865.  The  boat  they  started  on  struck  a  snag 
and  sank.  Mr.  Driskill  managed  to  reach  shore  and  later  at  Robinson's 
Ferry  .boarded  the  "Jeff  Davis"  with  forty  other  ex-prisoners  of  war.  Besides 
these  returning  soldiers  the  boat  carried  a  hea\'y  cargo  of  cotton  and  three 
hundred  negroes.  Before  they  had  been  out  long  the  vessel  caught  fire  and 
in  effort  to  escape  the  flames  seventy-five  were  drowned.  Mr.  Driskill  and 
four  of  his  companions  managed  to  float  ashore  on  a  bale  of  cotton  and  on 
June  10,  1865,  he  finall}-  reached  New  York  City.  In  good  time  he  reported 
to  his  command  and  in  September,  1865,  was  granted  his  final  discharge. 

Mr.  Driskill  formerly  was  a  meml:>er  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  at  New  Vienna  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  local 
branch  of  the  Union  Veteran  Legion  at  Newark.  He  was  the  youngest 
1861  recruit  in  the  Legion  in  the  state,  and  was  also  the  baby  of  his  regi- 
ment. 

L'pon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Driskill  returned  to 
the  Isaiah  Brewer  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Vienna  and  there  remained 
until  his  marriage  in  the  summer  of  1871,  when  he  began  farming  on  his 
own  account  in  that  neighborhood.  In  188S  he  bought  the  Doctor  Morely 
farm  a  half  mile  south  of  Centerville,  and  there  remained  until  September 
2,  1896,  wlien  lie  moved  to  the  \-illage  of  Sabina.  Two  }-ears  later  he  sold 
his  farm  and  Ijoutjht  thirty-five  acres  three  miles  southeast  of  Bowersville, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  seven  years.  On  July  8,  1008,  he  moved  to 
Bowersville,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  In  19 13  he  had  his  present 
comfortable  house  erected  there,  at  a  cost  of  four  thousand  dollars.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Disciples  rhr'c'i. 

In  June,  1871,  in  Clinton  county,  Mr.  Driskill  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Josephine  Shepard,  who  was  born  at  Snow  Hill,  in  that  county,  February 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  8/7 

12,  1852,  daug^hter  of  William  and  Sidney  Siiepard.  the  former  of  wiiom, 
a  blacksmith  and  farmer,  died  at  Bowersville  on  May  i,  1905.  William 
Shepard's  widow  survived  him,  her  death  occurring  at  Dayton  in  March, 
1909.  They  were  the  parents  of  fifteen  children.  To  Joseph  and  Josephine 
(Shepard)  Driskill  were  born  five  children,  namely:  Cora  A.,  who  married 
Thomas  Pavey,  of  Sabina,  now  deceased,  and  had  eleven  children',  Taylor, 
Alma,  Faye,  Joseph,  Margaret,  Catherine,  Helen,  Delliert,  Thelma,  Fannie 
and  Evelyn  Pauline:  \\'illiam  T.,  born  on  August  8,  1873,  now  connected  with 
the  fire  department  at  Newark,  who  married  Rosanna  Worley  and  has  one 
child:  Lewis  L.,  June  19,  1875,  who  died  in  T912,  leaving  a  widow,  Edna 
Matthews  Driskill,  and  two  children,  Edith  and  John  W.,  now  living  at 
New  Vienna ;  Margaret,  who  has  been  twice  married,  her  first  husband  hav- 
ing been  Alva  Higler  and  her  second,  Albert  MacNiel,  of  Charollet,  North 
Carolina,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Frances :  and  the  Rev.  J.  Denver 
Driskill.  JNIarch  11,  1888,  a  minister  of  the  Disciples  church,  who  married 
Mattie  Taylor  and  has  three  children,  Joseph,  Ruth  Olive  and  Anna  Lee. 
Mrs.  Josephine  Driskill  died  on  November  5,  191 1,  and  on  January  18,  1914, 
J\Ir.  Driskill  married  Estella  J.  Myrick,  who  was  born  in  Clermont  countv, 
this  state,  daughter  of  George  F.  and  Elizabeth  (Butler)  Myrick,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  died  in  Clermont  county  and  the  former  of  whom  is  now  living 
at  Macomb.  Illinois.  George  F.  Myrick  and  wife  had  two  children.  Mrs. 
Driskill  having  a  brother,  Chester  A.  Myrick,  unmarried,  a  ranchman  at  Lodi, 
California. 


CHARLES  EWING  COOLEY. 

Charles  Ewing  Cooley,  one  of  Greene  county's  well-known  and  substan- 
tial farmers,  living  in  Cedarville  township,  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of 
Cedarville,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Goes  Station,  in  this  county, 
and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  all  his  life.  His  father,  William  Cooley, 
was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  of  old  Colonial  stock,  his  mother  having 
been  an  Alden,  a  direct  descendant  of  John  Alden,  the  Puritan,  whose  roman- 
tic marriage  to  his  wife  Priscilla  forms  the  basis  of  one  of  the  most  delight- 
ful poems  in  the  English  language. 

William  Cooley  came  to  Ohio  from  New  York  during  the  days  of  his 
young  manhood  and  in  time  became  one  of  the  leading  fanners  in  the  Goes 
neighborhood  in  Xenia  township.  For  years  he  was  a  constant  contributor 
to  the  old  Xenia  Torchlight  and  was  one  of  the  best-known  men  of  his 
generation  in  this  county.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Second  United  Presbv- 
terian  church  at  Xenia,  for  years  an  elder  in  tlie  same,  but  became  affiliated 
with  the  Third  United  Presbyterian  church  in  that  city  upon  the  organization 
of  the  latter,  and  for  many  years  he  was  the  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath 


878  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

school  at  Goes.  William  Cooley  died  on  the  home  farm  on  August  30,  1884. 
He  was  twice  married,  first  to  Jeanette  Dean,  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth (Campbell)  Dean,  pioneers  of  this  county,  to  whom  further  reference  is 
made  in- this  volume.  Upon  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  William  Cooley  mar- 
ried Julia  Parry,  a  school  teacher  at  Cedarville  and  a  daughter  of  Col.  Walter 
Parry,  who  had  earned  his  title  as  commander  of  the  Greene  county  militia 
during  the  old  days  of  the  "muster."  One  of  the  daughters  of  Colonel  Parry 
married  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Curry  and  went  with  her  husband  to  Alexandria, 
Egypt,  where  both  died  in  the  missionary  service.  Colonel  Parry  was  a  substan- 
tial landowner  in  the  Jamestown  neighborhood,  but  when  his  children  Ijegan  to 
require  better  educational  advantages  he  moved  to  Cedarville,  where  Julia 
Parry  completed  her  schooling  and  where  she  was  engaged  in  teaching  at  tlie 
time  of  her  marriage  to  William  Cooley.  To  that  union  were  born  several 
children. 

Charles  E.  Cooley,  son  of  William  and  Julia  (Parry)  Cooley,  was  reared 
on  the  old  home  fann  in  the  neighborhood  of  Goes  in  Xenia  town- 
ship and  the  schooling  he  received  in  the  neighborhood  school  was  supple- 
mented by  the  training  he  received  at  home.  He  was  married  in  the  spring 
of  1884  and  after  the  retirement  of  his  father-in-law,  John  Kyle,  he  and  his 
wife  moved  to  the  latter's  old  home  place  one  mile  south  of  Cedarville,  where 
they  have  since  made  their  home,  Mrs.  Cooley  having  inherited  the  place 
after  her  father's  death. 

On  April  9,  1884,  Charles  E.  Cooley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Jeanette  Kyle,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Martha  Jane  (Orr)  Kyle,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Greene  county. 
John  Kyle  was  born  on  December  5,  1825,  son  of  Judge  Samuel  and  Rachel 
(Jackson)  Kyle,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth 
(McCorkle)  Jackson,  pioneers,  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  as  is  also  reference  to  the  Kyles,  who  were  among  the  fore- 
most settlers  of  the  Cedarville  neighborhood.  Judge  Samuel  Kyle  was  for 
thirty  years  a  member  of  the  bench  of  associate  judges  in  Greene  county  and 
also  for  years  served  as  county  surveyor.  He  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Asso- 
ciate Reformed  church  at  Cedarville.  Judge  Kyle  was  twice  married  and 
by  his  first  wife,  Ruth  Mitchell,  was  the  father  of  si.x  children,  .\fter  tlie 
death  of  the  motlier  of  these  children  he  married,  February  \y.  181 5,  Rachel 
Jackson,  and  to  that  union  were  l>orn  fifteen  children,  of  whom  John  Kyle 
was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth.  None  of  tlie  sons  of  Judge  Kyle  were  under 
six  feet  in  height  and  the  tallest  was  six  feet  and  seven  inches  in  height. 
Judge  Kyle  was  a  Pennsylvanian,  born  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Harris- 
burg,  and  was  but  a  boy  when  his  parents  moved  from  that  state  to  Kentucky 
and  settled  in  the  Cynthiana  neighborhood,  whence  he  came  up  into  the  valley 
of  the  little  Aliami  and  lifiught  twelve  hundred  acres  of  governniLMit  land,  the 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  879 

tract  on  which  the  village  of  Cedarville  later  sprang  up.  John  Kyle  and 
Martha  Jane  Orr  were  married  on  April  9,  1850,  and  immediately  there- 
after located  on  the  farm  one  mile  south  of  Cedarville,  where  the  Cooleys  now 
live,  and  there  they  continued  to  reside  until  their  retirement  from  the  farm 
and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  their  last  days  were  spent.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  First  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Xenia.  The)'  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Cooley  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  Samuel  J.,  who  died  in  infancy;  Martha  R.,  wife  of  Joseph 
Tate,  and  John  Riley  Kyle,  who  is,  living  at  Mansfield,  Ohio. 

To  Charles  E.  and  Mary  Jeanette  (Kyle)  Cooley  have  been  born  four 
children:  Edna,  born  on  August  8,  1886;  Martha,  April  19,  1888;  and  Wilbur, 
April  2,  1890,  who  is  married  and  is  assisting  his  father  in  the  management 
of  the  home  place;  Harold  Parry,  born  October  18,  1894.  died  on  March  i, 
191 1.     The  Cooleys  are  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 


EDWARD  O.  BULL. 


The  founder  of  the  Bull  family  in  Greene  county  was  William  Bull,  ti 
Revolutionary  soldier,  who  came  over  here  from  Virginia  in  1803,  purchased 
a  tract  of  land  on  Massics  creek  and  there  established  his  home,  becoming 
there  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  old  Scotch  Seceder  settle- 
ment. This  pioneer  was  the  father  of  six  sons,  Asaph,  John,  James,  Thomas, 
Richard  and  William,  and  two  daughters,  Ann  and  Mary,  the  descendants  of 
whom  in  the  present  generation  form  a  numerous  connection  hereabout. 

Edward  O.  Bull,  one  of  the  most  progressive  young  farmers  of  Cedar- 
ville township  and  the  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  on 
rural  mail  route  No.  3  out  of  Cedarville,  is  a  member  of  the  pioneer  family 
above  referred  to.  He  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cedarville  on  July  15, 
1889,  son  of  Rankin  and  Elizabeth  (  Orr)  Bull,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  mem- 
ber of  one  of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families.  Rankin  Bull  was  early 
trained  to  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  after  a  while  became  a  building  con- 
tractor on  his  own  account,  carrying  on  his  operations  in  that  line  at  Cedar- 
\ille  until  his  removal  to  a  farm  in  his  home  township,  where  he  spent  his 
last  days.  He  was  a  Republican  and  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  Rankin  Bull  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Elizabeth  Orr,  died 
on  May  2,  1905,  and  on  July  7,  1908,  he  married  ]Malinda  Turnbull.  By 
the  first  marriage  he  was  the  father  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  suljject 
of  this  sketch  was  the  first-born,  the  others  being  Raymond  Samuel  Bull, 
born  on  June  15,  1890,  who  is  farming  in  Cedarville  township;  Arthur  R. 
Bull,  born  in  July,  1895,  who  also  is  farming  in  Cedarville  township,  and 
Edna  M.,  born  on  Alay  9,  1902,  who  died  on  Jujy  10,  1904. 


88o  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Edward  O.  Bull  received  his  early  schooling 
in  the  Cedarville  public  schools  and  supplemented  the  same  by  a  year  at 
college,  after  which,  in  1908,  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  home  farm  and 
there  remained  until  after  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1913,  when  he  bought 
the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living,  the  old  Mobley  place  of  one  hundred 
acres  in  Cedarville  township,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  Mr.  Bull 
has  made  extensive  improvements  on  the  same,  remodeled  the  farm  house, 
put  up  a  silo,  enlarged  his  farm  plant  by  the  erection  of  additional  buildings 
and  in  other  ways  has  made  of  his  place  one  of  the  best-improved  farms  in 
that  section.  He  is  also  giving  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live 
stock,  making  a  specialty  of  Duroc-Jersey  hogs  and  Shorthorn  cattle. 

On  October  20.  1913,  Edward  O.  Bull  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carrie 
S.  Townsley,  who  also  was  born  in  Cedarville  township,  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Effie  (Fields)  Townsley,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere 
in  this  volume,  and  to  this  union  one  son  has  lieen  born,  Ralph  Edwin,  born 
on  January  31,  191 5.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bull  are  members  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian church  at  Cedarville  and  INIr.  Bull  is  a  Republican. 


ALBERT  ANKENEY. 


The  Ankeneys  have  been  represented  in  this  section  of  Ohio  ever  since 
the  year  1827,  when  Samuel  Ankeney,  then  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  the 
eldest  of  the  ten  children  of  David  Ankeney,  left  his  home  in  Washington 
county,  Maryland,  and  came  into  Ohio  with  a  view  to  selecting  a  spot  for 
the  settlement  here  of  the  family,  David  Ankeney  having  decided  to  move 
over  here  into  the  countrv  out  of  which  such  excellent  reports  were  coming 
back  East.  In  1830  David  Ankeney  followed  with  the  rest  of  the  family 
and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  in  Madison  county,  not  far  east  of  South 
Charleston,  and  there  he  and  his  sons  put  out  some  corn,  but  not  liking  that 
point  on  account  of  the  level  ground,  presently  moved  with  his  family,  in 
the  fall  of  that  same  year,  down  into  Greene  county  and  bought  a  tract  of 
two  hundred  and  ten  acres  in  the  Alpha  neighborhood  in  Beavercreek  town- 
ship and  there  decided  to  locate.  He  did  not  live  long,  however,  to  enjoy 
his  new  home  or  to  develop  the  same  in  accordance  with  his  expectations, 
for  on  the  evening  of  November  2  of  that  same  year  he  died  suddenly,  in 
the  forty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  his  widow  was  left  with  the  ten  chil- 
dren to  carry  out  the  plans  which  the  family  had  made  for  the  establishment 
of  a  permanent  home  in  this  county.  She  was  born,  Elizabeth  Miller,  in 
Maryland,  in  the  Hagerstown  neighborhood  in  Washington  county,  and 
survived  her  husband  for  more  than  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  on 
December  27,.  1852,  she  then  being  si.xty-two  years  of  age. 

The  progenitor  of  this  branch  of  the  Ankeney  family  in  America  was 


^4//'<  /•/    •  ^//i/r  /^f  Y 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  88l 

Dewalt  Ankeney,  who  in  1746,  he  then  having  just  reached  the  age  of  con- 
scription in  one  of  tlie  kingdoms  of  what  is  now  Germany,  was  brought  to 
this  country  by  his  maternal  uncle,  Casper  Dewalt,  in  order  to  keep  the  lad 
out  of  the  army  into  which  all  his  older  brothers  had  been  drafted,  Uncle 
Casper  Dewalt  and  his  nephew  embarking  at  Rotterdam,  Holland,  and  com- 
ing over  on  the  vessel  "Neptune"  and  landing  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia. 
Dewalt  Ankeney,  then  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  trained  to  the 
trade  of  shoemaking  and  later,  during  the  Revolutionary  War,  made  shoes 
for  Washington's  soldiers  at  Valley  Forge.  He  became  a  farmer  and  the 
owner  of  a  tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Clear  Springs,  in  Washington 
county,  Maryland,  where  his  last  days  were  spent.  Dewalt  Ankeney  was 
twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been  Mary  Jane  Dormer,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children,  Peter  and  Christian.  His  second  wife  was  Elizabeth 
Frederick  and  by  that  union  he  was  the  father  of  ten  children,  five  sons, 
John,  Henry,  David,  Jacob  and  George,  and  five  daughters.  It  is  well  to 
note,  in  passing,  that  the  Dewalts,  the  family  of  Dewalt  Ankeney's  mother, 
were  French  and  had  fled  from  France  into  Germany  during  the  time  of  the 
Huguenot  persecution.  Dewalt  Ankeney  became  a  considerable  landowner, 
his  large  farm  being  given  the  name  of  "Wellphased,"  and  his  last  will  and 
testament  disposing  of  his  estate  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his  great-great- 
grandson,  Albert  Ankeney,  of  this  county,  the  subject  of  this  biographical 
review. 

Henry  Ankeney,  second  son  of  Dewalt  and  Elizabeth  (Frederick) 
Ankeney,  grew  up  on  the  hom.e  farm  in  the  Clear  Spring  neighborhood  in 
Maryland  and  after  his  marriage  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  that 
same  neighborhood  and  became  a  farmer  on  his  own  account.  Among  his 
sons  was  David  Ankeney,  the  Ohio  pioneer,  whose  plans  for  developing  a 
farm  in  Greene  county  were  suddenly  checked  by  his  death  in  1830,  as  set 
out  above,  and  whose  body  for  nearly  ninety  years  has  been  at  rest  in  the 
Xenia  cemetery,  but  whose  name  is  perpetuated  in  this  section  and  whose 
memory  is  cherished  by  the  large  connection  of  the  Ankeneys  and  related 
families  based  upon  his  establishment  of  his  home  here  in  pioneer  days. 

As  the  eldest  of  the  ten  children  left  fatherless  by  the  death  of  David 
Ankeney,  Samuel  Ankeney  assumed  the  responsibility  of  developing  the 
home  place  and  in  assisting  his  widowed  mother  to  keep  the  family  together. 
He  married  ]\Iargaret  Gettard,  who  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Warren  and  who  had  come  up  here  into  Greene  county  as  a  child  with  her 
parents,  Henry  and  Catherine  (iCatick)  Gettard,  the  family  settling  in 
Beavercreek  township.  After  his  marriage  Samuel  Ankeney  continued  his 
home  on  the  home  farm,  of  which  he  eventually  became  sole  proprietor,  and 
later  became  the  owner  of  the  neighboring  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seven- 

(55) 


882  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

teen  acres  now  owned  by  his  son  Horace,  thus  being  the  owner  of  four 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  acres  of  land.  On  that  place  he  spent  his  last 
days,  his  death  occurring  in  the  year  1867,  he  then  being  fifty-nine  years 
of  age.  Samuel  Ankeney  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Beaver  Re- 
formed church  and  he  was  for  years  one  of  the  officers  in  the  same.  Politi- 
cally, he  was  a  Republican.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  her  death  occurring  in  1898,  she  then  being  eighty-five  years  of  age, 
and  her  body  was  laid  beside  that  of  her  husband  in  the  Beaver  cemetery. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Joan,  widow  of  Frederick 
C.  Trebein,  and  who  is  making  her  home  with  a  daughter  in  the  South ; 
Elizabeth,  now  making  her  home  at  Xenia,  widow  of  the  Rev.  W.  G.  More- 
head,  who  was  for  years  president  of  the-Xenia  Theological  Seminary,  and 
Horace,  former  representative  in  the  Legislature  from  this  district  and  the 
owner  of  the  farm  adjoining  that  of  his  brother  Albert. 

Albert  Ankeney,  elder  son  and  third  child  of  Samuel  and  Margaret 
(Gettard)  Ankeney,  was  born  on  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
which  he  for  years  has  owned,  December  15,  1846,  and  has  always  lived 
there.  The  house  in  which  he  was  born  was  a  large  two-story  log  house 
with  a  veranda  on  two  sides,  overlooking  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Little 
Miami,  and  which  in  its  days  was  regarded  as  a  rather  pretentious  dwelling 
house.  In  1872  he  built  on  the  same  farm  the  brick  house  in  which  he  is 
now  living  and  which  has  ever  since  .served  as  a  place  of  residence  for  him- 
self and  family.  Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  old  Beaver  grade  school 
Albert  Ankenev  entered  Miami  University  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1868,  the  year  in  which  he  cast  his  first  vote  and  the  year  in 
which  he  was  married.  Their  father  having  died  the  year  previously,  Albert 
Ankeney  and  his  brother  Horace  divided  the  estate,  buying  the  interests 
held  bv  their  sisters,  and  in  the  division  Albert  acquired  the  home  place  of 
two  hundred  and  ten  acres  and  his  brother,  the  farm  adjoining,  which  -their 
father  had  bought  some  time  after  beginning  his  operations  in  this  county, 
and  the  brothers  thus  have  ever  since  carried  on  their  operations  side  by 
side.  Since  1873  Mr.  Ankeney  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the 
breeding  of  pure-bred  Shorthorn  cattle.  He  is  a  Republican  and  for  four 
terms  served  as  trustee  of  Beavercreek  township.  Of  late  years  I\fr.  An- 
kenev has  been  living  more  or  less  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
farm,  the  operations  of  the  same  having  been  taken  over  by  his  sons,  Horace 
i\I.  and  Albert  S.  Ankeney. 

On  November  5,  1868,  Albert  Ankeney  was  united  in  marriage  to  Alice 
Maude  Stoddard,  who  was  born  at  Oxford,  in  Butler  county,  this  state, 
daughter  of  Prof.  Orange  N.  and  Eliza  (Wheeler)  Stoddard,  whose  last 
days  were  spent  at  Wooster,  this  state.     Prof.   Orange  Nash  Stoddard  at 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  883 

the  time  of  his  daughter's  marriage  to  Mr.  Ankeney  was  professor  of 
science  in  Miami  University  at  Oxford,  but  later  transferred  his  connec- 
tion to  Wooster  University  and  at  the  seat  of  the  latter  institution  he  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  To  Albert  and  Alice  M.  (Stod- 
dard) Ankeney  eight  children  have  been  born,  namely:  Mary,  who  married 
Dr.  J.  L.  Phythian,  now  living  at  Newport,  KenKtucky,  and  has  one  child,  a 
daughter,  Margaret  T. ;  Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years ;  Horace 
M.,  who  married  Mrs.  Nora  Slifer  and  owns  and  is  operating  a  part  of  the 
home  farm,  living  in  a  house  nearby  the  old  home  place ;  Helen  and  Jose- 
phine, both  also  at  home;  an  infant  who  lived  but  a  few  days;  Margaret, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and  Albert  S.,  who  completed  his 
schooling  at  Heidelberg  College  at  Springfield  and  is  now  giving  his  atten- 
tion to  the  home  farm.  The  Ankeneys  are  members  of  the  Beaver  Re- 
formed church  and  for  thirty-five  years  Mr.  Ankeney  has  been  an  elder  in 
the  same.     Their  home  is  on  rural  mail  route  No.  lo  out  of  Xenia. 


DANIEL  M.  BAILEY. 


Daniel  M.  Bailey,  former  trustee  of  Silvercreek  township  and  one  of 
the  well-to-do  farmers  of  that  township,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  has  lived 
in  this  state  all  his  life  with  the  exception  of  a  short  period  during  the  days 
of  his  early  childhood  when  his  parents  were  living  in  Illinois.  He  was 
born  at  Port  William,  in  the  county  of  Clinton,  September  i8,  1846,  son  of 
Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Moorman)  Bailey,  both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in 
this  state,  the  latter  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  Micajah 
and  Anna  (Johnson)  Moorman,  Virginians,  who  had  come  to  this  county 
during  pioneer  days.  Micajah  Moorman  was  twice  married  and  was  the 
father  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four  daughters.  The  Moormans  were 
Quakers. 

Daniel  Bailey  was  one  of  the  six  children  born  to  his  parents,  who  were 
Virginians  and  early  settlers  in  this  part  of  Ohio,  the  other  children  having 
been  Robert,  James,  Louisa,  Almeda  and  Judith.  James's  daughter,  Ester, 
was  the  wife  of  Governor  Stubbs  of  Kansas.  Reared  in  this  state,,  Daniel 
Bailey  was  trained  to  the  trade  of  brickmason  and  followed  that  trade  until 
his  death,  working  in  and  around  Jamestown,  Morrow  and  Port  William, 
and  during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  this  county  got  a  piece  of  land,  made 
a  clearing  and  established  a  home  in  the  woods  in  Silvercreek  township,  later 
moving  with  his  family  to  Watseka,  Illinois,  where  he  was  killed  bv  an  acci- 
dent at  a  mill-raising  in  1850.  His  widow  returned  with  lier  family  to  this 
countv,  driving  throug-h,  and  her  last  days  were  spent  here,  she  being  sixty- 
three  vears  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.     To  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Moor- 


884  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

nian )  Bailey  nine  children  were  born,  namely :  Susanna,  deceased ;  Almeda, 
deceased;  Granison,  who  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War,  being  mustered  out  as  captain  of  Company  H,  Third  Missouri  Caxalry, 
later  conducted  a  grocery  store  at  Jamestown,  from  which  place  he  moved  to 
the  old  Moorman  place  and  died  while  on  a  visit  to  Chicago ;  Barcley,  who 
also  served  as  a  Union  soldier,  a  member  of  Company  A,  Seventy-fourth 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  spent  his  last  days  on  a  farm  in 
the  Jamestown  neighborhood  in  Silvercreek  township;  Elizabeth,  now  living 
at  Eureka,  Kansas,  widow  of  David  Fogle;  Addison,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Daniel  M.,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch;  Josiah,  deceased,  and 
Isaac,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Daniel  M.  Bailey  was  but  a  child  when  his  widowed  mother  returned  to 
this  county  from  Illinois  with  her  family.  He  thus  grew  up  here,  receiving 
his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  became 
accustomed  to  "doing  for  himself."  Among  the  boyhood  "jobs"  he  held  was 
one  as  a  teamster  at  Camp  Nelson  in  1861  when  he  was  but  fifteen  years  of 
age,  he  having  gone  there  with  his  brother  Barcley  to  haul  supplies  for  the 
soldiers.  He  later  was  employed  for  a  year  or  more  as  a  brakeman  on  the 
Erie  railroad.  After  his  marriage  he  began  farming  on  a  place  south  of 
where  he  is  now  living  and  was  there  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  ^\•hich 
time  he  bought  a  fifty-acre  farm  in  that  same  neighborhood  and  there  made 
his  home  until  1887,  in  which  year  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living,  the  old  Smith  place,  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  there.  Mr. 
Bailey  has  an  excellent  farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and  has  made 
numerous  substantial  improvements.  For  the  past  four  years  or  more  Mr. 
Bailey  has  been  living  retired  from  the  labors  of  the  farm.  He  is  a  Repul)li- 
can,  having  cast  his  first  ballot  for  U.  S.  Grant,  for  President,  and  never 
missed  an  election  since.  For  some  time  he  served  as  director  of  schools  in 
his  home  district  and  as  trustee  of  the  ^ownshi]i. 

In  1 87 1  Daniel  M.  Bailey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora  Glass,  who 
was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  \'^incent  and  Deli- 
lah (Stanley)  Glass,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Madison  county,  this 
state,  September  15,  1815,  daughter  of  John  and  Susanna  fBeaxer)  Stanley, 
who  had  come  to  Ohio  from  Virginia  and  settled  in  Madison  county,  later 
moving  to  the  Mechanicsburg  neighborhood  in  Champaign  county.  Toh',i 
Stanley  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  twehe  children.  Vincent  Glass 
was  born  in  Campbell  county,  Virginia.  June  3,  181 5.  the  fourth  son  and 
the  sixth  of  the  twelve  children  born  to  1iis  parents,  \\'il!iam  and  Lo\-ina 
(Ross)  Glass,  who  came  with  their  family  to  Ohio  in  the  second  decade  of 
the  past  century  and  established  their  home  in  Silvercreek  township,  this 
count)',  where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  William  Glass  living 
to  the  age  of  eighty-three  years  and  his  wife,  eighty-four.     Vincent  Glass 


GREENE    COI'NTY,    OHIO  885 

was  but  a  lad  wlien  lie  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents  and  here  he  grew 
to  manhood  and  in  turn  established  a  home  of  his  own  and  became  a  well- 
to-do  landowner  in  Silvercreek  township.  To  Vincent  and  Delilah  (Stanley) 
Glass  were  born  ten  children,  of  whom  Airs.  Bailey  was  the  eighth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  having  been  Susanna,  Louisa,  James  A.,  Elias,  William, 
Lucinda.  Emaline,  Rebecca  and  Charles,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity  and 
married. 

To  Daniel  M.  and  Flora  (Glass)  Bailey  have  been  Ijorn  five  children, 
daughters  all.  namely :  Carrie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years ;  Delia. 
wife  of  C.  M.  Burr,  a  Silvercreek  township  farmer;  Ida,  wife  of  Wilbur 
Hughes,  who  also  is  farming  in  Silvercreek  township;  Bertha,  wife  of  Lee 
Earley.  who  is  engaged  in  the  grain  business  at  Bowersville,  and  Dora,  wife 
of  Bonner  Jones,  a  Silvercreek  township  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bailey  arc 
members  of  the  Disciples  church,  he  having  served  as  elder  almost  fifty  years 
and  have  ever  taken  an  interested  part  in  the  general  good  works  of  the 
communitv. 


SEYMOUR  WADE. 


Seymour  Wade,  trustee  of  Silvercreek  township  and  one  of  the  progressive 
farmers  of  the  Jamestown  neighborhood,  owner  of  a  pleasant  home  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  village  and  of  an  excellent  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  in  the  neighboring  township  of  Jefferson,  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and 
a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  spring  of  1894.  He  was  bom  on  a 
farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  Wilmington,  in  the  county  of  Clinton, 
August  30,  1865,  son  of  James  R.  and  Martha  C.  (Sherman)  Wade,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  in  1843  ^"d  the  latter, 
August  30,  1845. 

James  R.  Wade  was  reared  as  a  farmer  and  continued  engaged  in  that 
vocation  all  his  life,  becoming  the  owner  of  an  excellent  farm  in  the  vicinity 
of  Wilmington,  where  he  spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  on  July 
8,  1901.  His  widow  survived  him  for  more  than  ten  years,  her  death  occur- 
ring on  March  18,  1912.  They  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  namely:  Seymour,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographi- 
cal sketch;  Charles,  born  on  August  26,  1866;  Joseph,  June  7,  1870;  George 
W.,  September  20,  1872;  Laura  E.,  August  17.  1873;  Carrie,  March  10. 
1878,  and  Cora.  April  13,   1880. 

Seymour  Wade  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of 
\\'ilmington.  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  and  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage  in  the  fall  of  1888,  he  then  being  twenty-three 
years  of  age.  He  then  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  in 
his  home  county  and  there  remained  until  the  spring  of  1894,  when  he  bought 


886  GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO 

a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Jefferson  township,  and  on  March 
1 1  of  that  year  took  possession  of  the  same,  continuing  to  make  his  home 
there  until  in  October,  191 2,  when  he  bought  a  tract  of  a  fraction  less  than 
twenty-one  acres  just  on  the  north  edge  of  the  corporation  line  of  the  village 
of  Jamestown  and  moved  to  the  same.  Mr.  Wade  continues  to  operate  botli 
tracts  and  has  done  well  in  his  operations.  Mr.  ^^^ade  is  serving  as  trustee 
of  Silvercreek  township,  rendering  a  useful  public  service  in  that  connection. 
On  November  14,  1888,  in  Greene  county,  Seymour  Wade  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  Olive  Hawes,  who  was  born  in  Greene  county,  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  M.  and  Nancy  (Parker)  Hawes,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Clinton  county,  the  former  on  February  4,  1840,  and  the  latter,  January  7, 
1840.  Mr.  Hawes  died  on  September  3,  191 2,  and  his  widow.  December  29, 
1916.  James  M.  Hawes  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Ninety-fourth  Ohio  Regi- 
ment, August  9,  1862.  and  because  of  disability  was  discharged  February  2. 
1865.  In  August,  1865,  he  married  Nancy  Parker  and  they  settled  in  Greene 
county,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  he  dying  on  September  3, 
1912,  and  she,  on  December  28,  1916.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  daugh- 
ters, Mrs.  Wade  having  had  two  sisters,  Edna  and  Cora,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  still  living,  the  wife  of  David  Lynch,  of  Jefferson  township,  this  county. 
Edna  Hawes  married  Joseph  Cory  and  both  she  and  her  husband  died  on 
the  same  day,  August  12,  1912,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,  Arthur  Milton  Cory, 
who  is  now  making  his  home  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wade.  The  \\'^ades  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


DANIEL  BENJAMIN  EARLY. 

Daniel  Benjamin  Early,  one  of  Greene  county's  substantial  farmers, 
now  living  retired  in  the  pleasant  \illage  of  Bowersville,  was  born  on  a 
farm  in  Jefferson  township  and  has  lived  in  this  county  all  his  life.  He  is 
the  son  of  Daniel  Early,  whose  last  days  were  spent  at  Bowersville,  to 
which  place  he  had  retired  upon  leaving  the  farm. 

Daniel  Early  was  born  on  February  18,  1830,  a  son  of  Daniel  and 
Rachel  (Hesidine)  Early,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Kentucky,  who  had 
come  to  Ohio  and  had  established  their  home,  the  former  dying  at  the  age 
of  sixty-nine  years  and  the  latter,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  children,  those  besides  Daniel  having  been  John,  wlin 
married  Agnes  Shinn  and  continued  farming  until  1890,  wlien  he  moved 
to  Washington  Court  House,  and  Sallie,  who  married  John  Carlisle  and 
in  1885  moved  to  Greenfield,  where  both  she  and  her  husband  spent  the 
remainder  of  their  lives.  In  1855  Daniel  Early,  Jr.,  came  to  Greene  county 
and  located  on  a  farm  four  miles  from  Bowersville,  in  Jefferson  township. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  887 

where  he  continued  engaged  in  farming  until  his  retirement  and  removal 
to  Bowersville,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  his  deatli 
occurring  there  in  igoo.  His  widow  survived  him  for  ten  years  and  was 
sixty-seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death  in  1910.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church  and  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  the  following :  Lavina,  who  married  Henry  Allen  Bingaman,  a 
farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  and  who,  as  well  as  her  husband,  is  now 
deceased ;  Rosie,  who  is  now  living  at  Bowersville,  widow  of  David  Haughey ; 
Mary  A.,  now  living  in  Maryland,  widow  of  William  Lewis,  and  Clara,  wife 
of  A.  B.  Lewis,  a  farmer  living  west  of  Bowersville  in  Jefferson  township. 

Daniel  B.  Early  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Jefferson  township, 
receiving  their  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  district  school,  and  remained 
at  home  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1877,  when  he  located  on  a  farm 
west  of  Bowersville  and  there  established  his  home,  continuing  to  make  that 
his  place  of  residence  until  190O,  in  which  year  he  bought  a  house  in  Bowers- 
ville, moved  to  that  village  and  has  since  made  his  •  home  there.  He  still 
owns  his  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  takes  a  proper  interest 
in  the  operation  of  the  same. 

On  March  17,  1877,  Daniel  B.  Early  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ella 
May  Fisher,  who  was  born  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  San- 
ford  and  Lucinda  (Schermerhorn)  Fisher,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
that  county,  but  who  in  later  life  made  their  home  at  Bowersville  in  this 
county.  Mrs.  Lucinda  Fisher  died  in  1894  at  the  age  of  fifty  years  and  Mr. 
Fisher  is  still  living.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church,  as  was  his 
wife,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  Mrs.  Early  having  a  brother. 
George  Lewis  Fisher,  born  in  1862,  who  became  a  resident  of  Xenia  in  1880, 
married  Rosa  Tillif  and  is  now  connected  with  the  service  of  the  traction 
line. 

To  Daniel  B.  and  Ella  M.  (Fisher)  Early  five  children  have  been  born, 
namely :  Alice,  who  married  Frank  Beard,  a  farmer  living  east  of  Bowers- 
ville, and  has  three  children,  Wilbur,  Ona  and  Bernice:  Emma,  wife  of 
Lisle  Conner,  a  Ross  township  farmer:  Daniel  Lee  Early,  grain  dealer  at 
Bowersville,  who  bought  the  elevator  there  in  1904,  and  who  married  Bertha 
Bailey,  daughter  of  D.  M.  Bailey,  of  Silvercreek  township,  and  has  two  sons, 
Eldon  and  Paul :  Rosie,  who  married  Lester  Bradds,  of  Upland,  Lidiana,  and 
who  now,  with  her  husband,  is  attending  Taylor  University,  she  studving 
music  there  and  he  taking  a  theological  course  with  a  view  to  entering  the 
ministry :  and  Elvie,  wife  of  Ray  Garringer,  a  farmer,  living  in  the  neigh- 
boring county  of  Fayette.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Early  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Bowersville  and  ]\Ir.  Early  is  an  ardent  Prohibitionist. 


ooo  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

JAMES  M.  TIDD. 

James  M.  Tidd,  a  Silvercreek  township  farmer  and  the  proprietor  of  a 
well-kept  farm  on  rural  mail  route  No.  2  out  of  Jamestown,  has  lived  in  this 
stale  all  his  life.  He  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Washington  Court 
House,  in  the  county  of  Fayette,  August  21,  1868,  son  of  William  W.  and 
Lavina  (Glass)  Tidd,  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  on  the  farm  on  which  her 
son  James  AI.  is  now  living,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Lucinda  (Stanley) 
Glass,  both  members  of  pioneer  families  in  Greene  county  and  further  mention 
of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

William  \\'.  Tidd  was  born  in  Pocahontas  county,  \'irginia,  in  1840, 
and  was  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  John  B.  Tidd  and  wife,  came  to 
Ohio  with  their  family  and  settled  on  the  Dawson  land  in  this  county,  their 
first  home  here  being  made  in  an  old  log  house  that  had  been  built  for  church 
purposes.  John  B.  Tidd  cleared  a  hundred  ^cres  of  land  there,  but  later 
disposed  of  his  interests  in  this  county  and  moved  over  into  Fayette  county, 
where  he  got  another  farm  and  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ  and  their  children 
were  reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  seven  of  these  children,  of  whom 
William  W.  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  Josiah,  who 
married  Mary  Johnson  and  continued  farming  the  home  place;  Samuel,  who 
married  Lucinda  Glass  and  moved  to  Delaware  county,  Indiana;  Charles, 
who  married  Cynthia  Robinson  and  continued  farming;  Newton,  who  mar- 
ried Arminta  Steward  and  made  his  home  in  Indiana ;  Hamilton,  who  died 
unmarried,  and  Mary,  who  married  Bascom  Williams.  Reared  as  a  farmer, 
William  W.  Tidd  followed  that  vocation  all  his  life.  For  seven  years  after 
his  m.arriage  to  Lavina  Glass  he  made  his  home  in  I-'avette  county  and  then 
for  three  years  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county, 
later  returning  to  Fayette  county,  where  he  made  his  home  for  sixteen 
years,  at  the  end  of  w-hich  time  he  returned  to  Greene  countv  and  bought 
the  farm  on  which  his  wife  was  born,  a  portion  of  the  old  Glass  estate,  now 
owned  by  his  son  James  M.,  and  there  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  March  12,  191 1,  he  then  being  seventy-one  years  of  age.  His 
widow  survived  him  for  five  years,  her  death  occurring  March  12,  1916,  she 
then  being  seventy-four  years  of  age.  William  W.  Tidd  was  a  Republican 
and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Disciples  church  at  Jamestown. 
They  had  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Mvrtle. 
wife  of  Alva  Lucas,  a  farmer,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Mechanicsburg.  this 
state. 

James  M.  Tidd  was  reared  on  the  farm,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the 
local  schools,  and  as  the  only  son  of  his  father,  was  a  \-aluable  aid  to  the 
latter  even    from   the   davs   of  his   bovhood.      After   his   marriage   he  con- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  889 

tinued  to  reside  on  the  home  farm,  taking  charge  of  the  same  after  his 
father's  retirement  from  active  labor,  and  in  time  bought  the  farm  and  has 
since  been  operating  it.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  given 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock  and  is  doing  well. 

On  July  8,  1889,  James  M.  Tidd  was  united  in  marriage  to  Retta 
Sodders,  who  was  born  July  20,  187 1,  at  West  Lancaster,  in  Fayette  county, 
this  state,  daughter  of  A.  J.  Sodders  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom,  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  War,  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  there,  and  to  this  union 
two  children  have  been  born,  Bessie,  who  for  five  years  was  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  in  this  county  and  who  married  Ernest  E.  Hill,  a  farmer  living 
in  New  Jasper  township,  two  miles  south  of  Jamestown,  and  Ray  B.,  a 
Jefferson  township  farmer,  living  east  of  Bowersville,  who  married  Chloe 
Garringer  and  has  one  daughter,  Helen  Louise.  Mr.  Tidd  is  a  Republican 
and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Disciples  church  at  Jamestown. 


D.ANIEL  OSCO  SPAHR. 

Daniel  Osco  Spahr,  one  of  the  substantial  farmers  of  New  Jasper  town- 
ship and  former  trustee  of  that  township,  now  living  retired  in  the  village 
of  New  Jasper,  was  born  in  that  township,  on  February  15,  1863,  son  of  Daniel 
Erwin  and  Nancy  (Fudge)  Spahr,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  neigh- 
borhood and  who  spent  all  their  lives  there,  the  latter  dying  in  December, 
1912.  She  was  bom  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Hazlitt  school  house  on  Janu- 
ary 28,  1832,  daughter  of  George  Fudge  and  wife,  who  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children  and  both  of  whom  died  of  typhoid  fever  in  the  early  '503. 

Daniel  Erwin  Spahr,  who  died  at  his  home  in  New  Jasi>er  township  on 
August  2,  i8gi,  was  born  on  a  farm  about  a  mile  east  of  the  place  on 
which  he  died,  August  i,  1830,  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Smith)  Spahr, 
the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Virginia,  in  September,  1807, 
and  died  at  her  home  in  this  county  on  March  25,  1888.  She  was  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Kimble)  Smith,  who  came  with  the  Philip  Spahr 
family  to  Ohio  from  Virginia  in  18 14  and  further  reference  to  whom  is 
made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  William  Spahr  was  born  at  Morefield,  in 
Hardin  county,  Virginia,  now  included  in  West  Virginia,  May  3,  1805,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  this  county  on  October  i,  1891.  He  was  a  son  of  Philip 
and  Mary  (Shook)  Spahr,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  John  Spahr, 
a  native  of  Gennany.  In  18 r4  Philip  Spahr  and  his  family  came  to  Ohio 
and  settled  on  Paint  creek,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  but  a  year 
or  two  later  came  over  into  Greene  county  and  established  their  home  in 
what  is  now  New  Jasper  township.  Philip  Spahr  had  a  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred acres   just   south   of   the  present   village  of   New  Jasper.      He   was   a 


890  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

\\'hig  and  he  and  his  wife  were  earnest  Alethodists.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  of  whom  William,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
was  the  last-torn,  the  others  having  been  John,  who  made  his  home  in  Silver- 
creek  township :  Da\id,  who  died  six  months  after  his  marriage  to  Cathei ine 
Tressler;  Eli,  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  Jay  county,  Indiana;  Gideon, 
who  made  his  home  in  Sugarcreek  township;  James,  who  became  a  farmer 
in  Jay  county,  Indiana ;  Alary,  who  married  Judge  ^^'hiteman  and  also  moved 
to  Jay  county,  Indiana ;  Nancy,  who  married  Joseph  Lyons  and  mo\-ed  to 
that  same  country;  Dorcas,  \\ho  married  the  Rev.  James  Smith,  a  Alethodist 
minister,  and  Temperance,  who  married  Judge  John  Fudge,  for  years  an  asso- 
ciate judge  of  the  court  of  Greene  county. 

\\'illiam  Spahr  was  about  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  settled  in 
this  county  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood.  After  his  marriage  to  Sarah 
Smith  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  he  had  bought  in  the  vicinitv  of 
his  father's  place  and  in  1850  built  on  that  place,  one  mile  south  of  the 
village  of  New  Jasper,  the  substantial  old  red  brick  house  that  is  still  serv- 
ing as  a  dwelling  house  there.  In  addition  to  his  farm  of  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  there  he  owned  a  farm  of  four  hundred  acres  in 
Jay  count}',  Indiana.  He  was  originally  a  \Miig,  later  a  Republican,  and  he 
and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  On  December 
12,  1829,  \\'illiam  Spahr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah  Smith  and  to  that 
union  were  born  twelve  children,  of  whom  Daniel  E.,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketcli,  was  the  second  in  order  of  birth  ( with  his  twin  lirother,  Philip 
D.),  the  others  being  Jacob  L.,  who  moved  to  Jay  count}-,  Indiana,  where 
he  enlisted  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil  War  and  died  in  ser\ice 
in  1863;  Philip  D.,  twin  brother  of  Daniel  E.,  who  became  a  substantial 
farmer  in  New  Jasper  township  and  there  died  in  1914:;  Marv,  who  mar- 
ried C.  Martin,  a  New  Jasper  township  farmer,  and  whose  last  days  also 
were  spent  in  that  township;  Elizabeth  A.,  who  married  the  Rev.  Cornelius 
Turner,  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  Sarah  Temperance, 
who  married  Barlc}-  Gates ;  the  Rev.  William  E.  Spahr.  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  forty-six 
years:  Katurah  E.  and  Catherine  L..  twins,  both  now  deceased,  the  former 
of  whom  married  James  Saville  and  moved  to  Washington  county,  Iowa, 
and  the  latter  of  whom  married  John  Bales,  who  is  now  living  in  Xenia ; 
Susan  T.,  who  died  unmarried  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years;  Phoebe  A., 
who  is  still  living  on  her  farm  in  New  Jasper  township,  widow  of  John  M. 
Boots,  and  David  C,  a  widower  and  well-to-do  farmer,  who  is  now  making 
his  home  with  his  sister,  Airs.  Boot^. 

Daniel  E.  Spahr  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his  schooling 
in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  On  August  26,  1852,  he  married 
Nancy  Fudge  and  later  established  his  home  on  the  farm  of  one  hundred  and 


1 


GREENE    COL'NTV,    OHIO  89 1 

seven  acres  he  had  bought  a  half  mile  east  of  his  father's  place  and  there  s])ent 
the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  wife  were  mem- 
bers of  the  New  Jasper  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  being  for  years  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday  school.  To  Daniel  E.  and  Nancy  (Fudge)  Spahr 
were  born  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth  in 
order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  George  H.,  a  school  teacher 
and  landowner,  who  died  at  Warren,  Indiana,  in  July,  191 7;  William  A., 
a  retired  farmer  of  this  county,  now  living  at  New  Jasper;  Albert  H.,  also 
a  retired  farmer,  now  living  at  Dayton;  Charles  E.,  a  farmer,  li\ing  at 
Bowersville,  and  Sarah  C,  wife  of  George  Camden,  of  New  Jasper. 

Daniel  O.  Spahr  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  a  good  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood.  When  twent}'  years  of  age  he 
was  given  charge  of  his  father's  farm  and  after  his  marriage,  when  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  continued  to  make  his  home  there,  operating  the  farm  until 
his  father's  death,  after  which  he  rented  the  place  from  his  mother  and  con- 
tinued to  live  there  until  1906,  when  he  bought  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  acres  of  his  grandfather  Spahr's  old  place  west  of  there  and  on 
that  place  made  his  home  until  191 5,  when  he  turned  the  management  of  the 
farm  over  to  his  son,  Raymond  G.  Spahr,  and  moved  to  the  village  of  New 
Jasper,  where  he  had  since  made  his  home.  Mr.  Spahr  is  an  ardent  Repub- 
lican. For  some  time  he  served  as  constable  of  the  township  and  then  was 
elected  township  trustee,  a  position  he  held  by  successive  re-elections  for 
thirteen  years  and  to  the  duties  of  which  important  office  he  gave  his  most 
intelligent  and  painstaking  attention.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  New  Jasper  and  he  is  one  of  the  stewards 
of  the  church. 

On  January  20,  1886,  Daniel  O.  Spahr  was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara 
A.  Gordon,  who  was  born  at  Grape  Grove,  in  Ross  township,  this  county, 
daughter  of  Enos  and  Mary  Jane  (Downey)  Gordon,  and  to  this  union  six 
children  have  been  lx)rn,  namely;  Roy  C,  born  on  June  12,  1887,  who  com- 
pleted his  schooling  at  Antioch  College  and  for  a  time  taught  school,  now 
living  at  Xenia,  who  married  Bessie  Mitchner  and  has  two  children,  Helen 
and  Marvin;  Bessie  Belle,  July  27,  1888,  who  also  finished  her  schooling  at 
Antioch  and  for  a  time  taught  school  and  who  married  Homer  Rogers,  a 
bookkeeper  in  the  Peoples  Bank  at  Jamestown,  and  has  one  child,  a  son, 
Leslie;  Lela  Edna,  September  3,  1889,  who  also  attended  Antioch  and  taught 
school  and  who  married  Robie  Bartlett.  of  Xenia  township,  and  has  four 
children.  Melville,  \\'illiard,  Lenora  and  Vesper;  Raymond  G.,  September 
23,  1890,  who,  as  noted  above,  is  now  operating  his  father's  farm  and  who 
married  Clara  Conklin  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Russell;  Russell  Osco,  April 
20,  1898,  who  died  on  November  g,  1899;  and  Reva  Clare,  April  i,  1903. 
now  a  student  in  the  Xenia  high  school. 


892  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Enos  Gordon,  father  of  Mrs.  Spahr,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Clark  on  October  15,  1842,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Jamestown,  this  county, 
where  his  widow  now  lives,  December  2,  19 16.  Mrs.  Gordon  was  born  in 
Ross  tounship,  this  county,  October  3,  1842,  and  has  lived  in  this  county 
all  her  life.  Enos  Gordon  was  a  son  of  George  and  Margaret  Ann  (Miller) 
Gordon,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  Donnelsville  neighborhood  in  Bethel 
township,  Clark  county,  and  who  not  long  after  their  marriage  became  resi- 
dents of  Ross  township,  this  county.  After  his  marriage  Enos  Gordon  for 
some  time  continued  farming  in  Ross  township  and  then  bought  a  farm  in 
Silvercreek  township,  making  his  home  there  until  his  retirement  and  removal 
to  Jamestown,  where  his  last  days  were  spent  and  where  his  widow  is  still 
living.  To  Enos  and  Mary  (Downey)  Gordon  were  born  five  children, 
those  besides  Mrs.  Spahr,  the  eldest,  being  Emma,  wife  of  George  A.  Miller, 
of  Marion  county,  Illinois ;  Viola,  who  is  living  in  Xew  Jasper  township, 
widow  of  Addison  Strong;  Luella,  wife  of  Elmer  Hargrave,  of  Sabina. 
in  tiie  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  and  .Vrchie,  a  dairyman  and  stock 
buver  at    Jamestcwn. 


H.  GLEN  SHEPARD,  D.  V.  S. 

H.  Glen  Shepard,  well-known  veterinary  surgeon  at  Osborn,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Wayne  township,  IMontgomery  county,  January  14,  1876, 
son  and  only  child  of  John  W^illiam  and  Naomi  Shepard,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  county  and  are  still  living  there  on  a  farm. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  H.  Glen  Shepard  received  his  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  his  home  neighborhood  and  was  from  boyhood  a  valued 
assistant  to  his  father  on  the  farm.  He  later  became  employed  with  the 
Davis  Bicycle  Company  and  while  thus  engaged  became  one  of  tlie  most 
famous  amateur  bicycle  racers  in  the  Middle  West,  in  1897  winning  the 
championship  in  the  tri-state  (Ohio.  Indiana  and  Kentucky)  road  race 
between  Dayton  and  Cincinnati.  For  three  years  (1896-98)  ]\Ir.  Shepard 
continued  active  as  a  bicycle  racer  and  during  that  period  broke  three 
records.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  turning  his  attention  from  the  bicycle 
to  the  horse  and  entered  the  veterinary  department  of  Ohio  State  University 
at  Columbus,  being  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1904,  with  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Veterinary  Surgery.  The  Doctor  opened  an  office  at  Osborn 
and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  veterinary  practice  there,  iiaving 
had  an  extensive  practice  throughout  the  counties  of  Greene.  Montgomery, 
Miami  and  Clark. 

On  October  30,  1904,  Dr.  H.  Glen  Shepard  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Jennie  Edna  Hare,  who  was  born  in  Columbus,  this  state,  daughter  of 
Edward   and    Martha   Hare,   the    former   of   whom   was   born   at    Reading, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  893 

Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter,  at  Beecher  City,  Illinois,  who,  after  their 
marriage,  located  at  Columbus,  where  Edward  Hare  spent  his  last  days 
and  where  his  widow  is  still  living.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Shepard  have  one 
child,  a  daughter,  Helen  Verna.  The  Doctor  is  a  Republican  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  past  noble  grand  of  the  same;  a 
member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  through  all  the  chairs  of  which  he 
also  has  passed,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  Ameri- 
can Mechanics. 


SILAS  M.  MURDOCK. 

Silas  M.  Murdock,  one  of  the  best-known  and  most  sul)stantial  farmers 
of  Cedarville  township  and  the  proprietor  of  the  old  Judge  Kyle  homestead 
place,  in  that  township,  was  born  in  Wayne  township,  in  the  county  of  Clin- 
ton, but  has  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  and  of  the  Cedarville  neigh- 
borhood ever  since  he  was  a  boy.  He  was  born  on  July  4,  1848,  son  of  Rob- 
ert and  Elizabeth  (Richards)  Murdock,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  the  same 
parish,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ballymony,  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  and  whose 
last  days  were  spent  in  the  village  of  Cedarville,  in  this  county. 

Robert  Murdock  was  a  son  of  John  Murdock  and  wife,  who  spent  all 
their  lives  in  their  native  Ireland  and  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
Martha,  Robert,  Jane,  William,  John,  Thomas,  Nancy  and  another,  all  of 
whom  came  to  the  United  States  save  William  and  Nancy.  Robert  Murdock 
was  twenty  years  of  age  when  he  came  to  this  country  in  1825,  landing  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  secured  employment.  There  he  met  and 
married  Elizabeth  Richards,  who  was  born  in  the  same  parish  as  was  he,  but 
whom  he  had  never  met  in  the  old  country.  After  their  marriage,  about  the 
year  1835,  Robert  Murdock  and  his  wife  came  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Wayne 
township,  Clinton  county,  where  Robert  Murdock  bought  a  tract  of  two  luui- 
dred  and  twenty-five  acres,  on  which  he  continued  to  reside  until  he  sold  the 
place  and  came  with  his  family  to  Greene  county,  buying  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  acres  in  Cedarville  township,  where  he  made  his  home 
urtil  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Cedar\'ille,  where  he  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  his  death  occurring  there  in 
1876,  he  then  being  seventy-five  years  of  age.  His  widow  survi\-ed  iiim 
for  nearlv  twenty  years,  her  death  occurring  in  1895,  she  then  being  eighty- 
two  years  of  age.  Robert  Murdock  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Reformed  Presbvterian  (Covenanter)  church  and  their  children  were  reared 
in  accordance  with  the  rigid  tenets  of  that  faith.  There  were  six  of  these 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  last-born,  the  others 
being  as  follow :  John,  ilow  deceased,  who  formerly  was  the  owner  of  the 
farm  on  which  Silas  M.   Murdock  now  lives;  the  Rev.  David  Murdock.  a 


894  GREENE    COUNTY^    OHIO 

minister  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  now  hving  retired  at  Howard 
Lake,  Minnesota ;  Mary,  unmarried,  who  is  living  at  Cedarville ;  Martha,  now 
deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  James  McMillan,  a  farmer  living  two  or  three 
miles  east  of  Cedarville,  and  Hugh,  a  well-known  Cedarville  township 
farmer,  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Silas  M.  Murdock  was  bom  in  a  log  house  and  his 'first  schooling  was 
received  in  a  little  log  school  house  in  Wayne  township,  Clinton  county.  He 
was  nine  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  with  their  family  into  Greene 
county  and  the  rest  of  his  schooling  was  received  in  the  Kyle  school  house 
in  Cedarville  township.  As  the  youngest  son,  he  remained  on  the  farm  dur- 
ing the  days  of  his  young  manhood  and  after  his  marriage  in  1871  he  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  there,  his  father  retiring  and  moving  to  Cedarville 
about  that  time.  His  first  wife  died  in  1879  ^"d  the  next  year  he  left  the 
farm  and  went  to  Cedarville,  where  he  remained  until  1887,  when  he  bought 
from  his  brother  John  the  farm  on  which  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home, 
the  old  Judge  Kyle  place  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres  on  the  Kyle 
road  in  Cedarville  township,  and  which  John  Murdock  had  improved  in 
excellent  shape,  having  erected  there  in  1883  a  fine  brick  house,  which  still 
stands.  The  old  barn  on  the  place  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1908  and  in  that 
same  year  Mr.  Murdock  erected  a  substantial  new  barn.  Mr.  Murdock  is 
progressive  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  given  consider- 
able attention  to  the  raising  of  Merino  sheep. 

Mr.  Murdock  has  been  twice  married.  On  January  13,  1871,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Jennie  Little,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  Little, 
and  to  that  union  was  born  a  son,  Robert  Walter  Little;  on  June  19,  1875, 
who  died  at  his  father's  home,  unmarried,  July  30,  191 7.  Mrs.  Jennie 
Murdock  died  on  March  4,  1879,  ^"^  on  October  18,  1883,  Mr.  Murdock 
married  Mary  Helen  Andrew,  who  was  born  at  Preston,  Indiana,  August 
19,  1846,  daughter  of  Thomas  Scott  and  Jane  Elder  (McClellan)  Andrew, 
the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  this  county  and  the  latter,  at  Wooster,  in 
Wayne  county,  this  state.  Thomas  Scott  Andrew  was  born  on  a  pioneer  farm 
in  Xenia  township,  this  county,  in  1816,  son  of  James  Andrew  and  wife,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  a  Scott,  who  came  to  Greene  county  from  the  Caro- 
linas  and  established  their  home  on  a  farm  on  the  Fairfield  pike  in  Xenia 
township  in  the  first  decade  of  the  past  century.  James  Andrew  and  his  wife 
were  Seceders  and  active  numl-crs  of  the  old  churcli  nf  that  faith  in- the  com- 
munity in  which  they  lived.  Thomas  S.  Andrew  grew  to  manliond  on  the 
old  home  place  and  married  Jane  Elder  McClellan.  who  was  Ijorn  at  \Vooster 
in  18 1 7,  daughter  of  John  McClellan  and  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  was  an 
Elder,  natives  of  Scotland,  who  had  come  to  Greene  county  from  Wayne 
county  and  had  settled  on  a  farm  five  miles  south  of  Xenia.  After  his  mar- 
riage Thomas  S.  Andrew  went  to  Indiana,  where  he  remained  for  two  or 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  895 

tliree  years,  at  tlie  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  this  county  and  bouglit 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres  three  miles  west  of  Cedarville. 
in  the  township  of  that  name,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1867,  when 
lie  disposed  of  his  interests  there  and  moved  over  into  Alontgomery  county, 
where  he  bought  another  farm  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  bis  life,  his 
death  occurring  there  in  1888.  His  widow  survived  him  for  six  years,  her 
death  occurring  in  1894.  They  were  members  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church.  There  were  five  of  their  children,  of  whom  ]\Irs.  Murdock  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follow :  John,  now  deceased, 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro 
and  who  upon  his  return  from  the  army  went  to  St.  L.ouis,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring there  in  1904;  James  H.  and  Thomas  Beveridge,  who  are  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  at  Cedarville,  under  the  firm  name  of  Andrew  Brothers, 
and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  W.  B.  Stevenson,  of  Cedarville. 

To  Silas  M.  and  Mary  Helen  (Andrew)  ^Murdock  three  children  have 
been  born,  namely:  Ralph  Andrew  Murdock,  unmarried,  who  is  operating 
a  garage  at  Cedarville,  continuing  to  make  his  home  with  his  parents;  Ina 
May,  who  was  graduated  from  Cedarville  College  in  1907  and  is  at  home, 
and  Elizabeth  Jane,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Walter  W.  Horton.  pastor  of  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  at  Alberton.  Georgia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Murdock 
are  members  of  the  Reformed  Presbvterian  church  at  Cedarville. 


TOHX  F.  COY. 


John  F.  Coy,  farmer  and  cement  contractor,  living  on  rural  mail  route 
No.  12  out  of  Dayton,  a  resident  of  Beavercreek  township,  this  county,  was 
born  in  that  township  on  October  10,  1852,  son  of  Jacob  H.  and  Rebecca 
H.  Coy,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  together 
with  a  general  history  of  the  pioneer  Coy  family  in  this  county.  Reareil  on 
the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  townships  John  F.  Coy  received  his  schooling 
in  the  common  schools  and  after  his  marriage  in  1877  began  farming  on  his 
own  account  in  ^Montgomery  county  and  continued  thus  engaged  until  his 
wife's  death  in  1S95,  after  which  he  moved  to  Dayton,  where  he  became 
engaged  in  ijperating  a  sand  pit.  Xot  long-  afterward  he  took  up  general 
contracting  in  cement  work  and  continued  in  this  latter  line  for  about  se\en 
years,  or  until  191 2.  when  he  returned  to  farming  and  has  since  made  his  home 
with  his  brother,  Charles  Coy.  in  Beavercreek  township,  later  also  resuming 
his  former  vocation  as  a  cement  contractor.     Mr.  Coy  is  a  Republican. 

In  March,  1877,  John  F.  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha  Ellen 
Merrick,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and  Marv  E. 


896  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

(Prugh)  Merrick,  and  who  died  in  1895.  To  that  union  were  born  three  chil- 
dren, Arlie  M.,  now  hving  in  Dayton,  who  married  Stella  Banky  and  has  three 
children,  Leona.  Elmer  and  Orville;  Lucy,  wife  of  Van  Hollingin,  of  Day- 
ton, and  Alargaret,  wife  of  J.  T.  Seber,  a  railroad  conductor  living  at  Davton. 


RAYMOND  W.  SMITH,  M.  D. 

The  late  Dr.  Raymond  W.  Smith,  of  Spring  Valley,  who  died  on 
August  18,  1916,  was  a  native  son  of  Ohio  and  had  lived  in  this  state  all  his 
life,  a  resident  of  Greene  county  since  the  days  of  his  young  manhood.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  southeast  of  Hillsboro,  in  Highland  county,  November 
30,  1862,  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Elizabeth  C.  (Griffith)  Smith,  botli  of  whom 
also  were  bom  in  Highland  county,  who  are  now  living  retired  at  Spring 
Valley,  in  this  county,  where  they  have  resided  since   1905. 

Henry  B.  Smith  was  born  on  July  9,  1832,  son  of  Henry  and  Lydia 
(Bane)  Smith,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Virginia  and  the  latter 
of  Maryland,  who  came  to  Ohio  in  1815.  by  way  of  Kentucky,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Hillsboro,  where  they  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  Aquilla,  Parmelia,  Elizabeth.  John,  Richard. 
Clinton,  Catherine,  Russell,  Henry  B.  and  Wesley.  Henry  B.  Smith  grew 
up  on  the  home  farm  and  remained  there  until  his  marriage  in  the  spring 
of  1855.  after  which  he  located  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the  village  of 
Marshall  in  his  home  county  and  there  became  engaged  in  farming,  the 
owner  of  a  fine  place  of  one  hundred  and  three  acres,  on  which  he  and  his 
wife  resided  until  their  retirement  from  the  fann  and  removal  to  Spring 
Valley  in  1905.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methoflist    Episcopal    church. 

Tt  was  on  May  11,  1855.  that  Henry  B.  Smith  was  imited  in  marriage 
to  Elizabeth  C.  Griffith,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Marshall, 
in  Highland  county,  this  state,  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Margaret  D. 
(Howe)  Griffith,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the 
latter  of  Virginia,  who  were  married  in  Highland  county,  where  their  re- 
spective parents  had  settled  in  pioneer  days.  Of  the  eleven  children  born 
to  William  H.  Griffith  and  wife  five  grew  to  maturity,  those  besides  ;\Irs. 
Smith  being  R.  H.,  Arminta.  Lottie  and  John  F.  To  Henry  B.  and  Eliza- 
beth C.  (Griffith)  Smith  were  born  ten  children,  nine  of  wohm  grew  to 
maturity,  namely :  Prof.  Russell  Smith,  who  married  Emma  Cluxton  and 
is  now  living  in  Cleveland,  a  teacher  in  the  high  school  in  that  city;  Prof. 
William  Smith,  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Dallas,  Texas,  who  married 
Lulu  McMurry.  of  New  Jasper;  Lettie,  who  married  A.  A.  Monett  and  is 


f  ^    /^' 


^ 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  897 

now  living  at  Reno,  Nevada:  Emsley  O.,  deceased;  Dr.  Raymond  W. 
Smith,  the  immediate  subject  of  tliis  memorial  sketch;  Prof.  John  Smith, 
who  married  Olive  Tingle,  also  a  teacher,  and  is  now  teaching  in  the  schools 
of  Brookville.  this  state;  E.  D.  Smith,  who  married  Martha  Frazer  and  is 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Xenia;  Harley  Smith,  also  of  Xenia, 
formerly  a  teacher,  who  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  having  been 
Emma  Shidaker  and  his  second,  Mrs.  Snyder;  and  Carrie,  wile  of  Allan 
McLean,  a  Xenia  undertaker. 

Raymond  W.  Smith  received  an  excellent  education  in  the  days  of 
his  youth  and  early  began  teaching  school,  for  some  years  being  thus  en- 
gaged at  N^ew  Jasper,  in  this  county.  After  his  marriage  in  1888  he  con- 
tinued teaching,  meanwhile  giving  his  attention  to  the  study  of  medicine, 
and  presently  entered  the  Louisville  Medical  College,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1893.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma.  Doctor  Smith  located  at 
Spring  Valley,  where  he  continued  successfully  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession  until  his  death  in  the  summer  of  1916,  a  period  of  twenty- 
three  years  of  continuous  practice  in  the  same  place.  During  that  long 
period  of  unselfish  labor  Dr.  Smith  endeared  himself  to  the  whole  commu- 
nity and  his  passing  was  sincerely  mourned.  The  Doctor  was  ever  a  helpful 
force  in  his  community  and  as  one  of  the  county  newspapers,  in  an  appre- 
ciation published  after  his  death,  said :  "The  many  things  of  this  commu- 
nity that  he  helped  to  formulate  and  mold  will  miss  the  forcefulness  of  his 
touch."  The  Doctor  was  a  successful  business  man  as  well  as  a  practi- 
tioner and  besides  the  property  he  had  in  Spring  Valley  was  the  owner  of 
some  valuable  farm  lands.  He  was  a  member  of  the  local  lodges  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  American 
Mechanics,  and  was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
as  is  his  widow.  The  Doctor's  relations  with  his  church  were  of  a  peculiarly 
close  character  and,  as  the  newspaper  appreciation  above  quoted  said  follow- 
ing his  death :  "The  church  of  this  community  is  at  this  time  by  his  removal 
facing  a  peculiar  and  awful  vacancy,  for  one  of  its  most  interested  and  benef- 
icent friends  has  gone  to  take  his  place  in  the  Infinite  Bliss  of  the  Great 
Beyond." 

Since  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Smith  has  continued  to  make  her  home 
in  Spring  Valley,  where  she  has  long  been  very  pleasantly  situated.  Doctor 
Smith  was  much  attached  to  his  home  and  in  that  connection  it  is  not  re- 
garded as  unseemly  to  quote  further  from  the  newspaper  article  above  men- 
tioned, which  said  of  him  that  "his  going  away  from  us  is  to  leave  a  home 
and  a  family  he  most  dearly  loved ;  for  the  environments  give  evidence  that 
no  sacrifice  was  too  great  for  him  to  make."  Mrs.  Smith  was  married  on 
August  23,  1888.     She  was  born  in  this  county,  Mattie  D.  Mann,  daughter 

^56) 


ago  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  George  and  Rachel  (Kearns)  Mann,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born 
in  this  county,  son  of  pioneer  parents  in  Spring  Valley  township,  and  the 
latter  in  the  vicinity  of  Newark,  this  state.  George  Mann  was  a  successful 
farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Burlington.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  pa- 
rents of  four  children,  as  will  be  noted  in  a  histor\'  of  the  Mann  family  in 
this  county  set  out  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  To  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Smith 
were  born  two  sons,  Carl  Emsley  and  George  Henry,  the  latter  of  whom 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Spring  \^alley  schools,  the  Xenia  high  school 
and  at  Cedarville  College  and  is  now  living  at  home.  Carl  Emsley  Smith, 
who  was  educated  at  Antioch  College  and  at  the  Ohio  State  University,  is 
now  (1918)  serving  with  the  National  Army,  attached  to  the  supply  corps 
of  the  Three  Hundred  and  Twenty-second  United  States  Field  Artillery,  in 
the  war  against  Germanv. 


CHARLES  N.  SMITH. 


Charles  N.  Smith,  a  veteran  of  the  Cixil  War  and  one  of  the  best-known 
citizens  of  Greene  county,  a  retired  farmer  and  active  trader,  now  living 
at  Jamestown,  is  a  native  son  of  this  county  and  has  lived  here  all  his  life. 
He  was  bom  on  a  farm  in  New  Jasper  township  on  November  9,  1841,  son 
of  Daniel  and  Lucinda  (Spahr)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  boni 
in  this  county,  a  member  of  one  of  the  first  families  to  settle  in  Xenia 
township. 

Daniel  Smith  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1803  and  was  but  three  months 
of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  with  their  family  and  settled  in 
Greene  county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  became  a  successful  farmer, 
the  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  five  hundred  or  six  hundred  acres.  Daniel  Smith 
died  on  the  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township  about  1873.  He  and  his 
wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follow:  Silas,  deceased; 
James  M.,  deceased;  David  S.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Brown,  of  New 
Jasper  township;  Daniel  B.,  of  Xenia:  Jacob  X.,  of  Xenia:  Mrs.  .A.lice  St. 
John,  deceased,  and  Mathias,  the  present  superintendent  of  the  county  farm. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township.  Charles  X.  Smith 
received  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools  and  was  early  trained  in 
the  ways  of  practical  farming.  He  was  but  nineteen  years  of  age  when  the 
Civil  War  broke  out  and  on  October  9.  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command 
he  served  until  his  honorable  discharge  in  Januar)',  1864.  He  immediately 
re-enlisted  and  continued  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving  iiis 
final  discharge  on  July  25,  1865,  after  a  service  of  nearly  four  years.     Mr. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  899 

Smith  participated  in  Sherman's  memorable  march  to  the  sea,  was  captured 
by  the  enemy  and  was  confined  in  Libby  Prison,  having  been  one  of  the 
last  prisoners  released  from  that  historic  place  of  detention.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  military  service  Mr.  Smith  returned  home  and  not  long  after- 
ward was  married  and  settled  down  on  his  grandfather's  old  place  in  Nev; 
Jasper  township,  where  he  continued  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and 
trading-  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  about  1890  to  the 
village  of  Jamestown,  where  he  ever  since  has  made  his  home.  For  the  past 
thirt}'-five  years  Mr.  Smith  has  served  as  assessor  of  the  township.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and,  fraternally,  is  aliiliated 
with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the  oldest 
member  of  the  latter  order  in  Greene  county.  Mr.  Smith  is  an  ardent  dis- 
ciple of  Izaak  Walton,  it  being  his  custom  to  go  away  to  Michigan  every 
summer  on  a  fishing  trip. 

As  noted  above,  it  was  not  long  after  his  return  from  the  army  that  Mr. 
Smith  was  married.  His  wife  died  at  Jamestown  on  April  15,  1908.  She 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  Hulda  W.  Browser,  daughter  of  Thomas  Y. 
and  Sarah  (Hurley)  Browser.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  were  born  three 
children,  Lester  A..  Minnie  B.  and  Sarah  L.,  the  latter  of  whom  is  living 
at  home  with  her  father.  Lester  A.  Smith,  who  is  also  living  at  Jamestown, 
married  Lillian  Weed  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Martha.  Minnie  B. 
Smith  married  Thomas  Riggs,  of  Dayton,  and  has  one  child,  a  son.  Jack 
Nelson. 


ROBERT  A.  ROSS. 


Robert  A.  Ross,  a  well-known  farmer  and  landowner  of  Greene  county, 
now.  living  retired  at  Bowersville,  his  fami  two  miles  north  of  that  village 
being  operated  by  his  sons,  Ralph  and  Earl  Ross,  was  born  in  Monroe  county, 
"V^irginia  (now  in  West  Virginia),  jTily  3,  1S45,  son  of  James  A.  and  Martha 
(Nickell)  Ross,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  a 
son  of  Robert  Ross,  who  came  to  Ohio  and  became  a  resident  of  Greene 
county. 

James  A.  Ross  grew  up  in  his  home  county  in  Virginia,  married  there 
and  remained  there  until  1847,  when  he  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and 
located  on  a  farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-nine  acres  in  what  in  1858 
came  to  be  organized  as  Jeflferson  township,  this  covtnty.  That  farm  was 
partly  cleared  when  he  took  possession  of  it  and  he  set  about  getting  the 
place  under  wav  for  cultivation,  but  was  struck  by  a  faUing  tree  in  185 1, 
receiving  such  injuries  to  his  head  and  breast  that  he  died  eighteen  months 


900  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

later,  at  twenty-six  years  of  age,  leaving  his  widow  with  three  children,  of 
whom  Robert  A.  was  the  eldest,  the  others  being  Mary,  who  married  Clark 
Housington  and  moved  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  Jennie  Virginia,  who  mar- 
ried William  Raum  and  also  moved  to  Nebraska,  now  living  in  tlie  vicinity 
of  Ft.  Robinson,  that  state.  The  widow  Ross  married  Edwin  Drury,  who 
died  at  Jamestown,  this  county,  after  which  she  went  to  California,  where 
she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years.  She  was  a  member  of  tlie  Pres- 
byterian church.  By  her  second  marriage  she  was  the  mother  of  a  son, 
Edwin  D.  Drury,  who  is  now  living  in  Oklahoma. 

Robert  A.  Ross  was  but  six  or  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  died. 
He  received  some  schooling  in  the  Jamestown  schools  and  when  thirteen 
years  of  age  began  working  for  his  grandfather,  Robert  Ross,  remaining 
on  the  latter's  farm  until  his  marriage  when  twenty-five  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  Bowersville, 
where  he  remained  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in  1907  and  removal 
to  Bowersville,  where  he  has  since  resided.  ]\lr.  Ross  owns  a  well-kept  farm 
of  fifty-seven  acres,  whicli  is  now  being  operated  by  his  sons,  Ralpli  and  Earl, 
wlio  jiave  rented  the  place  from  their  father  and  are  successfully  operatiu'^' 
the  same.  During  his  active  operations  on  the  farm  Mr.  Ross  gave  consider- 
able attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs  and  did  well.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat and  has  rendered  public  service  as  a  member  of  the  Bowers\-ille  town 
council. 

On  December  28,  1869,  Robert  A.  Ross  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mar- 
garet Angeline  Miller,  who  also  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Virginia,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Neal)  Miller,  and  to  this  union  nine  children 
have  been  born,  those  besides  the  two  sons,  Ralph  and  Earl,  mentioned  above, 
being  Bernard  Lee,  a  farmer  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  who  mar- 
ried Minnie  Turner  and  has  three  children.  Emma,  Lila  and  Ada :  Fred,  a 
Bowersville  merchant,  who  married  Mary  Dubbs  and  has  four  children,  Mar- 
garet, Robert,  Eugene  and  Loyal :  Hubert,  a  merchant  at  Lancaster,  Penn- 
sylvania, who  married  Lillie  Geiger  and  has  two  children.  Robert  G.  and 
Catherine;  Wilbur,  dealer  in  live  stock,  coal  and  building  material  at  Bowers- 
ville, who  married  Elvie  Hussey  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Donald;  Car!, 
employed  by  Campbell  &  Company,  wholesale  grocers  at  Washington  Court 
House,  this  state,  who  married  Bertha  Furgason  and  has  two  children,  Evelyn 
and  Gail;  Minnie,  who  married  Chester  Brown,  a  farmer  of  the  Port  Will- 
iam neighborhood,  and  has  three  children.  Hazel,  Mary  and  Jeannette,  and 
Myrtle,  who  married  Howard  Bowmaster,  now  a  teacher  in  the  schools  of 
Springfield,  this  state,  and  has  three  children,  Dorothy.  Elvia  and  Lowell. 
Ralph  married  Burnie  Chaney  and  their  two  children  are  deceased.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ross  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  church. 


GREENE    COUNIY,    OHIO  ■  QOI 

OSCAR  E.  BRADFUTE. 

For  seventy  years  the  Bradfute  stock  farm  in  Cedarville  township,  this 
county,  has  been  the  home  of  registered  cattle,  three  generations  having 
there  carried  on  tiieir  Hve-stock  operations,  the  present  proprietor  of  the 
farm,  Oscar  E.  Bradfute,  a  grandson  of  the  original  proprietor,  being  the 
owner  of  one  of  the  oldest  Angus  herds  in  the  United  States.  For  a  series 
of  thirteen  years  the  Ohio  State  F'air  Association  offered  a  silver  loving-cup 
for  the  grand  championship  herd  of  cattle,  open  to  world  competition  and 
to  any  breed  of  cattle.  With  his  Angus  herd  Mr.  Bradfute  won  nine  of 
these  cups.  For  three  successive  years  Mr.  Bradfute  won  with  his  Angus  bull, 
"Lucy's  Prince,"  the  grand  championship  of  the  world  for  the  Angus  breed 
at  the  International  Live  Stock  Exposition.  "Lucy's  Prince"  is  the  only 
living  grand  champion  bull  that  has  produced  grand  championship  winners, 
several  of  his  get  having  been  thus  honored. 

The  Bradfute  stock  farm  on  Clark's  run  was  founded  in  1826  by  Will- 
iam Bradfute,  the  first  man  in  Greene  county  to  make  a  specialty  of  Short- 
horn cattle,  he  having  started  his  herd  with  a  couple  of  heifers  of  that  breed 
bought  in  1847.  Fo""  forty  years,  William  Bradfute  and  his  son,  David 
Bradfute,  the  latter  of  whom  succeeded  to  the  business  after  his  father's 
death  in  1872,  maintained  that  Shorthorn  herd.  In  1887  David  Bradfute's 
son,  Oscar  E.  Bradfute,  established  on  that  farm  his  noted  Angus  herd, 
starting  with  two  heifers  and  a  pure-bred  herd  leader.  Air.  Bradfute  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  International  Live  Stock  Exposition  held  in 
Chicago  in  1900  and  has  several  times  ser\ed  as  judge  in  the  cattle  depart- 
ment of  that  exposition.  He  also  has  served  as  judge  of  cattle  at  state  fairs 
in  Ohio,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Kentucky,  New  York  and  several  other 
states,  and  has  served  as  judge  at  the  American  Royal  Live  Stock  Show 
at  Kansas  City.  Fie  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  International  Live  Stock  Exposition  and  is  still  a  memljer 
of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  same;  is  former  president  of  the  American 
Aberdeen-Angus  Association  and  longer  than  any  other  member  a  member  of 
the  board  01  directors  of  the  same ;  former  president  of  the  Ohio  Live  Stock 
Association,  and  a  former  member  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  National 
Live  Stock  Association.  Mr.  Bradfute  also  for  years  was  a  lecturer  on  the 
subject  of  cattle  breeding,  his  lecture-field  work  having  taken  him  before  state 
breeders  associations  and  state  farmers  industrial  institutes  all  over  the  coun- 
try, as  well  as  before  farmers  "short  courses"  in  the  agricultural  colleges 
of  Ohio,  Indiana.  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Illinois,  Nebraska  and  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  Bradfute  has  for  years  given  close  attention  to  educational  affairs,  being 
appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Ohio  State  Universitv  by 
Governor  Herrick  in   1905,  and  has  now  been  appointed  for  his  third  term 


902  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  seven  years  by  Governor  Cox ;  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  Cedarville  College  since  1912:  for  five  years  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  and  for  some 
time  president  of  the  board:  and  for  the  past  six  years,  or  ever  since 
that  board  was  created  as  a  separate  board  under  the  new  law,  has  been  a 
member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Greene  County  Children's  Home.  He 
also  is  president  of  the  Cedarville  Telephone  Company.  By  political  per- 
suasion Mr.  Bradfute  is  a  Democrat  and  in  religious  belief  is  a  United  Pres- 
byterian, a  descendant  of  Scotch  Seceders,  and  since  1888  has  been  a  niL'm- 
ber  of  the  session  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton.  Twice 
presbytery  has  honored  Mr.  Bradfute  by  electing  him  commissioner  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  in  the  United  States, 
his  service  in  that  connection  having  been  rendered  in  1895  and  19 14. 

Oscar  E.  Bradfute  was  born  in  the  house  in  which  he  still  lives,  on  the 
old  Bradfute  farm  on  Clarks  run  in  Cedarville  township,  January  21,  1862, 
son  of  David  and  Martha  (called  Mattie)  (Collins)  Bradfute,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  this  county,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
(Galloway)  Collins,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  David  Bradfute  was  born  at  CHfton  in  1835.  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Anderson)  Bradfute,  the  latter  of  whom  had  come  to  Ohio  with 
her  parents,  John  Anderson  and  wife,  from  Scotland  in  1816,  she  then  being 
twelve  years  of  age,  the  family  settling  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county  about 
three  miles  north  of  Clifton.  W^illiam  Bradfute  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1798  and  was  there  early  orphaned,  he  and  his  brother,  John,  being  there- 
after cared  for  in  the  household  of  their  uncle,  John  Knox,  who  came  with 
his  familv  from  Kentucky  up  into  this  valley  about  the  year  18 14  and  located 
in  the  Clifton  settlement.  There  William  Bradfute  grew  to  manhood  and 
in  1824  married  Elizabeth  Anderson.  Two  years  later  he  bought  the  farm 
on  Clarks  run  in  Cedarville  township  now  owned  by  his  granddaughter, 
Lydia  (Bradfute)  Turnbull,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder 
of  their  lives,  William  Bradfute  dying  on  January  19,  1872.  He  and  his  wife 
were  among  the  members  of  the  old  Seceder  or  Associate  church  on  Mas- 
sies  creek  and  after  the  "union"  of  1858  became  affiliated  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Nancy, 
now  deceased,  who  was  the  wife  of  James  Brv-son.  also  deceased ;  Jane,  widow 
of  the  late  John  Stevenson,  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs ;  David,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  and  John  A.,  who  died  during  the  middle  '60s, 
before  he  had  reached  thirty  years  of  age,  and  whose  widow  later  moved  to 
Bloomington,  Indiana,  where  .'-he  is  still  livirg. 

David  Bradfute  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm  on  Clarks  run. 
After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1861  he  established  his  home  on  a  tract 
of  forty-eight  acres,  and  there  began  operations  on  his  own  account.     After 


GREENE    COCNTY,    OHIO  9O3 

his  father's  death  in  1872  he  hought  an  additional  tract  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  acres  of  the  home  place.  Previously,  after  the  death  of  his 
brother  John,  he  had  bought  the  latter's  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  adjoin- 
ing and  also  bought  the  old  Mitchell  farm  adjoining  and  certain  other  pieces 
of  land  until  he  came  to  be  the  owner  of  four  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  in  Cedarville  and  Xenia  townships.  From  the  time  his  father  had  started 
his  Shorthorn  herd  in  1847  David  Bradfute  had  taken  a  great  interest  in  the 
breeding  of  pure-bred  Shorthorns  and  continued  thus  engaged  until  he  grad- 
ually turned  the  business  over  to  his  son  Oscar,  who  took  up  the  Angus 
strain  instead  of  the  Shorthorn  and  has  ever  since  been  developing  his  herd 
on  the  place.  Following  his  son's  marriage  in  1890  David  Bradfute  retired 
from  the  farm,  turning  the  place  over  to  his  son,  and  moved  to  Cedarville, 
where  his  last  days  were  spent,  his  death  occurring  there  on  August  18,  1913. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church  at  Clifton  and  had  for 
years  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same.  After  mov- 
ing to  Cedarville  he  transferred  his  membership  to  the  United  Presbyterian 
church  there. 

David  Bradfute  was  twice  married,  first  on  March  19,  1861,  to  Martha 
E.  Collins,  who  was  born  in  Cedarville  township  in  1837,  and  who  died  on 
September  6,  1879,  leaving  two  children,  Oscar  E.  and  Lydia,  the  latter  of 
whom  was  graduated  from  Washington  Female  Seminary,  married  Frank 
B.  Turnbull,  and  is  now  living  at  Cedarville.  In  1883  David  Bradfute  mar- 
ried Hannah  M.  Nisbet,  who  was  born  at  Cedarville,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Nisbet,  for  many  years  a  merchant  in  that  village.  She  died  in  1898  without 
issue. 

Oscar  E.  Bradfute  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  Clarks  run  district 
school  and  later  took  a  two  years'  course  of  instruction  at  the  Clifton  high 
school.  He  then  went  to  Bloomington,  Indiana,  where  his  aunt.  Mrs.  John 
Bradfute,  was  living  and  finished  the  course  in  the  high  school  of  that  city, 
meanwhile  making  his  home  with  his  aunt.  Thus  equipped  by  preparatory 
study  he  entered  Indiana  University  at  Bloomington  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1884,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  fraternity  in  the  university.  Upon  leaving 
the  university  Mr.  Bradfute  returned  home  and  resumed  his  place  on  the 
farm,  o^iving  his  attention  particularly  to  the  live-stock  side  of  the  operations 
there,  he  having  during  the  spring  of  1887,  after  his  graduation,  bought  a 
couple  of  Angus  heifers  and  a  bull  of  that  breed  with  the  expectation  of 
developing  a  herd  on  the  home  farm.  These  expectations  were  realized  and 
in  1889  he  made  his  first  exhibit  at  the  Greene  county  fair.  The  next  year 
he  bep'an  to  exhibit  his  herd  at  state  fairs  and  has  ever  since  been  an  exhibitor. 

On  April  10,  1890,  Oscar  E.  Bradfute  was  united  in  marriage  to  Jennie 
M.  Collins,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  on  the  Jamestown  pike  east  of  Xenia 


904  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  Xeiiia  township,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  ColHns,  the  fomier  of  whom 
was  a  son  of  Archibald  Colhns,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Greene  county,  and 
to  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  namely:  David  Collins,  born 
in  1895;  Helen,  now  (1918)  a  sophomore  in  Cedarville  College,  and  John 
Edwin,  a  senior  in  the  Cedarville  high  school.  David  Collins  Bradfute 
entered  Cedarville  College  upon  completing  the  course  in  the  high  school 
at  Cedarville  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  191 5,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  and  of  Bachelor  of  the  Science  of  Education. 
Upon  leaving  college  he  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  Trumbull  county,  being 
employed  there  in  high-school  work  and  was  thus  engaged  when  called  for 
service  in  the  national  army  in  191 7. 


SAMUEL  P.  FAULKNER. 

The  Faulkner  family  has  been  prominently  represented  in  Greene  county 
for  more  than  one  hundred  years,  the  first  of  the  name  to  come  to  this 
county  being  Thomas  Faulkner,  a  Virginian,  born  in  Berkeley  county  on 
November  8,  1787,  who  in  1806  came  over  into  this  part  of  Ohio  on  a  pros- 
pecting trip,  arriving  here  with  about  one  hundred  dollars  in  currency  in 
his  possession.  He  determined  permanently  to  locate  here,  and  two  years 
later,  in  1808,  he  rented  for  a  period  of  five  years  a  farm  on  Painters  run, 
in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  proceeded  to  develop  the  place.  In  18 10 
he  married  Mary  McGuire,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Catherine  McGuire, 
and  in  1816  he  purchased  a  farm  in  that  same  township,  the  place  long- 
in  the  possession  of  the  Haines  family  and  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Asaph  Haines,  and  there  he  spent  his  last  days.  The  brick  house  Thonia.s 
Faulkner  erected  on  that  place  in  1821  is  still  standing  in  an  excellent  state 
of  preservation.  Thomas  Faulknef,  a  son  of  Robert  Faulkner,  also  was  Ijorn 
in  western  \'irginia,  and  reared  a  Quaker,  but  having  married  a  Methodist, 
he  was  cast  outside  the  pale  of  the  church  in  which  he  had  his  birthright. 
He  then  affiliated  with  the  Campbellites  and  later  went  over  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  but  in  1828  he  and  his  wife  became  connected  with  the 
Methodist  Protestant  church  at  Paintersville  and  remained  connected  there- 
with the  remainder  of  their  lives,  he  for  many  years  serving  as  class  leader. 
Thomas  Faulkner  was  a  ^^'hig  and  served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township, 
.le  died  on  April  16,  1871,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  his 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  two  years,  l^eing  past  eighty-three  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death  on  July  5,  1873.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  six  grew  to  maturity,  Jonathan,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Conklin,  Mrs.  Lucinda  Painter,  Allen,  David  and  Mrs.  Mary  Wav. 

David  Faulkner,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary   (McGuire)   Faulkner,  was 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  9O5 

born  in  1816  and  grew  up  on  the  liome  place  in  Caesarscreek  townshi]), 
receiving  his  schoohng  in  the  little  log  school  house  of  that  neighborhood. 
He  remained  at  home  until  after  his  marriage  when  he  began  farming 
on  his  own  account,  locating  on  a  farm  in  the  woods  on  the  Hussey  pike, 
near  where  his  son  Samuel  now  lives,  and  afterward  occupied  one  or  two 
other  farms  in  that  vicinity  until  presently  he  bought  the  farm  now  owned 
by  his  son  Samuel  and  there  established  his  home,  he  and  his  wife  spending 
the  rest  of  their  lives  there.  David  Faulkner  was  a  Republican  and  served 
as  township  trustee  and  a  school  director.  He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years  and  his  widow  survived  him  for  some  years,  being  eighty-four  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  They  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
church  at  Paintersville.  Late  in  life  David  Faulkner  became  affiliated  with 
the  Prohibition  party  and  was  an  active  worker  in  the  cause  of  temperance. 
He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely:  Alary,  who  is 
living  in  Caesarscreek  township,  widow  of  Francis  Linkhart :  Harvey  C, 
farming  a  part  of  the  old  home  place,  and  who  has  been  twice  married,  his 
first  wife  having  been  Sarah  Elizabeth  Haines  and  his  second,  Cora  Smith ; 
Caroline,  also  living  in  Caesarscreek  township,  widow  of  Joseph  DeVoe, 
and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume ; 
Samuel  P.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch ;  Elijah  B.,  now  living  at 
South  Carrollton;  Harriet  Ann,  who  married  Thomas  Linkhart  and  is  now 
deceased,  and  Elizabeth,  now  living  at  Xenia  and  who  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, her  first  husband  having  been  Zimri  Haines  and  her  second.  John  Ander- 
son. 

Samuel  P.  Faulkner,  son  of  David  and  Emily  Jane  Faulkner,  was  born 
in  Caesarscreek  township  on  January  12,  1847,  and  was  educated  in  the 
neighborhood  schools.  He  grew  up  a  practical  farmer,  and  has  always  fol- 
lov>ed  that  vocation,  though  in  recent  years  he  has  been  living  practically 
retired  from  active  labor,  turning  the  management  of  the  farm  over  to  his 
sen  Luther,  who  is  married  and  continues  to  make  his  home  there.  Mr. 
Faulkner  remained  with  his  parents  after  his  marriage,  caring  for  them  in 
their  declining  vears.  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  farm  on  wliich  he  is 
li-\'ing  for  more  than  fifty  years.  He  has  a  valualMe  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  ninety-six  acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general  farming  he  has  always 
given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He  is  a  Republican 
and  has  held  some  township  offices.  He  is  a  member  of  the  ]\Iethodist 
Protestant  church  at  Paintersville,  and  has  ever  taken  a  proper  part  in 
church  work,  as  did  his  faithful  wife  and  helpmate  who  died  more  than 
two  years  ago  and  who  was  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  communitv  in  which 
she  r/)ent  all  her  life. 

In  August,  1876,  Samuel  P.  Faulkner  was  united  in  marriage  to  IMartha 


go6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Painter,  who  was  born  on  the  old  Painter  homestead  in  the  Paintersville 
neighborhood  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  who  died  at  her  home  in  that 
same  township  in  September,  191 5,  being  fifty-seven  years  of  age.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  David  and  Alary  (Frazer)  Painter,  both  of  whom  also 
were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families.  The  Painters  have 
been  represented  in  Greene  county  for  more  than  one  hundred  vears,  the 
first  of  the  name  here  being  David  and  Patsey  (Faulkner)  Painter,  who 
came  from  Virginia  into  Ohio  with  a  party  of  other  Quaker  families  in 
the  spring  of  1802  and  located  in  what  is  now  the  vicinity  of  Waynesville, 
in  the  county  of  Warren.  Coming  up  thence  into  Greene  county,  they  set- 
tled on  a  farm  about  a  half  mile  north  of  where  the  village  of  Paintersville 
later  arose  and  there  established  their  home.  There  David  Painter  de\eloped 
a  farm  and  became  a  man  of  influence  in  his  community,  and  there  he 
and  his  wife  spent  their  last  days.  They  had  four  children,  Hannah,  Jesse, 
Thomas  and  Jacob.  Jesse  Painter  laid  out  the  townsite  of  Paintersville 
on  the  old  home  farm.  He  also  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  on  the  old  home 
place,  his  death  occurring  there  on  September  12,  1867.  He  had  married 
Elizabeth  Smith  and  to  that  union  were  born  nine  children,  Rachel,  Da\id, 
Samuel,  Martha,  Mordecai,  Rebecca,  Theresa,  Joseph  and  Hannah.  David 
Painter,  named  in  honor  of  his  pioneer  grandfather,  grew  up  on  the  home 
farm  and  became  in  time  a  farmer  on  his  own  account,  after  his  marriage 
to  Mary  Frazer  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  that  neighborhood. 
He  died  there  in  1863,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  and  his  widow  sur- 
vived him  for  more  than  thirty  years,  she  being  seventy-seven  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  her  death  in  1897.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
Deborah  S.,  who  married  Mordecai  Walker;  Berthena,  who  married  William 
Davis;  Lydia,  who  died  unmarried;  Jesse  S.,  who  became  a  substantial 
farmer,  continuing  his  residence  on  the  old  home  place;  Mary  Frances,  who 
married  David  Parlott;  Moses  F.,  who  moved  to  Indiana;  Martha,  who 
married  Samuel  P.  Faulkner,  and  David,  who  established  his  home  in  Spring 
Valley  township. 

To  Samuel  P.  and  Martha  (Painter)  Faulkner  were  born  three  children, 
namely:  Luther  D.  Faulkner,  now  managing  his  father's  home  farm,  making 
his  home  there,  who  married  Grace  Ary,  also  a  member  of  one  of  Greene 
county's  pioneer  families,  and  has  four  children,  Delma,  Charles,  Ronald 
and  Raymond ;  Minnie,  who  married  Thomas  Jones,  a  machinist,  who  is  oper- 
ating a  garage  at  Paintersville,  making  his  home  at  the  Faulkner  home,  and 
has  three  children,  Verna.  Helen  and  Glenn,  and  Minnie,  who  married 
William  Smith,  a  farmer  living  in  the  Mt.  Tabor  neighborhood,  and  has 
four  children,  Marvin,  Harold,  Florence  and  Darcy. 


CREEXE    COTNTY,    OHIO  gOJ 


SOLON  CARROLL. 


Solon  Carroll,  a  \eteran  of  the  Civil  War  and  for  many  years  actively 
engaged  as  a  millwright  and  carpenter,  and  living  retired  in  Spring  Valley 
township,  this  county,  has  lived  in  this  state  all  his  life.  He  was  born  in 
Belmont  county  on  May  25,  1838,  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Carroll,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  who  became  early  settlers  in 
Belmont  county,  this  state.  Joseph  Carroll  was  a  nailmaker  by  trade  and 
also  a  landowner  and  farmer.  He  and  his  wife  were  Quakers.  Upon  leav- 
ing Belmont  county  they  went  to  Indiana  and  after  three  years  there  returned 
to  Ohio  and  for  a  time  were  residents  of  Clinton  county,  later  moving  to 
Highland  county,  where  their  last  days  were  spent.  They  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  living,  Solon  Carroll  having  a 
brother,  Joseph  Carroll,  and  a  sister,  Rebecca,  wife  of  Dr.  Robert  P.  Mur- 
ray, of  Zanesville,  in  Wells  county,  Indiana. 

In  1843  Joseph  Carroll  moved  with  his  family  to  Indiana  and  settled 
at  Hartford  City,  then  a  mere  hamlet,  Solon  Carroll  being  then  but  five 
years  of  age.  They  returned  to  Ohio  three  years  later  and  he  grew  up  on 
a  farm  five  miles  west  of  Wilmington,  in  Clinton  county,  in  the  schools 
of  which  neighborhood  he  received  his  schooling,  and  was  living  there  when 
the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  July  31,  1861,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  behalf 
of  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of  Company 
H,  Thirty-ninth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  which  command 
he  served  until  his  return  home  on  August  28,  1864.  Mr.  Carroll  partici- 
pated in  many  of  the  important  engagements  and  battles  of  the  war.  Mr. 
Carroll  had  many  narrow  escapes,  but  got  back  without  having  sufifered 
any  serious  wounds.  As  a  young  man  he  had  learned  the  trade  of  mill- 
wright and  carpenter  and  upon  his  return  to  Clinton  county  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  military  service  he  resumed  this  vocation  and  did  work  all  over 
this  section  of  the  state,  including  work  for  I.  M.  Barrett,  of  the  Spring 
Vallev  mills,  four  years  for  the  Great  Western  Powder  Company  and  for 
some  years  was  employed  as  foreman  of  bridge  construction  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company.  In  1907  Mr.  Carroll  retired  from  acti\e  labor 
and  has  since  been  living  retired  at  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  the  delight- 
ful village  of  Spring  Valley. 

Mr.  Carroll  has  been  twice  married.  In  1865,  in  Clintoii  county,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Deborah  Peebles,  who  was  born  in  St.  George 
county,  Virginia,  and  who  when  a  girl  had  come  with  her  parents  to  Ohio, 
the  family  settling  in  Clinton  county.  To  that  union  were  born  three  chil- 
dren. Warren,  a  traveling  salesman,  now  living  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania; 
Clarence,  who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years,  and  William,  who  is  the 


908  GREENE    COL'NTY,    OHIO 

foreman  of  a  tool-making  establishment  at  Dayton.  The  mother  of  these 
sons  died  in  Dayton  and  on  July  ii,  1898,  Mr.  Carroll  married  Ella  McClem- 
ent,  who  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Catherine 
McClement,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Scotland,  who  later  became 
residents  of  Dayton,  where  their  last  days  were  spent.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Car- 
roll are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  ]\Ir.  Carroll  is 
a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  at  Spring  Valley. 


WIXFIELD  SCOTT  RITEXOUR,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Winheld  Scott  Ritenour,  a  progressive  young  physician  at  Xenia, 
where  he  also  is  actively  connected  with  the  staff  of  the  McClellan  Hospital, 
was  born  at  Grape  Grove,  in  Ross  township,  July  17,  1890,  son  of  Melvin 
D.  and  Anna  M.  (Brock)  Ritenour,  both  of  whom  were  members  of  old 
families  here. 

Melvin  D.  Ritenour  was  bom  in  Ross  township,  in  1851,  a  son  of 
Daniel  P.  Ritenour  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom  came  to  Greene  county 
with  three  brothers  in  1848  and  settled  in  Ross  township,  where  he  became 
a  stibstantial  farmer.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  chuich. 
Their  son,  Melvin  D.  Ritenour,  became  a  farmer  and  dealer  in  live  stock, 
establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Ross  township  after  his  marriage.  He 
was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
There  were  five  children  born  to  them,  of  whom  Doctor  Ritenour  Avas  the 
third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  as  follow:  T.  P.,  principal  of 
the  high  school  at  W'hitehouse,  Lucas  county,  this  state;  Charles  X"".,  a  farmer, 
living  in  the  vicinity  of  Jeffersonville,  Fayette  county :  Myrtle,  bom  in 
1886,  who  died  in  1907.  and  Coleman  Younger  Ritenour,  a  farmer,  living 
at  Jamestown,  this  county.  Melvin  D.  Ritenour  died  in  January,  1916,  and 
his  widow  is  still  living,  now  making  her  home,  as  noted  above,  at  James- 
town. She  was  Ijorn,  Anna  M.  Brock,  in  Ross  township,  this  countv,  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  .\sbury  and  Lovisa  (Kelly)  Brock,  the  former  of  whom  also 
was  born  in  this  count}-  and  tlie  latter  in  the  neighboring  countv  of  Clark, 
daugliter  of  Stewart  and  Elizabeth  ( Dri.scoH)  Kelly,  and  a  first  cousin  of 
Oliver  S.  Kelly,  one  of  the  most  noted  of  the  early  manufacturers  of  the 
city  of  Springfield:  Stewart  Kelly,  a  son  of  James  and  Catherine  (Stewart) 
Kelly,  natives  of  Scotland  and  the  former  of  whom  was  a  soldier  of  the 
patriot  army  during  the  War  of  the  Revolulion. 

James  Kelly,  maternal  great-great-grandfather  of  Doctor  Ritenour.  was 
born  in  Scotland  in  1752  and  there  lived  until  young  manhood,  when  he  and 
his  brother  John  came  to  the  American  colonies  and  located  in  Virginia,  where 
he  was  living  when  the  struggle  of  the  colonies  for  independence  broke  out. 


GREEXF.    COUNTY,    OHIO  9O9 

James  Kelly  joined  the  Continental  army  and  served  valiantly  in  that  behalf. 
During  the  historic  winter  of  1777-78  he  was  with  Washington's  army  at 
Valley  Forge  and  while  there  his  face  and  ears  were  so  badly  frozen  tliat  the 
fleshy  portions  sloughed  off.  During  one  of  his  engagements  with  the  Brit- 
ish a  musket  ball  took  off  the  end  of  his  nose.  Upon  the  completion  of  his 
military  service  he  located  in  Monongalia  county,  in  what  is  now  West 
Virginia,  and  there  in  1784  married  Catherine  Stewart,  a  native  of  Scotland, 
born  in  1764.  In  1793  they  and  their  five  children  moved  from  there  to 
Kentucky  and  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  Flemingsburg,  Fleming  county,  where 
they  remained  for  fifteen  years,  during  which  time  seven  more  children 
were  born  to  them.  In  1808  James  Kelly  moved  with  his  family  up  into 
Ohio,  leaving  behind  three  of  his  older  children,  Rachel,  Joseph  and  Samuel, 
and  settled  at  Springfield.  Three  years  later,  in  181  r,  he  bought  a  farm  four 
miles  south  of  Springfield,  in  what  then  was  Greene  county,  now  a  part  of 
Clark  county,  and  there  established  his  home.  Four  of  James  Kelly's  sons, 
Joseph,  Thomas,  John  and  Nathan,  took  part  in  the  War  of  18 12.  Stew- 
art Kelly,  the  seventh  son,  was  born  on  June  13.  1801,  in  Fleming  county. 
Kentucky,  and  was  seven  years  of  age  when  he  came  up  here  into  Ohio 
with  his  parents  in  1808.  He  early  learned  the  trade  of  cooper  and  followed 
the  same  all  his  life.  On  March  13,  1825,  Stewart  Kelly  married  Elizabeth 
Driscoll  and  to  that  union  were  born  two  children,  Lovisa,  maternal  grand- 
mother of  Doctor  Ritenour,  and  Eliza  Jane,  who  married  Henry  Boyles 
and  died  in  1893.  Lovisa  Kelly  married  Francis  Asbury  Brock,  a  farmer 
of  the  Gladstone  neighborhood,  in  Ross  township,  this  county,  and  to  that 
union  were  born  six  children,  namely :  Sarah,  who  married  W.  D.  Thomas ; 
Anna  M.,  mother  of  Doctor  Ritenour;  Mollie,  who  married  G.  L.  Green: 
John,  who  married  Rebecca  Clemans ;  Ella,  who  married  Smiley  Thomas, 
and  Flora,  who  married  J.  C.  Ritenour. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township,  Winfield  Scott  Ritenour 
received  his  earlv  training  in  the  schools  of  that  township.  He  early  began 
tcacliing  school  and  for  se\en  years  was  thus  engaged,  teaching  five  terms 
in  one  school  and  two  terms  in  another,  both  in  his  home  township.  During 
the  latter  part  of  this  period  of  service  he  took  summer  school  work  at 
W'ittenberg  College  at  Springfield  and  in  the  Norma!  School  at  Lebanon, 
in  the  meantime  devoting  such  leisure  as  he  could  command  to  the  study  of 
medicine,  and  in  1907  entered  Starling  Medical  College  at  Columbus,  being 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  191 1.  For  a  year  after  receiving  his 
diploma  Doctor  Ritenour  served  as  an  interne  in  the  Protestant  Hospital 
at  Columbus,  his  attention  during  that  time  being  given  particularly  to 
surgical  cases,  and  at  the  end  of  that  period  of  service  he  returned  to  Greene 
county  and  opened  an  office  at  Bellbrook,  where  he  was  engaged  in  practice 
until   IQ15,  in  which  \-ear  he  moved  to  Xenia  and  there  became  associated 


9IO  GRKEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

with  Dr.  Benjamin  R.  McClellan  in  the  latter's  hospital  work,  and  has  ever 
since  been  connected  with  the  McClellan  Hospital,  at  the  same  time  carrjang 
on  a  general  practice.  Doctor  Ritenour  is  a  member  of  the  Greene  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  was  vice-president  in  19 15  and  president  in 
1916;  a  member  of  the  Second  District  Medical  Association,  of  the  Ohio 
State  Medical  Society  and  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  During 
his  course  in  college  the  Doctor  was  for  two  years  secretary  of  the  Alpha 
Mu  Pi  Omega  (medical)  fraternity.  He  is  a  Democrat,  has  twice  been  the 
nominee  of  his  party  for  coroner  of  Greene  county  and  for  four  years 
(  1903-07)  during  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Ross  township  served  as  clerk 
of  that  township.  Since  191 3  he  has  been  a  member  of  tlie  Greene  countv 
pension  board,  under  appointment  of  President  Wilson,  and  is  the  present 
secretary  of  that  board.  Upon  the  creation  of  the  medical  boards  in  con- 
nection with  the  selective  draft  for  the  new  National  Army  in  the  earlv 
summer  of  1917  Doctor  Ritenour  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  for 
Greene  county  and  is  now  serving  in  that  capacitv. 

On  November  2-j,  1912.  Dr.  Winfield  S.  Ritenour  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Grace  Turner,  who  was  born  at  Bellbrook,  this  countv,  dauglitcr 
of  John  S.  and  Martha  (Cunningham)  Turner,  both  of  whom  are  still 
living  at  Bellbrook,  where  the  former  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business, 
and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Scott  Turner  Ritenour,  born 
on  T^nunry  12,  1914. 


FRANK  TOWNSLEY. 


The  first  persons  who  established  themsehes  and  families  permanently 
in  Cedarville  township  were  two  brothers,  John  and  Thomas  Townsley,  who 
•eraig-rated  from  Kentucky  and  came  here  in  1801.  They  located  on  the  banks 
of  Massies  creek,  having  previously  bought  there  about  a  thousand  acres 
of  land,  and  there  established  their  homes,  building  the  first  habitations 
erected  by  white  men  in  what  later  came  to  be  organized  as  Cedarville  town- 
ship, and  in  the  summer  of  that  year  harvested  the  first  crop  that  had  been 
raited  by  white  men  in  that  region.  John  Townsley  was  the  father  of  eiglit 
children  and  Thomas  Townsley  was  the  father  of  five  children,  and  from 
this  pioneer  stock  lias  sprung  one  of  the  must  numerous  families  in  this 
section  of  Ohio. 

Frank  Townsley,  of  Cedar\-ille  township,  one  of  the  best-known  repre- 
sentatives of  the  old  pioneer  family  in  the  present  generation,  was  born 
in  tliat  township,  on  a  portion  of  the  old  original  Townsley  homestead  tract, 
May  4,  1867,  a  son  of  James  and  Clarissa  (Harper)  Townsley.  The  Harpers 
also  were  prominently  represented  here  since  the  early  days  of  the  settle- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  9I  I 

ment  of  Greene  county.  James  Townsley  in  time  became  a  substantial  farmer 
on  his  own  account,  for  more  than  fifty  years  the  owner  of  the  farm  now 
owned  by  his  son  Frank,  and  also  did  a  considerable  business  in  the  buying 
and  selling  of  live  stock.  James  Townsley  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville 
township  in  1910,  being  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age.  He  had  become 
a  Republican  upon  the  organization  of  that  party  and  ever  remained  loyal 
to  its  principles.  Of  the  old  Seceder  stock,  he  became  affiliated  with  the 
United  Presbyterian  church  after  the  "union"  of  1858  and  ever  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  churcli. 

James  Townsley  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Clarissa  Harper, 
died  in  1868  and  he  afterward  married  Hester  Barber,  also  a  member  of  one 
of  Greene  county's  pioneer  families.  To  James  and  Clarissa  (Harper) 
Townsley  were  born  seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  last-bor%  the  others  being  the  following :  John,  who  died  in  Septeml>er, 
1917.  and  a  memorial  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume; 
Elizabeth,  who  died  in  1914,  wife  of  John  Owens;  Delilah,  wife  of  J.  O. 
Spahr,  of  Jamestown,  this  county;  Emma,  wife  of  J.  M.  Harper,  of  Dayton; 
Jennie  E.,  wife  of  O.  A.  Spahr,  of  Xenia,  and  Robert  S..  a  retired  farmer, 
now  li\ing  at  Cedarville. 

Frank  Townsley  was  but  a  year  old  when  his  mother  died.  He  grew 
up  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  his  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools, 
and  ha&salways  lived  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  born,  having  established 
his  home  there  after  his  marriage.  Mr.  Townsley  has  ever  given  particular 
attention  to  live  stock  and  as  a  live-stock  dealer  is  well  known  throughout 
this  part  of  the  state.  Air.  Townsley  now  owns  the  old  home  place,  a 
valuable  tract  of  four  hundred  and  forty-two  acres,  and  has  made  many 
substantial  improvements  thereon.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  as  was 
his   father. 

On  October  4,  1888,  at  Cedarville,  Frank  Townsley  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Effie  Fields,  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Savilla  ( Haverstick) 
Fields,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  making  her  home  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Townsley.  John  A.  Fields,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Cedarville 
on  November  6,  1917,  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Xenia,  as  was  his  wife, 
aiid  for  some  time  after  his  marriage  continued  to  make  his  home  in  the 
Xenia  neighborhood.  He  then  moved  to  Cedarville,  where  he  became  engaged 
in  the  hotel  and  livery  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  To  him  and 
his  wife  were  bom  two  children,  Mrs.  Townsley  having  had  a  brother,  Fred 
Fields,  who  died  in  189 1. 

To  Frank  and  Effie  (Fields)  Townsley  four  children  have  l^een  born, 
namely:  Carrie,  who  married  R.  S.  Bull,  a  well-known  young  farmer  of 
Cedarville  township,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,   Ralph  E. ;   Ralph,   who  on 


912  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

December  29,  1917,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Matilda  Crouse  and  who  con- 
tinues to  make  his  home  on  the  home  place,  and  Pearl  and  Hester,  both  of 
whom  also  are  at  home.  The  Townsleys  are  members  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian church  at  Cedarville. 


PAUL  D.  ESPEY,  M.  D. 


Paul  Denton  Espey,  one  of  the  best-known  among  the  younger  physi- 
cians of  Greene  county,  the  proprietor  of  a  well-appointed  private  iiospital  in 
North  Detroit  street,  Xenia.  is  a  native  of  the  Hoosier  state.  He  has  been  a 
resident  of  Ohio  ever  since  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
and  of  Xenia  since  1915.  He  was  born  in  Rising  Sun,  Indiana,  son  of  Frank 
and  Charity  (Cunningham)  Espey,  both  natives  of  that  same  state,  who  are 
still  living  at  Rising  Sun,  where  the  former  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, for  years  one  of  the  leading  merchants  of  that  city. 

The  Espeys,  who  are  of  an  old  Colonial  family,  have  been  hon(>rably 
represented  at  Rising  Sun  from  the  very  beginning  of  that  interesting  old 
town  down  on  the  Ohio  river.  The  first  of  tlie  Espey  name  to  come  to  this 
country  was  a  North  of  Ireland  man,  of  Presbyterian  stock,  the  great-great- 
grandfather of  Doctor  Espey,  who  came  to  the  colonies  some  little  time  before 
tiie  opening  of  the  \\'ar  for  Independence  and  who  took  an  active  part  in  that 
>var.  Pie  married  an  orphan  girl,  the  sole  survivor  of  a  village  which  had 
been  cruelly  massacred  by  Indians,  and  who  had  been  adopted  and  reared 
by  a  family  or  the  name  of  Hemphill.  A  son  of  this  union  was  one  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  Rising  Sun  settlement  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  there,  and  a  deacon  in  the  same.  The  eldest  son  of  each 
succeeding  generation  of.  the  family  has  been  an  elder  in  that  old  church,  the 
position  now  being  occupied  by  Doctor  Espey"s  father.  Frank  Espey  is  also 
an  ardent  Republican  and  has  for  years  taken  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs  in  his  home  community.  He  and  his  wife  have  three  children,  of 
whom  Doctor  Espey  is  the  eldest,  the  others  being  Dr.  Hugh  Stewart  Espev, 
a  dentist  at  Gary,  Indiana,  and  Phoebe,  wife  of  Henry  Johnson,  of  Los 
Angeles.  California. 

Doctor  Espey  has  received  admirable  scholastic  training  for  the  exacting 
profession  to  which  he  early  devoted  his  life.  Upon  completing  the  course  in 
the  high  school  at  Rising  Sun,  he  entered  Indiana  State  University  at  Bloom- 
ington.  and  after  three  years  of  study  there  entered  the  Medical  School  of  the 
University  of  Cincinnati,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1905.  Upon  re- 
ceiving his  diploma,  Doctor  Espey  was  appointed  an  interne  for  Christ  Hos- 
pital at  Cincinnati  and  after  eighteen  months  of  very  valuable  practical  ex- 
perience in  that  institution  located  at  Fort  William,  in  Clinton  county,  this 


PAUL  D.  ESrEY.  M.  D. 


GREENE    COITNTY,    OHIO  9I3 

State.  Here  he  opened  an  office  and  continued  actively  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  until  191 5,  in  which  year  he  took  a  special  course  in 
surgery  at  the  Post-Graduate  Hospital  in  New  York  City.  Having  deter- 
mined upon  a  change  in  the  field  of  his  practice,  upon  completing  liis  course 
Doctor  Espey  moved  to  Xenia,  where  he  since  has  been  engaged  in  practice. 
Upon  his  arrival  in  Xenia  the  Doctor  located  in  the  old  Doctor  Wilson  resi- 
dence in  North  Detroit  street,  a  very  favorable  location,  and  there  opened  a 
private  hospital,  which  he  has  since  very  successfully  maintained.  Though 
the  doctor  specializes  in  surgery,  he  also  has  built  up  on  extensive  general 
practice  and  has  made  hosts  of  friends  during  the  comparatively  short  time 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  Xenia.  Doctor  Espey  is  a  member  of  the  Greene 
County  Medical  Society,  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society,  a 
member  of  the  American  Medical  Association  and  a  member  of  the  Clinical 
Congress  of  Surgeons  and  in  the  affairs  and  deliberations  of  these  learned 
bodies  takes  a  warm  interest.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and,  fraternally, 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodges  of  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

On  June  26,  1909,  Dr.  Paul  D.  Espey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Eliza- 
beth McConnell,  who  was  born  at  Danville,  Kentucky,  daughter  of  .Angerau 
and  Caroline  (Calvert)  McConnell,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  at  that 
place.  To  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  sons  both,  Hugh  Stewart, 
born  in  1912,  and  John  McConnell,  in  1916.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  E.^pey  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  take  a  proper  interest  in  the  various 
beneficences  of  the  same,  the  Doctor  being  a  member  of  the  diaconate.  Tiiey 
also  take  an  interested  part  in  the  general  good  works  and  social  and  cultural 
activities  of  the  citv  in  which  thev  Ii\'e. 


DAVID  E.   PAULLIN. 


David  E.  Paullin,  owner  of  a  well-kept  farm  of  nearly  one  inindred 
acres  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Jamestown,  was  born  at  Grape  Gro\e, 
Ross  township,  on  January  16,  1864,  son  of  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Ella 
(Van  Gundy)  Paullin,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township, 
a  son  of  David  and  Susan  (Smith)  Paullin,  reference  to  whom  is  made 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  David  Paullin  was  the  seventh  in  order  of  birth 
of  the  nine  children  born  to  the  pioneers,  Uriah  and  Rebecca  Paullin,  natives 
of  New  Jersey,  who  became  residents  of  Greene  county  in   1807. 

Thomas  Jefferson  Paullin  was  the  second  .son  of  David  and  Susan 
(Smith)  Paullin,  who  were  the  parents  of  eleven  children.  He  was  reared 
on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township  and  in  his  young  manhood  spent  a 
,.  ..    (57) 


914  GREENE    C017NTY,    OHIO 

year  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  met  and  married  Ella  Van  Gundy.  After  his 
marriage  he  located  on  a  farm  a  half  a  mile  south  of  Grape  Grove,  in  his 
home  township,  and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occur- 
ring when  he  was  sixty-two  years  of  age.  His  widow  is  now  living  at 
Jamestown  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  her  age.  Thomas  J.  Paullin  was  not 
only  a  good  farmer,  but  he  was  for  years  known  as  one  of  the  leading  stock- 
men in  his  part  of  the  county.  Pie  was  a  Republican  and  for  some  time 
served  as  trustee  of  his  home  township.  By  religious  persuasion  he  became 
affiliated  with  the  Seventh  Da}^  Adventists  church.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  brother,  E.  G. 
Paullin,  owner  of  the  old  home  place  in  Ross  township,  who  married  Jennie 
Davis  and  lived  on  the  home  place  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in 
191 5  and  removal  to  Jamestown,  where  he  is  now  living. 

David  E.  Paullin  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Ross  township,  receiv- 
ing his  schooling  in  the  Grape  Grove  school,  and  remained  at  home  until 
his  marriage  in  1892,  after  which  he  began  farming  on  his  own  account. 
In  1895  he  bought  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  in  Silvercreek  town- 
ship, ninety-seven  acres  of  the  old  Dawson  tract,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  there.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Friends  church  at  Jamestown  and  take  an  interested  part  in  the 
various  beneficences  of  the  same. 

In  1892  David  E.  Paullin  was  united  in  marriage  to  Delia  M.  Robin- 
son, of  Silvercreek  township,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a 
daughter,  Lelia  Blanche,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Jamestown  high 
school  and  is  now  a  student  at  Wilmington  College.  Mrs.  Paullin  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  James  F.  Robinson,  former  trustee  of  Silvercreek  township, 
who  died  at  his  home  in  that  township  in  the  spring  of  1900  and  a  memorial 
sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Paullin's  mother 
is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Jamestown.  She  was  born  in  Silvercreek 
township,  .\nn  Eliza  Moorman,  daughter  of  Reuben  and  Susan  ( Sliarp) 
Moorman,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  the  pioneer  Micajah  Moorman, 
a  Virginian  and  a  Quaker,  who  came  to  this  county  in  the  first  decade  of 
the  past  century  and  became  one  of  the  influential  factors  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Silver  creek  neighjjorhood.  James  F.  and  Ann  E.  (Moorman) 
Riibinson  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Paullin  was 
the  third  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following :  Alma,  who  died 
in  the  da>s  of  her  girlhood ;  Frank,  who  married  Elizabeth  Highland  and 
is  now  li\ing  at  Chicago;  Charles  A.,  who  is  farming  the  old  home  place 
in  Silvercreek  township;  Reuben  \V.,  who  married  Bessie  McCrught  and 
is  living  at  Jamestown;  Bertha,  who  died  in  1894  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
years;  Sarah  Blanche,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  Mary,  wife 
of  Ross  Mendenhall,  of  Akron,  this  state. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  915 


LUTHER  DEAN  CHITTY. 


Luther  Dean  Chitty,  who  is  operating  the  fine  farm  of  his  father-in- 
law,  George  Perrill,  on  the  Columbus  pike  in  Xenia  township,  was  born 
on  a  farm  in  Jefferson  township  on  October  i,  1875,  son  of  Cargill  and 
Rebecca  Ann  (Osborn)  Chitty,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this 
county  and  is  still  living  here,  now  making  her  home  in  the  pleasant  village 
of  Bowersville. 

Cargill  Chitty  was  born  in  the  state  of  Virginia  and  was  orjihaned 
when  a  child.  As  a  young  man  he  left  bis  native  state  and  came  over  into 
Ohio,  taking  employment  on  farms  in  this  county.  He  later  became  engaged 
in  the  drug  business  in  the  village  of  Bloomington,  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clinton,  and  later  returned  to  Greene  county  and  bought  a  farm 
of  one  hundred  and  five  acres  in  Jefferson  township  where  he  established 
his  home  and  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring 
there  in  1880,  he  then  being  forty-nine  years  of  age.  During  the  progress 
of  the  Civil  War  Cargill  Chitty  vokmteered  his  services  in  behalf  of  the 
Union  cause,  but  on  account  of  having  suffered  a  broken  leg  while  hauling 
logs  not  long  before,  his  services  were  declined.  He  was  a  Democrat  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are  living 
save  one,  Lee  Chitty,  who  went  to  Portland.  Oregon,  and  there  spent  his 
last  days,  the  others  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  as  follow: 
Kirk,  who  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  at  Muncie,  Indiana;  John, 
a  farmer,  of  Jefi'erson  township,  this  county;  Frank,  now  living  at  Lo.s 
Angeles.  California;  Claude,  of  Dayton,  this  state;  Mary,  wife  of  Alvin 
Zoarman,  a  farmer  of  Jefferson  township,  this  county:  Rose,  wife  of  Doc- 
tor Marchant,  of  Millersville,  this  state,  and  Violet,  a  graduate  nurse,  now 
connected  with  the  McClellan  Hospital  at  Xenia 

Luther  D.  Chitty  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Jefferson  township  and 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  neighborhood  schools,  remaining  tliere 
until  his  mother  moved  with  her  family  to  Valparaiso.  Indiana,  in  order  lo 
secure  there  the  advantages  of  education  for  her  children  offered  by  Val- 
paraiso University,  making  her  home  there  for  five  years.  During  that 
period  Luther  D.  Chittv  completed  his  schooling  in  the  university  and  up<jn 
the  return  of  the  family  to  this  county  he  assumed  the  management  of 
his  mother's  farm  and  was  thus  engaged  until  his  marriage  in  1900,  after 
which  he  began  farming  the  farm  owned  h\-  his  father-in-law,  George  Per- 
rill, now  a  member  of  the  board  of  countv  commissioners,  in  that  same 
township,  remaining  there  until  191 1,  when  he  moved  to  Mr.  Perrill's  home 
farm  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  acres   in  Xenia  township  and  has 


gi6  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

since  been  farming  the  same,  Mr.   Perrill  making  his  home  with  him  and 
his  wife.     Mr.  Chitty  is  a  RepubHcan. 

In  1900,  Luther  D.  Chitty  was  united  in  marriage  to  Edith  Perrill, 
who  also  was  born  in  Jefferson  township,  this  county,  daughter  of  George 
M.  and  Elizabeth  (Vanniman)  Perrill,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in 
this  state,  the  former  in  the  neighborhood  of  what  is  now  Milledgeville,  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  son  of  John  and  Margaret  J.  (Sparks) 
Perrill,  and  the  latter,  at  Bowersville,  in  Greene  county,  daughter  of  Stephen 
and  Rebecca  Jane  (Early)  Vanniman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chitty  have  four 
children,  namely:  Donald,  born  on  September  25,  1901,  who  is  now  a  student 
in  the  Xenia  high  school;  Hugh,  May  19,  1905:  George,  April  4,  1906,  and 
Robert,  June  3,  1907. 


ADDISOX  D.  SMITH. 


Addison  D.  Smith,  one  of  the  best-known  young  farmers  of  Xew 
Jasper  township,  was  born  in  that  township  on  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half 
east  of  the  village  of  New  Jasper  on  April  29,  1871,  son  of  James  Marion 
and  Eliza  (Huston)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living  there.  James 
Marion  Smith,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  who  died  in  191 1,  was  for  years 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  farmers  of  the  New  Jasper  neigh- 
borhood and  elsewhere  in  this  volume  there  will  be  found  in  detail  a  history 
of  his  family. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm,  Addison  D.  Smith  received  his  schooling 
in  the  Schooley  district  school.  After  his  marriage  in  1895  he  continued 
to  make  his  home  there,  he  and  his  brother  Alva  operating  the  farm  in  part- 
nership, the  place  then  consisting  of  three  hundred  acres.  There  Addison 
D.  Smith  continued  to  make  his  home  until  1904,  in  which  year  he  bought 
the  farm  of  one  hundred  acres  in  Xew  Jasper  township  that  formerlv 
belonged  to  his  maternal  grandfather,  William  S.  Huston,  moved  to  that 
place  and  has  ever  since  resided  there.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming, 
Mr.  Smith  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  live  stock.  He 
is  also  the  owner  of  sixty-eight  acres  of  his  father's  old  place  east  of  New 
Jasper  and  of  the  Griffith  Sutton  farm  of  sixty-seven  acres  just  west  of 
the  village. 

On  October  23,  1895,  Addison  D.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sadie 
Fields,  who  also  was  born  in  New  Jasper  township,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Catherine  (Peerman)  Fields,  who  at  the  time  of  her  birth  were  living  on 
a  farm  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  township  and  the  former  of  whom  is 
now  li\ing  retired  in  the  village  of  Jamestown.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  X'ew  Jasper,  Mr.  Smith 
being  a  member  of  the  present  board  of  stewards  of  the  church. 


f 


GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO  9I7 

JAMES  ALBERT  MERCER. 

James  Albert  Mercer,  mayor  of  Jamestown  and  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
in  Ross  township,  was  born  on  the  farm  which  he  now  owns,  in  Ross  town- 
ship, June  21,  1861,  son  of  WilHam  and  Nancy  (Skeen)  Mercer,  the  former 
of  whom  was  born  on  that  same  fami  on  September  22,  1835,  a  son  of  John 
Mercer  and  wife,  who  came  to  this  county  from  Virginia  and  established 
their  home  in  Ross  township,  developing  there  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Mayor  Mercer. 

William  Mercer  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born  and  in 
time  became  the  owner  of  the  same.  He  married  Nancy  Skeen,  who  was 
born  in  Highland  county,  this  state,  October  23,  1839,  and  after  his  mar- 
riage established  his  home  on  the  old  place,  which  he  continued  successfully 
to  operate  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal  to  Jamestown 
in  1883.  For  fifteen  years  after  his  removal  to  Jamestown  William  Alercer 
served  there  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  became  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
village.  His  last  days  were  spent  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1913.  He 
and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  three  children.  Mayor  Mercer  having  two 
sisters,  Hattie  Belle,  born  on  May  3,  1865,  who  married  William  Watson, 
now  president  of  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Manchester,  this  state,  and  Emma 
Delia,  Julv  30,  186;.  wife  of  E.  S.  Fishback,  a  commercial  traveler,  now  liv- 
ing at  East  Grange,  New  Jersey. 

James  A.  Mercer  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born 
in  Ross  township  and  upon  completing  his  schooling  became  actively  engaged 
in  farming  there.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1884  he  established 
his  home  on  the  home  place  and  contmued  to  operate  the  same,  eventually 
becoming  the  owner  of  the  farm,  until  his  retirement  in  February,  1917,  and 
removal,  to  Jamestown,  where  he  now  resides  and  of  which  village  be  is  the 
chief  executive.  Not  long  after  he  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  Jamestown 
Mr.  Mercer  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  and  in  the  fall  of  191 7  was 
elected  mayor  of  the  town,  the  nomination  coming  to  him  without  solicita- 
tion on  his  part.  During  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Ross  township  Mr. 
Mercer  was  for  years  director  of  schools  in  the  home  district  and  for  six 
years  served  as  township  trustee.  Mr.  Mercer  continues  to  own  the  ancestral 
farm  in  Ross  township,  and  the  same  is  now  being  operated  In-  his  son-in-aw. 
George  Ensign. 

On  April  4,  1884,  James  A.  Mercer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Fannie 
Turner,  who  was  born  in  Silvercreek  township,  this  county,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Minerva  (Wood)  Turner,  both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  this 
county,  and  who  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  Mrs.  Mercer  having  had 
two  brothers,  Albert,  who  died  when  six  years  of  age,  and  Charles  Turner, 
who  is  now  living  at  Cedarville.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mercer  have  two  daughters, 


9l8  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Mary  E.,  lx)rn  on  Alarch  15,  1885,  who  married  George  Ensign,  who  is 
operating  Mr.  Mercer's  farm  in  Ross  township,  and  has  one  child,  a  son, 
Roger  Albert,  born  on  April  26,  191 1;  and  Lena  Belle,  October  15,  1888, 
who  married  Clarence  Mott  and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Cedar- 
ville.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mercer  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
at  Jamestown. 


ALBERT  E.  BALES. 


Albert  E.  Bales,  one  of  New  Jasper  township's  well-known  farmers, 
was  born  in  that  township  on  August  16,  1869,  son  of  Jacob  and  Matilda 
(Lucas)  Bales,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same  township,  a  son 
of  John  Bales,  a  soldier  of  the  War  of  181 2,  who  was  the  son  of  Elisha 
and  Rebecca  Bales,  Pennsylvania  Quakers,  who  had  come  to  Ohio  with 
their  family  in  1806  and  had  settled  in  Greene  county. 

Elisha  Bales,  the  pioneer,  was  torn  in  Pennsylvania  and  was  there  reared 
in  the  faith  of  the  Friends  and  to  the  life  of  a  farmer.  He  married  in  that 
state  and  a  few  years  later  moved  to  Virginia,  where  he  remained  until 
1806,  in  which  year  he  came  with  his  family  to  Ohio  and  established  his 
home  on  a  tract  of  land  five  miles  southeast  of  the  then  village  of  Xenia, 
where  he  and  his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Upon  coming 
here  Elisha  Bales  bought  two  sections  of  land  in  the  old  Military  tract  on 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Hook  road  in  Caesarscreek  township,  paying  for 
the  same  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  an  acre,  and  with  the  assistance 
of  his  sons  cut  a  farm  out  of  the  timber  land  and  created  a  good  piece  of 
property.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  four  sons,  John.  Jacob,  Elisha 
and  Jonathan,  and  two  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to  maturity  and  reared 
families  of  their  own. 

John  Bales  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  March  6,  1879,  and  came 
with  his  parents,  Elisha  and  Rebecca  Bales,  to  Greene  county  in  1806.  He 
helped  develop  tlie  pioneer  home  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township  and  became 
a  substantial  farmer  and  landowner.  During  the  \\'ar  of  1812  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  company  of  Capt.  Joseph  Lucas  and  upon  the  completion 
of  that  ser\-ice  resumed  farming.  In  his  home  township  he  married  Sarah 
Lucas,  who  was  born  at  Maysville,  Kentucky,  in  1795,  and  who  had  come  up 
into  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami  with  her  parents,  John  and  Frances  (  Rains) 
Lucas,  the  family  settling  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county.  Her  uncle. 
Simon  Rains,  also  a  pioneer  of  this  county,  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
18 1 2,  serving  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Zach.  Ferguson.  John  Lucas  and 
his  wife  both  lived  to  be  past  eighty  years  of  age,  the  former  dying  in  185: 
and  his  widow  surviving  him  for  some  years.    John  Bales  was  a  Democrat, 


GRKEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 


919 


and  served  for  fifteen  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  was  Iiis  party's  nomi- 
nee for  a  seat  in  the  state  Legislature.  He  became  the  owner  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  fine  land  along  the  waters  of  Caesars  creek  and  on  that  farm 
spent  his  last  days,  his  death  occurring  there  on  March  11,  1864,  His 
widow  survived  him  for  more  than  ten  years,  her  death  occurring  on  June 
8,  1874.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  children,  eight  sons  and  four 
daughters,  and  all  of  these  sons  were  for  some  time  engaged  in  school  teach- 
ing. 

Jacob  Bales,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Lucas)  Bales,  was  born  on  the 
old  home  farm  on  the  Hook  road  in  1838  and  there  grew  to  manhood.  He 
early  became  a  school  teacher,  receiving  for  that  service  during  the  short 
winter  terms  the  wages  of  eight  dollars  a  month.  He  was  thirteen  years 
of  age  when  his  father  died  and  upon  attaining  his  majority  he  came  into 
possession  of  sixty  acres  of  the  home  estate,  on  which  he  established  his 
hoine  after  his  marriage  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death 
occurring  on  August  20,  1873,  he  then  being  but  thirty-five  years  of  a:;e. 
Pfis  widow  later  married  George  Colder,  but  this  second  union  was  without 
issue.  She  lived  until  February  26,  1883.  She  was  born,  Matilda  Lucas, 
in  Virginia,  in  1839,  daughter  of  Basil  Lucas  and  wife,  who  came  to  Creene 
county  in  1843  ^"^  established  their  home  on  a  farm  east  of  Xenia.  To 
Jacob  and  Matilda  (Lucas)  Bales  were  born  two  sons,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  having  had  a  brother,  John  W.  Bales,  born  on  December  3,  1865.  who 
died  on  May  31,  1881. 

Albert  E.  Bales  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  his  father  died  in 
1873  and  he  was  fifteen  when  his  mother  died.  Thereafter  he  made  his 
home  with  his  uncle,  Elisha  Bales,  completing  his  schooling  in  the  neighbor- 
hood schools.  Upon  attaining  his  majority  he  entered  upon  his  inheritance 
in  his  father's  farm  and  after  his  marriage  the  year  following  established 
his  heme  on  that  place  and  there  continued  to  reside  until  1Q07,  when  he 
sold  that  farm  and  bought  the  Shook  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
acres  on  the  Hook  road  in  New  Jasper  township,  where  he  ever  since  has  made 
his  home.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat,  as  were  his  father,  grandfather  and 
great-grandfather.  He  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  Woodmen  at 
New  Jasper. 

On  October  2,  1891,  Albert  E.  Bales  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mattie 
L.  Whittington,  who  was  born  in  Virginia,  daughter  of  John  R.  and  ^L1r- 
garet  Whittington,  who  are  now  living  retired  at  Creenville,  this  state.  To 
this  union  three  children  have  been  bom,  namely:  Ray.  now  living  at 
Hamilton,  Ohio,  and  who  married  Martha  Jane  Harnes  and  has  three  chil- 
dren; Ruth,  a  graduate  nurse,  who  follows  her  profession  in  this  county, 
and  Bernice,  who  was  born  in  1909. 


920  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

RE\^  JOHN  p.  WILLIAMS. 

The  Rev.  John  P.  Williams,  a  retired  minister  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  now  living  at  Yellow  Springs,  is  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  the  city  of  London,  on  October  8,  185 1,  son  of  Christopher  Robert  and 
^lary  M.  (Nimann)  W^illiams,  both  of  whom  also  were  of  English  birth. 
He  received  his  early  schooling  in  a  private  school  at  Greenwich,  in  the 
vicinity  of  London,  ^^'he^  sixteen  years  of  age  he  became  attracted  by 
the  possibilities  then  awaiting  the  gold  miners  in  faraway  New  Zealand 
and  he  took  a  trip  there,  bent  on  making  his  fortune  in  the  mines.  For 
five  years,  or  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Mr.  Williams  continued 
mining  in  New  Zealand,  with  more  or  less  success,  yh.  W'illiams  had  some 
family  connections  over  in  Australia  and  after  having  actiuired  all  the 
experience  in  gold  mining  that  he  cared  for  he  spent  a  year  in  Australia 
visiting^  these  kinsfolks.  He  then  sailed  for  Cape  Town,  Africa,  and  for  a 
year  or  more  visited  there,  at  the  same  time  investigating  South  Africa 
far  up  into  the  interior.  He  then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  England  and 
after  a  year  there  went  to  France,  from  which  country  he  presently  came  to 
the  United  States,  arriving  at  the  port  of  New  York  when  about  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  From  there  he  went  to  Chicago  and  not  long  afterward 
in  that  city  became  interested  in  contract  work  and  for  some  time  was  thus 
engaged  there,  employing  a  considerable  force  of  men.  In  the  meantime 
Mr.  Williams  had  been  seriously  turning  his  thoughts  in  the  direction  of 
the  gospel  ministry  and  after  a  whole  began  preaching.  Though  reared 
in  the  established  church  of  England,  his  personal  interest  was  manifested 
m  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  when  about  twenty- 
six  years  of  age  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Chicago  conference  of 
that  church  and  for  twenty  years  thereafter  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
ministry  of  that  church,  his  various  appointments  eventually  bringing  him  to 
Ohio,  his  last  definite  official  charge  having  been  at  Middletown,  this  state. 
He  retired  from  the  ministry  while  stationed  there,  about  1889,  ajid  then 
moved  to  Xenia.  from  which  city  shortly  afterward  he  moved  to  Yellow 
Springs,  attracted  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the  place  and  its  desirability  as 
a  place  of  residence,  and  has  ever  since  resided  there.  Though  retired  from 
the  active  ministry,  Mr.  Williams  has  continued  active  in  platform  work 
and  is  widely  known  as  a  lecturer,  his  illustrated  lectures,  particularly,  hav- 
ing won  for  him  a  very  gratifying  reputation  as  a  platform  entertainer. 

At  Guilford,  in  Dearborn  county,  Indiana,  the  Rev.  John  P.  Williams 
was  united  in  marriage  to  .Anna  R.  Hansell,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Cathe- 
rine (Roberts)  Hansell,  of  that  place,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in 
England  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  ]\Iaine.  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  six  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  ^^^ilIiams  having  been  Theodore,  Grant 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  921 

(deceased),  Mary,  Harriet  and  Abbie.  Mrs.  Williamson  died  on  June  23. 
191 5,  and  is  buried  at  beautiful  Glen  Forest  cemetery  at  Yellow  Springs. 
Mr.  Williams  has  three  daughters,  Florence  M.,  who  has  charge  of  the 
music  department  of  Antioch  College:  Bessie  Victoria,  who  married  Prof. 
F.  H.  Young,  of  Cedarville,  now  a  teacher  in  the  Zanesville  high  school, 
and  has  three  children,  Paul  R.,  Faith  and  Donald;  and  Marguerite  Mae, 
who  is  a  teacher  of  music  in  Antioch  College  and  otherwise  busied  in  the 
activities  of  that   institution. 


PIERRE  \y.  DRAKE. 


Pierre  W.  Drake,  senior  member  of  the  firnj.  of  Drake  &  Van  Kirk, 
dealers  in  lumber  and  coal  at  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  in  the  neighboring 
county  of  Clark  on  January  6,  1877,  son  of  William  W.  and  Bethany  (Tay- 
lor) Drake,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  that  county,  in  1830, 
of  pioneer  parentage.  Bethany  Taylor  was  Ijorn  in  Indiana,  in  1830.  but 
was  reared  in  Clark  countv  in  the  family  in  which  Samuel  Shallenbarger, 
afterward  congressman  from  this  district,  was  reared.  William  W.  Drake, 
a  well-to-do  farmer  in  Clark  county,  was  married  in  1S57.  Both  he  and 
his  wife  are  now  deceased.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  those 
besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  Ijeing  as  follow:  George,  formerly  and 
for  years  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  saw-mill  business  at  Yellow  Springs, 
now  living  retired  in  that  city;  Ruthetta,  wife  of  William  M.  Wilson,  a 
farmer  and  stockman,  now  living  at  Alberta,  Canada ;  Oliver,  who  established 
his  home  on  the  old  home  farm  in  Clark  county  after  his  marriage  and  who 
spent  his  last  days  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1917:  Ralph,  who  is  mar- 
ried and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  Clark  county,  and  Elmer,  also  married  and 
living  on  a  Clark  county  farm. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Clark  county,  Pierre  W.  Drake  remained 
there  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  meanwhile  completing  his  edu- 
cational course  in  Wittenberg  College  at  Springfield  and  at  Antioch  Col- 
lege, Yellow  Springs.  Upon  leaving  college  he  became  engaged  with  his 
brother  George  in  the  lumber  business  at  Yellow  Springs.  Two  years  later 
he  went  to  West  Virginia  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
in  the  employ  of  a  Philadelphia  concern.  After  being  thus  connected  for  a 
couple  of  years  lie  returned  to  Yellow  Springs,  in  1906,  and  formed  a 
partnership  with  his  brother  George  in  the  lumber  and  milling  Inisiness 
there,  and  this  mutually  agreeable  arrangement  continued  until  19 10,  when 
George  Drake  retired  from  business  and  his  brother  Pierre  bought  his 
interest  in  the  concern  and  continued  the  business  under  the  name  of  P.  W. 
Drake.  In  19 16  Mr.  Drake  bought  the  coal  business  which  had  been  for 
years  conducted  at  Yellow  Springs  by  S.  S.  Johnson,  added  the  same  to  his 


922  GREENE    CO'/NTY,    OHIO 

lumber  establishment  and  has  since  been  operating  the  two  in  connection. 
In  191 7  he  admitted  Lawson  Van  Kirk  to  partnership  in  his  business  and 
the  same  is  now  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  Drake  &  Van  Kirk. 

On  June  12,  1906,  Pierre  W.  Drake  was  united  in  marriage  to  Georgia 
Black,  who  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Prof.  G.  D.  Black,  presi- 
dent of  Antioch  College,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  Virginia. 
They  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Drake  is  a 
Republican  and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  Free  and  Accepted  Masons 
at  Yellow  Springs. 


ADELBERT  N.  VANDEMAN,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Adelbert  N.  Vandeman,  who  early  in  1917  moved  from  Milledge- 
\ille,  Fayette  county,  and  located  in  the  pleasant  village  of  Bellbrook,  was 
born  on  a  farm  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Webster  City,  Iowa,  December 
13.  1878,  son  of  S.  W.  and  Elizabeth  (Foster)  Vandeman,  both  of  whoni 
were  born  in  Adams  county,  Ohio,  and  who  after  their  marriage  in  that 
county  went  to  Iowa,  where  the}--  established  their  home  and  where  they 
remained  for  nearly  twenty  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they  returned 
to  Ohio,  bought  a  farm  in  Adams  county  and  are  still  making  their  residence 
there.  They  have  bad  three  children,  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  having  a  sister,  Lelia,  who  married  Ira  Howard  and  is 
living  in  Adams  county.     Orville,  the  second  son,  died  in  his  second  year. 

Adelbert  X.-  Vandeman  spent  his  early  boyhood  on  the  home  fami  in 
the  vicinit}'  of  \Vebster  City,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born,  and  was  fourteen 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  returned  to  Ohio  and  located  in  Adams  county. 
Ujjon  completing  the  course  in  the  Cherry  Fork  high  school,  be  spent  a 
year  in  the  university  at  \^alparaiso,  Indiana,  preparatory  to  taking  up  for- 
mally the  study  of  medicine.  In  1905  he  entered  Starling  Medical  College 
at  Columbus,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1909  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  the  fall  following  the  receipt  of  his  diploma 
Doctor  Vandeman  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession  at 
Milledgeville,  in  Fayette  county,  and  was  there  engaged  in  practice  until 
in  February,  191 7,  when  he  came  into  Greene  county  and  located  at  Bell- 
brook,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  practice. 

On  December  26,  1902,  Dr.  Adelbert  N.  Vandeman  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Lyda  Howard,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and  Margaret  (Fenton) 
Howard,  of  Adams  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born, 
Howard,  born  in  1903,  and  Lawrence,  1910.  Mrs.  Vandeman  has  two 
brothers,  Ira  A.  and  Kelly.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Vandeman  have  a  pleasant 
home  at  Bellbrook  and  have  made  many  friends  since  taking  up  their  resi- 
dence there. 


GkKEXE    COUXTV,    OHIO  923 


A.MOS  S.  BULL. 


Among  that  doughty  band  of  Scotch  Seceders  who  came  from  their  first 
settlement  in  the  Lexington  neighborhood  of  Kentucky  in  1810  and  formed 
the  first  Association  congregation  in  this  section  of  Ohio,  were  the  Bulls, 
the  Gowdys,  the  Laugheads  and  the  Kyles,  whose  respective  families  still 
form  a  numerous  and  influential  connection  hereabout.  About  the  time  of 
the  founding  of  the  Massies  creek  settlement  James  Bull  married  Ann  Gowdy 
and  established  his  home  on  a  considerable  tract  of  land  he  previously  had 
purchased  in  this  county.  Amos  S.  Bull,  one  of  the  sons  of  this  union,  grew 
up  there  and  married  a  daughter  of  David  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Kyle)  Laug- 
hcad,  and  the  sur\iving  daughters  of  this  union,  the  Misses  Henrietta  and 
Eniilv  Johanna  Bull,  are  still  occupving  the  old  home  place  in  Miami  town- 
?hip.'    " 

Amos  S.  Bull  was  born  on  the  old  Bull  place  on  Massies  creek,  January 
10.  1820,  son  of  James  and  Ann  (Gowdy)  Bull,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia,  in  1776,  a  son  of  William  Bull,  a  soldier 
in  the  patriot  army  during  the  Revolutionary  War  and  whose  death  occurred 
here  on  October  31,  181 1.  James  Bull  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  he 
came  to  Ohio  and  he  lost  little  time  after  his  arrival  here  in  establishing 
himself  as  a  landowner,  making  a  purchase  at  the  Dayton  land  office  of  a 
tract  of  one  thousand  acres.  On  November  8,  1804,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Ann  Gowclv.  daughter  of  John  and  Ann  Gowdy,  who  also  had  come 
up  here  from  Kentucky.  After  his  marriage  James  Bull  established  his  home 
on  the  land  he  had  bought  from  the  government  and  continued  the  develop- 
ment of  the  same.  During  the  War  of  1812  he  served  as  a  soldier,  a  member 
of  Capt.  James  Morrow's  company.  He  and  his  wife  reared  their  family  on 
their  pioneer  farm  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives,  James  Bull  living 
to  the  great  age  of  ninety-six  years,  his  death  occurring  in  1872,  and  he 
was  buried  in  the  old  Massies  Creek  church  yard.  He  was  for  years  one  of 
the  most  influential  members  of  the  Massies  Creek  Associate  church,  but 
after  the  "union"  of  1858  he  and  his  family  became  affiliated  with  the  United 
Presbyterian  church.  James  Bull  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  all  now  deceased,  namely :  William  Hunter.  John  Gowdy,  Susanna, 
married  James  Turnbull.  Margaret,  who  married  James  Hopping,  James 
Law,  Robert  Scott,  Amos  S.  and  Andrew  Rankin.  They  also  reared  until 
he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  .\mos  Shaw,  son  of  Mr.  Bull's  widowed 
sister,  Mrs.  Ann  Shaw.  James  Bull  also  had  another -sister,  Mary,  and  five 
brothers,  Asaph.  John,  Thomas.  Richard  and  ^Villiam. 

Amos  S.  Bull  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  primitive  neighborhood 
school  and  supplemented  the  same  by  attendance  at  the  academy  which  then 
was  beino-  conducted  bv  the  ministers  at  Xenia.   He  became  early  recognized  as 


924  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

one  of  the  best-informed  men  in  his  community,  ever  interested  in  school 
work  and  was  for  years  an  active  member  of  the  local  school  board.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party  he  became  affiliated  with  the  same 
and  ever  after  remained  an  ardent  advocate  of  the  principles  of  the  party. 
Originally  a  member  of  the  Associate  church,  he  became  a  United  Presby- 
terian after  the  "union"  and  ever  took  an  earnest  interest  in  church  affairs, 
a  member  of  the  session,  first  of  the  Associate  church  and  then  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  for  fifty-one  years.  After  his  marriage,  in  the  early 
torties,  Amos  S.  Bull  continued  farming-  a  part  of  his  father's  old  place 
until  1855,  when  he  bought  the  place  in  Miami  township  where  his  daugh- 
ters are  now  living,  and  there  he  and  his  wife  spent  their  last  davs,  her 
death  occurring  in  1872.  ;\lrs.  Bull  was  born  in  this  countv,  daughter  ot 
IJavid  Mitchell  and  Elizabeth  (Ivyle)  Laughead,  who  were  married  in  this 
county  shortly  after  they  had  come  here  with  their  respective  families  from 
the  Lexington  settlement  in  Kentucky  in  1803.  both  the  Laugheads  and  the 
Kyles,  even  as,  the  Bulls  and  the  Gowdys,  having  l:)een  among  the  earliest 
and  most  influential  pioneer  residents  of  this  county.  To  Amos  S.  Bull  were 
born  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  James  Harxey,  Elizaljeth  Anna,  Mary 
Frances,  Henrietta,  Emily  Johanna  and  David  Eouden,  all  of  whom  are  now 
deceased  save  the  Misses  Henrietta  and  Emily  Bull,  who  are  still  making 
their  home  on  the  old  home  place  in  Miami  township,  rural  mail  route  No.  i 
out  of  Yellow  Springs,  where  they  are  very  pleasantly  situated.  Amos  S. 
Bull  died  on  August  12.  1902,  he  then  being  past  eighty-two  vears  of  age. 
and  his  body  was  laid  beside  that  of  his  wife  in  the  Stevenson  cemeterv  on 
Massies  creek. 


WILLIAM  ED\\^\RD  COY. 

William  Edward  Coy,  farmer  and  stockman  in  Beavercreek  township, 
was  born  in  that  township  on  November  10,  1862,  a  son  of  Adam  and  Soph- 
ronia  (Crowl)  Coy,  the  former  of  whom  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Coy,  one  of  the 
foren;ost  pioneers  of  that  part  (if  Greene  county. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Beavercreek  township,  William  E.  Coy 
received  his  scliooling  in  the  schools  of  that  neighborhood  and  early  took 
up  farming.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  and 
began  operations  on  his  own  account.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  a  farm 
of  a  fraction  more  than  seventy-eight  acres  and  in  addition  to  his  general 
farming  gives  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  registered  Poland 
China  iiogs.  Mr.  Coy  is  a  Republican  and  he  and  his  family  are  members 
of  the  Reformed  church,  connected  with  the  Mt.  Zion  congregation. 

On  December  25,  1885,  William  E.  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
Black,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township,  daughter  of  Jonathan 


•GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ■  925 

and  Ellen  (Cosier)  Black,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
the  Mt.  Zion  neighborhood.  Jonathan  Black  and  wife  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  all  of  whom  save  two,  Margaret  and  Susan,  are  still  living, 
those  besides  Mrs.  Mary  Ellen  Coy  being  Samuel,  who  is  living  in  Sugar- 
creek  township;  Duff  G.,  now  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Iowa;  Effie,  wife 
of  David  Bates,  of  Beavercreek  township;  Bertha,  wife  of  John  Shoup,  of 
Beavercreek  township,  and  Anna,  wife  of  Grant  Coy,  of  that,  same  town- 
ship. Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  E.  Coy  have  one  son,  Russell  Coy,  born  on 
May  31,  1890,  who  on  January  9,  191 1,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Dietz,  of  Adams  county,  this  state,  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Bessie 
Lucille. 


JAMES  CROWD. 

James  Crowl,  proprietor  of  an  old-established  livery  and  undertaking 
establishment  at  Bellbrook,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Sugarcreek  township,  not 
far  from  Bellbrook,  September  18,  1855,  son  of  William  H.  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Berryhill)  Crowl,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daugh- 
ter of  William  T.  and  Nancy  (Lyle)   Berryhill,  of  Sugarcreek  township. 

William  H.  Crowl  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  that  state  grew  to 
young  manhood,  later  coming  to  Ohio  and  locating  in  Greene  county,  where 
he  married  Sarah  Ann  Berryhill,  a  member  6f  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Sugarcreek  township,  and  became  engaged  in  farming,  a  pursuit  he  followed 
until  his  death  in  i860,  he  then  being  forty-tive  years  of  age.  His  widow 
survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  in  April,  1907,  she  then 
being  eighty-four  years  of  age.  William  H.  Crowl  and  wife  were  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  si.xth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Henry  Lyle,  deceased; 
Horace  Rufner,  deceased;  Oscar  Lawson,  a  resident  of  Bellbrook;  William 
Rufus,  deceased ;  Alexander  Lacey,  a  resident  of  Dayton ;  Anna  C,  who  mar- 
ried George  C.  Peck  and  is  now  living  in  Missouri ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  deceased, 
and  Henry  Francis,  who  is  living  at  Wooster,  this  state. 

James  Crowl  received  his  schooling  in  the  Bellbrook  schools  and  as  a 
young  man  became  engaged  there  in  the  butcher  business,  a  business  he 
followed  until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  opened  a  livery  stable  at  Bell- 
brook and  thus  established  there  a  business  which  he  has  ever  since  main- 
tained. In  1896  he  bought  out  the  undertaking  establishment  of  W.  H. 
Morris  at  Bellbrook  and  has  ever  since  also  conducted  that  business,  one  of 
the  best-known  funeral  directors  in  the  county.  Mr.  Crowl  is  a  Republican 
and  from  1889  to  1897  he  served  as  village  constable,  from  1890  to  1897 
served  as  trustee  of  Sugarcreek  township  and  from  1899  to   19 10  served  as 


9^6  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

township  treasurer.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
at  Cedarville  and  with  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics 
at  Bellbrook. 

On  March  20,  1895,  James  Crowl  was  united  in  marriage  to  Harriet 
Mason  Kemp,  of  Bellbrook,  who  died  on  March  10,  1902.  To  that  union 
were  born  four  children,  Donald  Wallace  (deceased),  Margaret  Kendall, 
Dorothy  Louise  and  Mary  Lewis  (deceased).  Mr.  Crowl  and  his  daughters 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


THOMAS  H.  TIXDALL. 


Thomas  H.  Tindall.  train  dispatcher  at  Yellow  Springs  for  the  Dayton, 
Xenia  &  Springfield  Railroad  Company,  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles 
from  Clifton,  this  county,  on  October  15,  1855,  son  of  Charles  and  Julia 
(White)  Tindall,  the  latter  of  whom  was  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John 
White,  of  Selma,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clark. 

Charles  Tindall  was  born  in  the  Berkshire  country  in  England  and 
was  but  a  lad  when  he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  who  came  on 
out  to  Ohio  and  settled  on  what  is  now  called  the  Tindall  lease,  the  old 
Taylor  tract  of  one  thousand  acres  in  the  upper  part  of  this  county.  Charles 
Tindall  became  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account  and  after  his  mar- 
riage established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  where  he  spent 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  in  1899.  He  and  his  w^ife 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom 
the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth,  the 
others  being  as  follow :  Elizabeth,  wln)  married  John  Anderson,  a  Greene 
county  farmer,  and  is  now  living  at  Springfield,  this  state ;  William,  who 
is  married  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  in  Nebraska;  Nancy,  deceased; 
Mrs.  Margaret  Miller,  now  a  resident  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin;  John, 
deceased;  and  Frederick,  who  is  married  and  lives  at  Selma. 

Thomas  H.  Tindall  was  reared  on  the  home  farm  and  received  his 
schooling  in  the  local  schools.  He  early  learned  the  cari)enter  trade  and 
after  his  marriage  in  1893  established  his  home  at  Cedarville,  where  for 
twenty  years  he  was  engaged  as  a  carpenter  and  builder,  later  moving  to 
Yellow  Springs,  where  he  became  similarly  engaged.  Meanwhile  he  had 
learned  the  art  of  telegraphy  and  in  19 17  accepted  the  position  of  night 
dispatcher  at  the  car  barns  of  the  Dayton,  Xenia  &  Springfield  Railroad 
Company  at  Yellow  Springs  and  has  since  then  been  thus  engaged.  Politi- 
cally, Mr.  Tindall  is  a  Republican. 

Mr.  Tindall  has  been  twice  married.  In  1893  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Flora  McFarland,  who  died  in  1899,  leaving  three  children,  Charles, 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  927 

now  living  at  Xenia,  who  married  Essie  Bridginan  and  has  two  children, 
Thelma  and  ]\Iargaret;  Nellie,  wife  of  William  Powell,  of  Cincinnati,  and 
Florence,  who  is  now  living  at  Springfield.  On  August  19.  1908.  Mr.  Tin- 
dall  married  Minnie  ]Mound,  of  this  county,  daughter  of  Leonard  and  Emily 
( I'hillips )  Mound,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  city  of  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  and  the  latter,  in  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  who  were  the  parents 
of  four  children,  Mrs.  Tindall  having  one  brother,  Clarke  Mound,  and  two 
sisters,  Daisy,  wife  of  William  Kelly,  of  Xenia,  and  Florence,  wife  of 
Joseph  Pinkham.  of  Goes  Station. 


T.  XEWTOX  COY. 


J.  Newton  Coy,  proprietor  of  a  farm  of  eighty-one  acres  in  Beaver- 
creek  township,  was  born  in  that  township  on  March  17,  1873,  son  of  .\dani 
and  Sophronia  (Crowl)  Coy,  the  latter  of  whom  was  Ixirn  in  Germany  and 
was  but  six  years  of  age  when  she  come  to  this  county  with  her  widowed 
mother.  Adam  Coy  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township  in  1834,  a  son 
of  Jacob  Coy.  Adam  Coy  and  Sophronia  Crowl  were  married  about  i860 
and  made  their  home  on  what  is  now  the  Cornelius  Zimmerman  farm  in 
Beavercreek  township.  There  they  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  her 
death  occurring  in  May,  191 3,  and  his,  in  January,  1918.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fifth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  lidward,  a  Beavercreek  township  farmer, 
who  married  Sarah  Black  and  has  one  son,  Russell,  who  married  Martha 
Dietz  and  has  a  daughter,  Lucille;  Samuel,  who  died  in  infancy:  Frank, 
who  died  leaving  two  daughters,  Bessie  and  Anna,  and  whose  widow  is  still 
living  at  Zimmerman;  Nettie,  who  married  John  Brill,  of  Beavercreek 
township,  and  has  had  thirteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  save  one; 
and  Amy,  who  is  living  at  Zimmerman,  widow  of  Frank  Gray,  and  who 
is  the  mother  of  six  children. 

T.  Newton  Coy  received  his  schooling  in  the  local  schools  and  after 
his  marriage  in  1895  began  farming  on  his  own  account.  About  fifteen 
years  ago  he  inherited  from  an  uncle  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living 
and  ever  since  has  made  his  home  there.  He  is  a  Repulilican ;  fraternally, 
he  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  he  and  his  famih-  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Mt.  Zion  Reformed  church 

On  August  29,  1895,  J.  Newton  Coy  was  united  in  marriage  to  Cora 
Zimmerman,  who  also  was  born  in  Beavercreek  township  daughter  of  Cor- 
nelius Zimmerman.  To  this  union  three  children  have  been  born,  Roy, 
Crawford  and  Dorothy,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 


/ 
/ 


028  GREENE    COUXTV,    OHIO 

GEORGE  MANN. 

Agriculture  has  been  aii  honorable  vocation  from  the  earliest  time,  and 
as  a  usual  thing  men  of  humane  impulses,  as  well  as  those  of  energy  and 
thrift,  have  been  patrons  of  husbandry.  The  free,  out-door  life  of  the  farm 
has  a  decided  tendency  to  foster  and  develop  that  independence  of  mind 
and  self-reliance  which  characterize  true  manhood.  The  name  heading  this 
sketch  belongs  to  a  gentleman  who  sprang  from  good  old  pioneer  stock,  and 
who  always  displayed  the  same  degrees  of  energy  and  worthiness  that  were 
ever  prominent  characteristics  of  his  ancestors. 

George  A.  Mann  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  (Palmer)  Mann,  were  of 
German  descent,  though  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in  1827, 
the  latter  in  1746.  In  17 —  they  emigrated  to  Rockingham  county,  Vir- 
ginia, where  tliey  remained  some  years,  during  which  time  George  A.  Mann 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  From  that  county  they  went 
to  Nicholas  county,  Kentucky.  They  had  eight  children,  John,  Peter,  Jacob, 
Henry,  George,  Elizabeth,  Charles  and  David,  the  last  named  of  whom  was 
the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  memorial  sketch.  \\'hile  yet  in  Kentucky, 
George  A.  Mann  purchased  from  his  son-in-law,  Adam  Shillinger,  two  hun- 
dred acres  situated  on  the  waters  of  the  South  Fork  (now  Andersons  Fork). 
The  consideration  was  four  dollars  an  acre  and  the  purchase  was  made  for 
his  two  youngest  children,  Charles  and  David.  Early  in  the  month  of 
March,  1801,  Charles  and  David  Mann,  the  former  twenty  and  the  latter 
eighteen  years  of  age,  left  their  father's  home  in  Nicholas  county,  Ken- 
tucky, for  the  "Territory  Northwest  of  the  Ohio""  for  the  purpose  of  finding 
and  settling  on  the  lands  mentioned.  They  left  with  the  understanding  that 
their  father  and  mother,  accompanied  by  their  daughter  Elizabeth  Shill- 
inger, and  her  husband,  Adam  Shillinger,  would  follow  in  their  trail  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  or  in  the  spring  of  1802.  The  boys  were  on  horseback  and 
carried  with  them  such  articles  as  were  of  the  utmost  importance  and  at 
the  same  time  most  convenient  to  carry,  such  as  a.xes,  a  few  cooking  utensils, 
some  provisions  and,  abo\e  all,  the  constant  companion  of  the  early  settlers, 
their  guns.  At  about  noon  of  a  day  in  the  latter  part  of  that  month  they 
landed  at  their  destination  and  immediately  set  to  work  to  prepare  some  kind 
of  a  shelter.  They  felled  some  mulberry  trees,  which  they  split  into  slabs, 
and  with  these  slabs  erected  a  rude  structure  somewhat  similar  in  pattern 
to  an  Indian  wigwam.  Into  this  they  carried  their  effects,  and  in  it  they 
spent  their  first  night  on  the  "farm."  The  morning  must  have  been  a 
dreary  one  for  them,  for  snow  lay  deep  on  the  ground.  Without  doubt,  as 
they  looked  out  upon  it  and  the  scene  before  them,  they  longed  for  the 
pleasant  fireside  of  their  father  and  the  warm  meal  there  being  prepared  by 
the  loved  and  loving  mother.     Few  boys  of  this  day  would  care  to  undergo 


GREENE    COUXTV.    OHIO  929 

such  hardsliips:  but  the  day  came  and  went,  to  be  followed  in  turn  by 
others,  until  tlie  time  arrived  when  the  crop  for  the  coming  year  must  go 
in  the  ground.  The  boys  had  labored  hard,  and  why  not  ?  They  were  work- 
ing for  a  home.  The  cabin  was  already  up,  the  land  partly  cleared  and  the 
ground  was  being  prepared  as  rapidly  as  possible  for  the  planting.  A  morn- 
ing came  that  caused  them  to  sink  temporarily  into  deepest  despondency. 
They  awoke  to  find  that  during  the  darkness  of  the  night  their  horses  had 
either  strayed  or  were  stolen.  A  decision  was  soon  reached.  Charles 
would  go  on  the  hunt  for  the  missing  animals.  David  would  remain  be- 
hind. Hastily  bidding  each  other  farewell,  they  separated :  the  former  on 
the  trail  of  the  horses,  the  latter  to  his  lonely  toil.  The  day  went  by:  a 
week  followed,  and  months  rolled  by  before  the  boys  met  again.  David 
planted  that  season  three  acres  of  corn,  securing  seed  from  a  settler  named 
Price,  who  lived  miles  away  near  where  Paintersville  now  stands.  Spring 
passed,  summer  ended,  his  crop  ripened  and  was  garnered  and  yet  no  word 
from  Charles,  nor  the  loved  ones  from  home.  But  he  remained  where  he 
was.  His  nearest  neighbors  were  Aaron  Jenkins,  Peter  Price,  and  a  settler 
where  Waynesville  now  stands.  The  latter  had  a  corn  cracker  that  was 
turned  by  hand,  which  he  had  brought  from  \'irginia.  In  the  fall  David 
would  shell  a  grist  of  corn,  put  it  in  a  linen  bag  which  he  had  brought  from 
home,  then  throwing  it  over  his  shoulder,  with  his  gim  in  his  hand,  would 
trudge  tiirough  the  woods  to  the  settler  who  owned  the  corn  cracker,  and 
after  cracking  the  corn  return  home  again  the  same  way.  a  distance  of 
nearlv  twentv  miles.  An  incident  occurred  during  that  summer  worthy  of 
mention.  One  day  wTien  the  corn  was  in  fine  condition  for  roasting,  six  big 
Indians  came  down  the  creek  and  went  into  the  corn  patch.  Husking  off 
an  arm  load  of  ears  a  piece  they  carried  them  down  to  the  banks  of  the 
creek  where  after  starting  a  fire  they  had  a  feast.  David  was  a  spectator  of 
the  scene  and  while  he  did  not  like  to  see  the  fruits  of  his  labors  going  to 
fill  a  half  dozen  lazy  savages,  he  did  not  say  so  to  them,  but  allowed  them 
to  eat  and  depart  when  they  were  ready. 

Charles  Mann  followed  the  horses  day  after  day,  until  he  reached  the 
Ohio  river  opposite  Maysville.  at  which  point  he  learned  that  animals 
answering  his  description  had  swum  the  river  at  that  place  and  had  gone  in 
the  direction  of  Nicholas  county.  He  crossed  the  river  and  followed  on 
until  his  father's  home  was  reached,  and  there  he  found  the  objects  of  his 
search.  On  his  return  home,  all  thoughts  of  waiting  until  spring  were 
abandoned,  and  preparations  were  at  once  begun  for  an  immediate  removal 
to  their  new  home.  September  found  them  on  their  way,  and  October 
safely  landed  in  this  state.  Here  they  remained:  here  the  boys  grew  to 
rhanhood;  here  under  the  sturdy  strokes  of  these  brave  men  grew  one  of 
the  finest  farms  in  the  settlement  and  here  on  the  4th  day  of  May,  1821,  at 

(53) 


9^0  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  age  of  ninety-five  years,  Georg-e  A.  Mann  passed  to  his  rest,  to  be  fol- 
lowed at  the  age  of  eighty-four  in  January,  1839,  by  Elizabeth,  the  wife 
and  mother.  Thus  passed  from  earth  to  eternity  two  of  those  noble  souls 
who  were  so  largely  instrumental  in  preparing  the  way  for  succeeding  gen- 
erations. 

David  Mann  was  intensely  fond  of  music  and  made  a  violin  of  a  gourd, 
from  whose  depths  he  caused  the  sweetest  strains  to  flow,  whiling  away 
many,  many  lonesome  hours.  He  would  often  spend  a  part  of  the  Sabbath 
day  sitting  under  the  majestic  oaks,  playing  on  his  gourd  violin.  One  day 
his-  only  sister,  who  had  settled  on  an  adjoining  fann,  died ;  music  lost  its 
charm  and  the  old  violin  the  touch  of  its  master.  It  was  many  years  before 
he  sought  his  favorite  instrument  again. 

Charles  Mann  married  Lydia,  the  daughter  of  Aaron  Jenkins,  and  set- 
tled on  an  adjoining  farm.  He  died  on  December  24,  1865,  aged  eighty- 
three.     His  wife,  Lydia,  died  on  April  5,   1838,  aged  fifty-two  years. 

David  Mann  married  Rachel  Irvin.  They  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children,  namely:  Elizabeth,  Druzilla,  Jonas,  Alexander,  John.  Sarah.  David, 
George,   Rachel,  Joseph   and  Henry. 

Among  the  stalwart  men  of  a  former  generation  who  exerted  an  ex- 
cellent influence  in  the  community  during  the  period  of  the  development  of 
Spring  Valley  township  in  the  vicinity  of  New  Burlington,  the  late  George 
Mann,  son  of  David  and  Rachel  (Irvin)  Mann,  who  died  at  his  home  in 
that  neighborhood  in  the  summer  of  191 5,  will  long  be  held  in  grateful 
remembrance  there.  Mr.  Mann  was  born  in  that  vicinity,  a  member  of 
one  of  the  real  pioneer  families  and  there  spent  all  his  life,  becoming  a  sub- 
stantial farmer  and  a  man  of  influence  in  his  community ;  he  having  devel- 
oped a  fine  bit  of  farm  property  just  north  of  the  village  of  Xew  Burling- 
ton, the  place  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Anna  E. 
Oglesbee. 

George  Mann  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
Democratic  party,  but  in  later  years  he  had  turned  the  influence  of  his 
political  convictions  to  the  Prohibition  party.  His  wife,  who  before  her 
marriage  was  Rachel  Kearns  and  who  was  born  in  the  vicinit)^  of  Newark, 
this  state,  died  at  the  age  of  forty-six  years.  He  sur\-ived  her  for  many 
years  and  lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years,  his  death  occurring  at 
his  home  in  Spring  Valley  township  on  July  5,   191 5. 

To  George  and  Rachael  (Kearns)  Mann  were  born  four  children, 
namely:  Anna  E.,  who  now  owns  and  is  lixing  on  her  father's  old  farm  in 
Spring  \'alley  township,  the  widow  of  Augustus  S.  Oglesbee ;  Emma,  who 
died  unmarried:  Horace,  now  a  resident  of  Whittier,  California,  and 
Martha  D.,  widow  of  the  late  Dr.  Raymond  W.  Smith,  of  Spring  \'aliey,  a 


GUEENK    COUNTY,    OHIO  931 

memorial  sketch  in  relation  to  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Avigustus  S.  Oglesbee.*  deceased  husband  of  Anna  A.  (Mann)  Ogles- 
bee,  was  born  near  Lumberton,  Liberty  township,  Clinton  county,  Ohio,  on 
J\Iarch  31,  1856,  and  died  on  January  15,  1909.  He  was  a  son  of  Manly 
and  Phenia  (Hiatt)  Oglesbee,  early  settlers  of  Clinton  county,  and  of 
Quaker  descent.  Manley  Oglesbee  had  one  hundred  acres,  part  in  Clinton 
county  and  part  in  Greene  county.  He  had  eleven  children,  of  whom 
Augustus  S.  was  the  sixth  in  order  of  birth.  Augustus  S.  Oglesbee  grew 
up  on  the  farm  and  inarried  and  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  in  Clinton  county  (in  Chester  township),  which  is  still  owned  by  his 
widow.  There  Augustus  S.  Oglesbee  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a 
Democrat.  He  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  as  does  his 
widow. 

.\fter  Mr.  Oglcsbee's  death,  his  widow,  in  the  same  year,  returned  to 
her  father's  home  in  Spring  Valley  township,  this  county,  to  take  care  of 
her  father.  There  she  li\ed  until  her  father  died  and  there  she  continued 
to  reside,  the  farm  belonging  to  her  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Martha  D.  Smith. 
Accompanying  this  sketch  is  an  engraving  of  the  late  George  Mann  and  his 
four  grandsons,  the  only  living  grandchildren  representing  the  name. 


LEONARD  C.  ADSIT. 


Leonard  C.  Adsit,  manager  of  the  extensive  plant  of  the  Jamestown 
Floral  Company  at  Jamestown,  this  county,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Caesars- 
creek  township,  this  county,  April  3,  1872,  son  of  Silas  and  Mary  (Ford) 
Adsit,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  who  are  n»w  liv- 
ing retired  at  Jamestown.  Silas  Adsit  was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
but  was  but  a  boy  when  he  came  to  Greene  county  with  his  parents,  the 
family  locating  here.  He  was  early  trained  to  the  carpenter's  trade  and 
later  became  a  farmer.  For  some  years  he  lived  in  Indiana  and  then  returned 
to  this  countv  and  began  farming  in  Caesarscreek  township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  retirement  from  the  farm.  To  him  and  his  wife  were  born 
five  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  four  brothers,  Weaker  and 
William,  deceased ;  Louis,  who  is  living  at  Columbus,  this  state,  and  Daniel, 
living  at  Jamestown. 

Leonard  C.  Adsit  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved 
from  the  farm  to  Jamestown  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  schools 
of  that  place.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  became  employed  in  a  bakery 
and  for  six  or  seven  years  thereafter  followed  the  trade  of  a  baker.  He 
then  became  interested  in  the  florist  business  and  at  Springfield  secured  em- 
ployment in  a  green  house  where  he  became  familiar  with  the  business.    From 


93-  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

there  he  went  to  Cokinibus  and  after  several  years  of  additional  experi- 
ence in  the  greenhouses  of  that  city,  went  to  Dayton,  where  for  three  years 
he  was  connected  with  the  Miami  Floral  Company,  the  largest  concern  of 
its  kind  between  Chicago  and  New  York  City  .  Thus  equipped  by  the  most 
thorough  practical  experience,  Mr.  Adsit  returned  to  Greene  county  and,  in 
association  with  his  son-in-law,  James  A.  Johnson,  bought  the  greenhouse  at 
Jamestown  and  reorganized  the  same,  improving  and  extending  the  plant 
and  giving  it  a  new  start  under  the  name  of  the  Jamestown  Floral  Com- 
pany, Mr.  Adsit  taking  the  general  management  of  the  plant.  This  plant 
consists  of  seven  floral  houses,  all  equipped  in  up-to-date  fashion  and  the 
company  makes  a  specialty  of  pot  plants,  greenhouse  stock  and  cut  flowers 
of  all  descriptions.  Besides  the  retail  field  covered  by  the  company,  the  James- 
town Floral  Company  does  an  extensive  wholesale  business. 

In  1898  Leonard  C.  Adsit  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Abbe\-,  who 
also  was  born  in  this  county,  and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born. 
Louise,  who  married  James  A.  Johnson,  owner  of  the  greenhouses  of  which 
his  father-in-law  is  the  manager,  and  Hannah. 


MATHLVS  KLXXEY. 


The  late  Mathias  Kinney,  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
Greene  county,  was  born  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Snively  place,  in  this 
county,  July  17,  18 17,  son  of  Peter  and  Jane  (Quinn)  Kinney,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  former  born  in  1787  and  the  latter  in  1790,  who  became 
early  settlers  in  this  county,  where  their  last  days  were  spent. 

Reared  on  the  pioneer  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  Mathias  Kinne}- 
received  his  schooling  in  the  primitive  "subscription"  schools  of  that  neigh- 
borhood and  as  a  young  man  took  up  the  trade  of  carpenter,  with  particular 
reference  to  barn  building,  and  after  a  while  became  a  contractor  on  his  own 
account.  He  also  did  some  farming,  having  been  the  owner  of  a  fine  little 
farm  lying  on  the  edge  of  the  city  of  Yellow  Springs,  and  on  that  place 
made  his  home,  spending  his  last  days  there,  his  death  occurring  on  October 
8,  1891,  he  then  being  past  seventy-four  years  of  age.  Mr.  Kinn6v  was  one 
of  the  charter  members  of  the  old  Mud  Run  Presbyterian  church,  west  of 
Yellow  Springs,  and  was  for  years  a  member  of  the  village  council. 

Mathias  Kinney  was  twice  married  and  by  his  first  wife.  Elizabeth 
Foresman,  was  the  father  of  eight  children.  Following  the  death  of  the 
mother  of  these  children  he  married,  May  16.  1867,  Sarah  E.  Applegate,  who 
survives  him  and  who  is  still  living  at  the  old  home  place  at  the  edge  of 
Yellow  Springs,  where  she  has  a  very  pleasant  home.  Mrs.  Kinney  also 
was  born  in  this  count-v  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  countv's  old  families. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  933 

her  parents,  Elias  and  Ann  Maria  (DeHart)  Applegate.  having  come  here 
from  New  Jersey  in  1832.  Elias  Applegate  was  a  substantial  farmer  and 
he  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  those  besides  Mrs.  Kin- 
ney having  been  William,  Catherine,  Mary.  Julia,  Margaret,  Hannah  and 
Howard.  To  Mathias  and  Sarah  E.  (Applegate)  Kinney  were  born  three 
children,  namely :  Charles,  a  farmer  of  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood, 
who  is  married  and  has  five  children ;  Edmund,  an  instructor  in  the  agri- 
cultural department  of  the  Iventucky  State  University  at  Lexington,  who  is 
married  and  has  two  daughters,  and  LaBerta,  a  teacher  in  the  Union  school 
at  Yellow  Springs.     Mrs.  Kinney  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


PATRICK  PIENRY  ABBEY. 


Patrick  Henry  Abbey,  who  for  more  than  thirty  years  was  a  faithful 
employee  of  the  great  powder-mills  plant  south  of  Yellow  Springs,  but  wh^i 
for  the  past  seven  or  eight  years  has  been  living  retired  from  the  active  labors 
of  life,  is  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  born  on  March  14,  1842,  son  of  John 
and  Ella  (Mooney)  Abbey,  who  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  Ann, 
Patrick.  John,  Edward,  James  and  Margaret,  all  of  whom  continued  to 
make  their  home  in  Ireland  save  Patrick  and  his  brother  John,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  now  living  in  Missouri. 

When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  in  1857,  Patrick  Henry  Abbey  made 
his  passage  across  to  the  port  of  New  York.  He  did  not  find  life  in  the 
new  country  agreeable  as  his  youthful  dreams  had  pictured  it,  but  after 
awhile  he  found  employment  in  the  House  of  Refuge  on  Staten  Island  and 
there  remained  until  he  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to 
Ohio  and  after  a  while  became  employed  in  the  big  King  powder-mills  in 
this  county.  In  i860  Mr.  Abbey  came  to  Greene  county,  his  destination 
being  Xenia,  and  two  or  three  years  later,  at  Xenia,  he  married  Hannah 
Higginson,  who  also  had  come  to  this  country  from  Ireland.  .  .\fter  his 
marriao-e  Mr.  Abbey  found  employment  in  various  lines  in  and  about  Xenia. 
but  presently  he  returned  to  his  former  employment  in  the  ixnvder-mills 
and  there  remained  more  than  thirty  years,  until  1910,  when  he  retired  and 
has  since  been  living  quietly  at  Yellow  Sprirr's. 

Hannah  (Higginson")  Abbey  died  in  1898  and  is  buried  at  Yellow 
Springs.  To  her  union  with  the  subject  were  born  six  children,  namely: 
Mai-y  Ellen,  who  died  at  the  age  of  two  years:  Anna,  who  also  died  when 
two  years  of  age;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Charles  Roemack.  of  Chicago:  Mary,  who 
married  Linn  Adzet.  now  living  at  Springfield,  who  ha?  one  child,  a  daughter, 
Louise,  who  married  James  Johnson  and  has  a  daughter,  Hannah:  .\nna. 
who  also  lives  in  Springfield,  widow  of  \\'illiam  Jolly,  and  who  has  a  daugh- 


934  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

ter,  Margaret;  and  Margaret,  who  married  Bird  Spriggs,  now  living  at 
Jamestown,  this  county,  and  has  one  child,  a  son,  Patrick  Henry,  named  in 
honor  of  his  grandfather.  Mr.  Abbey  is  a  Democrat  with  independent  lean- 
ings and  by  religious  persuasion  is  a  Catholic. 


EDWIN  J.  LAMPERT. 

Edwin  J.  Lampert,  manager  of  the  Engle  Floral  Company  at  Xenia, 
was  born  at  Xenia  on  September  17,  1884,  son  of  James  J.  and  Catherine 
(Hornick)  Lampert,  the  latter  of  whom  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Hornick  and  wife,  who  lived  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county. 

James  J.  Lampert  was  born  in  Cincinnati  and  was  there  for  the  days  of 
his  boyhood  trained  to  the  florist  business,  remaining  there  until  the  days 
of  his  young  manhood  when  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  greenhouses  of 
the  Ohio  State  Soldiers  and  Sailors  Orphans  Home  at  Xenia  and  took  up 
his  residence  there.  Not  long  after  his  arrival  here  he  married  and  about 
thirty-five  years  ago  established  his  home  on  North  King  street,  where  he 
started  a  floral  establishment  of  his  own  and  developed  an  extensive  business 
in  that  line.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lampert  are  still  living  at  Xenia.  They  have 
six  children,  namely:  John,  who  is  unmarried  and  who  is  still  living  at 
Xenia;  William,  now  living  in  CaHfornia,  who  married  Miss  Heinz,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  has  one  child ;  George  and  Harry,  unmarried,  who  for  the  past 
eight  years  have  been  operating  a  wholesale  floral  establishment  at  Xenia, 
and  Helen,  unni?rried,  who  continues  to  make  her  home  wtih  her  parents 
in  Xenia. 

Edwin  J.  Lampert  was  reared  at  Xenia  and  received  his  schooling  in 
die  schools  of  that  cit\'.  From  the  days  of  his  boyhood  he  was  carefully 
trained  in  the  florist  Inisiness  of  his  father,  and  after  his  marriage  in  1910 
continuing  his  interest  in  the  business,  but  presently  moved  to  221  Dayton 
avenue,  where  he  now  has  an  extensive  and  thriving  florist  business,  operat- 
ing the  same  under  the  name  of  the  Engle  Floral  Company.  Mr.  Lampert's 
greenhouses  are  operated  in  strictly  up-to-date  fashion  and  during  tlie  time 
he  has  been  engaged  in  business  there  he  has  developed  a  trade  that  covers 
a  wide  territory  hereabout. 

On  August  17,  1910,  Edwin  J.  Lampert  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Nellie  Hamina,  of  the  Yellow  Springs  neighborhood,  daughter  of  Elmer 
A.  and  Harriet  (Gowdy)  Hamma,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  this  county. 
To  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daughter,  Martha  Helen,  bom  on 
October  24,  1916.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lampert  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  935 

GEORGE  A.  CARLISLE. 

George  A.  Carlisle,  a  well-known  retired  hay  dealer  living  at  Yellow 
Springs,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Miami  township,  this  county,  June  29,  1840, 
son  of  Jehu  and  Hettie  (Batchelor)  Carlisle,  the  former  of  whom  came  to 
this  county  from  Virginia  in  the  days  of.  his  youth,  married  here  and  here 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  living  to  the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Jehu  Car- 
hsle  was  born  in  Loudoun  county,  Virginia,  in  1816,  and  there  remained 
until  1836.  when  he  came  over  into  this  part  of  Ohio  and  settled  in  Greene 
county.  After  his  marriage  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Miami 
township,  where  he  lived  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  and  removal 
to  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  died  twenty  years  later.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  some  little  time.  She  was  born  on  what  is  now  the  site  of  the  Old 
Folks  Home  at  Yellow  Springs  in  the  spring  of  1816,  daughter  of  Robert 
Batchelor  and  wife,  who  had  come  here  from  Pennsylvania  and  were  among 
the  first  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  the  medicinal  springs  around  which  the 
village  of  Yellow  Springs  later  grew  up.  Jehu  Carlisle  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  Robert  B.,  deceased;  George  A., 
the  immediate  subject  of  this  sketch ;  John,  deceased ;  James,  deceased ; 
Julia,  wife  of  Henry  Confer,  of  Selma,  in  Clark  county;  Mrs.  Margaret 
Muskman,  deceased;  Towne,  a  retired  lumberman,  of  Yellow  Springs,  and 
a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume ;  Will- 
iam, also  a  resident  of  Greene  county,  and  Jessie,  who  married  Lincoln 
Harner  and  is  now  deceased. 

George  A.  Carlisle  received  his  schooling  in  the  Yellow  Springs  schools 
and  from  the  days  of  his  boyhood  was  accustomed  to  work.  During  the 
progress  of  the  Civil  War  he  enlisted,  in  1864,  and  went  to  the  front  as  a 
member  of  Company  A,  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantrv,  and  was  later  transferred  to  Company  K  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eightv-fourth  Regiment,  with  which  he  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Carlisle  became 
engaged  in  the  garden-truck  business,  dealing  between  Springfield  and  Cedar- 
^■ille,  and  later  became  engaged  in  business  at  Yellow  Springs  for  thirtx- 
seven  years  previous  to  his  retirement  in  1892.  Since  his  retirement  he 
has  continued  to  make  his  home  in  Yellow  Springs,  where  he  is  very  com- 
fortably situated.     Mr.   Carlisle  is  a  Democrat,  with  independent  leanings. 

On  September  17,  1861,  George  A.  Carlisle  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  Kiser,  who  also  was  torn  in  this  county,  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Ellis")  Kiser,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  Germany  and 
the  latter  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  who  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  Mrs.   Carlisle  was  the  third  in  order  of  birth,   the  others  being 


936  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

as  follow :  Caroline,  who  is  now  living  in  Dayton,  widow  of  David  Shrodes ; 
Henry,  deceased;  Sarah,  wife  of  Benjamin  Sidenstick,  of  Yellow  Springs; 
John,  deceased;  Anna,  widow  of  John  Shrodes;  Helen,  deceased,  and  Will 
iam,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Carlisle  have  one  son,  Frank  Carlisle,  born 
in  186.2.  now  living  at  Springfield,  who  married  Sallie  Jacoby  and  has 
four  children.  James  Alljert,  Hester,  Bertha  and  Marv.  Hester  Carlisle 
married  Dennis  C.  Riser  and  has  two  children,  Ben  Wilson  and  James 
Gale,  great-grandsons  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  wife. 


THOMAS  A.  DOXLEY. 


Thomas  A.  Donley,  of  Yellow  Springs,  was  born  here  on  ]\Iay  8, 
1872,  a  son  of  Michael  and  Anna  (Maylan)  Donley,  the  former  of' whom 
was  born  in  this  state  and  the  latter  in  Ireland  and  the  latter  of  whom  is 
still  living,  continuing  to  make  her  home  in  Yellow  Springs,  where  she  was 
married  in  1866  and  where  her  husband  died  in  the  fall  of  191 4. 

Michael  Donley  was  born  at  Sandusky,  this  state,  October  10,  1838,  and 
was  twelve  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  both  of  whom  were  born  in 
Ireland,  moved  from  Sandusky  to  Yellow  Springs.  He  completed  his  school- 
ing at  Yellow  Springs  and  early  became  connected  with  the  building  trades 
and  was  one  of  those  who  helped  to  erect  Antioch  College.  In  April,  1861, 
Michael  Donley  went  to  the  front  with  the  first  troops  sent  from  this  part 
of  Ohio,  thus  becoming  a  participant  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Upon 
the  expiration  of  his  original  enlistment  he  re  enlisted  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  taking  part  in  some  of  the  important  engagements  of  the 
Civil  \\'ar.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Mr.  Donley  returned 
to  Yellow  Springs,  resumed  his  work  as  a  builder,  married  in  1866,  estab- 
lished his  home  there  and  became  one  of  the  leading  building  contractors 
and  stone  masons  hereabout,  continuing  engaged  in  that  line  the  rest  of 
his  active  life.  He  died  at  Yellow  Si^rings  nn  October  10,  1914.  and  his 
widow  is  still  living  there.  To  Michael  Donley  and  wife  were  born  twelve 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  fourth  in  order  of 
birth.  Of  these  children,  the  first  three,  Ellen,  Stephen  and  \\'illiam,  arc 
new  deceased:  Anna  married  Harry  Fochler  and  is  living  at  Dayton;  Erank, 
unmarried,  also  is  a  resident  of  Dayton:  Katherine  married  Joseph  Hackett 
and  is  living  on  a  farm  in  the  Clifton  neighborhood:  Edward,  unmarried; 
James,  also  unmarried:  Howard,  married,  is  living  at  Xenia,  and  John  and 
X^ellie  are  deceased. 

Reared  at  Yellow  Springs,  Thomas  A,  Donley  received  his  schooling 
there  and  early  became  familiar  with  the  generjil  details  of  the  stonemason's 
trade.     Upon  arriving  at  man's  estate  he  became  engaged  as  a  contractor 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  937 

on  his  own  account  and  since  that  time  has  carried  out  building  contracts 
in  almost  all  parts  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Donley  has  for  years  made  a  specialty  of 
ornamental  stone  work,  with  particular  reference  to  boulder  mantels  and 
the  like,  and  has  done  considerable  work  of  that  character  at  Springfield. 
One  of  the  most  notable  examples  of  his  craftsmanship  in  this  line  is  the 
ornamental  entrance  to  the  Kelly  farm  north  of  Yellow  Springs.  In  1903 
Mr.  Donley  sei-ved  as  street  commissioner  and  for  two  years,  1906-07, 
served  as  marshal  of  the  town.  In  191 1  Mr.  Donley  was  elected  mayor  of 
Yellow  Springs  and  by  successive  re-elections  served  in  that  imix)rtant  e.xecu- 
tive  capacity  for  four  years.  On  November  6,  191 7.  he  again  was  elected 
mayor  of  Yellow  Springs,  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  is  now  serving 
in  that  administrative  capacity. 

On  June  12,  1900,  Thomas  A.  Donley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Anna 
Fisher,  who  also  was  born  at  Yellow  Springs,  daughter  of  John  and  Catherine 
(Slate)  Fisher,  and  to  this  union  nine  children  have  been  born,  namely: 
George,  now  (191 7)  sixteen  years  of  age,  wMio  is  a  student  in  the  high 
school;  Thomas,  fifteen;  Charles,  thirteen,  also  in  the  high  school:  Lillian, 
eleven;  Anna,  ten;  Nellie,  eight:  Margaret,  seven:  John,  who  died  in  infancy, 
and  James,  two.     The  Donleys  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


THOMAS  J.  KOOGLER. 

Thomas  J.  Koogler,  proprietor  of  a  seventy-acre  farm  in  Beavercreek 
township,  was  born  in  that  township  on  June  11,  1845,  son  of  Solomon  and 
Catherine  (Jones)  Koogler.  the  latter  of  whom  was  born  in  February,  1803, 
and  died  on  Januarv  31,  1856.  Solomon  Koogler  also  was  born  in  Beaver- 
creek township,  February  26,  18 12,  and  spent  all  his  life  in  his  home 
township,  becoming  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
there,  besides  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  in  Miami  township.  His 
death  occurred  on  April  25,  1902.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
four  sons,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  one  brother  living,  John  H. 
Koogler,  of  Beavercreek  township,  and  two,  (ieorge  W.  and  Jacob,  deceased. 

Thomas  J.  Koogler  received  his  schooling  in  the  "Big  Woods"  school 
in  Beavercreek  township  and  after  his  marriage,  when  twenty-two  years  of 
age.  began  farming  on  his  own  account  and  has  ever  since  been  thus 
engaged.  He  has  given  considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  Poland 
China  hogs.  Mr.  Koogler  is  an  independent  \oter.  Years  ago  he  rendered 
service  for  some  time  as  school  director  in  his  home  district. 

On  July  4,  1867,  Thomas  J.  Koogler  was  united  in  marriage  to  Sarah 
J.  Westfall,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county  and  who  died  on  June  9, 
191 7,  and  to  that  union  were  torn  nine  children,  the  first-born  of  whom 
died  in  infancv,  the  others  being  the  following:     Frank  W.,  who  is  living 


938  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  Beavercreek  township;  Harlan,  who  remains  on  the  home  farm;  Anna 
E.,  deceased;  JuHa  C,  at  home;  Susan,  wife  of  Lincoln  Harner,  of  Byron; 
Mary  E.,  wife  of  Howard  Carlisle,  of  Yellow  Springs;  Martha,  at  home, 
and  Effie,  wife  of  Thomas  Moore,  of  Newport,  Kentucky. 


CLYDE  WILSON  ANDERSON. 

Clyde  Wilson  Anderson,  a  well-known  and  successful  building  contractor 
of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  three  miles  south  of  that  city  on  December 
10,  1888,  a  son  of  Horace  and  Ida  May  (Wilson)  Anderson,  the  former  of 
whom,  still  living,  was  born  on  that  same  farm  and  the  latter,  in  the  state 
of  Indiana.  Horace  Anderson  was  reared  on  the  old  home  place  south  of 
Xenia,  where  he  was  born  and  his  schooling  was  completed  in  the  old  Xenia 
College.  In  1887  he  married  Ida  May  Wilson,  who  was  born  in  Indiana 
about  1869  and  who  had  come  to  Greene  county  not  long  before  her  mar- 
riage. Horace  Anderson  had,  from  the  days  of  his  youth,  been  engaged 
more  or  less  at  work  at  the  carpenter  trade,  in  addition  to  his  farming  opera- 
tions, and  in  1896  entered  into  the  general  building  contracting  business, 
in  which  he  is  still  engaged.  He  is  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  his 
district.  He  has  been  twice  married.  To  the  first  union  were  born  three 
children,  two  sons  and,. a  daughter,  the  latter  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  a  brother,  Earl,  born  on  August  4,  189T, 
who  married  Golda  LeValley  and  is  engaged  in  farming  two  and  one-half 
miles  south  of  Spring  Valley.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1905 
and  Horace  Anderson  later  married  Miss  Wolf,  to  which  second  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lucile. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  south  of  town,  Clyde  W.  Anderson  received 
his  early  schooling  in  the  district  school  in  that  neighborhood,  and  supple- 
mented the  same  by  a  course  in  the  Xenia  high  school,  wliicli  he  entered  in 
1909.  As  a  boy  he  had  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  after  leaving  school 
he  became  employed  by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Companx-,  running  from 
Cleveland  to  Pittsburgh,  a  year  or  two  later  returning  to  Xenia.  About 
that  time  his  health  began  to  fail  and  in  the  hope  of  finding  relief  by  a 
change  of  climate  he  went  to  Medford,  Oregon,  where  he  became  engaged  at 
farming  and  carpentering  and  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  lie  returned  to  Ohio  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Xenia  and 
has  ever  since  made  his  home  there,  engaged  as  a  building  contractor,  and 
has  been  finite  successful  in  that  line. 

On  November  17,  191 2,  Clyde  W.  Anderson  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Elizabeth  McKay  Finlay,  who  was  born  in  Dundee,  Scotland,  and  who 
was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  slie  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents, 


GREENE    CnrXTV,    OliTO  Q-^Q 

William  and  Lillian  (McGregor)  Finlay,  also  natives  of  Scotland,  the 
former  born  on  January  9,  1861,  and  the  latter,  April  13,  1862,  who  are 
now  living-  at  Xenia,  where  they  took  up  their  residence  upon  their  arri\al 
in  this  country  in  April,  1^04.  Mrs.  Anderson  completed  her  schooling 
in  the  Xenia  high  school,  which  she  entered  in  the  fall  after  her  arrival 
there  and  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1908.  She  is 
one  of  the  six  children  born  to  her  parents,  three  of  whom,  Boyd,  Lillian 
and  Beatrice,  are  dead;  she  having  a  sister,  Pauline,  living  in  Xenia,  and  a 
brother,  William  Finlay,  Jr.,  who  is  now  ( 1917)  connected  with  the  National 
Army,  stationed  at  Ft.  Sheridan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  two  chil- 
dren. Thelma  Lillian,  born  on  February  11,  1914.  and  William  Finlay. 
July  20,  1916.  They  are  members  of  the  United  Presb}terian  church, 
and  Mr.  Anderson  is  independent  in  his  political  views. 


GEORGE  H.  ECKERLE. 


George  H.  Eckerle.  proprietor  of  the  "Republican"  job-printing  plant 
in  Xenia,  was  bom  in  that  city  on  March  12,  1875,  son  of  Florentine  and 
Catherine  (Fey)  Eckerle,  both  of  European  birth,  the  former  bom  in  the 
grand  duchy  of  Baden  and  the  latter  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  who  first  met  in 
Cincinnati  and  whose  last  days  v.ere  spent  in  Xenia,  where  for  years  Floren- 
tine Eckerle  was  engaged  in  business  on  East  Main  street. 

Florentine  Eckerle  was  born  in  July,  1831,  and  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  nati\e  Baden,  where  he  remained  until  the  year  1859,  when  he  came  to 
this  countrv  and  was  located  at  Cincinnati  and  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  until 
1865,  in  which  year  he  located  in  Xenia,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life,  successfully  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  on  E^st  Main  street. 
He  died  in  January,  1907.  he  then  being  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 
Florentine  Eckerle  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife  died  leaving  two  chil- 
dren, Anna  and  Henrv.  Anna  Eckerle  married  George  Toews.  of  Spring- 
field, this  state,  and  is  now  dead,  as  is  her  husband.  They  had  four  children, 
Christina.  William,  Fred  and  Adeline.  Henry  Eckerle,  now  deceased,  spent 
all  his  life  in  Xenia.  Following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  these  children 
Florentine  Eckerle  married  Catherine  Fey,  his  deceased  wife's  sister.  She 
was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt  in  December,  1841,  and  was  about  fourteen 
years  of  age  when  she  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents  in  1855,  the 
family  locating  in  Cincinnati.  She  predeceased  her  husband  about  nine  years, 
her  death  occurring  at  her  home  in  Xenia  in  December,  1898.  To  that  union 
six  children  were  born,  those  besi^les  the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  Ada- 
line,  John  N.,  Mary,  Bertha  and  Ben  F.,  the  latter  of  whom  is  a  city  mail 
carrier   and   one    of   the   best-known   citizens   of    Xenia.      Adajine    Eckerle 


04O  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

married  John  G.  Leis,  a  farmer,  of  Darke  county,  this  state.  To  this  union 
liave  been  born  six  children,  Louis,  Lottie,  Gertrude,  Joseph,  John,  Jr.,  and 
Thehna  (deceased).  John  N.  Eckerle,  who  was  an  expert  poultry  and  egg 
man,  died  in  191 7.  Lft  married  Anna  Layton,  of  Greensburg,  Lidiana,  and 
had  two  children,  Florentine  and  John,  Jr.  Mary  Eckerle  married  J.  J. 
Alolitor,  a  millwright,  of  Xenia,  and  has  four  children,  Bertha,  Florentine, 
Mary  and  Dorothy.     Bertha  Eckerle  died  at  her  home  in  Xenia  in  1899. 

Reared  in  Xenia,  the  city  of  his  birth,  George  H.  Eckerle  received  his 
early  schooling  there  and  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  in  1892, 
after  which  he  entered  Kenyon  College  at  Gambier,  this  state,  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science,  in 
1896.  Following  his  graduation  Mr.  Eckerle  was  appointed  to  the  important 
position  of  assistant  principal  of  the  high  school  at  Jamestown,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  for  four  terms,  leaving  there  in  June,  1900,  to  accept  the 
position  of  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  Sugarcreek  township,  which 
position  he  occupied  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1902,  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  schools  at  Bowersville  and  in  that 
capacity  rendered  further  excellent  service  in  behalf  of  the  schools  of  this 
county  for  two  years.  In  December,  1904,  he  was  engaged  to  fill  out  an 
unexpired  term  in  the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools  of  Fairfield  and 
during  the  winter  of  1905-06  was  again  engaged  at  Jamestown,  superintend- 
ent of  the  schools  of  that  village.  Mr.  Eckerle  then  turned  his  attention  to  the 
newspaper  field  and,  in  association  with  W.  O.  Custis,  bought  the  Greene 
County  Press  and  continued  engaged  in  the  management  of  that  paper  for 
two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  disposed  of  his  interests  to  The  HorS'- 
Journal  and  in  January,  1909,  went  to  Richmond,  Indiana,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  advertising  business,  representing  \-arious  foreign 
advertisers  in  behalf  of  country  newspapers.  In  191 1  he  returned  to  Xenia 
and  became  engaged  in  the  advertising  department  of  the  Daily  Gazette. 
later  becoming  connected  with  the  Republican,  as  advertising  manager  of 
the  latter  newspaper,  and  so  continued  until  the  consolidation  of  the  Repub- 
lican with  the  Gazette  in  1915,  when  he  took  over  the  consideral)le  job- 
printing  business  which  had  been  built  up  in  connection  with  the  i>ublication 
of  the  Republican  and  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in  the  job-printin,;- 
business  in  Xenia. 

On  September  12,  1900,  at  Jamestown,  George  H.  Eckerle  was  united 
in  r^iarriage  to  Edna  Thuma,  daughter  of  John  and  Virginia  (Clark)  Thuma, 
who  are  still  living  in  that  pleasant  village,  of  which  they  have  been  resi- 
dents for  years,  John  Thuma  being  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  planing-mtll 
business  there.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thinua,  both'of  whom  were  born  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Mt.  Salem,  Virginia,  have  three  children,  Mrs.  Eckerle  having  a  brother. 


GREEXE    COl'XTY,    OHIO  .  94' 

Ernest  Thuma,  of  Jamestown,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mabel  Reeves.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Eckerle  have  two  children,  Catherine,  born  on  October  i.  1903,  and 
Clarke,  September  i,  1905.  They  are  meml^ers  of  Trinity  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church  at  Xenia  and  Mr.  Eckerle  is  the  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  of  the  same.  Fraternally,  lie  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  the 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 


FRANK  L.  JOHNSON. 

Frank  L.  Johnson,  one  of  the  most  successful  young  lawyers  in  Xenia, 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Degraff,  in  Logan  county,  September  23,  1885, 
son  of  W.  C.  and  Mary  (O'Neal)  Johnson,  Ijoth  of  whom  also  were  born 
in  this  state,  the  former  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton  and  the  latter 
in  Greene  county,  and  the  fomier  of  \vhom  was  for  years  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Degraff,  remaining  there  until  his  retirement  from 
business  and  removal  to  Bellefontaine,  where  his  last  days  were  spent. 

W.  C.  Johnson  was  born  at  Port  William,  in  Clinton  county,  in  1839. 
a  member  of  one  of  the  old  families  there,  his  father  and  mother  both  ha\ing 
been  born  and  reared  in  that  county.  He  was  one  of  four  sons  born  to  his 
parents,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the  others  having  been  Frank,  Oswald 
and  Marion.  Reared  at  Port  William,  he  received  his  schooling  there  and 
early  learned  the  details  of  the  grocery  business,  presently  going  to  Degraff, 
where  he  opened  a  grocery  store  and  where,  after  his  marriage,  he  established 
his  home,  continuing  in  business  there  all  the  rest  of  his  active  life.  Ujxjn 
his  retirement  from  business  he  moved  to  Bellefontaine,  where  he  died  in 
1906,  his  widow  sun-iving  him.  She  was  born,  Mary  O'Neal,  at  Fairfield, 
in  this  county,  tlaughter  of  Thomas  O'Neal  and  wife,  the  former  of  whom 
also  was  horn  in  this  county,  his  parents  having  come  here  from  their  native 
Ireland,  and  who  was  a  building  contractor.  Thomas  O'Neal  was  twice 
married,  by  his  first  marriage  having  been  the  father  of  six  children,  those 
besides  Mrs.  Johnson  having  been  Thomas  (deceased),  Frank  (deceased), 
William,  Alice  and  Charles,  and  by  his  second  marriage,  two  children.  Rus- 
sell and  Carrie.  W.  C.  Johnson  and  Mary  O'Neal  were  married  at  Degraff 
and  were  the  parents  of  three  children. 

Frank  L.  Johnson's  youth  was  spent  at  Degraff  and  his  early  schooling 
was  received  in  the  schools  of  that  village.  He  later  entered  the  Bellefontaine 
high  school,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1906,  and  during  the  period 
of  his  schooling  there  took  an  active  interest  in  school  athletics,  particularly 
the  football  team.  In  the  fall  following  his  graduation  from  the  high  school 
he  entered  Ohio  Northern  University  at  Ada  and  was  graduated  from  the 
law  department  of  that  institution  in  1908,  having  taken  the  three-year 
course  in  two  vears,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws.     For  a  year 


94-2  .  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

after  receivings  his  diploma  Mr.  Johnson  continued  his  law  studies,  thus  gain- 
ing a  practical  insight  into  practice,  and  then  successfully  passed  the  state 
examination  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  December  25,  1909.  Upon 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  Air.  Johnson  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession at  Xenia  and  has  ever  since  been  successfully  engaged  there,  being 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  capable  and  energetic  young  lawyers  in  the 
city.  In  May,  1910,  he  received  the  Republican  nomination  for  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Greene  county  and  was  elected  to  that  office  in  the  ensuing  election.' 
In  1 91 2  he  was  re-elected  and  in  19 14  was  again  re-elected,  thus  serving  for 
three  terms  in  that  important  office,  this  term  of  service  expiring  on  January 
I,  1917.  During  the  campaign  of  1916  Mr.  Johnson  was  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  judge  of  the  probate  court,  but  owing  to  the  confusion 
created  in  the  minds  of  the  voters  by  the  presence  nearer  the  head  of  the 
ticket  of  the  name  of  another  Johnson,  a  candidate  for  supreme  court  honors. 
was  unsuccessful  in  his  race,  a  sufficient  number  of  votes  to  ha\-e  elected  him 
apparently  having  been  diverted  by  hasty  or  careless  voters  to  the  other 
Johnson.  Mr.  Johnson  is  an  ardent  Republican  and  ever  since  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Xenia  has  given  his  earnest  attention  to  the  civic  affairs  of  the 
county  and  city.  By  religious  persuasion  he  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church. 


FELIX  P.  EYMAN. 


Felix  P.  Eyman,  now  living  comfortably  retired  in  the  city  of  Xenia, 
was  born  on  a  farm  over  in  Delaware  county,  Indiana,  June  27,  1839,  a  son 
of  George  and  Hannah  (Peterson)  Eyman,  who  later  returned  to  Ohio, 
where  they  had  been  reared  and  where  they  were  married  and  here  spent 
the  remainder  of  their  liv,es,  useful  residents  of  the  New  Jasper  neighborhood 
in  this  county. 

George  Eyman  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Fayette,  a  son  of 
pioneer  parents,  and  in  the  early  twenties  of  the  past  century  was  married  in 
Greene  county  to  Hannah  Peterson,  who  was  born  in  Hardy  county,  Vir- 
ginia, in  1801,  and  who  was  thus  about  eleven  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  Ohio  with  her  parents  in  181 2,  the  family  settling  in  Greene  county.  Not 
long  after  his  marriage  in  this  county  George  Eyman  moved  over  into 
Indiana  and  after  farming  for  some  time  in  Delaware  covmty,  that  state, 
returned  to  Ohio  with  his  family  and  settled  in  this  county,  where  he  and 
his  wife  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  They  were  earnest  members  of 
the  German  Reformed  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 

Felix  P.  Eyman  was  but  a  child  when  his  parents  returned  to  Ohio 
from  Indiana  and  located  in  tliis  county  and  here  he  grew  to  manhood  and 
received  liis  schooling  in  the  Xew  Jasper  schools.     On  October  12,  1861,  he 


GREF.NE    COUNTY,    OHIO  943 

enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  with  which  command  he  served  until  the  close  of  tiie  war,  being 
mustered  out  on  May  9,  1865,  with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Upon  the  com- 
pletion of  his  military  service  Mr.  Eyman  returned  to  his  home  in  Greene 
county  and  presently  became  engaged  in  farming  oft  his  own  account  on  a 
farm  on  the  Wilmington  pike.  After  his  marriage  in  the  spring  of  1871 
established  his  home  there  and  there  continued  to  reside,  successfully  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock  raising,  until  his  retirement  from  the  farm  in 
1914  and  removal  to  Xenia,  where  he  is  now  living. 

On  April  22,  1871,  at  the  residence  of  the  bride's  parents  in  this  county, 
Felix  P.  Eyman  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Elizabeth  Peterson,  who 
was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Eleanor  Ann  (Weaver) 
Peterson,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  the  former  born  in  Hardy  county,  that, 
state,  Fel:ruary  28,  1813,  and  the  latter,  in  Frederick  county,  April  19, 
1817,  who  were  substantial  residents  of  the  Caesarscreek  neighborhood. 
Mrs.  Eyman  is  deceased  and  is  buried  in  Woodland  cemetery  at  Xenia.  By. 
her  union  with  Mr.  Eyman  she  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  a  son,  Charle-; 
Edgar,  born  on  June  2,  1876,  who  died  on  March  4,  1878,  and  is  buried  in 
the  Peterson  graveyard  in  Clinton  county,  where  Mr.  Eyman's  mother  also 
is  buried.  Mr.  Eyman  is  a  member  of  the  Caesarscreek  German  Reformed 
church,  as  was  his  wife,  and  during  the  many  years  of  his  residence  in  that 
communitv  was  an  active  worker  in  the  church. 


CHARLES  BUCK. 

Charles  Buck,  head  of  the  firm  of  Buck  &  Son,  meat  market,  Xenia, 
was  born  in  Xenia  in  1865  and  has  lived  there  all  his  life.  Thirty  years  ago 
he  became  ertgag-ed  in  the  retail  meat  business  in  Xenia  and  has  ever  since  been 
thus  engaged,  now  having  associated  with  him  his  eldest  son,  Edwin  Buck, 
the  concern  doing  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Buck  &  Son.  This  firm 
does  an  extensive  business  in  its  line  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  substan- 
tial business  concerns  of  Xenia.  Charles  Buck  is  a  member  of  the  local 
lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  and  his  family  are 
connected  with  the  Reformed  church. 

Charles  Buck  married  Mary  Wolf  and  has  four  children,  namely: 
Edwin,  who  married  Hazel  Whittington  and  who,  as  noted  above,  is  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business  in  Xenia;  Earl,  who  also  lives  at  Xenia; 
Margaret,  who  married  Edward  Lang,  of  Xenia,  and  has  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Maro^aret ;  and  Philip,  who  is  connected  with  the  operations  of  the  firm  of 
Buck  &  Son  at  Xenia. 


944  GREENE    COI'NTY,    OHIO 

LEWIS  R.  JONES. 

Lewis  R.  Jones,  the  proprietor  of  a  fine  farm  and  a  comfortable  home  in 
Caesarscreek  township,  was  born  on  a  farm  one  mile  north  of  where  he  now 
resides  on  August  2^,  1856,  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Bales)  Jones,  both  of 
whom  also  were  born  in  this  county,  members  of  pioneer  families  in  New 
Jasper  township,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  here. 

John  Jones  grew  up  on  the  parental  farm  in  New  Jasper  township  and 
was  married  there,  later  establishing  his  home  on  a  farm  in  Caesarscreek 
township,  the  place  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  He  developed 
and  improved  that  place,  and  there  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  During  the 
earlier  days  of  his  manhood  John  Jones  worked  for  some  time  as  a  carpenter 
and  millwright  and  was  one  of  the  best-known  men  in  his  community.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Democrat  and  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Mt. 
Tabor  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-four 
years  and  he  survived  her  for  some  years,  living  to  be  seventy-seven  years 
of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  his  brother,  Jacob  R.  Jones,  a  farmer  in  New  Jasper  township, 
alone  now  survive,  the  others  having  been  William,  Alice  and  Melissa  Jane, 
the  latter  of  whom  died  in  the  clays  of  her  girlhood. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  New  Jasper  township.  Lewis  R.  Jones 
received  his  schooling  in  the  Alt.  Tabor  school.  He  remained  at  home  until 
his  marriage,  \vlien  twenty-fi\'e  years  of  age,  and  after  his  marriage  continued 
to  make  his  home  tliere,  continuing  his  labors  in  the  culti\-ation  of  the  home 
place  until  he  bought  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  living,  the  old  Edward 
Powers  place  of  eight\-fi\e  acres  a  mile  to  the  south,  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  there.  Among  the  substantial  improvements  Mr.  Jones,  after  taking 
possession  of  the  same,  erected  one  of  the  most  comfortable  farm  houses  in 
that  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Jones  has  long  given  considerable  attention  to 
the  raising  of  live  stock  and  has  done  well.  Of  late  years  he  lias  l>een  living 
practically  retired  from  the  acti\e  labors  of  the  farm,  having  turned  the  man- 
agement of  the  place  over  to  his  son,  John  Oscar  Jones,  who  has  been  giving 
particular  attention  to  the  breeding  of  fine  live  stock. 

On  September  20,  18S1.  Lewis  R.  Jones  wa.s  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  St.  John,  who  was  born  in  Caesarscreek  township,  this  county,  a 
daughter  of  John  W.  and  Phoebe  Ann  (Hiney)  St.  John,  the  former  of 
whom  is  still  living  in  that  township  and  a  biographical  sketch  of  whom 
ajjpears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  To  this  union  two  children  have  been 
born,  namely :  John  Oscar,  who  married  Grace  Peterson  and,  as  noted  above, 
is  now  operating  his  father's  farm  in  Caesarscreek  township,  and  Alma  L., 
who  married  J.  H.  Hollingsworth  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirtv-one  vears. 


GREEXE    COl'NTV,    OHIO  945 

leaving  a  daughter,  Nancy  Cleo.  Tlie  Joneses  are  members  of  Mt.  Tabor 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Jones  is  inclined  to 
be  independent. 


ROBERT  E.  HOLMES. 


Robert  E.  Holmes,  one  of  the  colored  business  men  of  Xenia,  was  born 
at  Eincastle,  Virginia,  December  6,  1863,  a  son  of  Alexander  and  Rebecca 
(Dillard)  Holmes,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  held  in  bondage  in  that  state 
prior  to  the  Emancipation.  Alexander  Holmes  died  in  1876  and  his  widow 
survived  until  1914,  her  death  occurring  at  Eincastle,  Virginia,  she  then  being 
past  eighty  }'ears  of  age.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  one  of 
whom,  a  daughter,  Maria,  was  given  with  part  of  the  estate  of  Robert  Harris, 
upon  its  division,  and  was  never  again  seen  by  her  family.  The  other  mem- 
bers of  this  family,  besides  the  subject  of  this  .sketch,  follow :  James  Wendall 
Holmes,  who  lives  in  Boston,  Massachusetts;  Gertrude,  who  is  the  widow  of 
Andrew  Scruggs  and  who  now  lives  with  her  brother  Robert  at  Xenia ; 
Phyllis,  now  living  at  Charleston,  West  Virginia,  widow  of  John  Dehaven : 
Eannie,  unmarried,  who  lives  at  Harriman,  New  Jersey;  Eva,  deceased,  and 
Virginia,  who  married  Louis  Gurdy  and  is  still  living  at  Eincastle,  Virginia. 
Reared  at  Eincastle,  Robert  E.  Holmes  received  his  early  schooling  there 
and  later  entered  the  Centra!  Tennessee  College  at  Nash\-ille.  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1880.  Following  his  graduation  he  began  teaching  school 
in  Tennessee  and  was  presently  made  the  principal  of  the  colored  schools  at 
Lawrenceburg,  Kentucky,  a  position  he  occupied  for  fifteen  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time,  in  1Q02,  he  came  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Xenia,  where  he  be- 
came engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  partnership  with  J.  D.  Thomas, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Holmes  &  Thomas,  which  firm  also  conducted  a 
grocery  store  at  640  East  Main  street.  In  July,  1915,  the  firm  bought  another 
grocerv  store  at  803  East  Church  street  and  operated  both  stores  until  the 
death  of  Mr.  Thomas  in  December,  1916,  after  which  }ilr.  Holmes  merged 
the  two  stores  and  has  since  been  carrying  on  the  business  at  803  Church 
street,  where  he  also  has  his  undertaking  establishment.  Mr.  Holmes  is  a 
Republican  and  when  the  charter  committee  was  chosen  in  the  spring  of  1917 
to  draft  a  charter  for  the  city  of  Xenia  with  a  view  to  adopting  a  commis- 
sion form  of  government  he  was  made  a  member  of  that  committee  and  when 
that  charter  was  adopted  at  a  subsequent  election  he  announced  his  candidacy 
for  a  place  on  the  prospective  city  commission. 

On  iMarch  25,  1897,  at  Lawrenceburg,  Kentucky,  Robert  E.  Holmes  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Carrie  M.  Marshall,  who  was  born  and  reared  at  that 
place,  and  to  this  union  fiYC  children  have  been  bom,  namely:  Robert,  who 
died  in  infancy;  Gertrude,  born  in  1904.  who  is  now  a  student  in  the  Xenia 

( 59) 


946  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

high  school:  Robert,  bom  in  1908;  Thomas,  IQII,  and  \Yilla,  1915.  Mr.  and 
IMrs.  Holmes  are  members  of  Zion  Baptist  churcch,  of  which  the  former  has 
for  years  been  one  of  the  office  bearers,  being  now  treasurer  of  the  church,  a 
member  of  the  diaconate  and  chairman  of  the  joint  board.  He  is  identified 
with  the  colored  lodges  of  the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Knights  of 
Pvthias. 


WILLIAM  M.  SMITH. 


William  M.  Smith,  one  of  Cedarville  township's  substantial  farmers,  was 
born  on  the  farm  on  which  he  now  lives,  on  March  22,  1875,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Esther  J.  (Cook)  Smith,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same 
vicinity,  just  over  the  line  in  Madison  township,  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Clark,  and  the  latter  near  the  village  of  Waynesville,  in  the  county  of  Warren, 
neighboring  Greene  county  to  the  southw  est. 

Samuel  Smith  was  born  on  December  31,  1827,  a  son  of  Seth  and 
Deborah  (Wildman)  Smith,  pioneers  of  the  Seltiia  neighborhood  up  in  Clark 
county.  Seth  Smith  was  a  Virginian,  born  in  Loudoun  county,  in  the  Old 
Dominion,  July  1 1,  1798,  and  was  but  two  years  of  age  when  his  parents,  Seth 
Smith  and  wife,  also  Virginians,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  on  ]\Iay  19, 
1 761,  came  to  the  then  Territory  of  Ohio  and  settled  on  a  tract  of  land  about 
a  mile  from  where  later  came  to  be  established  the  village  of  Selma.  The 
elder  Seth  Smith  and  his  wife  were  earnest  Quakers  and  were  among  the 
original  members  of  the  Friends  meeting  at  Selma,  and  their  descendants  even 
to  the  present  generation  ha\e  ever  preserved  their  birthright  in  that  meet- 
ing. The  elder  Seth  Smith  created  a  good  piece  of  farm  property  there  in 
pioneer  days  and  spent  his  last  days  on  that  farm,  his  death  occurring  there 
on  April  i,  1837.  On  that  place  his  son  Seth  grew  to  manhood.  After  his 
marriage  to  Deborah  Wildman,  who  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer 
Quaker  families  of  that  neighborhood,  he  established  his  home  on  a  farm  in 
that  same  vicinity,  bordering  on  the  Greene  county  line,  about  a  mile  from 
Selma.  and  there  developed  a  fine  piece  of  property.  He  and  his  wife  were 
the  parents  of  four  children,  of  whom  Samuel  Smith,  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  the  first-born,  tlie  others  being  Ruth,  who  became  the  wife 
of  Samuel  Hadley.  of  Wilmington,  county  seat  of  tlie  neighboring  countv 
of  Clinton ;  Oliver,  who  moved  from  his  farm  on  the  line  between  Clark  and 
Greene  counties  to  Emporia,  Kansas,  in  1885,  and  thence,  after  a  while,  to 
Whittier,  California,  where  he  spent  his  last  days;  and  Seth,  who  came  into 
possession  of  his  grandfather's  old  home  place,  but  years  ago  mo\ed  to  Whit- 
tier, California,  wheie  he  is  now  living  retired. 

Reared  on  the  place  on  which  he  was  Ijorn,  Samuel  Smith  was  early 
trained  in  the  ways  of  practical  farming  and  after  his  marriage  established 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  947 

his  home  on  that  portion  of  the  home  farm  which  extended  over  the  hne  into 
Cedarville  township,  this  county,  and  where  in  1874  he  erected  the  substan- 
tial brick  house  in  which  his  son  WilHam  is  now  Hving.  After  his  father's 
death  Samuel  Smith  inherited  that  farm  and  gradually  added  to  the  same 
until  he  became  the  owner  of  a  tine  place  of  three  hundred  and  forty-two 
acres.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming,  he  was  widely  known  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  stockmen  in  that  part  of  the  county.  Samuel  Smith  was  a 
Republican  and  had  rendered  public  service  as.  a  director  of  schools  in  his 
home  district.  He  and  his  wife  were  earnest  adherents  of  the  Friends  meet- 
ing at  Selma  and  he  was  for  years  an  office  bearer  in  the  same.  His  death 
occurred  at  his  home  on  February  24,  1901,  he  then  being  in  the  .seventy- 
fourth  year  of  his  age.  His  wife  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  by  fifteen 
years,  her  death  having  occurred  on  September  28,  1885.  She  was  born, 
Esther  J.  Cook,  in  the  vicinity  of  W'aynesville,  in  Warren  county,  this  state, 
January  24,  1846,  daughter  of  Marcellus  and  Harriet  (Whittaker)  Cook, 
the  former  of  whom  was  reared  in  the  vicinity  of  Selma,  a  birthright  member 
of  the  Selma  meeting  of  Friends,  and  whose  last  days  were  spent  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  had  made  his  home  upon  his 
retirement  from  his  Warren  county  farm.  Marcellus  Cook  was  thrice  mar- 
ried and  his  daughter  Esther  was  one  of  the  children  of  his  first  marriage. 
Samuel  Smith  and  Esther  Cook  were  united  in  marriage  on  June  i,  1869, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  four  children,  namely :  Howard,  a  well-to-do 
farmer  of  the  Selma  neighborhood;  Anna  Ethel,  who  died  in  her  third  year; 
William  M.,  the  immediate  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  and  Edith, 
wife  of  G.  W.  Sharpless,  a  dair\-man,  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. 

William  M.  Smith  grew  up  on  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now  living  and 
supplemented  the  schooling  received  in  the  Selma  schools  by  attendance  for 
two  years  at  Earlham  College,  in  which  institution  his  brother  and  his  sister 
also  completed  their  schooling,  and  after  leaving  school  resumed  his  place  on 
the  farm  and  gave  his  serious  attention  to  the  further  development  of  the 
same.  Following  the  death  of  his  father  in  1901  he  inherited  one  hundred 
acres  of  the  farni,  including  the  home  place  in  Cedarville  township,  and  after 
his  marriage  in  1904  established  his  home  there.  Since  coming  into  his  in- 
heritance Mr.  Smith  has  bought  seventy-two  acres  adjoining  and  has  made 
substantial  improvements  on  his  place.  In  addition  to  his  general  farming 
he  feeds  about  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  one  hundred  head  of  hogs  each  year. 

On  September  14,  1904,  William  M.  Smith  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Floy  McDorman,  who  also  was  born  in  this  county,  daughter  of  Allan  and 
Stella  (Paullin)  McDorman,  residents  of  Ross  township  and  members  of 
the  Selma  meeting  of  Friends,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  two  children, 
daughters  both,  Esther,  born  on  January  22,  1907,  and  Virginia,  February 


948  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

12,  1914.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  are  both  birthriglit  members  of  the  Sehna 
meeting-  of  Friends  and  take  an  interested  part  in  the  good  works  of  the 
same,  Mr.  Smith  having  served  as  overseer  of  the  meeting. 


COL.  CHARLES  YOUNG.  U.  S.  A. 

On  the  back  of  the  honorable  discharge  received  by  Gabriel  Young, 
father  of  Col.  Charles  Young,  U.  S.  A.,  of  Wilberforce,  upon  being  mus- 
tered out  of  .service  at  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  there  appears  the  follow- 
ing: "I  take  pleasure  in  recommending  to  the  public  at  large  the  within 
named  Gabriel  Young.  He  has  served  faithfully  and  honestly,  is  a  good 
soldier:  besides  is  trustworthy  and  reliable  in  every  particular  and  a  gentle- 
man, which  is  indispensible  to  a  thorough  soldier.  (Signed)  Resp'fly, 
Lt.-Col.  L.  S.  Long." 

"A  good  soldier  and  a  gentleman."  Surely  no  higher  commendation 
could  be  given,  and  with  this  as  his  guide  and  goal  and  with  the  memory  of 
his  soldier  father  as  an  inspiration  Col.  Charles  Young,  the  only  living  col- 
ored graduate  of  the  United  States  Militarv  Academy  and  the  only  colored 
man  ever  raised  to  the  rank  of  colonel  in  the  United  States  regular  army, 
has  gone  on  his  way,  faithfully  and  dutifully  performing  those  tasks  that 
were  set  for  him  to  do  until  he  has  gained  his  present  distinctive  position  in 
the  army  he  has  so  long  served,  bearing  modestly  the  honors  he  has  won — 
"a  good  soldier  and  a  gentleman." 

Colonel  Young  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  at  Helena,  in  Mason 
county,  that  state,  March  12,  1864,  son  and  only  child  of  Gabriel  and  Arminta 
(Bruen)  Young,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  slavery  in  that  same  state  and 
the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living.  Her  mother,  Julia  Ouinn  Rruen,  was  a 
cousin  of  Bishop  Alien,  the  founder  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  in  the  United  States,  and  was  the  first  colored  teacher  in  Kentucky. 
On  February  13,  1865,  Gabriel  Young  enlisted  his  services  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fifth  Kentucky  Heavy  Artillery,  serving 
with  that  command  until  honorably  discharged  at  Vicksburg  on  February  12, 
1866.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  military  service  Gabriel  Young  moved 
with  his  little  family  from  Kentucky  to  Ohio  and  located  at  Ripley,  in  Brown 
county,  where  he  engaged  in  the  livery  business;  remaining  there  until  1884, 
when  he  moved  to  Zanesville.  where  he  was  further  engaged  in  the  livery 
business  and  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life,  his  death  occurring  there  in 
1894  at  the  age  of  forty-eight  years.  His  widow,  who  still  survives  him,  is 
making  her  home  with  her  son,  the  Colonel.  She  is  a  Baptist,  as  was  her 
husband.  The  latter  was  a  member  of  the  local  post  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic  at  Zanesville.     Politically,  he  was  a  Republican. 


GREENE    COUNTY.    OHIO  949 

Charles  Young  was  but  eighteen  months  of  age  when  his  parents  came 
to  this  state  from  Kentucky  and  he  was  reared  at  Ripley,  receiving  his  early 
schooling  in  the  schools  of  that  place,  and  was  graduated  from  the  high 
school  there  in  1881.  For  three  years  thereafter  he  taught  school  at  Ripley, 
the  last  year  of  his  service  in  that  connection  being  as  principal  of  the  colored 
high  school,  and  in  1884  he  received  his  appointment  to  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated 
in  1889,  and  was  shortly  afterward  attached,  as  second  lieutenant,  to  the 
Nintli  United  States  Cavalry,  then  stationed  at  Ft.  Robinson,  Nebraska, 
remaining  with  that  regiment  until  1894,  in  which  year  he  was  appointed 
to  take  charge  of  the  course  in  military  tactics  at  Wilberforce  University. 
This  was  Colonel  Young's  first  introduction  to  Wilberforce,  the  place  which 
later  was  to  become  his  home.  In  1897  ^^  ^^'^s  commissioned  first  lieutenant 
and  when  the  Spanish-American  War  broke  out  he  was  recalled  to  active 
field  service  and  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Ninth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry, 
continuing  thus  attached  until  1899,  when  he  was  ordered  to  rejoin  his  old 
regiment,  the  Ninth  United  States  Cavalry,  in  Utah.  In  1901  he  received 
his  captaincy  and  his  troop  saw  service  in  the  Philippines  during  two  diffi- 
cult campaigns,  remaining  there  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which 
lime,  in  the  latter  part  of  1902  he  was  returned  to  the  United  States  and  wa.s 
located  with  his  regiment  at  the  Presidio,  San  Francisco.  It  was  while  he 
was  stationed  at  the  Presidio  that  Colonel  Young,  in  1903.  was  appomted 
militar}'  attache  to  the  United  States  legation  in  Santo  Domingo  and  Haiti, 
married  and  took  his  departure  for  his  new  station  in  the  island  republics, 
where  he  remained  for  four  years.  During  his  service  at  Santo  Domingo 
Colonel  Young  made  a  map  of  the  island  and  wrote  a  monograph  on  the  same 
for  the  United  States  government  which  are  regarded  as  valuable  documents. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  service  there  he  was  returned  to  his  old  regi- 
ment, the  Ninth  United  States  Cavalry,  and  in  1908.  was  returned  to  the 
Philippines  as  captain  commanding  a  squadron,  two  troops,  of  that  com- 
mand, and  upon  his  return  with  his  command  in  1909  continued  with  the 
regiment  and  was  thus  stationed  until  1912,  in  which  year  he  received  his 
second  appointment  as  military  attache  in  a  foreign  post,  this  appointment 
sending  him  to  the  republic  of  Liberia,  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  where  he 
remained  for  four  years.  During  this  period  he  acted  as  military  adviser 
to  the  government  of  Liberia  and  in  that  capacity  rendered  an  important 
service  by  securing  the  construction  of  a  lengthy  military  road  from  the 
capital,  selecting  three  American  assistants  of  his  own  choosing  to  attend  to 
the  details  of  construction;  for  this  work  receiving,  in  1917,  the  Spingarn 
Aledal,  the  second  award  of  that  honor  ever  conferred.  Upon  his  return  to 
the  United  States  in  1916  he  was  assigned  to  the  Tenth  Cavalry  in  command 


950  GKEENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  a  squadron  of  that  re.a:iment.  with  title  of  major,  later  raised  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  with  that  command  served  with  the  punitive  expe- 
dition sent  into  Mexico  under  General  Pershing's  command,  remaining  with 
his  regiment  until  July,  1917,  when  he  returned  to  his  established  home  at 
Wilberforce,  where  he  is  now  (1918)  awaiting  further  orders. 

Since  his  return  from  Santo  Domingo  in  1907  Colonel  Young  has  had  a 
residence  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Wilberforce,  on  the  Columbus  pike 
out  of  Xenia.  The  Colonel  has  many  souvenirs  of  his  travels  in  his  home 
and  can  tell  some  entertaining  tales  connected  with  some  of  them.  Besides 
the  official  monograph  above  referred  to  he  has  written  considerable  and  his 
book,  "Military  Morale  of  Nations  and  Races,"  was  regarded  as  of  sufficient 
technical  value  as  to  warrant  its  publication.  Colonel  Young  also  has  writ- 
ten some  plays,  which  are  still  in  manuscript,  and  some  music,  and  is  a  per- 
former on  the  pipe  organ  and  piano.  In  1903,  just  prior  to  his  departure 
for  Santo  Domingo,  Colonel  Young  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada  Barr 
and  to  this  union  two  children  have  been  born,  C.  Noel,  born  in  1907,  and 
Marie  A.,  1909.  By  religious  persuasion  the  Colonel  is  a  Universalist.  His 
wife  is  a  Catholic. 


CAMPBELL  L.  MAXWELL. 

Among  the  alumni  of  Wilberforce  University  there  are  many  persons 
who  in  one  and  another  walk  of  life  have  attained  honor  and  fame  or  who 
have  reflected  a  more  than  usual  degree  of  credit  upon  their  alma  uiatcr.  as 
well  as  upon  the  race  in  whose  behalf  that  institution  has  for  many  years 
exercised  so  beneficent  an  influence,  but  in  the  whole  long  roster  of  this 
alumni  there  are  few  names  more  widely  known  than  that  of  Campbell  L. 
Maxwell,  of  Xenia,  a  life  trustee  of  Wilberforce  L'niversity  and  dean  of  the 
law  department  of  that  institution,  former  consul-general  to  the  Republic  of 
Santo  Domingo,  former  city  clerk  of  Xenia  and  for  many  years  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  in  that  city. 

Campbell  L.  Maxwell  is  a  native  son  of  Ohio,  born  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Fayette  county,  not  far  from  Edgefield,  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  eleven 
children  born  to  Campbell  and  Henrietta  (Hill)  Maxwell,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Virginia,  but  who,  soon  after  their  marriage,  about  1830.  came 
over  into  Ohio  and  settled  in  Fayette  county,  where  Campbell  Maxwell  be- 
came the  owner  of  a  farm  near  the  town  of  Edgefield,  where  his  wife  spent 
the  remainder  of  her  life,  he  moving  to  Xenia  after  his  second  marriage, 
where  he  remained  until  death.  Campbell  Maxwell  was  a  son  of  James  Max- 
well and  wife,  both  of  whom  also  were  bom  in  Virginia  and  who,  not  long 
after  their  son  Campbell  came  to  Ohio  joined  him  and  his  family  and  pres- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  951 

ently  bought  a  little  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth,  where  their  last  days 
were  spent.  Campbell  and  Henrietta  Maxwell  were  the  parents  of  eleven 
children.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  the  early  '70s  and  Campbell 
Maxwell  married  again,  his  second  wife  having  been  a  Mrs.  Armstrong,  but 
this  second  marriage  was  without  issue.  He  was  a  member  of  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  both  he  and  the  mother  of  his  children  were 
devoted  to  the  proper  education  and  training  of  those  children,  the  benefits  of 
this  training  being  noted  in  the  after  courses  of  the  lives  of  these  children, 
several  of  whom  besides  the  subject  of  this  sketch  have  achieved  success  in 
the  gospel  ministry,  in  educational  circles  and  in  the  marts  of  trade.  Joshua 
C.  Maxwell,  the  eldest  son,  was  for  years  a  grocer  in  the  city  of  Xenia,  where 
his  last  days  were  spent.  The  Rev.  J.  P.  Maxwell,  another  son,  long  a  resi- 
dent of  Wilberforce  and  formerly  and  for  years  secretary  of  Wilberforce 
University,  is  now  the  pastor  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Lancaster,  Ohio.  Another  son,  the  Rev.  George  W.  Maxwell,  also  entered 
the  ministry  and  is  now  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Cincinnati  district  of  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  has  for  years  made  his  home  at 
Xenia.  Charles  F.  Maxwell  early  became  qualified  as  a  teacher  and  is  now 
connected  with  the  public  schools  at  Spencer,  Indiana.  John  M.  Maxwell, 
another  of  these  sons  who  turned  his  attention  to  teaching  was  for  many 
years  principal  of  the  colored  high  school  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  his 
death  occurred  several  years  ago.  Daniel  S.  Maxwell,  now  deceased,  also 
became  a  teacher  and  was  connected  with  the  schools  of  New  Albany,  ■  Indi- 
ana, at  the  time  of  his  death.  There  were  four  sisters  in  this  family.  Of 
these  Mary  J.,  widow  of  Samuel  Finley,  is  now  living  at  Detroit,  Michigan. 
Martha,  widow  of  Thomas  Jones,  a  veteran  of  .the  Civil  War,  is  living  on  her 
farm  in  Paulding  county,  this  state.  Celia,  now  deceased,  married  Charles 
Upthegrove  and  lived  in  Fayette  county.  Her  death  occurred  in  Xenia. 
N^ancy,  the  only  one  of  these  children  who  did  not  grow  to  maturity,  died  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Edgefield,  Campbell  L. 
Maxwell  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  district  schools  of  that  neighbor- 
hood and  when  eighteen  years  of  age  entered  the  public  schools  cf  Xenia 
and  after  a  course  there  entered  Wilberforce  LTniversity,  in  which  institu- 
tion he  completed  a  special  course  preparatory  to  entering  the  law  school  of 
the  university,  from  which  latter  department  he  was  in  due  time  graduated. 
Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Mr.  Maxwell  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Greene 
county  and  also  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  state. 
Not  long  after  his  graduation  from  the  law  school  Mr.  Maxwell  married 
and  was  about  that  time  appointed  principal  of  the  colored  schools  in  the 
neighboring  county  seat  of  Springfield,  which  position  he  held  for  several 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  left  the  school  room  and  returned  to  Xenia, 


952  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

where  he  opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Not  long  after- 
ward he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  city  of  Xenia  and  for  six  years  held  that 
office.  During  the  administration  of  President  Harrison  he  was  appointed 
American  consul  to  Santo  Domingo  and  with  his  family  moved  to  that 
island,  where  he  lived  for  three  years,  or  until  his  retirement  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  President  Cleveland.  During  the  AIcKinley  administration 
j\Ir.  Maxwell  was  returned  to  the  island  republic  of  Sant-o  Domingo  as  United 
States  consul-general  and  for  four  years  served  his  government  in  that  im- 
portant capacity.  Upon  his  retirement  from  public  life  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  Xenia  and  has  since  resided  there,  continuing  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. Mr.  Maxwell  is  a  life  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  Wilber- 
force  University  and  for  several  years  has  been  dean  of  the  law  school  of 
that  admirable  institution. 

In  1873  Campbell  L.  Maxwell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary  E. 
Cousins,  who  was  born  in  Xenia.  daughter  of  Edward  and  Catherine 
Cousins,  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  and  to  this  union  two  children 
have  been  born,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  Earl  F.  and  Minnie  Pearl,  the  former 
of  whom  is  associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Xenia,  and 
the  latter,  a  teacher  in  the  Xenia  public  schools,  at  home  with  !ier  parents. 
Earl  F.  Maxwell  was  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  and  early  turned 
his  attention  to  the  study  of  law,  later  entering  Ohio  State  University  and 
after  being  graduated  from  that  institution  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Xenia, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Maxwell  &  Maxwell.  He  is  married,  his  wife  having 
been  Helen  Games  before  her  marriage.  Minnie  Pearl  Maxwell  attended 
and  was  graduated  in  French  and  Spanish  from  the  Instituto  de  Senoritas  de 
Santo  Domingo  during  the  tiriie  of  her  father's  sers'ice  as  consul-general  to 
Santo  Domingo  and  there  became  proficient  in  the  use  of  both  French  and 
Spanish.  She  later  attended  and  graduated  from  Wilberforce  University 
and  has  for  some  years  been  connected  with  the  Xenia  schools.  The  Max- 
wells are  members  of  St.  John's  African  Methodist  Episcopal  churcli  at 
Xenia,  in  which  Mr.  Maxwell  has  for  years  been  an  office  bearer  and  is  at 
present  a  memljer  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  same.  Mr.  Maxwell  lias 
for  years  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  colored  Masonic  or- 
ganization and  was  for  many  years  secretary  of  the  grand  lodge  of  that  order 
in  Ohio.  He  was  at  one  time  affiliated  with  the  blue  lodge,  the  council,  the 
chapter  and  the  commandery  at  Xenia  and  has  done  much  to  promote  the 
proper  development  of  Masonic  principles  among  the  men  of  his  race  in  this 
state.  !Mrs.  Maxwell  was  before  and  after  her  marriage  a  teacher  in  the 
pul)lic  >;clioo]s  and  it  is  to  her  wise  counsel  and  steadfast  devotion  that  Mr. 
Maxwell  attributes  much  of  his  success  in  life. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  953 

GILBERT  H.  JONES,  M.  A.,  Ph.  D. 

Dr.  Gilbert  H.  Jones,  dean  of  the  liberal  arts  department  of  Wilber- 
force  University  and  one  of  the  best-known  young  colored  educators  in  the 
country,  was  born  at  Ft.  Mott,  in  Calhoun  county,  South  Carolina,  August 
23,  1883,  and  is  a  son  of  Bishop  Joshua  H.  Jones,  foiTner  president  of  Wil- 
berforce  University  and  a  bishop  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
since  19 12,  who  is  still  making  his  home  at  Wilber force,  and  regarding  whom 
"Who's  Who  in  Anierica"  says:  "Jones,  Joshua  H.,  bishop;  b.  Pine  Plains, 
Lexington  Co.,  S.  C,  June  15,  1856;  j.  Joseph  and  Sylvia  J.;  B.A.,  Claflin 
U.,  S.  C,  1885;  student  Howard  U.,  Washington,  D.  C. :  B.D.,  Wilberforce 
(Ohio)  U.,  1887  (D.D.,  1893);  "2-  EHzabeth  Martin,  1875;  vi.  2d,  Augusta 
E.  Clark,  of  Wilberforce,  Nov.,  188S.  Local  preacher  A.  M.  E.  Ch.  at  18; 
pastor  in  S.  C,  ^^'heeling,  \\'.  Va.,  W^ilberforce,  O.,  Lynn,  Mass.,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  and  Columbus,  O. :  presiding  elder  Columbus  dist.,  1894-9; 
pastor  Zanesville,  O.,  1899;  pres.  Wilberforce  U.,  1900-8;  bishop  A.  M.  E. 
Ch.  since  1912.     Home:  \\''ilberforce,  O." 

Gilbert  H.  Jones  was  but  a  boy  when  his  parents  moved  from  South 
Carolina  to  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  in  that  city  he  received  hig  first 
public-school  training.  The  family  later  moved  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
there  in  1898,  he  then  being  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  was  graduated  from 
the  Central  high  school.  The  next  year  he  entered  Ohio  State  University 
and  after  three  years  of  study  there  transferred  his  attendance  to  Wilberforce 
University  and  was  given  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  by  that  institution  in 

1902,  receiving  his  Bachelor  of  Science  degree  from  the  same  institution  in 

1903.  For  three  years  after  his  graduation  Doctor  Jones  was  employed  as 
principal  of  the  Lincoln  high  school  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  mean- 
time pursuing  his  studies  in  Dickinson  College  at  that  place,  and  in  1903  re- 
ceived from  that  institution  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy,  the  same 
institution  two  years  later  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts.  While  at  Carlisle  he  was  invited  to  accept  the  chair  of  classic  lan- 
guages in  Langston  University  at  Langston,  Oklahoma,  and  after  a  year  of 
service  in  that  connection  decided  to  finish  his  studies  abroad,  and  in  July, 
1907,  went  to  Europe  and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  engaged  in  study 
in  the  University  of  Goetingen,  in  Berlin,  in  the  University  of  Leipsic  and 
in  the  University  of  Jena,  receiving  his  Doctor  of  Philosophy  degree  from 
the  latter  institution  in  1909.  LIpon  his  return  to  the  L'nited  States,  Doctor 
Jones  was  invited  to  accept  the  chair  of  philosophy  in  St.  Augustine  Collegi- 
ate Institute  at  Raleigh,  South  Carolina,  and  after  a  year  of  service  there  was 
asked  to  return  to  Langston  University  and  resume  his  former  place  there 
as  teacher  of  classic  languages.     He  accepted  the  invitation  and  was  thus 


954  GREENE    COCNTV,    OHIO 

engaged  at  Langston  for  four  years,  or  until  1914.  when  he  ^vas  called  to 
accept  the  position  of  dean  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts  at  Wilberforce 
University,  which  position  he  has  since  occupied.  Since  taking  charge  of  the 
liberal  arts  department  of  the  university  Doctor  Jones  has  modernized  the 
procedure  in  that  department,  has  expanded  the  work  to  include  general  bio- 
logical research,  securing  for  that  department  an  admirably  equipped  labora- 
tory, and  has  directed  special  summer-school  work  there.  The  Doctor  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science  and  for 
several  years  has  been  working  on  a  couple  of  books  which  he  will  shortly 
have  ready  for  publication,  one  relating  to  the  subject  of  psychology  and  the 
other  having  to  do  with  the  principles  of  teaching. 

On  June  8,  1910,  Dr.  Gilbert  H.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel 
Gladys  Coverdale,  who  was  born  at  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  and  to  this 
union  two  children  have  laeen  born,  Gladys  Havena,  born  in  May,  191 1,  and 
Gilbert  H..  Jr.,  September  2^,  1914.  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Jones  are  members 
of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  Doctor  is  the  Ohio  state 
superintendent  of  the  Allen  Endeavor  Society  of  that  church. 


WILLIAM  SANDERS  SCARBOROUGH,  M.  A.,  LL.  D.,  Ph.  D. 

SCARBOROUGH.  WILLIAM  SANDERS,  university  pres. ;  b,  Macon.  Ga..  Feb.  16, 
1852;  s.  Jeremiah  and  Frances  S.:  A.  B..  Oberlin  College,  1875,  A.  M.,  1S7S;  Ph.  D.,  Kv. 
State  v..  1802;  (LL.  D..  Liberia  Coll.  W.  Africa.  1882;  Ph.  D.,  Morris  Brown  Coll..  Ga., 
1508:  F.  Ph..  St.  Columba's  Coll.,  Eng.,  1909)  ;  in,  Sarah  C.  Bierce,  of  Danby.  N.  Y.,  August 
2.  1881.  Prof,  clrssical  Greek.  Wilberforce  U,.  1877-91  ;  prof.  Hellenistic  Greek.  Payne 
Theol.  Sem.  (Wilberforce  U. ).  1801-5;  prof,  classical  Greek,  v. -p.  and  head  of  Classical 
Dept..  1895-1908.  pres.  since  igo8.  Wilberforce  U.  Exegetical  editor  of  the  S.  S.  pubis. 
A.  M.  E.  Church ;  del.  Ecumenical  Meth.  Conf.,  London,  1901  ;  del.  Congress  of  Races. 
London.  Eng.,  191J.  Mem.  Am.  Philol.  Assn.,  Archaeol.  Inst.  .America.  Modern  Lang. 
Assn.  America.  .*\m.  Folk-Lore  Soc,  Am.  Dialect  Soc,  Am.  Social  Science  .'\ssn.,  Am.  .\cad. 
Polit.  and  Social  Science,  Royal  Soc.  of  .\rt3.  London.  Author:  First  Lessons  in  Greek, 
1881  ;  Theory  and  Functions  of  the  Thematic  Vowel  in  the  Greek  Verb;  Our  Political  Status. 
18S4;  Birds  of  .Aristophanes,  a  Theory  of  Interpretation,  1886;  also  many  articles  on  Negro 
folk-lore,  the  Negro  question,  classical,  philol.  and  archaeol.  subjects.  Address:  Wilber- 
force, O. 

The  above  from  "Wlio's  \Yho  in  America"  gives  in  a  nutshell  the  out- 
standing facts  in  the  life  of  Dr.  \V.  S.  Scarborough,  president  of  Wilber- 
force University  and  for  many  years  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  in 
the  world  in  the  cause  of  Negro  education  and  uplift.  Doctor  Scarborough 
lias  been  a  resident  of  Greene  county  ever  since  his  call  to  Will^erforce  Uni- 
versity as  the  head  of  the  classical  department  of  that  institution  in  1877. 
His  early  and  continuous  devotion  to  the  cause  of  education  and  his  lifelong 
interest  in  liehalf  of  the  youth  of  his  race  have  given  him  a  standing  in  edu- 
cational circles  throughout  the  country  and  even  in  Europe  that  places  him 
in  a  high  rank  among  educators.  Doctor  Scarborough  began  to  attract  tiie 
attention  of  the  leadingf  educators  of  the  country  not  long  after  he  became  a 


^  ^c/^-z-v^^T^^-^^ 


( 


GREENi£    COUNTY,    OHIO  Q^s 

member  of  the  faculty  of  Wilberforce  l^niversity.  when,  in  1881,  he  pub- 
lished his  notable  Greek  text-book,  "First  Lessons  in  Greek,"  the  first  and 
only  Greek  book  ever  written  by  a  Negro.  So  simple  and  comprehensive 
were  the  lessons  arranged  by  the  young  Negro  scholar — for  Doctor  Scar- 
borough was  not  thirty  years  of  age  at  that  time — that  the  text-book  attained 
instant  recognition  and  was  widely  adopted  as  one  of  the  most  helpful  aids 
to  the  student  of  Greek  ever  written.  His  utter  devotion  to  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation and  his  continued  and  undivided  interest  in  behalf  of  the  youth  who 
came  from  all  parts  of  the  country  and  even  from  Europe  and  Africa  to 
gain  the  benefit  of  the  advantages  offered  the  race  at  Wilberforce,  naturally 
kept  Doctor  Scarborough's  influence  effective  in  the  institution  to  which  he 
had  early  devoted  his  life  and  it  was  regarded  as  eminently  fitting  that  when 
the  vacancy  occurred  in  the  executive  chair  of  that  institution  in  1908  he 
was  elected  to  fill  the  same.  It  is  but  proper  further  to  say  that  the  wisdom 
of  this  choice  has  been  demonstrated  throughout  the  years  that  the  Doctor 
has  been  serving  as  president  of  Wilberforce  University,  for  the  many  not- 
able improvements  that  have  been  made  in  the  institution  since  he  took 
charge  as  executive  head  have  proved  to  all  concerned  that  he  indeed  is  "the 
right  man  in  the  right  place."  Doctor  Scarborough's  various  scholastic 
activities  have  been  briefly  mentioned  in  the  paragraph  from  "Who's  Who 
in  America,"  cjuoted  above,  but  those  strictly  formal  items  of  information 
barely  touch  on  the  greater  and  wider  activities  which  have  marked  his  lov- 
ing nurture  of  the  interests  of  the  great  institution  of  learning  of  which  he 
has  been  the  head  since  1908  and  to  which  he  has  so  unselfishly  and 
ungrudgingly  devoted  his  life  since  his  arrival  there  away  'back  in  1877, 
when,  as  a  young  collegian  and  with  all  a  collegian's  enthusiasm  for  the  work 
that  thus  opened  before  him,  he  entered  upon  the  labors  which  have  been  so 
wonderfully  effective.  No  written  page  ever  can  carry  the  full  story  of  those 
activities,  for,  even  as  is  every  proper  labor  of  love,  they  have  been  of  a 
'  character  that  the  written  word  but  coldly  and  ineffectively  delineates.  The 
story  of  these  activities,  however,  has  been  written  in  indelible  and  imperish- 
able characters  upon  the  hearts  of  thousands  of  the  youth  who  have  gone  in 
and  out  before  Doctor  Scarborough  at  Wilberforce  during  the  past  forty 
years  and  are  reflected  in  characters  that  glow  wherever  the  better  elements 
of  a  Negro  population  congregate  in  this  country  today.  And  wherever  the 
wonderful  story  of  the  uplift  that  has  marked  the  progress  of  the  Negro 
race  since  the  cruel  days  of  slavery  is  told  in  this  country  today  there  is 
mentioned  the  name  of  Doctor  Scarborough ;  and  wherever  there  are  found 
gathered  two  or  more  of  those  of  all  those  thousands  who  have  benefited  by 
reason  of  his  benevolent  instructions,  there  his  name  is  spoken  in  loving  and 
grateful  remembrance. 

A  few  years  ago  the  university  published  the  following  brief  biography 


956  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  President  Scarborough :  "William  Sanders  Scarborough,  president  of 
\\'ilberforce  University,  Wilberforce,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A.,  was  born  in  Macon, 
Georgia,  in  1854.  He  received  his  early  education  in  his  native  city  before 
and  during  the  Civil  War.  In  1869  he  entered  Atlanta  University,  where 
he  spent  two  years  in  preparation  for  Yale  University,  but  entered  Oberlin 
College,  Oberlin,  Ohio,  instead,  in  1871,  and  was  graduated  from  the  de- 
partment of  Philosophy  and  the  Arts  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1875. 
Later  he  received  from  his  aJiiia  niGtcr  the  degree  of  M.  A.  He  has  since 
been  honored  by  various  colleges  with  the  degrees  of  Ph.  D.  and  LL.  D. 
He  spent  a  part  of  the  year  following  graduation  in  Oberlin  Theological 
Seminary  in  special  study  of  the  Semetic  languages  and  Hellenistic  Greek. 
"In  1877  h^  was  elected  head  of  the  classical  department  in  Wilberforce 
University.  In  1881  he  published,  through  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co..  a  Greek 
text-book — 'First  Lessons  in  Greek' — the  first  and  only  Greek  book  ever 
written  by  a  Negro.  This  book  was  widely  used  by  both  white  and  colored 
schools  of  the  country,  especially  in  the  Xorth.  He  has  also  written  a 
treatise  entitled  'The  Birds  of  Aristophanes — a  Theory  of  Interpretation' — 
aside  from  numerous  tracts  and  pamphlets,  covering  a  \arietv  of  subjects, 
classical,  archaeological,  sociological  and  racial.  He  has  written  many 
papers  for  various  societies  to  which  he  belongs,  especially  the  Philological 
Society.  In  1891  he  was  transferred  to  the  chair  of  Hellenistic  Greek  in 
Payne  Theological  Seminary  of  Wilberforce  University,  upon  the  opening 
of  this  school.  In  1897  he  was  again  re-elected  as  professor  of  Latin  and 
Greek  in  the  university  and  was  made  vice-president  of  the  same.  In  1908 
he  was  elected  president  of  Wilberforce  University,  a  position  which  he  now 
holds. 

"In  1 88 1  he  married  Sarah  C.  Bierce.  a  lady  of  high  literary  attain- 
ments, and  a  writer  for  many  magazines. 

"President  Scarborough  has  long  been  a  contributor  to  the  press  of  his 
country,  including  the  leading  magazines.  He  has  been  for  many  years  the 
exegetical  editor  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  Sunday  school  publications. 
He  is  a  member  of  a  number  of  learned  societies :  American  Philological, 
American  Dialect.  American  Social  Science,  Archaeological  Institute  of 
America,  American  Siielling  Reform.  American  Folk-Lore,  American  Mod- 
ern Language,  American  Political  and  Social  Science,  the  Egyptian  Explora- 
tion Fund  Association,  National  Geographic  Society,  American  Negro 
Academy,  of  which  he  is  first  vice-president.  He  has  several  times  been  one 
of  the  invited  orators  at  the  Lincoln  League  banquet  of  the  state  of  Ohio. 
At  a  conference  of  the  Negro  leaders  in  Columbus.  Ohio,  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  A  fro- American  State  League,  designed  to  further  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Negro  throughout  the  country.  He  was  appointed  by  the  gov- 
ernor of  Ohio  a  delegate  to  the  national  conference  in  St.  Louis  in  the  inter- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  957 

est  of  Negro  education.  He  is  the  only  Negro  representative  on  the  board 
of  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Association  of  Ohio,  which  is  presided  over  by 
the  governor. 

"He  has  now  in  press  a  volume  of  his  work  on  the  race  question.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical  Methodist  Conference  held  in  London  in 
1 901,  representing  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  was  in 
attendance  upon  the  Universal  Race  Congress  in  London,  representing 
Wilberforce  University,  of  which  he  is  president." 


PROF.  GEORGE  THOMPSON  SIMPSON. 

"If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  king  of  singers,  Mr.  Simpson  is  entitled  to 
that  honor."  When  the  Baltimore  Aiiicrican  voiced  the  above  sentiment  it 
was  not  indulging  in  mere  newspaper  "puffery."  When  the  IVhcrling  In- 
telligencer, referring  to  the  same  singer,  said :  "He  has  a  beautiful,  pure 
voice,  under  rare  cultivation,  especially  sweet  and  true  in  the  highest  rotes," 
that  paper  was  not  merely  filling  space  to  give  a  complimentary  account  of  a 
concert.  When  the  Pittsburgh  Post  referred  to  the  same  singer  as  one 
"whose  vocal  possibilities  are  so  favorably  compared  to  those  of  Campanini," 
it  stated  but  a  fact  long  recognized  by  musical  critics,  and  when  the  Chilli- 
cothe  (Ohio)  AVzc?  referred  to  the  same  gifted  master  of  song  as  "one  of 
the  most  melodious  tenor  singers  in  the  world,"  it  voiced  the  opinion  of  all 
who  have  ever  sat  under  the  spell  of  the  wonderful  tones  of  one  of  the  sweet- 
est singers  of  his  race,  the  man  who  won  a  wide  reputation  as  soloist  during 
the  world  tour  of  the  Fiske  Jubilee  Singers  and  who  for  the  past  twenty 
vears  has  been  the  dean  of  the  department  of  voice  culture  and  theory  of 
music  at  Wilberforce  University. 

George  Thompson  Simpson  was  born  at  Coal  Hill,  in  Muskingum 
county.  Ohio,  son  of  M.  M.  and  Martha  (Guy)  Simpson,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  county,  the  former  a  son  of  Turner  and  Jemima 
Simpson  (freeborn),  who  came  to  this  state  from  the  neighborhood  of  Har- 
risburg.  Pennsylvania,  in  1823  and  settled  in  Muskingum  county,  leaders  of 
a  considerable  colonv  of  colored  people  that  made  their  way  into  that  county 
in  that  vear  and  established  homes  in  the  then  wilderness.  Turner  Simpson 
and  his  wife  Jemima  started  a  church  and  a  school  there  and  exerted  an  influ- 
ence for  good  that  is  still  felt  in  the  third  and  fourth  generations  of  the 
descendants  of  those  who  made  up  that  colony.  Turner  Simpson  was  a  .shoe- 
maker as  well  as  a  farmer.  He  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren and  the  descendants  of  these  in  the  present  generation  form  a  numerous 
connection,  many  of  the  name  having  become  well  known  among  the  lead- 
ers of  their  race,  active  as  teachers  or  in  the  professions. 


958  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

M.  'SI.  Simpson,  father  of  Professor  Simpson,  grew  up  in  ]\Iuskinguni 
county  and  was  trained  by  his  father  to  be  a  shoemaker.  He  married  Martha 
Guy,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary  (Beard)  Guy,  who  had  come  from 
Hagarstown,  Maryland,  into  Ohio  and  had  settled  in  the  colored  colony  in 
Muskingum  county.  M.  M.  Simpson  was  foreman  of  the  cutting  room  of 
the  shoe  factory  of  Bethel  &  Belong  for  twelve  years.  In  1870  he  moved 
with  his  family  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  and  went  in  business  for  himself.  In 
1899  he  was  made  head  instructor  in  the  shoemaking  department  of  the 
manual-training  section  of  W'ilberforce  University  and  his  last  days  were 
spent  at  Wilberforce,  his  death  occurring  there  on  June  18,  1903,  he  then 
being  seventv-seven  years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  six  years,  or 
until  1909,  she  also  being  seventy-seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  They  were  members  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
he  was  for  years  a  steward  in  the  same.  They  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  five  are  still  living.  Of  these  Professor  Simpson  is  the 
eldest,  the  others  being  M.  J.,  residing  in  Zanesville,  this  state;  Martha,  also 
a  resident  of  Zanesville;  Mrs.  Nannie  A.  Luebers,  also  of  Zanesville,  and 
Mrs.  William  Clark,  of  Saginaw,  Michigan. 

George  T.  Simpson  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools  of  Zanes- 
ville, and  from  his  father  learned  tlie  trade  of  shoemaker.  From  the  days 
of  his  boyhood  he  had  taken  delight  in  singing  and  was  encouraged  to  culti- 
vate this  natural  gift.  In  1887  he  entered  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at 
Oberlin,  working  his  way  through  that  institution  by  "sticking  to  his  last." 
Two  years  later  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  instruction  under  a  special 
teacher  at  Cincinnati  and  for  thirteen  months  was  drilled  there  in  voice  cul- 
ture. In  the  meantime,  in  1889,  lie  was  engaged  as  soloist  for  tlie  Fiske 
Jubilee  Singers  and  with  that  organization  made  a  tour  of  the  world,  singing 
in  concert  in  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  France,  Switzerland,  Italy,  Egvpt, 
Arabia,  Ceylon,  India,  British  Burmah,  Pennang,  Singapore,  Johore,  Borneo, 
China.  Japan,  the  Philippines  and  Honolulu,  returning  by  way  of  San  Fr.m- 
cisco  after  a  tour  of  two  years.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  this  tour  Professor 
Simpson  made  an  e.xtensive  independent  concert  tour  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  singing  in  the  chief  cities  of  the  country.  In  the  meantime  he 
continued  his  studies,  attending  summer  courses  at  Xorth western  Univer- 
sity at  Chicago  during  the  years  1903-05  and  in  the  latter  year  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  American  Institute  of  Xormal  Methods  as  applied  to  the 
teaching  of  music.  For  two  years,  1896-97,  he  was  employed  as  teacher  of- 
singing  in  Morgan  College  at  Baltimore  and  in  1898  he  was  invited  to  take 
the  place  of  chief  instructor  in  theory  of  music  and  voice  culture  at  W'ilber- 
force University,  an  invitation  he  accepted  and  which  position  he  ever  since 
has  occupied,  now  having  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pupils  in  his  depart- 
ment.    In  1912  and  in  191 5  he  took  supplemental  summer  courses  at  Xortli- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    Omo  959 

western  University.  The  Professor  has  written  quite  a  bit  of  music  and  the 
fifth  edition  of  his  adaptation  of  "Jesus  Lover  of  My  Soul,"  has  already 
sold  beyond  five  thousand  copies  He  still  occasionally  responds  to  demands 
upon  his  time  for  concert  work. 

Professor  Simpson  has  been  twice  married.  On  August  31,  1898,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Lillian  Kelly,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  who  died 
on  August  2,  1899.  On  Octoljer  19,  1912,  he  married  Mary  Elizabeth  Den- 
ham,  who  was  born  at  Bethel,  in  Clermont  county,  this  state,  daughter  of 
Erasmus  and  Emma  (Brown)  Denham,  both  now  deceased.  The  Professor 
and  his  wife  own  a  house  just  recently  completed  at  Wilberforce.  TJiev  are 
members  of  the  local  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  ever  since 
entering  upon  his  professional  duties  at  Wilberforce  in  189S  the  Professor 
has  had  charge  of  the  musical  part  of  the  vesper  services  at  the  university. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  colored  organization  of  Masons  at  Xenia,  affiliated 
with  the  subordinate  lodge,  the  chapter,  the  commandery  and  with  the  West- 
ern Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Springfield,  and  his  wife  takes  part  in 
the  work  of  the  Eastern  Star  lodse. 


CHARLES  H.  SCOTT. 


Charles  H.  Scott,  caterer  and  manufacturer  and  distributor  of  confec- 
tionary, ice-cream  products  and  soft  drinks  and  one  of  the  best-known  col- 
ored residents  of  the  city  of  Xenia,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township, 
not  far  from  the  city,  a  son  of  John  and  Julia  (Scurry)  Scott,  natives  of 
Tennessee,  who  were  married  in  that  state  and  later  came  up  into  Ohio, 
settling  in  Greene  county,  where  the  father  became  engaged  as  a  farm 
laborer.  John  Scott  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister,  Sallie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years,  and  they  were  members  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

Charles  H.  Scott  received  about  five  years  of  schooling  in  the  public 
schools  as  a  child  and  when  eleven  years  of  age  began  making  his  own  v,ay 
in  the  wcirld,  working  at  such  jobs  as  his  hands  could  find  to  do.  In  i8g6 
he  started  in  as  a  porter  in  the  de])ot  restaurant  at  a  wage  of  three  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  a  week  and  his  board  and  later  took  charge  of  the  dining 
room.  Tt  was  in  that  same  restaurant  that  Thomas  Taggart,  former  United 
States  senator  from  Indiana',  also  worked  when  a  boy.  In  the  year  just 
named  Charles  H.  Scott  married  and  he  and  his  wife  decided  to  start  out 
"on  their  own"  instead  of  working  for  others.  With  this  end  in  view  thev 
opened  a  small  ice-cream  "parlor,"  making  their  own  ice  cream  in  a  hand- 
freezer,  and  it  was  not  long  until  they  found  themselves  on  the  way  to  the 
creation  of  a  real  business  in  the  city  of  Xenia.     In  1900  Mr.  Scott  located 


960  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

in  his  present  quarters  at  412-14  East  Main  street,  rebuilt  and  remodeled  the 
same,  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  business  there,  three  auto  deliveries 
now  being  required  to  cover  the  field  of  trade  he  has  built  up.  He  and  his 
wife  also  make  a  specialty  of  catering  to  fashionalMe  parties.  In  addition  to 
his  business  house  and  residence  in  Xenia  Mr.  Scott  owns  a  farm  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  in  Spring  Valley  township,  besides  residence  property 
in  the  city. 

In  1896  Charles  H.  Scott  was  united  in  marriage  to  Florence  E.  Rus- 
sell, who  was  born  in  Xenia,  daughter  of  Levi  and  Ella  Russell,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  daugh- 
ter, Gladys,  born  in  1897,  who  was  graduated  from  the  Central  high  school 
at  Xenia  and  is  now  attending  the  University  of  Illinois,  where  she  is  taking 
special  courses  in  household  science  and  in  languages  and  who  waS'  the  first 
colored  girl  ever  given  a  place  on  the  honor  list  of  that  university.  The 
Scotts  are  members  of  the  First  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Xenia  and  Mr.  Scott  is  one  of  the  stewards  of  the  same.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican and,  fraternally,  is  affiliated  with  the  local  lodge  of  colored  Masons. 


REV.  SAMUEL  THOMAS  MITCHELL.  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 

When  the  historian  of  the  future  comes  to  make  up  the  record  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  W'ilberforce  he  will  perforce  need  to  reserve  space 
for  a  review  of  the  life  and  works  of  the  late  Rev.  Samuel  Thomas  Mitchell, 
who  for  a  period  of  si.xteen  years  served  as  president  of  that  institution  and 
who  while  thus  engaged  rendered  an  inestimable  service  in  behalf  of  the 
race  which  he  thus  so  unselfishly,  devotedly  and  ably  represented  in  its  highest 
aspect.  Not  only  was  Doctor  Mitchell  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading 
Negro  educators  of  the  world,  but  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  he  took  high 
rank  and  in  the  councils  of  his  church  was  long  recognized  as  one  of  the 
foremost  figures  there,  his  work  as  an  intellectual  and  moral  educator  being 
so  closely  interwoven  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  speak  of  one  witln 
the  other.  Compelled,  in  June,  1900,  on  account  of  failing  health,  to  resign 
the  presidency  of  the  educational  institution  to  which  he  had  so  long  and  so 
untiringly  devoted  the  best  energies  of  his  mind,  of  his  heart  and  of  his 
body.  Doctor  Mitchell  did  not  long  survive,  his  death  occurring  at  Wilber- 
force  on  April   10,   1901,  and  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  at  Cedarville. 

Samuel  Thomas  Mitchell  was  born  in  the  city  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 24,  185 1,  a  son  of  William  and  Xancy  A.  Mitchell,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  the  state  of  N'orth  Carolina.  William  Mitchell  was  a  freeman 
and  was  on  his  way  from  the  South  to  Canada,  where  he  hoped  to  secure 
a  degree  of  recognition  that  was  denied  him  in  his  native  state,  but  upon 


REV.  SAMUEL  T.  MITCHELL,  A.  M.,  LL.  D. 


1 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  961 

reaching  Toledo  found  conditions  there  favorable  to  his  location  and  he  stopped 
in  that  city,  for  several  years  thereafter  being  there  engaged  working 
at  his  trade,  later  moving  to  Cincinnati  and  thence  to  Indiana,  where  his  last 
days  were  spent.  His  widow  later  became  a  resident  of  \Vilberforce,  keep- 
ing house  for  her  sons  while  they  were  attending  the  university,  the  family 
occupying  the  old  brick  mansion  which  is  now  occupied  by  the  students  of 
the  theological  seminary,  and  there  she  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life.  Will- 
iam Mitchell  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  subject 
of  this  memorial  sketch  was  the  last-born.  The  eldest  son,  the  Rev.  John 
G.  Mitchell,  for  years  one  of  the  foremost  clergymen  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  was  a  graduate  of  Oberlin  College  and  during  the  time 
his  brother.  Doctor  Mitchell,  was  president  of  Wilberforce  University  was 
dean  of  the  Payne  Theological  Seminary  of  that  institution,  and  in  his  time 
occupied  some  of  the  most  influential  pastorates  in  his  communion,  for  some 
time  pastor  of  a  church  at  Pittsburgh  and  later,  of  the  Metropolitan  church 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 

Having  been  but  a  child  when  his  parents  moved  from  Toledo  to  Cin- 
cinnati, Samuel  Thomas  Mitchell  received  his  first  schooling  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  latter  city  and  was  fourteen  years  of  age  when  in  1865  he 
accompanied  his  mother  to  Wilberforce,  where  he  grew  to  manhood,  a  student 
in  the  university,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1873  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  Two  years  later  he  was  licensed  by  the  African  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  to  preach;  in  1881,  received  from  his  ohiia  luatcr  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and  in  1889  received  from  the  Kentucky  State 
University  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  Even  while  pursuing  his  studies 
in  the  university  Doctor  Mitchell  had  earned  the  right  to  teach  and  during 
the  closing  semesters  of  his  course  there  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  the 
lower  classes.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  he  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in 
the  colored  schools  at  Wilmington,  in  the  neighboring  county  of  Clinton,  and 
was  thus  engaged  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  called  to 
accept  the  principalship  of  Lincoln  Institute,  a  state  school  for  colored  pupils 
at  Jefiferson  City,  IMissouri.  For  three  years  he  occupied  that  position  and 
then  returned  to  Ohio  to  accept  the  position  of  principal  of  the  colored 
schools  at  Springfield,  which  position  he  occupied  for  five  years,  or  until 
1884,  when  he  was  elected  president  of  Wilberforce  University  and  thus 
entered  upon  a  new  period  of  service  in  behalf  of  his  beloved  alma  uiatcr. 
'Jlie  history  of  Doctor  Mitchell's  service  as  president  of  Wilberforce  does 
not  need  to  be  told  here.  It  is  a  part  of  the  unchangeable  history  of  the 
university  and  is  also  written  on  the  hearts  of  that  great  multitude  of  stu- 
dents who  came  under  the  influence  of  his  personality  during  the  period 

(60) 


962  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  his  service  there.  It  is  but  proper  to  say,  however,  that  during  Doctor 
Mitchell's  presidency  Wilberforce  witnessed  its  greatest  growth,  its  capacity 
being  largely  increased  and  the  scope  of  its  activities  greatly  extended.  It 
was  during  that  period  that  the  military  department  of  the  university  was 
inaugurated  and  it  was  also  due  to  the  Doctor's  well-directed  efforts  that 
the  state  by  legislative  enactment  inaugurated  here  the  Combined  Normal  and 
Industrial  Department  which  has  done  so  much  to  widen  the  influence  and 
the  efficiency  of  the  university.  Doctor  Mitchell  was  an  able  organizer  as 
well  as  a  ripe  scholar.  In  1884  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  general  conference 
of  his  church  at  Baltimore  and  was  the  author  of  the  measure  which  led  to 
the  inauguration  of  Endowment  Day  and  the  eft'ective  general  educational 
scheme  under  which  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  has  since  carried 
on  its  aid  to  schools.  He  was  for  years  one  of  the  most  active  and  iniluential 
members  of  the  Colored  National  Teachers  Association,  president  of  the  same 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  during  his  term  of  service  as  principal  of  Lin- 
coln Institute  effected  the  organization  of  the  Missouri  Colored  State  Teach- 
ers Association  and  was  elected  first  president  of  the  same.  During  the 
progress  of  the  Columbian  Exposition  or  World's  Fair  at  Chicago  in  1893 
Doctor  Mitchell  was  one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  educational  congress 
held  there  and  under  his  direction  Wilberforce  University  was  represented 
at  that  exposition,  at  the  New  Orleans  Exposition  and  at  the  Paris  World's 
Fair,  and  received  from  the  Columbian  Exposition  a  special  award  for  excel- 
lence of  methods. 

On  June  24,  1876,  at  Wilberforce,  Dr.  Samuel  Thomas  Mitchell  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Malvina  Fairfax,  who  was  born  in  Fairfax  county, 
Virginia,  daughter  of  Carson  and  Ellen  (Beckley)  Fairfax,  the  former  of 
whom  was  a  slave,  but  the  latter,  a  free  woman,  hence  Mrs.  Mitchell  was 
born  free,  as  was  her  husband.  Carson  Fairfax  came  to  Ohio  with  his  family 
from  Virginia  in  1859  and  located  at  Waynesville,  in  the  neighboring  county 
of  Warren,  later  moving  to  Wilberforce,  where  he  and  his  wife  spent  their 
last  days.  Their  daughter  Malvina  was  but  six  years  of  age  when  they  came 
to  this  state  and  here  she  grew  to  womanhood,  completing  her  schooling  at 
Wilberforce  and  afterward  engaging  in  teaching  school,  continuing  thus 
engaged  for  six  years,  two  years  in  Kentucky,  two  years  at  Wilmington,  this 
state,  and  two  years  at  Wilberforce,  where  she  was  living  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  to  the  young  collegian  who  afterward  became  president  of  Willjer- 
force  University.  To  that  union  were  born  six  children,  namely:  Ethel, 
who  married  Cantwell  Magee  and  is  now  teaching  in  the  state  school  for 
colored  pupils  at  Nashville,  Tennessee ;  Charles  Sumner,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  railroad  service,  making  his  home  at  Cleveland,  this  state:  Pearl,  who 
has  but  recently  finished  a  supervisor's  course  in  music  at  Oberlin  College; 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  *  963 

Bessie,  who,  following  her  graduation  from  Wilberforce  University,  entered 
the  Indiana  State  Normal  School  at  Terre  Haute,  from  which  she  was 
graduated,  later  and  for  six  years  was  engaged  in  teaching  at  Indianapolis 
and  is  now  living  at  home  with  her  mother;  Samuel,  who  makes  his  home 
at  Toledo,  Ohio ;  and  Dr.  O'Neill  Mitchell,  who  studied  dentistry  at  the 
Michigan  State  University  at  Ann  Arbor  and  at  Northwestern  University 
at  Chicago,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Chicago.  After  her  husband's  death  Mrs.  Mitchell  became  matron  of 
Shorter  Hall,  the  girls'  dormitory  at  Wilberforce,  and  when  Emery"  Hall 
was  erected  became  matron  of  that  new  dormitory  and  so  continued  until 
S.  T.  Mitchell  Hall  was  completed,  the  same  being  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  her  late  husband,  when  she  was  matron  of  that  hall  and  is  still  thus 
engaged.  Mrs.  Mitchell  has  done  much  for  the  institution  to  whose  interests 
she  has  been  devoted  since  the  days  of  her  girlhood  and  whose  develop- 
ment she  has  watched  almost  from  the  davs  of  its  besfinning-. 


JORDAN  ROBB. 

Jordan  Robb,  a  retired  merchant  of  Xenia,  who  is  now  engaged  in 
truck  farming  on  a  tract  of  land  in  the  corporation  limits  of  that  city,  is  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  but  has  been  a  resident  of  Xenia  since  the  days  of  his 
boyhood.  He  was  born  in  the  hills  of  eastern  Tennessee  on  March  15,  1855, 
son  of  Alfred  Robb  and  his  wife  Maria,  the  latter  of  whom  was  a  light- 
colored  mulatto  woman. 

Col.  Alfred  Robb  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  a  typical  mountaineer,  six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  who  had  been  admitted  to  the  bar  and  was 
just  beginning  to  practice  law  at  Clarksville,  Tennessee,  when  the  Civil  War 
broke  out.  He  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Tenth  Tennessee  Regiment 
of  the  Confederate  army,  known  as  "the  Irish  Regiment,"  and  was  killed 
while  in  command  of  the  same  at  the  battle  of  Ft.  Donnelson  in  1862.  He 
was  a  Catholic  and  his  wife  was  a  Methodist. 

Jordan  Robb  was  seven  years  of  age  when  his  father  was  killed  in 
battle.  When  his  father's  estate  was  adjusted  he  was  sent  to  Chicago  in 
charge  of  a  freedman  named  Thornton  Johnson,  an  old  servant  of  the  Con- 
federate General  Johnson,  who  had  freed  him,  the  old  servant  being  en- 
trusted with  the  boy's  share  of  the  estate  with  instructions  to  take  care  of 
him  until  he  came  to  a  more  understanding  age,  and  the  lad  lived  with 
Thornton  Johnson  until  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  when  he  ran  away, 
leaving  whatever  money  eventually  might  have  come  to  him,  and  started  out 
to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world,  presently  making  his  wav  to  Xenia. 
When  sixteen  years  of  age,  a  red-headed,  ragged,  unlettered  boy,  he  came  to 


964  *  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

the  notice  of  William  Reid,  uncle  of  Whitelaw  Reid,  who  was  looking  for 
a  boy  to  help  about  the  house  and  he  was  taken  into  the  Reid  household. 
This  was  the  turning  point  in  the  life  of  Jordan  Robb.  The  Reids  treated 
him  well,  gave  him  right  ideas  of  religion  and  morality,  taught  him  to  read 
and  write  and  generally  put  him  on  the  right  path,  opening  the  way  for  a 
better  condition  in  life  than  he  otherwise  might  dared  to  have  hoped  for. 
After  about  three  years  spent  with  the  Reids  he  enlisted  in  the  regular  army, 
with  a  view  of  becoming  a  soldier,  but  six  weeks  later  it  was  discovered  that 
he  was  under  eighteen  years  of  age  when-  he  had  enlisted  and  he  was  dis- 
charged. In  the  meantime  he  had  been  developing  a  natural  taste  for  mechan- 
ics and  when  he  came  home  from  his  little  jaunt  in  the  army  J.  B.  Fleming  em- 
ployed him  in  his  tanning  shop,  starting  him  at  a  wage  of  fifty  cents  a  day, 
and  he  remained  in  that  shop  for  eight  years.  He  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Shawnee  Agricultural  Machine  Company  and  was  for  seven 
years  emploj^ed  there.  He  then  was  made  mechanical  foreman  of  the 
Forsythe  saw-mill  at  Xenia  and  was  thus  engaged  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  bought  from  C.  E.  Hall  a  grocery  store  on  East  Church 
street  and,  he  having  meanwhile  married,  operated  the  grocery  with  the 
help  of  his  wife  until  the  latter  died.  Mr.  Robb  continued  in  the  grocery 
business  for  thirty  vears,  or  until  191 5,  in  which  year  he  sold  his  store  and 
bought  a  tract  of  ten  acres  within  the  corporate  limits  of  Xenia.  where  he 
has  since  been  engaged  in  truck-gardening.  In  1898  he  built  a  house  at  525 
East  Market  street  and  still  lives  there.  Mr.  Robb  is  a  Republican,  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  county  visiting  committee  and  for  the  past  ten 
years  as  a  member  of  the  Xenia  board  of  health,  and  in  the  spring  of  191 5 
was  elected  one  of  the  members  of  the  committee  of  fifteen  chosen  to  draft 
the  new  city  charter,  which  later  was  adopted  preparatorv'  to  the  city  enter- 
ing upon  a  new  administrative  era  under  a  commission  form  of  government. 
Jordan  Robb  has  been  twice  married.  On  October  12.  1878,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Lizzie  Collins,  who  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  daughter 
of  James  and  Nancy  Collins,  the  former  of  whom  also  was  born  in  Cincin- 
nati and  the  latter,  in  Kentucky,  and  both  of  whom  spent  their  last  days  in 
Xenia.  James  Collins  was  a  ship  carpenter  and  was  for  years  employed  in 
the  United  States  navy  yards.  Mrs.  Lizzie  Robb  died  on  August  5,  1887, 
she  then  being  twenty-nine  years  of  age.  leaving  two  daughters,  Viola  and 
Elizabeth.  On  June  27,  1906,  Mr.  Robb  married  Laura  Virginia  Phelps, 
who  also  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  a  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Anna  Phelps, 
both  now  deceased,  and  who  died  on  January  27,  1915.  without,  issue.  Both 
of  Mr.  Robb's  daughters  were  graduated  from  the  Xenia  high  school  and 
the  elder,  Viola,  later  was  graduated  from  Drexel  Institute  in  Philadelphia, 
where  she  took  bookkeeping  and  millinery.     She  married   Christopher  An- 


GREENE   COUNTY,    OHIO  965 

derson  and  still  lives  in  Xenia.  The  younger  daughter,  Margaret,  was  grad- 
uated in  dressmaking  from  the  Young  Woman's  Christian  Association 
School  at  Cleveland.  She  married  Raymond  Borden,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
plumbing  business  in  Xenia,  and  she  and  her  husband  make  their  home  with 
her  father  on  East  Market  street. 


PROF.  THOMAS  H.  JACKSON,  D.  D. 

Prof.  Thomas  H.  Jackson,  D.  D.,  chair  of  introduction  and  practical 
theology,  Payne  Theological  Seminary,  Wilberforce  University,  and  a  col- 
ored writer  of  more  than  local  note,  was  torn  in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love, 
reared  in  X^ew  Orleans  and  Louisville,  early  turned  his  attention  to  the 
acquisition  of  learning,  finished  his  schooling  at  Wilberforce  University,  a 
member  of  the  first  class  graduated  from  that  institution,  became  a  minister 
of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  later  and  for  years  rendered 
service  in  the  cause  of  education  as  president  of  Shorter  College  at  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas,  and  in  1912  returned  to  Wilberforce  and  has  since  then 
continued  connected  with  his  aliua  )iiatcr.  with  the  faculty  of  which  he  had 
first  become  connected  in  1870,  being  thus  regarded  as  the  oldest  member 
of  the  faculty  in  point  of  service. 

Doctor  Jackson  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  on  March  13,  1844, 
son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Williams)  Jackson,  the  former  of  whom  was 
born  in  Maryland,  one  generation  removed  from  Africa,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  was  of  Pennsylvania-Dutch  extraction,  who  were  the  parents  of  two 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  had  a  sister  who  died  in  infancy. 
George  Jackson  was  a  sailor  and  was  lost  at  sea  when  his  son  Thomas  was 
but  a  babv.  His  widow  survived  him  many  years,  her  death  occurring  at  the 
home  of  her  son,  Doctor  Jackson,  at  Wilberforce,  in  1898,  she  then  being 
sixty-nine  years  of  age.  She  had  moved  from  Philadelphia  to  St.  Louis  in 
1 85 1  and  in  the  latter  city  married  Thomas  Lucas,  a  steward  in  the  river- 
boat  trade,  for  some  time  thereafter  living  in  New  Orleans  and  then  in  East 
St.  Louis  and  in  the  city  of  Louisville.  During  his  residence  in  the  latter 
city  Thomas  Lucas  was  engaged  in  the  river  trade  on  a  boat  plying  between 
Louisville  and  Henderson,  Kentucky,  and  while  thus  engaged  met  his  death 
while  attempting  to  escape  from  a  band  of  the  Ku  Klux  Klan  which  had 
attacked  the  boat  on  which  he  was  serving  as  steward.  He  hid  himself  in 
the  boat's  wheelhouse  and  was  struck  by  one  of  the  wheel's  paddles  and  car- 
ried down  to  his  death.  It  was  during  the  time  of  the  family's  residence  at 
New  Orleans  that  young  Thomas  H.  Jackson,  then  about  eight  years  of  age, 
received  his  introduction  to  letters,  under  the  tutorship  of  a  Mr.  Lawrence,  a 
kindly  white  man,  who  inspired  in  his  breast  a  desire  for  further  learning. 


966  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

He  also  while  in  that  city  received  some  instruction  from  the  Rev.  John  N. 
Brown,  pastor  of  a  local  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  who  later 
became  bishop  of  the  church.  When  the  family  moved  to  Louisville  in  1853 
young  Thomas  Jackson  received  further  instruction  from  William  Gibson, 
who  was  connected  with  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  in 
1856,  when  the  (white)  Methodist  Episcopal  church  opened  the  school  at 
Xenia  which  later  developed  into  Wilberforce  University  he  became  one  of 
the  first  students  of  that  Southern  school  on  Northern  soil,  his  first  in- 
structor there  having  been  Professor  Parker,  the  second  principal  of  the 
school,  and  his  second,  Dr.  Richard  S.  Rust,  later  president  of  the  school, 
and  for  two  terms  he  pursued  his  studies  in  the  school  to  which  students  by 
the  score  had  been  attracted  from  the  South  to  the  free  state  of  Ohio.  He 
then  returned  to  his  home  in  Louisville  and  became  engaged  working  on  the 
steamboats  plying  between  Louisville  and  New  Orleans,  and  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  1864,  when,  he  then  being  twenty  years  of  age,  he  re-entered 
Wilberforce  University,  which  the  year  before  had  passed  into  the  posses- 
sion of  and  under  the  control  of  colored  men,  and  was  thus  a  student  there 
when  a  year  later,  on  the  very  day  of  the  assassination  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
the  school  building  was  destroyed  by  fire.  This  disaster  so  seriously  inter- 
rupted the  work  of  the  school  that  it  was  not  until  1870  that  the  class  of 
which  young  Jackson  was  a  member,  the  first  class  graduated  from  Wilber- 
force, was  enabled  to  complete  its  course.  There  were  but  three  members 
in  that  class,  Doctor  Jackson,  John  T.  Jenifer  and  Isaiah  Welsh,  the  latter  of 
whom  is  now  deceased.  Upon  receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Jackson  was 
ordained  a  deacon  in  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  a  year 
later  was  made  instructor  in  Helirew,  theology  and  homiletics  in  Wilberforce 
University,  remaining  thus  connected  until  1873,  when  he  accepted  a  call  to 
the  pastorate  of  a  church  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  In  1884  Doctor 
Jackson  returned  to  Wilberforce  and  resumed  his  former  position  as  teacher 
of  Hebrew,  theology  and  homiletics  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1892,  when 
he  became  engaged  in  college  work  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas.  Two  years 
later  he  accepted  tlie  presidency  of  Shorter  College  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas, 
which  position  he  occupied  from  1895  to  1904,  in  which  latter  year  he  was 
made  dean  of  the  theological  department  of  that  college  and  continued  thus 
engaged  until  his  election  in  191 2  to  the  chair  of  introduction  and  practical 
theology  in  the  Payne  Theological  Seminary  of  Wilberforce  University. 
The  Doctor  accepted  that  call  and  has  since  been  thus  connected  with  his 
ahita  mater.  Doctor  Jackson  has  written  on  a  wide  variety  of  subjects,  a 
contributor  to  theological  magazines  and  church  papers,  and  has  published 
pamplilets,  including  one  on  "Will"  and  one  on  the  "Life  and  Labors  of 
Bishop  Payne."     He  is  the  owner  of  property  both  at  Wilberforce  and  at 


GREENE    COUXTV,    OHIO  '  967 

Little  Rock.  The  Doctor  ranks  high  among  colored  Masons  and  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  for  years  was  the  grand  chaplain  of  the  latter  order  in  the  state  of 
Ohio,  as  well  as  master  for  the  third  district,  and  while  living  at  Little  Rock 
helped  materially  in  the  erection  of  the  colored  Masonic  temple  in  that  city. 
Doctor  Jackson  has  been  twice  married.  On  the  evening  of  the 
day  of  June,  1870,  on  which  he  was  graduated  from  Wilberforce  University, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Julia  Frances  Early,  of  St.  Louis,  who  had  also 
been  attending  the  university.  To  that  union  were  born  two  daughters,  the 
late  Elizabeth  Louisa  Jackson,  who  was  graduated  from  Wilberforce  Uni- 
versity and  was  later  elected  principal  of  the  female  department  there,  and 
Julia  Edna,  also  now  deceased.  The  mother  of  these  daughters  died  in 
1896  and  in  December,  1897,  Doctor  Jackson  married  Susan  Pattillo,  who 
was  born  in  Arkansas  and  who  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  graduated 
from  the  colored  high  school  at  Little  Rock,  later  teaching  in  Shorter  College 
and  later  attending  and  graduating  from  Wilberforce  University.  To  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born,  Thomas  Henry,  Jr.,  bom  in  "September, 
1 90 1,  now  (1918)  a  senior  in  the  academic  department  of  Wilberforce  Llni- 
versjty,  and  Geraldine  Edith,  who  was  graduated  from  the  classical  depart- 
ment.of  the  university  in  191 8. 


PROF.  DTTDLEY  W.  WOODARD,  Sc.  M. 

Prof.  Dudley  W.  Woodard,  head  of  the  department  of  mathematics  at 
Wilberforce  University  and  a  charter  member  of  the  American  ^^lathematical 
Society,  has  been  engaged  in  educational  work  ever  since  his  graduation 
from  Wilberforce  in  1903,  one  of  the  strong  and  growing  force  of  Negro 
educators  in  this  country.  He  was  born  in  the  city,  of  Galveston,  Texas,  son 
and  only  child  of  Dudley  and  Geneva  (Anderson)  Woodard,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  that  same  city,  but  who  are  now  living  at  Austin,  Texas,  where 
the  former  is  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business.  They  are  members  of 
the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  son  was  reared  in  that 
faith. 

Following  his  graduation  from  high  school  at  Galveston  in  1899  Dud- 
ley W.  Woodard  entered  Wilberforce  University  and  was  graduated  from 
that  institution  in  1^3  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science.  He  then 
returned  to  Galveston  and  during  the  two  years  following,  1903-05,  was 
there  engaged  in  high-school  work,  a  teacher  of  mathematics.  Following 
this  practical  experience  he  entered  the  University  of  Chicago  and  in  1906 
was  graduated  from  that  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science, 
the  same  university  the  next  year  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Science.     In  1907  Professor  Woodard  was  called  to  Tuskegee  Institute 


968  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

at  Tuskegee,  Alabama,  to  take  charge  of  the  department  of  Mathematics  of 
that  institution  and  was  thus  engaged  there  for  seven  years,  or  until  the 
spring  of  19 14,  when  he  accepted  the  call  to  enter  upon  a  similar  service  in 
behalf  of  W'ilberforce  University,  where  he  ever  since  has  been  thus  engaged. 
Professor  \\'oodard  is  a  charter  member  of  the  American  Mathematical 
Society,  a  learned  association  whose  object  is  to  encourage  and  maintain  an 
active  interest  in  and  to  promote  the  advancement  of  mathematical  science. 
In  191 1  he  published  a  text-book,  "Practical  Arithmetic."  and  he  also  is  a 
frequent  contributor  to  educational  journals. 

On  August  4,  1908,  at  Tuskegee,  Prof.  Dudley  \\\  Woodard  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Gertrude  Hadnott,  who  was  born  in  Alabama,  was  graduated 
from  Fiske  University  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  was  teaching  at  Tuskegee 
Institute  when  Professor  Woodard  met  her,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has 
been  born,  a  son,  Dudley  H.,  born  on  June  29,  1909.  Professor  Woodard 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at 
Wilberforce. 


REV.  THEOPHILUS  GOULD   STEWARD  AND   S.   MARIA  . 
STEWARD,  M.  D. 

In  the  varied  activities  of  Wilberforce  University  there  are  few  more 
prominent  factors  or  more  popular  individuals  than  the  Rev.  Theophilus 
Gould  Steward,  chaplain  and  vice-president  of  the  university  and  pastor  of 
the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Wilberforce,  or  than  was  his 
late  wife.  Dr.  S.  Maria  Steward,  formerly  and  for  years  resident  physician 
and  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  university,  lecturer  on  hygiene  and  physi- 
ology before  the  girls'  classes,  and  who  also  was  engaged  in  general  practice 
in  and  about  Wilberforce.  Doctor  Steward,  who  died  on  March  7,  19 18, 
had  been  a  resident  of  Wilberforce  ever  since  1898,  having  located  there 
when  her  husband  went  to  the  Philippines  as  chaplain  of  the  regiment  which 
he  had  served  in  that  capacity  since  the  days"  of  President  Harrison's  admin- 
istration, and  Chaplain  Steward  has  been  stationed  at  Wilberforce  since  1907, 
when  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  faculty,  professor  of  history  and  languages, 
later  being  elected  vice-president  of  the  institution.  Chaplain  Steward  has 
a  pleasant  home,  "Oakview."  on  the  Columbus  pike,  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  university. 

The  Rev.  Theophilus  Gould  Steward,  more  familiarly  known  localh-  as 
Chaplain  Steward,  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  born  at  Gouldtown,  in  Cum- 
berland county,  that  state,  April  17,  1843,  son  of  James  and  Rebecca  (Gould) 
Steward,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  vicinity  and  the  latter  of 
whom  died  in   1877  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven  years,  the   former  surviving 


i 


I 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  969 

until  1892,  he  being  past  seventy-seven  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  iiis  death. 
James  Steward  for  thirty  years  was  foreman  of  the  finishing  department  of 
the  Cumberland  Nail  and  Iron  Works  at  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey.  Though  a 
man  of  small  education  he  recognized  the  advantages  of  schooling  and  he  and 
his  wife,  the  latter  of  whom  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  days  of  her  young 
womanhood,  instilled  into  the  breasts  of  their  children  a  desire  for  learning 
that  inspired  all  their  after  lives.  The  parents  were  members  of  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  their  children  were  reared  in  that  faith. 
There  are  six  of  these  children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living,  the  youngest  being 
now  sixty-nine  years  of  age,  and  of  whom  Chaplain  Steward  was  the  fourth 
in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  ^Margaret,  who  married 
I^orenzo  F.  Gould,  farmer,  justice  of  the  peace  and  veteran  of  the  Civil  War, 
and  li^■es  at  Gouldtown,  New  Jersey  ;  William,  who  for  years  has  been  engaged 
in  newspaper  work  at  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey,  a  writer  of  stories  and  a  corre- 
spondent for  metropolitan  newspapers;  Mary,  wife  of  the  Rev.  Theodore 
whose  service  she  draws  a  pension  from  the  government,  and  Stephen  S.,  a 
carpenter,  also  residing  at  Gouldtown.  Chaplain  Steward  knows  little  about 
his  paternal  grandparents,  his  grandmother,  Margaret  Steward,  having  gone 
to  Santo  Domingo  and  with  her  what  records  the  family  had,  but  regard- 
ing the  Goulds,  his  mother's  family,  he  has  a  long  and  interesting  histor)', 
the  Goulds  having  been  represented  at  Gouldtown,  New  Jersey,  ever  since 
the  founding  of  the  colony. 

When  the  English  came  into  possession  of  New  Amsterdam  in  1664 
the  colony  which  the  Dutch  had  settled  at  Bergen  before  1620  came  under 
the  control  of  the  Duke  of  York,  who  finally  made  over  the  whole  to  Sir 
George  Carteret,  from  whose  native  island  of  Jersey  the  provinces  were 
named.  Later,  John  Fenwick,  styled  knight  and  baronet,  second  son  of 
Sir  William  Fenwick,  baronet,  representative  from  the  county  of  North- 
umberland in  the  last  parliament  under  the  Commonwealth,  came  into  pos- 
session of  a  considerable  tract  of  this  land  in  the  south  part  of  New  Jersey, 
chartered  a  ship  and  with  his  children  and  their  families  and  effects  sailed 
for  the  colonies.  Fenwick's  wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir  Walter 
Covert,  of  Sussex,  and  among  their  children  was  a  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
who  had  married  John  Adams,  a  weaver,  who  with  his  wife  and  three  children 
(one,  a  daughter  Elizabeth)  formed  a  part  of  the  new  colony,  which  in  1675 
settled  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Delaware  river.  Johnson's  "History  of 
Fenwick's  Colony,"  written  in  1835,  says:  "Among  the  numerous  troubles 
and  vexations  which  assailed  Fenwick.  none  appears  to  have  distressed  him 
more  than  the  conduct  of  his  granddaughter,  ElizalDeth  Adams,  who  had 
attached  herself  to  a  citizen  of  color.  By  his  will  he  deprived  her  of  anv 
share  in  his  estate  'unless  the  Lord  open  her  eyes  to  see  her  abominable  trans- 


97°  GREENE    COUNTY,   .OHIO 

gression  against  him,  me  and  her  good  father,  by  giving  her  true  repentence 
and  forsaking  that  Black  which  hath  been  the  ruin  of  her  and  become  peni- 
tent for  her  sins.'  From  this  connection  has  sprung  the  families  of  the 
Goulds,  at  a  settlement  called  Gouldtown,  in  Cumberland  county."  Further 
on  the  same  historian  says :  "Elizabeth  Adams  had  formed  a  connection 
with  a  Negro  man  whose  name  was  Gould."  Elizabeth  Adams,  grand- 
daughter of  Fenwick,  had  five  children  by  Gould,  one  of  whom  was  a  son 
named  Levi.  Three  died  young.  All  trace  of  Levi  has  been  lost.  The 
other  son.  Benjamin  Gould,  was  the  founder  of  Gouldtown  and  the  founder 
of  the  family  with  which  Chaplain  Steward  is  connected  throtigh  the  maternal 
line.  It  is  quite  probable  that  when  Benjamin  Gould  grew  up  there  were 
no  women  of  his  own  color  in  the  settlement  with  whom  he  could  have 
associated  had  he  desired  to  do  so.  In  1627  Swedes  and  Finns  had  settled 
on  the  Delaware,  regarding  that  country  as  part  of  the  province  of  New 
Sweden,  and  upon  Fenwick's  arrival  there  were  numerously  represented  in 
what  are  now  the  counties  of  Salem  and  Gloucester,  and  it  is  recorded  that 
Benjamin  Gould  married  a  Finn  by  the  name  of  Ann.  Benjamin  and  Ann 
Gould  had  five  children.  Sarah,  Anthony,  Samuel.  Abijah  and  Elisha.  who, 
it  is  recorded,  were  fair  skinned,  with  blue  eyes  and  light  hair,  the  force 
of  the  mother's  Ugrian  blood  evidently  having  been  dominant  in  this  progeny. 
Abijah  Gould,  born  about  1735,  married  Hannah  Pierce,  who  was  born  in 
1756,  third  daughter  of  Richard  and  Mary  Pierce,  and  the  first-born  son  of 
this  union.  Benjaniin  Gould,  born  in  1779.  married  Phoebe  Bowen,  who 
was  bom  in  178S,  in  Salem  county.  New  Jersey.  Benjamin  Gould  (second) 
died  in  185 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  widow  survived  him  until 
1877,  she  being  eighty-nine  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  Thev 
were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  Oliver,  Tamson.  L\dia  (who  lived  to  the 
great  age  of  one  hundred  and  two  years),  Jane,  Abijah,  Sarah,  Rebecca. 
Phoebe  and  Prudence.  Of  these  children.  Rebecca  Gould,  mother  of  Chap- 
lain Steward,  was  born  on  May  2,  1820.  In  1838  she  married  James  Steward 
and  was  the  mother  of  the  children  noted  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  includ- 
ing Chaplain  Steward.  James  Steward's  parents  had  gone  to  Santo  Domingo 
with  the  Bowyer  expedition  in  1824  and  it  was  known  that  thev  there  became 
engaged  in  coffee  growing,  but  after  a  few  years  nothing  more  was  heard 
of  them  in  this  country.  James  Steward  had  been  indentured  to  a  man 
who  ill-treated  him  so  shamefully  that  before  he  was  nine  vears  of  age  he 
ran  away  and  found  shelter  in  the  household  of  Elijah  Gould  at  Gouldtown. 
where  he  was  reared,  later  marrying  Rebecca  Gould,  as  set  out  above. 

Chaplain  Steward  received  excellent  scholastic  training  for  the  minis- 
terial duties  he  has  so  long  and  so  faithfully  performed.  Upon  complet- 
ing the  course  in  the  local  schools  at  Bridgeton  he  for  two  terms  taught 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  gj I 

school.  He  early  liad  turned  his  attention  to  the  ministry  and  in  due  time 
was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
held  local  charges.  During  the  reconstruction  period  following  the  Civil 
War,  1865-71,  he  labored  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  and  after  some 
further  service  entered  the  West  Philadelphia  Divinity  School,  associated 
with  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  was  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution at  the  head  of  his  class  in  1S80,  afterward  being  given  charges  in 
Brooklyn,  Philadelphia  and  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  had  charge  of  a 
church  in  Baltimore  when,  in  1891,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Harrison 
chaplain  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Regiment,  United  States  Infantry.  For  seven 
years  thereafter  Chaplain  Steward  was  stationed  with  his  regiment  in  ^Ion- 
tana  and  then,  in  1899,  went  with  that  regiment  to  the  Philippines,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  with  the 
regiment  and  for  some  time  thereafter  was  stationed  at  Niobrara,  in  Nebraska, 
later  being  stationed  at  Laredo.  Texas,  in  which  latter  post  he  was  serving 
when  retired  in  1907.  After  a  trip  to  the  City  of  Mexico  he  returned  to 
Wilber force,  where  his  wife  had  installed  her  home  upon  his  departure  for 
the  Philippines,  and  at  once  was  made  instructor  in  history  and  languages 
in  the  university,  two  years  later  being  made  vice-president  of  the  university, 
which  latter  position  he  still  occupies,  as  well  as  serving  as  pastor  of  the  local 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Chaplain  Steward  has  published  sev- 
eral books,  including  "The  Haitian  Revolution,  1791  to  1804,"  "Genesis 
Re-read"  and  "Death,  Hades  and  the  Resurrection."  In  1909  and  again  in 
191 1  he  and  his  wife  made  trips  to  Europe,  in  the  latter  year  both  the  Chaplain 
and  his  wife  being  representatives  from  the  African  Methodist  Church  in 
America  to  the  Inter-racial  Congress  held  in  London  in  that  year,  both  hav- 
ing places  on  the  program  of  the  meetings  scheduled  for  that  occasion. 

Chaplain  Steward  has  been  twice  married.  On  January  i,  1866,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Elizabeth  Gadesden,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
and  to  that  union  were  born  eight  children,  five  of  whom  survive,  namely: 
Dr.  Charles  Steward,  a  dentist,  now  practicing  his  profession  at  Boston; 
Capt.  Frank  R.  Steward,  who  commanded  Company  G,  Forty-ninth  Regi- 
ment, United  States  Infantry,  during  the  Spanish-American  War  and  is 
now  practicing  law  at  Pittsburgh ;  Dr.  Benjamin  Steward,  who  attended 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Minnesota  and  is  at  present 
employed  by  the  United  States  government  as  assistant  inspector  in  the 
Chicago  stock  yards;  Prof.'  Theophilus  B.  Steward,  instructor  in  English 
in  the  Lincoln  high  school  at  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  Gustavus  Steward, 
present  secretary  to  Archdeacon  Russell,  of  St.  Paul's  (Episcopal)  School 
at  Lawrenceville,  Virginia.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1893.  She 
was  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  free  families  of  Charleston  and  a  woman 


97-  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  exalted  character.  It  is  doubtless  to  her  teaching  and  example  that 
Chaplain  Steward  and  her  sons  now  living  owe  much  of  their  success  in  life. 
Although  of  a  very  affectionate  nature  she  was  nevertheless  endowed  with 
a  large  practical  intellect  and  very  sound  judgment.  Her  family  furnished 
one  brother  alderman  of  the  city  of  Charleston,  one  assistant  postmaster, 
and  another,  a  prosperous  butcher,  who  at  one  time  commanded  a  troop  of 
show  cavalry  composed  of  young  colored  men  of  the  city  who  furnished 
their  own  horses  and  equipments.  She  is  buried  in  the  Gouldtown  cemetery 
and  over  her  grave  stands  a  beautiful  shaft  on  which  is  inscribed  the  just 
encomium:  "The  model  wife  and  mother."  On  November  27,  1896,  Chap- 
lain Steward  married  Dr.  Susan  Maria  (Smith)  McKinney,  widow  of  the 
Rev.  William  G.  McKinney,  an  Episcopal  minister  at  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  the  mother  of  two  children,  the  Rev.  William  S.  McKinney,  a 
recently  ordained  minister  of  the  Episcopal  church,  now  a  resident  of  Jamaica, 
Long  Island,  and  Mrs.  Anna  Maria  Holly,  now  a  teacher  in  public  school 
No.  109  at  Brooklyn,  New  York.  Mrs.  Holly  was  graduated  from  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Brooklyn  and  later  entered  Pratt  Institute  in  that  city,  where 
she  took  the  full  course,  being  the  first  colored  graduate  of  the  high  school 
department  of  that  institution. 

Dr.  S.  Maria  Steward,  who,  as  noted  above,  died  at  her  home  at  Wilber- 
force  in  the  spring  of  1918,  was  one  of  the  best-known  women  of  her  race 
in  the  United  States,  and  for  years  exerted  a  remarkable  influence  for  good 
in  and  about  W'ilberforce,  where  she  had  been  practicing  her  profession 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  since  1898,  resident  physician  at  the  uni- 
versity since  1907  and  a  member  of  the  faculty,  giving  lectures  on  hygiene 
and  physiology  to  the  girls.  She  was  born  at  Brooklyn,  New  York,  daughter 
of  Sylvanus  and  Ann  Elizabeth  ( Springsteel)  Smith,  the  latter  of  whom  also 
was  born  in  Brooklvti  and  the  former,  at  Little  Neck,  Long  Island,  and  who 
were  the  parents  of  five  daughters.  Doctor  Steward  having  had  four  sisters, 
the  late  Mrs.  S.  J.  S.  Garnet,  who  for  years  was  principal  of  one  of  the  public 
.schools  of  Greater  New  York;  the  late  ]\Irs.  Emma  Thomas,  who  also  was 
a  teacher;  Mrs.  Clara  T.  S.  Brown,  a  successful  teacher  of  music  in  Brooklyn, 
and  Miss  ]\Iarv  Smith,  who  became  quite  successful  in  business.  Doctor 
Steward  was  given  excellent  educational  adxantages  in  the  days  of  her  girl- 
hood in  Brooklyn  and  upon  completing  a  normal  course  I:)ecame  engaged 
as  a  teacher  at  Washington.  D.  C.  In  the  meantime  she  had  been  devoting  iier 
leisure  to  the  studv  of  medicine  and  two  years  later  entered  the  New  York 
Medical  College,  from  which  she  was  graduated  in  1870,  valedictorian  of 
her  class.  She  later  attended  clinics  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  in  the  meantime 
engaging  in  practice  in  Brooklyn,  and  in  1878  took  a  post-graduate  course  in 
the  Long  Island  Hospital  and  College.    After  her  first  marriage  she  continued 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  '  9/3 

in  practice  in  Brooklyn,  her  practice  not  being  limited  by  color  or  creed. 
She  was  a  member  of  the  Kings  County  Homeopathic  Society  and  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Society.  In  addition  to  her  knowledge  of  medi- 
cine. Doctor  Steward  was  also  a  musician  of  skill  and  for  twenty-eight  years 
serxed  as  organist  of  the  Bridge  Street  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  for  two  years,  of  the  Bethany  Baptist  church.  Her  removal  from  Brook- 
lyn was  the  outcome  of  her  marriage  to  Chaplain  Steward.  After  that  mar- 
riage in  1896  she  was  for  a  time  stationed  with  the  Chaplain  in  the  W^est 
and  in  1898,  when  it  became  known  that  he  would  have  to  go  with  his  regi- 
ment to  the  Philippines,  she  located  at  Wilberforce,  where  she  resumed  the 
practice  of  her  profession  and  was  thus  engaged  there  until  her  husband's 
return  in  1902,  when  she  rejoined  him  and  was  with  him  in  Western  army 
posts,  still  practicing,  howexer,  until  his  retirement  and  return  to  Wilberforce 
in  1907.  Upon  her  return  to  Wilberforce  she  resumed  her  practice  and  in 
that  same  year  was  made  resident  physician  and  member  of  the  faculty  of  the 
university,  both  she  and  her  husband  thus  devoting  their  energies  to  that  insti- 
tution. In  addition  to  her  membership  in  the  New  York  medical  societies 
noted  above.  Doctor  Steward  was  a  member  of  the  Ohio  State  Medical  Society. 
She  took  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Red  Cross  Society  and  of  the 
^\'oman's  Christian  Temperance  Union  and  proved  a  strong  force  for  good 
among  the  young  women  of  the  university  community.  She  had  written  and 
read  numerous  papers  before  the  various  medical  societies  with  which  she 
was  affiliated;  in  191 1  read  a  paper  on  "Colored  Women  in  America"  before 
the  Inter-racial  Congress  held  in  London  in  that  year,  and  in  1914  read  a 
paper,  "Woman  in  Medicine,"  before  the  meeting  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Colored  Women's  Clubs  at  Wilberforce.  This  latter  paper  was  pub- 
lished in  pamphlet  form  and  has  had  wide  circulation.  She  was  buried  in 
Greenwood  cemeterv,  Brooklvn.  New  York. 


JOHN  JACKSON  TURNER. 

John  Jackson  Turner,  proprietor  of  "Turner's  Dairy  and  Stock  Farm" 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Wilberforce  and  one  of  Greene  county's  colored 
farmers  and  stockmen,  is  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  but  has  been  a 
resident  of  Ohio  and  of  Greene  county  for  the  past  twenty  years  and  more, 
having  come  here  in  order  that  his  children  might  have  the  benefit  of  the 
educational  advantages  offered  by  Wilberforce  University  in  behalf  of  the 
young  people  of  his  race.  He  was  born  in  slavery  on  the  Haines  plantation 
in  the  vicinity  of  Richmond,  county  seat  of  Madison  county,  Kentucky, 
February  27,  1855,  son  of  Cyrus  and  Esther  (Haines)  Turner,  both  of  whom 
also  were  born  in  slavery  on  that  same  plantation  and  the  former  of  whom 


974  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

spent  all  his  life  there,  his  death  occurring  in  1907,  he  then  being  seventy- 
five  years  of  age.  His  widow  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of  Richmond, 
Kentucky,  and  is  past  eighty-four  years  o£  age.  During  the  Civil  War  Cyrus 
Turner  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  and  for  years  before  his  death  re- 
ceived a  pension  from  the  government,  his  widow  continuing  in  receipt  of  a 
pension  granted  for  that  service.  After  the  war  Cyrus  Turner  continued 
to  make  his  home  on  the  Haines  plantation,  a  place  of  fifteen  hundred  acres 
of  blue-grass  land  owned  by  the  Misses  Katie  and  Margaret  Haines,  the 
survivor  of  whom  left  at  her  death  a  legacy  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
apiece  to  Cyrus  Turner  and  his  wife  and  each  of  their  then  nine  living  chil- 
dren. Cyrus  Turner  and  his  wife  were  Baptists  and  their  children  were 
reared  in  that  faith.  There  were  ten  of  these  children,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  having  had  one  brother  and  eight  sisters.  All  of  the  younger  daugh- 
ters attended  nearby  Berea  College. 

Being  the  eldest  in  the  family  of  ten  children  born  to  his  parents.  John 
J.  Turner  was  required  to  work  hard  in  the  days  of  his  youth  and  thus  did 
not  receiNe  the  educational  advantages  that  were  given  his  younger  sisters, 
although  he  was  able  for  a  while  to  attend  Berea  College.  After  his  marriage 
in  1877  he  continued  to  make  his  home  on  the  Haines  plantation,  helping  to 
work  the  place.  Upon  receiving  the  legacy  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars  above 
referred  to  he  bought  a  part  of  the  Haines  place  and  began  farming  on  his 
own  account,  remaining  there  until  1897,  when  he  sold  his  farm  there  and 
came  to  this  county  with  his  family  and  bought  the  Alton  farm  of  sixty-seven 
acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilberforce.  A  year  later  he  bought  the  Samuel 
Stevenson  farm  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  acres  adjoining  and  later 
bought  the  adjoining  Leffel  farm  of  sixty-five  acres  on  the  Columbus  pike, 
where  he  makes  his  home,  calling  his  place  "Turner's  Dairy  and  Stock 
Farm."  For  ten  years  he  kept  a  herd  of  thirty  dairy  cattle,  but  of  late  years 
has  been  giving  his  special  attention  to  the  buying  and  selling  of  live  stock 
and  hay. 

On  April  5,  1877,  John  J.  Turner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mary 
Eliza  Arthur,  who  was  born  at  Richmond,  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky, 
on  March  28,  1857,  daughter  of  Anderson  and  Sophia  (White)  Arthur,  both 
of  whom  were  born  in  slavery  in  that  same  county  and  there  spent  all  their 
lives,  the  latter  clying  in  August,  1865.  Anderson  Arthur  later  married 
Angeline  Tribble  and  died  in  1877,  he  then  being  sixty-five  years  of  age. 
Sophia  (White)  Arthur,  mother  of  Mrs.  Turner,  was  a  daughter  of  George 
White,  a  slave,  burn  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  who  bought  his  own 
freedom  and  then  in  turn  bought  the  freedom  of  all  of  his  six  children  and 
their  families,  all  then  making  their  home  on  a  bit  of  land  he  had  purchased 
in  the  vicinit\-  of  the  village  of    Cleveland,  in  his  home  countv.     To  folm   J. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  975 

and  Mary  Eliza  (Arthur)  Turner  have  been  born  five  children,  namely: 
Arthur,  who  married  Susan  Harris  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  government 
employ,  an  agent  of  the  agricultural  department  in  the  University  of  Florida 
at  Tallahassee ;  Cyrus,  who  married  Mildred  Burnett,  of  Canada,  and  is  living 
on  a  farm  in  Xenia  township,  this  county ;  Mayme,  who  is  now  teaching  at 
Lewisburg,  West  Virginia:  Pattie  Norine,  wife  of  H.  L.  AUston,  a  landowner 
and  lawyer  at  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  and  Caroline,  who  supplemented 
the  schooling  she  received  at  Wilberforce  by  attendance  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  from  which  latter  institution  she  was  graduated  in  music,  and  is 
now  taking  special  post-graduate  work  at  Fiske  University.  All  of  these 
children  were  graduated  from  Wilberforce  University.  Arthur  Turner  at- 
tended Berea  College.  In  1902  he  completed  a  commercial  course  at  Wilber- 
force University  and  entered  the  dairy  and  live-stock  business  with  his  father. 
Feeling  a  need  of  a  scientific  knowledge  of  the  business,  he  took  a  special 
dairy  course  at  Ohio  State  University  at  Columbus.  The  Turners  are  mem- 
bers of  Zion  Baptist  church  at  Xenia. 


PROF.  BRUCE  H.  GREEN. 

Prof.  Bruce  H.  Green,  chair  of  chemistry  and  physics  at  Wilberforce 
University  and  a  well  qualified  young  X'egro  educator,  has  been  connected 
wtili  the  work  of  the  university  since  1902.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  June  8,  1879,  son  of  Nelson  J.  and  Anna  (Dart) 
Green,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  that  same  state,  in  slavery  days,  and  who 
were  the  parents  of  two  children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  having  a  sister, 
Bessie,  who  is  a  teacher  in  the  state  college  at  Orangeburg,  South  Carolina. 
Nelson  J.  Green  was  for  years  employed  as  an  inspector  in  the  customs  house 
at  Charleston.     He  died  in  1902  and  his  widow  is  still  living  at  Charleston. 

Upon  completing  the  course  in  the  public  schools  of  his  home  city,  Bruce 
H.  Green  entered  Exeter  Academy,  in  New  Hampshire,  and  was  there  pre- 
pared for  college,  receiving  there  a  scholarship  as  a  reward  for  diligence  and 
for  the  high  grade  he  attained  in  his  studies.  He  then  entered  Brown  Uni- 
versity at  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution 
in  1902  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy.  Later  he  took  summer 
courses  of  study  in  the  graduate  school  of  Chicago  University  and  is  still 
working  for  his  Doctor  degree.  During  his  attendance  at  Brown,  Professor 
Green  was  a  member  of  the  'varsity  track  team  and  possesses  some  silver 
cups  won  at  the  broad  jump  and  in  other  forms  of  athletics.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Ivappa  Alpha  Xi  college  fraterniiy. 

In  September,  1902,  following  his  graduation  at  Brown  University,  Pro- 
fessor Green  was  employed  as  a  teacher  at  Wilberforce  University  and  has 


976  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

been  connected  with  that  institution  ever  since.  In  1909  he  was  given  the 
chair  of  chemistry  and  physics  and  still  occupies  that  position.  In  1916,  the 
year  of  his  marriage,  Professor  Green  built  a  house  on  the  Columbus  pike  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  university  and  he  and  his  wife  are  residing  there. 

On  September  6,  1916,  Prof.  Bruce  H.  Green  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Suni  P.  Steele,  who  was  born  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  and  who  was  grad- 
uated from  Wilberforce  University  in  1908.  The  Professor  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


SUPT.  WILLIAM  A.  JOINER. 

The  following  brief  paragraph  of  official  data  presents  in  a  nutshell  the 
essential  details  in  the  career  of  William  A.  Joiner,  superintendent  and  financial 
officer  of  the  Combined  Normal  and  Industrial  Department  of  Wilberforce 
University  and  long  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  forceful  and  energetic 
figures  in  Negro  educational  circles  in  the  United  States:  "S.  B.,  Wilberforce 
University,  1888:  LL.  B.,  Howard  University,  1892:  LL.  M.,  ibid,  1893; 
graduate  Teachers  College,  ibid,  1896;  S.  M.,  Wilberforce  University,  1909; 
graduate  student,  L'niversity  of  Chicago :  instructor  in  Latin,  high  school, 
Washington,  D.  C,  1898-1904;  director,  Teachers  Training  School,  Teachers 
College,  Howard  University,  1904-10;  present  jMsition  since  1910."  But 
there  is  much  that  ought  to  be  told  to  make  complete  the  above  meager  bio- 
graphical details. 

When  Superintendent  Joiner  entered  upon  the  exacting  duties  of  his 
present  important  position  as  superintendent  of  the  Combined  Normal  and 
Industrial  Department  at  Wilberforce  University  in  August,  1910,  he  found 
there  a  most  deplorable  condition.  That  department  had  been  created  by  legis- 
lative enactment  in  1877,  the  Legislature  appropriating  six  thousand  dollars 
annually  for  the  maintenance  of  the  same.  In  1896  a  new  law  made  the 
department  an  entity  under  the  general  jurisdiction  of  the  university,  but 
under  control  of  the  state  acting  through  a  board  of  trustees  the  majority  of 
whom  are  appointed  by  the  governor  and  confirmed  by  the  senate.  Under 
this  system  the  department  struggled  along  with  a  fluctuating  fund  for  main- 
tenance, the  annual  appropriations  depending  upon  the  varying  decision.-^  of 
each  successive  Legislature,  the  average  yearly  appropriation  for  maintenance 
ranging  around  thirty  thousand  dollars :  in  consequence  of  which  the  depart- 
ment had  confessedly  not  been  keeping  up  with  the  expectations  of  those  in 
charge.  When  Superintendent  Joiner  was  put  in  charge  of  the  department 
in  1910  as  superintendent  and  financial  officer  of  the  same  he  discovered  this 
condition  and  at  once  set  about  to  repair  it.  Appropriations  had  gradually 
l>ecome  lower  and  the  standards  of  the  department  had  deteriorated  accord- 


WILLIAM    A.    JOIXKIJ. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  977 

ingly,  so  that  when  Superintendent  Joiner  took  charge  he  found  neither  ade- 
quate books  nor  a  clerk  that  could  give  him  a  proper  insight  into  the  previous 
operation  of  the  department.  On  coming  in  touch  with  the  state  auditor's 
office  he  found  not  only  that  there  were  no  funds  with  which  to  carry  on  the 
department  but  that  there  was  a  deficit  charged  against  it.  Dr.  W.  A. 
Galloway,  of  Xenia,  at  that  time  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  and 
Superintendent  Joiner  and  Doctor  Galloway,  upon  their  own  credit,  arranged 
a  loan  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  with  which  temporarily  to  take  care 
of  the  deficit  and  to  permit  the  new  superintendent  to  inaugurate  the  system 
he  had  in  mind  and  under  the  operation  of  which  there  has  never  since  been  a 
deficit.  Superintendent  Joiner  also  found  the  physical  condition  of  his  plant 
much  run  down,  due  to  long  continued  lack  of  funds,  the  dormitories  and 
school  buildings  out  of  repair  and  the  equipment  wholly  insufficient.  Because 
of  the  unfortunate  physical  conditions  the  school  government  also  was  in  bad 
shape.  Here  was  enough  to  stimulate  the  energies  of  an  even  less  energetic 
man  than  Superintendent  Joiner.  The  latter,  however,  had  his  plans  well  in 
hand  and  he  proceeded  along  the  lines  he  had  outlined  until  presently  he  began 
to  see  order  growing  out  of  chaos  and  in  due  time  he  had  his  department 
well  on  the  way  to  its  present  successful  state  of  operation,  a  matter  of  pride 
on  the  part  of  the  university  and  a  distinct  credit  to  its  superintendent  and 
financial  officer,  whose  success  has  won  for  him  not  only  a  state-wide  but  a 
nation-wide  reputation  as  a  school  administrator. 

When  the  legislative  visitation  committee  reached  Wilberforce  on  its  first 
trip  after  Superintendent  Joiner  had  been  placed  in  charge  of  the  normal  and 
industrial  department,  the  superintendent  had  his  budget  all  ready  for  them, 
showing  in  comprehensive  detail  just  exactly  what  was  necessary  for  the 
proper  maintenance  of  the  department,  each  item  of  prospective  expense  be- 
ing brought  down  to  the  penny.  This  was  something  new  for  the  contempla- 
tion of  the  committee,  previous  demands  having  been  made  in  lump  sums, 
and  careful  inquiry  was  made  into  the  merits  of  budget,  the  superintendent 
being  called  on  to  explain  explicitly  each  item.  This  he  did  so  satisfactorily  that 
the  sub-committee  reported  to  the  committee  on  visitation  with  a  recommenda- 
tion that  every  penny  asked  for  should  be  provided.  The  committee  rejected 
this  report  and  sent  another  sub-committee  of  eight  to  investigate.  This  latter 
committee  concurred  in  the  report  of  its  predecessor,  but  the  main  committee 
was  even  then  unconvinced  and  sent  for  Superintendent  Joiner  to  appear 
personally  before  it  and  explain  on  what  grounds  he  based  what  the  committee 
was  pleased  to  regard  as  a  "ridiculous"  increase  in  the  appropriation  for  his 
department.  The  superintendent  previously  had  placed  in  the  hands  of  each 
member  of  the  committee  a  printed  statement  of  his  grounds  and  when  he  ap- 
peared in  person  to  explain  the  items  therein  his  address  was  so  business-like, 

(6i) 


978  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  so  convincing  in  its  tone  that  the  hearing  ended  by  the  committee 
adopting  the  previous  reports  of  its  sub-committees  and  securing  an  appropria- 
tion of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand  dollars  for  the  succeeding  bien- 
nial period,  this  being  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  state  of  Ohio  that  a 
state  institution  received  exactly  the  amount  asked  for  in  its  appropriation  bill ; 
and  not  only  that,  but  Superintendent  Joiner's  efifective  method  of  itemizing 
his  budget  was  so  highly  commended  by  the  committee  that  afterward  by  legis- 
lative enactment  his  method  was  made  compulsory  upon  all  state  institutions 
in  making  up  their  respective  budgets  for  legislative  appropriations. 

During  the  seven  years  in  which  Sui>erintendent  Joiner  has  been  in  charge 
of  the  normal  and  industrial  department  of  the  university  that  department 
has  received  from  the  state  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  and  the 
wise  and  judicious  use  of  this  fund  has  raised  that  once  badly  depleted  depart- 
ment to  a  plane  where  it  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  efficient 
departments  of  the  kind  in  any  of  the  colored  institutions  of  learning  in  the 
country  and  has  thus  done  much  to  add  to  the  fame  of  Wilberforce.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  Superintendent  Joiner's  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
normal  and  industrial  department  the  entrance  standard  has  been  raised  so  as 
now  to  include  only  high  school  graduates  and  those  of  the  graduates  ask- 
ing for  license  to  teach  are  placed  on  the  standard  of  the  state  accredited  list. 
The  courses  also  have  l^een  reconstructed  so  as  to  give  students  who  go  from 
that  department  to  other  schools  full  credit  for  the  work  done  in  the  former, 
and  the  courses  also  have  been  so  amplified  that  the  student  who  goes  out 
from  the  institution  may  be  reasonably  assured  of  success  in  teaching  or 
in  the  several  departments  of  vocational  training  there  conducted,  such  as 
printing,  '  carpentering,  blacksmithing,  shoemaking,  meclianics  and  the 
like.  Superintendent  Joiner  also  has  established  a  series  of  teachers' 
conferences  in  the  department,  the  object  of  the  same  being  a 
free  and  full  discussion  of  the  needs  of  the  several  branches,  and 
by  this  means  has  created  in  his  staff  an  esprit  dc  corps  that 
has  been  wonderfully  effective  in  securing  that  unity  of  effort  that  has  done  so 
much  to  elevate  the  general  standards  of  that  useful  department,  all  the 
branches  thus  working  together  for  the  common  end  of  giving  the  student 
the  best  possible  preparation  for  the  prospective  work  of  teaching.  The  sup- 
erintendent also  issues  a  series  of  bulletins  setting  forth  the  progress  being 
made  in  the  school  and  by  this  means  keeps  the  alumni  and  other  schools  in 
touch  with  the  work  being  done  there.  Since  taking  charge  he  also  has  kept 
a  complete .  and  permanent  scholarship  record  of  each  pupil  and  has  had 
marked  success  with  the  movement  he  early  inaugurated  for  the  purpose  of 
creating  a  more  genial  relation  between  the  school  and  student  body  and  the 
community  at  large.     It  was  he  who  inaugurated  the  present  well-defined 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  979 

system  of  physical  training  in  the  school  as  well  as  the  system  of  medical  in- 
spection of  students  preparatory  to  their  acceptance  in  the  school,  and  he  also 
established  the  local  hospital  in  connection  with  the  school,  the 
same  having  a  resident  nurse  permanently  attached.  As  another  health 
measure  he  also  secured  the  establishment  of  the  present  modern  waterworks 
system  at  the  school  and  also  installed  a  preceptress  in  charge  of  the  woman's 
department,  with  a  special  charge  to  teach  ethics,  etiquette,  deportment  and  the 
like.  For  the  benefit  of  the  student  teachers  he  has  created  actual  working 
conditions  under  which  they  may  secure  real  experience  as  teachers  of  the 
under  classes  and  has  also  arranged  matters  so  that  the  students  from  differ- 
ent departments  may  have  actual  experience  in  practical  work :  for  example, 
the  printing  classes  do  all  the  printing  required  by  the  university,  such  as 
printing  catalogs,  bulletins  and  the  like,  and  the  classes  in  the  various  build- 
ing and  mechanical  trades  do  similar  practical  work,  the  boys  in  those  classes 
having  actualh'  built  several  of  the  new  buildings  on  the  campus,  five  of  which 
have  been  erected  under  the  administration  of  Superintendent  Joiner,  besides 
a  number  of  cottages  for  the  teachers.  As  a  fitting  final  commentary  on  the 
work  done  at  Wilberforce  by  Superintendent  Joiner,  it  is  notable  that  the  en- 
rollment in  his  department  has  more  than  doubled  under  his  administration. 
He  recently  has  inaugurated  an  extension  department  for  co-operating  with 
the  government  in  food  conservation  by  having  agricultural  co-operation 
with  farmers  in  this  county  in  seed  testing  and  other  aids  to  good  crops. 

William  A.  Joiner  was  born  at  Alton,  Illinois,  son  of  the  Rev.  Edward  C. 
and  Frances  (Badgett)  Joiner,  the  former  of  whom  was  born  in  that  same 
rtate  and  the  latter  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  The  Rev.  Edward  C.  Joiner,  a  min- 
ister of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  died  in  1888,  he  then  being 
forty-six  3'ears  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  for  many  years,  her  death 
occurring  in  19 16.  she  then  being-  sixt\--eight  years  of  age.  Due  to  his  father's 
ministerial  itinerary,  young  Joiner  received  his  early  schooling  in  the  schools 
of  such  towns  as  the  family  was  called  to  reside  in  and  was  graduated  from 
the  high  school  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  in  1886.  Thus  qualified,  he  entered 
Wilberforce  University  with  an  advanced  standing  in  that  same  year  and  was 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1888  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sci- 
ence. He  then  returned  to  Illinois  and  for  two  years  and  a  half  was  engaged 
as  a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  at  Jerseyville,  that  state,  resigning  that  posi- 
tion to  accept  an  appointment  in  the  war  department  at  W'ashington,  D.  C. 
He  continued  thus  engaged  in  the  government  service  for  four  vears.  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  opened  a  confectionery  store  at  the  national  capital.  In 
the  meantime  he  had  also  been  rendering  service  from  time  to  time  as  a 
teacher  in  the  capital  and  during  the  period  1898-1904  was  engaged  as  the 
teacher  of  Latin  and  English  in  the  M  street  high  school.     In  1904  he  was  ap- 


980  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

pointed  director  of  the  training  school  of  the  Teachers  College  at  Howard 
University,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  was  there  thus  occupied  until  he  resigned 
in  the  summer  of  1910  to  accept  the  position  of  superintendent  and  financial 
officer  of  the  normal  and  industrial  department  of  Wilberforce  University, 
which  position  he  since  has  occupied,  with  the  very  gratifying  results  above 
set  out. 

Superintendent  Joiner  has  continued  actively  engaged  in  continued  re- 
search work  since  taking  up  his  administrative  labors  at  Wilberforce  and 
has  added  to  the  degrees  he  brought  with  him  to  that  school  the  accredited 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy  earned  by  four  summers  of  work  at  Chi- 
cago University.  In  1893  h^  had  graduated  from  the  law  department  of 
Howard  University  (valedictorian  of  his  class),  with  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Laws  and  in  1902  was  graduated  from  the  pedagogical  department  of 
that  same  institution  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Pedagogv,  and  in  1909 
was  given  his  degi'ee  of  Master  of  Science  by  Wilberforce.  During  his  high 
school  days  Superintendent  Joiner  was  catcher  on  the  school  baseball  team 
and  also  worked  on  the  Springfield  (Illinois)  Daily  Monitor,  which  paper  he 
afterward  represented  as  Washington  correspondent  upon  his  removal  to  the 
capital.  He  published  the  "Ohio  Book"  for  the  Lincoln  Jubilee,  commemora- 
tive of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Negro  emancipation,  and  has  also  published 
a  pamphlet,  "History  of  Negro  Education  in  the  District  of  Columbia."  On 
October  19,  191 7,  Superintendent  Joiner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ada  A. 
Ronntree,  of  Xenia.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  he  has  a  Sunday  school  class  of  fifty-one  members,  his 
work  in  connection  with  that  class  being  one  of  the  chief  pleasures  of  his  life. 


REV.  HORACE  TALBERT,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 

With  the  recent  passing  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Horace  Talbert,  long  and  more 
familiarly  known  as  Secretary  Talbert.  Wilberforce  University  lost  a  factor 
that  had  for  years  been  exerted  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of  that  institution 
and  of  the  extension  of  its  sphere  of  influence.  Doctor  Talbert  was  a  product 
of  Wilberforce  and  in  his  life  and  works  ever  honored  the  institution  to 
which  he  felt  he  owed  so  much.  After  years  of  successful  gospel  ministry 
following  his  graduation  and  ordination  he  returned  to  his  beloved  alma 
mater  in  1892  to  accept  there  the  chair  of  languages,  but  his  e.xecutive  ability 
soon  convinced  the  trustees  of  the  school  that  he  was  a  man  who  could  ac- 
complish splendid  things  for  the  uni\ersity  if  placed  in  a  larger  sphere  of 
usefulness,  and,  in  1896,  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  institution,  a  posi- 
tion lie  occupied  for  nearly  twenty  years,  or  until  his  resignation  in  October, 
191 5,  ill  health  necessitating  the  reluctant  relinquishment  of  an  obligation  of 


GREENE    COrr^TY,    OHIO  981 

service  that  he  had  held  as  sacred  in  its  binding  force;  for  to  Doctor  Tal- 
bert  the  service  he  had  so  long  rendered  in  behalf  of  Wilberforce  was  re- 
garded as  special  work  for  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  to  that  work  he  gave 
the  best  that  there  was  in  him.  He  did  not  long  survive  the  relinquishment 
of  his  official  duties  and  his  death  occurred  at  his  home  at  Wilberforce  on 
November  12,  191 7.  he  then  being  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

Horace  Talbert  was  born  in  slavery  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
September  21,  1853,  son  of  William  and  Jane  Ellen  (Dory)  Talbert,  and 
was  the  fifth  in  order  of  birth  of  the  seven  children  born  to  that  parentage. 
Though  shut  out  by  their  servitude  from  all  knowledge  of  books,  William 
Talbert  and  his  wife  by  natural  endowment  possessed  the  elements  that  go 
to  the  making  of  noble  natures  and  strong  characters.  Of  his  mother  Doctor 
Talbert  long  afterward  wrote:  "She  planted  the  seeds  of  piety  and  truth  in 
my  heart,"  and  her  prayers  in  his  behalf  were  the  most  tenderly  cherished 
recollections  of  his  early  days.  From  the  interesting  narrative  of  his  own 
recollections  left  by  Doctor  Talbert  it  is  learned  that  before  he  was  eleven 
years  of  age,  one  evening  in  October,  1864,  he  had  dropped  into  old  Asbury 
Chapel,  in  Louisville,  where  an  evangelist  was  conducting  services,  and  that 
the  exhortations  of  the  evangelist,  based  upon  St.  Paul's  importunate  plea, 
"O,  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death,"  sank  so  deeply  into  his  boyish  heart  that  after  several  days  of  seek- 
ing he  became  convinced  of  his  conversion.  Even  before  his  conversion  the 
boy  Horace  had  felt  an  ardent  longing  to  become  "some  day"  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  and  after  that  the  endeavors  of  his  youth  were  directed  toward 
the  acquisition  of  an  education  that  would  fit  him  for  the  call  to  which  in 
his  boyhood  he  had  responded  with  his  whole  heart.  "Here  am  I,"  was  his 
response  to  that  call  and  he  wanted  to  be  ready  when  the  time  for  service 
came. 

Horace  Talbert's  first  schooling  was  received  in  the  school  of  the  Rev. 
Basil  L.  Brooks,  in  Asbury  Chapel,  and  later  in  the  school  of  Prof.  William 
H.  Gibson  at  Ouinn  Chapel.  When  necessity  presently  compelled  him  to  go 
to  work,  in  the  tobacco  warehouses  or  on  the  river,  he  became  enrolled  in  a 
night  school  and  continued  his  studies,  such  of  his  wages  as  could  be  saved 
being  laid  by  to  defrav  the  expenses  of  the  college  course  to  which  he  con- 
tinuallv  looked  forward.  As  a  communicant  at  Asbury  Chapel  the  lad  came 
under  the  notice  of  the  pastor  who  became  convinced  that  young  Talbert 
possessed  no  ordinary  mind  and,  together  with  other  influential  friends, 
urged  him  to  enter  Berea  College;  but  about  this  time  the  Rev.  Robert  G. 
Mortimer,  who  then  was  conducting  a  high  school  in  the  basement  of  his 
church  in  Louisville,  was  asked  to  take  charge  of  the  language  department 
of  Wilberforce  University.     A  number  of  his  pupils  decided  to  go  with  him 


9c>2  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

and  Horace,  then  in  his  eighteenth  year,  was  invited  to  join  the  party  of 
students.  He  accepted  and  by  the  middle  of,  September,  1870,  was  enrohed 
as  a  student  at  Wilberforce,  this  being  his  introduction  to  the  institution  in 
the  affairs  of  which  he  was  destined  later  to  take  so  influential  a  part.  The 
young  man's  desire  for  the  service  of  the  church  remained  undiminished  and 
in  October,  187 1,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort.  Four  years  later  he  received 
local  preacher's  orders  and  was  taken  into  the  Ohio  conference,  presently 
being  appointed  assistant  to  the  pastor  on  the  Springboro  circuit.  In  two 
years  more  he  had  completed  his  studies  in  the  English  and  classical  depart- 
ments of  the  university  and  on  the  day  of  his  graduation,  June  17,  1877, 
was  assigned  by  Bishop  Wayman  to  the  pastorate  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  at  Cynthiana,  Kentucky.  In  the  following  September  he 
was  ordained  to  the  diaconate  at  Midway,  Kentucky,  and  in  that  same  month 
returned  to  Willjerforce  for  a  further  season  of  study  in  the  theological  de- 
partment, with  a  view  to  preparation  for  entrance  in  the  theological  seminary 
of  Princeton  University,  and  in  April,  1878;  went  East  with  Bishop  Payne, 
but  the  journey  \\as  extended  to  Boston,  where  he  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  church  of  his  communion  at  Cambridge  and  was  thus  given  opportunity 
to  take  the  course  he  sought  in  Greek,  Hebrew  and  philosophy  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Boston.  Ordination  to  the  eldership  came  in  June,  1878,  and  his 
next  charge  was  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  from  which  city  he  presently  was 
sent  by  Bishop  Brown  to  Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  About  that  time  he  mar- 
ried and  was  transferred  to  the  New  Jersey  conference,  being  installed  as 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Bordentown.  While  thus  engaged  he  was  appointed 
recording  secretary  of  the  Sabbath  School  Union  of  the  African  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  not  long  afterward  was  transferred  to  the  New  York 
conference  and  stationed  at  Albany,  capital  of  the  state,  going  thence  to 
Elmira,  New  York,  other  pastorates  following,  in  the  course  of  his  itinerary, 
at  Oswego,  Jamaica  and  East  New  York,  during  this  latter  pastorate  being 
made  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Brooklyn  district.  While  there  he  also 
founded  the  New  York  conference  high  school  and  assumed  the  editorship 
and  management  of  The  African  Watchman.  He  next  was  sent  to  Buffalo, 
New  York,  and  it  was  while  serving  in  that  city  that  he  was  called  to  the 
chair  of  languages  at  Wilberforce  University,  which  meanwhile  had  not  lost 
sight  of  his  services  in  behalf  of  his  church  and  his  race  and  had  conferred 
upon  him  his  Master  of  Arts  degree  and  his  later  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divin- 
ity. As  noted  above,  it  was  in  1892  that  Doctor  Talbert  returned  to  Willier- 
force.  Not  long  afterward  he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  institution  and  it 
was  in  this  capacity  that  he  traveled  extensively  East  and  West  in  the  inter- 
ests of  the  school  and  won  hundreds  of  new  friends  for  the  institution,  it 
being  said  of  him  that  he  collected  more  money  for  Willjerforce  than  any 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  983 

agent  ever  connected  witli  the  school.  It  was  through  his  personal  inter- 
view with  Andrew  Carnegie  that  the  latter  contributed  the  money  for  the 
erection  of  the  library  building  that  now  graces  the  campus  and  for  its  fur- 
nishings, and  numerous  other  liberal  contributions  for  the  extension  of  the 
unixersity's  usefulness  were  secured  by  the  manner  in  which  he  presented 
the  aims  and  needs  of  the  institution. 

The  home  life  of  Doctor  Talbert  was  an  exceedingly  happy  one.  His 
house,  facing  the  Columbus  pike,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  univer- 
sity, was  planned  by  Mrs.  Talbert  and  was  built,  for  the  most  part,  by  the 
two  elder  sons,  Eugene  and  Henry,  who  had  their  training  in  the  carpentry 
department  of  the  university.  There  Mrs.  Talbert  is  still  living  with  her 
children.  She  was  born,  S.  Frankie  Black,  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  Novem- 
ber 6,  1859,  daughter  of  William  Henry  and  Anna  M.  (Gazaway)  Black, 
both  of  whom  also  were  born  in  Maryland  (free  born),  the  latter  the  daugh- 
ter of  an  Indian  mother  who  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  of  age. 
William  Henry  Black,  who  died  at  his  home  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1888, 
had  early  learned  the  trade  of  wheelwright  and  as  a  young  man  worked  at 
that  trade,  later  moving  to  the  city  of  Baltimore,  where  he  became  engaged 
in  the  hotel  and  restaurant  business.  Wliile  there  he  formed  some  influen- 
tial acquaintances  who  secured  for  him  in  1869  an  appointment  in  the  United 
States  postoffice  department  at  Washington.  When  the  postofifice  money- 
order  department  later  was  created  he  was  made  a  clerk  in  that  department 
and  continued  serving  in  that  capacity  until  his  death.  His  widow  survived 
him  for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  on  May  6,  191 7,  she  then  being 
eighty-one  years  of  age.  William  H.  Black  and  his  wife  were  the  parents 
of  five  children,  of  whom  Mrs.  Talbert  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth.  She 
supplemented  the  course  of  schooling  received  in  the  public  schools  of  Wash- 
ington by  a  course  at  Wilberforce  University  and  it  was  while  attending  the 
university  that  she  became  acquainted  with  Doctor  Talbert,  to  whom  she  was 
married  at  her  home  in  Washington  on  September  4,  1879. 

To  the  Rev.  Dr.  Horace  and  S.  Frankie  { Black)  Talbert  were  born  four- 
teen children,  namely:  Anna  Augusta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  three  years; 
Eugene  Hunter,  born  on  December  12,  1881,  a  graduate  of  Wilberforce 
University,  who  married  Tennie  Montgomery  and  is  now  living  in  Chicago, 
where  he  is  in  charge  of  an  automobile  distributing  agency :  Horace,  Jr., 
April  26,  1883,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months:  Henry  Payne, 
March  13,  1884,  a  graduate  of  Wilberforce  (1905),  who  married  Dora  Rus- 
sell and  is  still  living  at  Wilberforce,  connected  with  the  imiversity ;  \\'en- 
dell  Phillips,  January  8,  i885,  a  musician  connected  with  the  lyceum  stage, 
who  married  Florence  Cole  and  makes  his  home  at  Detroit,  Michigan :  Will- 
iam Ellsworth,  September  14,  1887,  who  married  Melissa  Richardson  and 
is  now  living  at  Seattle,  Washington,  where  he  is  employed  in  the  postoffice ; 


9^4  GREEXE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Benjamin  Blain,  April  i,  1889,  born  at  Jamaica.  New  York,  and  who  died 
there  on  January  19,  1S90:  Ulysses  Grant,  October  29,  1890,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years;  Dumas  Shorter,  May  29,  1892,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
three  month?;  Virgil  and  Homer  (twins),  October  28,  1893,  the  former  of 
whom  is  now  a  student  of  the  veterinary  department  of  Ohio  State  Univer- 
sity, and  the  latter  of  whom  married  Nettie  Russell  and  is  now  living  at 
Wyoming,  in  Hamilton  county,  this  state;  Ruby,  May  23,  1895,  who  is  now- 
engaged  as  a  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  nonnal  school  at  Florence,  Ala- 
bama; Elizabeth  Rebecca,  November  16,  1900,  now  a  student  at  \Vilberforce, 
and  Helen  Jane,  January  i,  1902,  also  a  student  in  the  university.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  labors  performed  by  Doctor  Talbert  and  which  have  been  re- 
ferred to  in  the  foregoing  account  of  his  life,  it  is  but  proper  to  state  that  in 
1906  he  published  a  book,  "Sons  of  Allen,"  a  volume  of  biography  carrying 
sketches  and  intimate  sidelights  relating  to  many  of  the  more  prominent  fig- 
ures in  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  which  attracted  considerable 
attention  and  which  is  highly  valued  in  the  church  and  in  Negro  educational 
circles. 


HALLIE  OUINN  BROWN. 

Among  the  many  personal  forces  that  have  operated  through  the  years 
since  its  establishment  to  bring  to  Wilberforce  University  worldwide  recog- 
nition as  a  center  of  Negro  education  few,  if  any,  have  been  exercised  more 
widely  and  with  greater  force  of  direction  than  that  so  long  exercised  by 
Miss  Hallie  Quinn  Brown,  the  famous  Afro-American  elocutionist,  whose 
"Homewood  Cottage"  at  Wilberforce  has  for  years  been  an  acknowledged 
center  from  which  has  radiated  an  influence  of  inestimable  value  to  the 
race  in  whose  behalf  Miss  Brown  has  been  unselfishly  laboring  ever  since 
the  day  when  she  was  graduated  from  Wilberforce  and  started  ouf  on  her 
mission  of  education  and  enlightenment,  a  mission  whose  successful  accom- 
plishment has  made  her  name  well  known  in  educational  circles  on  two  conti- 
nents. 

"Who's  Who  In  Lyceum"  makes  note  of  Miss  Brown  that  she  was  "born 
in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania;  educated  Wilberforce  Univ.  (B.  S.  1873;  ^^-  S- 
1890);  C.  L.  S.  C.  grad. -of  1886;  dean  of  Allen  Univ.,  S.  C,  1885-7;  of 
Tuskegee  Inst.,  Tuskegee,  Ala.,  1892-3;  prof,  of  elocution  Wilberforce  Univ. 
1900-3;  taught  on  Sonora  Plantation,  Miss.,  Yazoo  City,  Miss.,  and  Day- 
ton, Ohio  (4  yrs.)  ;  member  and  lecturer  of  British  Woman's  Temperance 
Ass'n. ;  member  W.  C.  T.  U.  of  America ;  member  Royal  Geog.  Soc,  Edin- 
burgh. Scotland,  and  of  International  Woman's  Congress.  London,  Eng., 
1899;  pres.  Ohio  State  Federation  of  Woman's  Clubs.  Author  of:  'Bits  and 
Odds,"   1880.     Lecturer;  'The  Progress  of  Negro  Education  and  Advance- 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  985 

ment  in  America  Since  Emancipation,"  'The  Status  of  tlie  A  fro- American 
Woman  Before  and  Since  the  War,'  'Songs  and  Sorrows  of  the  Negro  Race,' 
'The  Life  Work  of  Frederick  Douglas,  Slave,  Freeman,  Orator,  Editor,  Eman- 
cipator,' 'Negro  Folklore  and  Folksong,'  'My  Visit  to  Queen  Victoria,'  and 
'Windsor  Castle.'  Reciter:  1894-1900  lectured  in  Great  Britain,  Germany, 
Switzerland,  France,  appearing  before  Queen  Victoria  1899;  entertainer  at 
the  Princess  of  Wales'  dinner  to  the  London  poor  children,  1897;  was  one 
of  the  seven  members  to  form  first  British  Chautauqua,  Pwllheli,  N.  Wales, 
1895;  lectured  at  the  Grindelwald  conf.,  Switzerland,  1895."  Miss  Brown 
also  was  a  speaker  at  the  third  biennial  convention  of  the  world's  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  held  in  London,  June  14-23,  1895,  Lady  Henry 
Somerset  presiding,  and  in  June,  1899,  was  one  of  the  representatives  from 
the  United  States  to  the  International  Congress  of  Women  held  in  London. 
On  July  7  of  this  latter  year  Miss  Brown  was  received  by  Queen  Victoria, 
tea  being  served  in  St.  George's  Hall,  the  hall  of  the  garter,  Windsor  Castle. 
During  the  time  of  the  celebration  of  the  queen's  jubilee  she  was  the  guest 
of  the  lord  mayor  of  London  and  his  wife  and  later,  of  the  mayor  of  Cory- 
don  and  wife,  journeying  with  the  latter  in  a  private  car  to  London,  where 
special  seats  were  reserved  for  the  party  near  Westminster  Abbey  from 
which  to  view  the  procession  and  ceremonies.  Miss  Brown  also  was  in 
attendance  at  the  services  in  Westminster  Abbey  incident  to  the  funeral 
of  William  E.  Gladstone,  her  ticket  of  admission  having  been  furnished 
to  her  by  a  member  of  parliament.  On  November  23,  1899,  Miss  Brown 
sang  "Listen  to  the  Angels"  at  the  meeting  of  the  National  British  Woman's 
Temperance  Association  at  Victoria  Hall,  Hanley,  Staffordshire,  and  on  other 
occasions  during  her  period  of  activity  in  Europe  during  the  '90s  was  accorded 
recognition  of  a  high  character.  In  1912  she  made  a  second  trip  to  Eurc^, 
going  as  the  representative  of  the  Women's  Missionary  Societies  of  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  United  States  to  the  World's 
Missionary  Conference  held  in  that  year  at  Edinburgh  and  was  on  the  other 
side  for  seven  months.  While  there  she  so  greatly  interested  Miss  E.  J. 
Emery,  a  wealthy  London  philanthropist,  in  the  work  being  done  on  behalf 
of  the  Negro  race  at  Wilberforce  Universit}'  that  Miss  Emery  gave  to  her 
fifteen  thousand  dollars  with  which  to  erect  a  new  girls'  dormitory  at  the 
university.  The  building  thus  so  generously  provided  for  was  erected  in 
19 1 3  and  was  called  the  Keziah  Emery  Hall  and  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  Keziah  Emery,  mother  of  the  donor. 

As  a  reader  and  public  entertainer  Miss  Brown  has  gained  an  interna- 
tional reputation.  From  the  days  of  her  girlhood  her  exceptional  vocal  and 
elocutionary  talent  has  been  recognized,  but  it  was  not  until  some  vears  after 
her  graduation  from  Wilberforce  that  she  began  to  gain   fame  as  a  public 


986  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

entertainer.  Worn  out  by  the  strain  of  the  educational  work  she  had  been 
doing  after  leaving  the  university  in  1873,  she  sought  relaxation  from  the 
strain  thus  imposed  and  started  out  on  a  lecture  tour  in  behalf  of  the  uni- 
versity. Later  she  became  connected  with  the  Wilber  force  Grand  Concert 
Company  and  for  several  years  traveled  with  that  organization,  giving  bene- 
fits in  behalf  of  the  university,  and  in  that  connection  lectured  and  read 
throughout  the  breadth  and  length  of  this  land,  being  everywhere  favorably 
and  enthusiastically  received;  later  pursuing  a  similar  course  in  Europe, 
where  she  did  much  to  bring  to  the  favorable  attention  of  those  who  might 
be  interested,  the  work  being  done  at  Wilberforce.  IMiss  Brown  continues 
her  public  appearances  by  appointment,  making  her  home  at  "Homewood 
Cottage."  Wilberforce,  which  has  been  her  established  home  for  years.  Her 
lecture  repertoire  has  been  indicated  above.  She  also  has  a  very  large  and 
varied  recital  repertoire,  some  ninety  pieces  being  available  for  her  programs, 
and  the  press  tributes  paid  to  her  performance  in  many  of  the  leading  cities 
in  this  country  and  in  Great  Britain  are  evidences  of  the  entertaining  character 
of  those  performances.  As  an  interpreter  of  the  poems  of  the  late  Paul 
Lawrence  Dunbar,  Miss  Brown  is  particularly  effective  and  her  readings  of 
that  poet's  works  have  gained  for  her  the  unstinted  praise  of  discriminating 
critics. 

Miss  Brown  was  born  in  the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  but  her  girlhood  was 
spent  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Chatham,  Ontario,  Canada,  to  which  her 
parents  had  moved  upon  leaving  the  city.  It  was  there  that  her  exceptional 
talents  in  the  elocutionary  way  were  discovered,  but  these  were  not  system- 
atically developed  until  later  when  her  parents  returned  to  the  United 
States  and  located  at  Wilberforce,  where  she  entered  the  university  and 
was  graduated,  as  noted  above,  in  1873,  among  her  classmates  having  been 
Mrs.  Mary  F.  Lee,  wife  of  Bishop  B.  F.  Lee,  and  Samuel  T.  Mitchell,  who 
later  became  president  of  the  university.  Miss  Brown's  father  died  at  ^^'ilber- 
force  in  1882.  he  then  being  eighty  years  of  age.  His  widow  surv'ived  him 
for  many  years,  her  death  occurring  at  "Homewood  Cottage"  on  April  16, 
1914,  she  then  being  one  day  past  ninety-five  years  of  age.  ]\Iiss  Brown  was 
the  last-born  of  the  six  children  born  to  her  parents,  the  others  being  Jere 
A.  Brown,  fomierly  and  for  years  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  this  state,  who 
served  his  district  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  state  Legislature  and  later 
became  connected  with  the  government  service  at  Washington:  Mrs.  Belle 
Newman,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Anna  E.  Wea\er,  of  Farmland,  Indiana :  ^lary 
Frances,  deceased,  and  John  G..  also  deceased,  who  was  a  graduate  of  Wilber- 
force University  and  who  was  developing  his  excellent  nati\'e  powers  as  a 
lecturer  and  speaker  when  his  promising  career  was  brought  to  a  close  by 
death. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  98/ 

PROF.  CHARLES  HENRY  JOHXSOX. 

Prof.  Cliarles  Henry  Johnson,  head  of  the  art  department  of  Wilber- 
force  L^ni\ersity,  Is  a  product  of  Wilberforce,  a  member  of  the  class  of  1893, 
and  has  ever  since  his  graduation  devoted  his  hfe  to  teaching.  In  1900  he 
was  elected  to  take  charge  of  the  Normal  Art  Department  of  that  institution 
and  has  ever  since  been  at  the  head  of  the  same.  During  the  Jamestown  Ex- 
position Professor  Johnson,  under  government  appointment,  had  charge  of 
the  Negro  building  at  that  exposition,  collected  much  of  the  exhibit  made  in 
the  same  and  had  charge  of  the  installation  of  the  same.  His  special  work 
in  the  uni\'ersitv  is  the  preparation  of  teachers  for  art  work  in  public  schools 
and  his  department  has  taken  thirt3'-three  prizes  in  contests  mostly  promoted 
by  the  Scliool  Arts  Guild,  in  1915  the  Wilberforce  art  exhibit  taking  first 
place.  Preparatory  to  these  exhibitions  all  of  Professor  Johnson's  advanced 
pupils  submit  their  best  efforts  in  the  way  of  art  production  and  from  the 
collection  thus  submitted  five  pieces  are  chosen  and  this  selective  exhibit  of 
five  is  then  sent  to  the  national  exhibit.  During  the  Lincoln  Jubilee  held  at 
Chicago  commemorative  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  Negro  emancipation 
Professor  Johnson  was  appointed  by  the  Ohio  state  commission  to  have 
charge  of  Ohio's  exhibition  at  that  jubilee  demonstration,  the  state  having 
appropriated  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  provide  for  adequate  repre- 
sentation there.  The  Professor  is  an  ardent  temperance  advocate  and  has 
delivered  lectures  on  temperance  all  over  the  state.  He  also  is  an  influential 
figure  in  the  councils  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  at  the 
general  conference  of  that  church  held  at  Kansas  City  in  19 12  was  elected 
general  secretary  of  the  laymen's  missionary  movement  of  that  communion, 
a  position  he  still  occupies  and  in  v.hich  connection  he  has  traveled  all  over 
the  United  States  promoting  that  cause  and  lecturing  in  its  Ijchalf.  He  was 
for  six  years  president  of  the  Ohio  state  organization  of  the  Allen  Endeavor 
League  of  his  church  and  is  still  the  president  of  the  local  society  of  the  same. 

Professor  Johnson  was  born  at  Van  Wert,  Ohio,  on  September  ly,  1873, 
son  of  Thomas  W.  and  Margaret  (Tooney)  Johnson,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  slavery,  the  former  in  Virginia  and  the  latter  in  Tennessee,  who  were 
married  in  Ohio  and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  a  resident  of 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  Thomas  Johnson  made  his  way  from  Virginia  to  Ohio 
during  the  progress  of  the  Civil  W^ar  and  enlisted  his  services  in  behalf  of 
the  Union  cause,  going  to  the  front  with  an  Ohio  regiment  and  serving  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  for  which  service  his  widow  is  now  drawing  a  pension 
from  the  government.  After  the  war  he  married  in  Columbus.  He  later 
became  a  landowner  and  farmer  in  Van  Wert  county  and  there  died  in  1906, 
he  then  being  sixtv-nine  years  of  age.     He  w^as  a  deacon   in  the   Baptist 


988  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

church  and  Iiis  constant  recognition  of  the  necessity  under  which  his  race 
v,as  bound  with  respect  to  education  and  educational  influences  prompted  him 
to  stimulate  in  the  breasts  of  his  children  that  desire  for  learning  which  even- 
tually resulted  in  all  acquiring  the  benefits  of  excellent  schooling.  There  were 
six  of  these  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch  was  the 
second  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  George,  deceased; 
John,  who  is  engaged  in  business  in  the  city  of  Chicago:  Mrs.  Lucia  Ross,  a 
teacher  in  Turner  Collegeat  Nashville,  Tennessee;  Fred,  a  civil  engineer, 
now  living  at  Alberta,  Canada,  and  Blanche,  who  was  graduated  from  Knox- 
ville  College  and  was  engaged  in  teaching  for  a  while  before  her  marriage  to 
Doctor  Love,  of  Texas. 

Reared  on  the  home  farm  in  Van  Wert  county,  Charles  Henry  Johnson 
received  his  early  schooling  in  the  neighlxirhood  district  school  and  supple- 
mented the  same  by  attendance  for  a  while  at  the  Van  Wert  schools,  after 
which  he  enterech  the  Normal  Department  of  Wilberforce  University,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1893.  Cpon  receiving  his  diploma  he  accepted  an 
invitation  to  join  the  faculty  of  one  of  the  state  colleges  in  Alabama  and  for 
a  year  thereafter  was  engaged  in  teaching  music  and  mathematics  in  that 
institution.  He  then  transferred  his  services  to  Kittrell  College  in  North 
Carolina  and  was  there  engaged  in  teaching  science  and- art  for  four  years,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Chicago  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  his 
study  in  art  and  in  1900  completed  the  course  in  teachers  and  academic  art 
at  the  Chicago  Art  Institute.  Thus  equipped  he  returned  to  his  alma  niatcr 
in  1900.  Professor  Johnson  teaches  general  art,  with  particular  reference  to 
free-hand  drawing,  oil  painting,  both  landscape  and  portrait,  pastel  work  and 
clay  modeling.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Western  Drawing  Teachers  Associa- 
tion and  is  a  frequent  contributor  to  art  magazines.  By  political  preference, 
he  is  a  Republican.  In  1917  Professor  Johnson  built  a  house  on  the  Colum- 
bus pike,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  university.  This  house  is  of  tiled 
exterior  and  the  Professor's  taste  in  such  matters  is  revealed  in  every  line  of 
the  place.  On  the  walls  of  this  home  are  hanging  many  of  the  best  products 
of  his- brush. 

On  August  16,  1904,  Professor  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Castella  Vivien  Carr,  who  Avas  born  at  Aberdeen,  this  state,  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  George  and  Amanda  (Reese)  Carr,  the  latter  of  whom  died  m 
1900  and  the  former  of  whom,  a  retired  minister  of  the  gosjjel.  is  now  living 
at  Lexington,  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Johnson  completed  her  studies  in  the  state 
colleges  in  Alabama  and  in  Kentucky,  in  which  institutions  her  elder  sister 
served  as  female  principal,  she  having  made  her  home  with  this  elder  sister 
after  her  mother's  death  and  was  a  teacher  in  Kentucky  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  to  Professor  Johnson. 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  ■  989 

PROF.  JOSEPH  DELL  MOORE  RUSSELL. 

Prof.  Joseph  Dell  Moore  Russell,  postmaster  at  Wiiberforce,  a  teacher 
in  the  academic  department  of  Wiiberforce  University,  formerly  and  for 
years  superintendent  of  the  colored  high  school  at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  and 
for  some  years  past  a  resident  of  Greene  county  and  owner  of  a  farm  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Wiiberforce,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  Logan 
county,  that  state,  May  i6,  1872,  son  of  the  Rev.  Greene  and  Frances  (Page) 
Russell,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  slavery  in  that  same  county  and  who 
were  married  before  the  days  of  the  Civil  W^ar. 

The  Rev.  Greene  Russell,  a  minister  of  tlie  African  Baptist  church  in 
the  state  of  Kentucky,  for  years  had  charge  of  a  church  in  his  home  county, 
but  in  those  days  did  not  preach  for  money,  regarding  his  service  as  a  labor 
of  love.  His  work  was  largely  evangelistic  in  character  and  during  his  long 
service  of  more  than  fifty-one  years  in  the  pulpit  helped  to  establish  no  fewer 
than  fifty  churches  of  his  faith  in  that  section  extending  from  Hopkinsville 
to  Bowling  Green  in  Kentucky  and  as  far  south  as  Nashville,  Tennessee.  He 
also  had  farming  interests  in  Logan  county,  acquired  after  the  war.  He  died 
in  1913  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  first  wife  and  the  mother  of  his 
children  died  in  March,  1894,  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  and  he  later  mar- 
ried Annie  Bibb,  after  whose  death  he  married  again  and  his  third  wife, 
Amanda,  also  is  now  dead.  The  Re\'.  Greene  Russell  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  only  one  of  these  living  in  Greene 
county,  having  had  seven  brothers  and  two  sisters.  One  of  these  brothers. 
Dr.  Greene  P.  Russell,  is  president  of  the  Kentucky  State  College  for  Colored 
People  at  Frankfort ;  another,  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Russell,  is  pastor  of  a  Baptist 
church  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania;  another.  Prof.  Richard  Russell,  is  prin- 
cipal of  the  colored  high  school  at  Nicholasville,  Kentucky,  and  another,  Isaac 
Russell,  is  a  machinist  now  residing  at  Springfield,  this  state.  Only  one  of 
the  sisters  is  now  living,  Mrs.  Olive  Lewis  Woods,  of  Russellville,  Kentucky. 

Joseph  D.  M.  Russell  was  given  careful  training  by  his  father  in  the 
days  of  his  youth  and  later  completed  a  course  of  instruction  at  Berea  Col- 
lege, after  which  he  entered  Wiiberforce  L'niversity,  from  which  institution 
he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  in  1898.  In  that 
same  year  he  was  made  superintendent  of  the  colored  high  school  at  Rich- 
mond, Kentucky,  and  for  seventeen  years  held  that  position,  or  until  his  re- 
moval to  Wiiberforce  in  191 5.  In  the  meantime  Professor  Russell  had  taken 
a  special  course  in  pedagogy  at  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
since  taking  up  his  residence  at  Wiiberforce  has  been  engaged  in  teaching 
special  courses  in  pedagogy  in  the  academic  department  of  the  university. 
I'pon  moving  to  \\'ilberforce  Professor  Russell  bought  the  old  Kendall  farm 


qqO  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  one  hundred  and  twenty-three  acres  on  tlie  Cokimbus  pike  and  there  estab- 
lished his  home,  the  management  of  the  farm  being  in  the  hands  of  his  son, 
Greene  P.  Russell.  The  Professor  is  a  Democrat  and  in  May,  191 7,  was 
appointed  postmaster  at  ^^'^ilberforce,  which  position  he  now  occupies.  He 
has  written  quite  extensively  for  school  journals  and  also  was  for  some  time 
an  assistant  editor  on  the  staff  of  the  Common  School  Journal,  published  at 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  colored 
INIasons  and  of  the  Good  Samaritans.  He  was  reared  in  the  Baptist  faith 
and  has  ever  adhered  to  the  same. 

On  December  26,  1893,  Prof.  Joseph  D.  M.  Russell  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Carrie  Turner,  who  was  born  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  daugh- 
ter of  Cyrus  and  Esther  (Haines)  Turner,  who  were  born  in  slavery  in  that 
same  county  and  further  reference  to  whom  is  made  in  a  biographical  sketch 
relating  to  Mrs.  Russell's  brother,  John  Jackson  Turner,  a  stockman  at  Wil- 
berforce,  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Russell 
have  four  sons,  Greene  P.,  who  married  Mollie  Corbin,  of  Xenia,  and  who,  as 
noted  above,  is  managing  his  father's  farm,  and  John  D.,  Cyrus  and  Joseph  D. 


HENLEY  CALVIN  PETERS. 

Henley  Calvin  Peters,  colored,  head  of  the  firm  of  H.  C.  Peters  &  Sons, 
dry-cleaners  and  dyers,  at  Xenia,  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Ohio  since  he  was  ten  years  of  age,  tlie  greater  part  of  that  time  hav- 
ing been  spent  in  Greene  county.  He  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county,  Vir- 
ginia, December  19,  i860,  son  of  Henry  and  Lucy  Jane  (Clark)  Peters,  and 
was  ten  years  of  age  when  his  parents  came  to  Ohio  in  1870,  the  family 
driving  through.  Tliere  were  three  families  in  the  party  tliat  thus  came 
over  here  from  Virginia,  Henry  Peters  and  his  family  being  accompanied  by 
the  families  of  James  Clark  and  Wesley  Cooper.  Upon  their  arrival  in 
Greene  county,  the  Peters  family  remained  a  month  at  Stringtown  and  then 
located  at  Cedarville,  but  two  years  later  moved  down  into  Clinton  county 
and  settled  on  a  farm  south  of  Wilmington,  where  Henry  Peters  spent  his 
last  days.  His  widow  survived  him  for  some  years,  her  death  occurring  at 
Dayton,  Ohio,  about  1891.  Henry  Peters  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketcl:  was  the  fourth  in  order 
of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  Virginia,  wife  of  Louis  B.  Brown, 
of  Chicago ;  Susan,  of  Chicago,  Illinois ;  Anna,  unmarried,  who  is  now  living 
at  Alto,  Virginia;  Sarah,  deceased:  Stewart,  who  was  accidentally  drowned 
in  childhood,  and  Dr.  Joiin  H.  Peters,  a  physician  at  Danville,  Kentucky. 

As  noted  above,  H.  C.  Peters  was  but  ten  years  of  age  when  he  came 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  99I 

to  Oliio  witli  his  parents  and  he  was  reared  in  Greene  county  and  in  Chnton 
county.  In  Greene  county  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade  under  the  direction 
of  James  Collins,  who  afterward  became  his  father-in-law.  He  married  at 
Xenia,  where  he  continued  working  at  his  trade,  presently  becoming  a  build- 
ing contractor  on  his  own  account,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  twenty  years, 
or  until  compelled  to  retire'  from  that  form  of  labor  by  reason  of  failing 
health.  In  191 1  he  became  associated  with  his  sons,  James  H.  and  Howard 
A.  Peters,  in  the  ()r}--cleaning  and  dyeing  business  at  Xenia,  under  the  firm 
name  of  H.  C.  Peters  &  Sons,  and  has  since  been  thus  engaged,  with  office  at 
29  Greene  street  and  cleaning  and  dyeing  plant  at  529  East  Main  street.  H. 
C.  Peters  is  a  member  of  the  local  lodge  of  the  colored  Ivnights  of  Pythias 
and  he  and  his  family  are  affiliated  with  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

On  December  24,  1883,  H.  C.  Peters  was  united  in  marriage  to  Hattie 
Collins,  who  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Wilberforce,  in  this  county,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Nancy  Collins,  both  now  deceased,  the  former  of  whom 
was  a  carpenter  who  had  served  as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  during  the  Civil 
War.  James  Collins  and  his  wife  were  the  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Mrs.  Peters  was  the  last-born,  the  others  being  Mrs.  Sarah  Matthews,  who 
lives  at  Defiance,  this  state;  the  Rev.  George  Collins,  now  deceased,  who  was 
a  minister  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  Charles,  a  carpenter, 
now  living  at  Dayton;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Jordan  Robb  and  is  now  de- 
ceased, and  Josephine,  now  living  at  Xenia,  widow  of  James  Kelly.  To  H.  C. 
Peters  and  wife  two  sons  have  been  born,  James  H.,  born  on  November  13, 
1884,  and  Howard  A.,  October  15,  1886,  the  latter  of  whom  married  Myrtle 
Merritt  and  has  one  child,  a  daughter,  Martha.  Howard  A.  Peters  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Xenia  high  school  and  is  treasurer  of  the  local  lodge  of  the 
colored  Masons. 

James  H.  Peters  was  born  at  Xenia  and  there  received  his  schooling. 
He  became  employed  in  the  undertaking  establishment  of  Johnson  &  Dean 
at  Xenia  and  was  thus  engaged  for  eighteen  months,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  took  employment  in  Hutchinson  &  Gibney's  dry-goods  store  and  was 
there  employed  for  three  years.  He  tlien  went  to  Indianapolis  and  for  more 
than  two  years  thereafter  was  employed  in  the  drapery  department  of  the 
Taylor  Carpet  Company  in  that  city,  later  going  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  became 
employed  as  a  window  decorator  in  the  department  store  of  Scruggs  &  Van- 
derwort.  continuing  thus  engaged  at  that  place  for  ten  months,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Xenia.  On  February  28,  1910,  he 
became  engaged  in  the  dry-cleaning  business  at  Xenia,  in  partnership  with 
Charles  H.  Tate,  of  Richmond,  Indiana,  an  association  which  continued  for 
a  vear  or  more,  or  until  the  time  in  191 1  when  his  father  and  brother  bought 


992  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

Tate's  interest  in  the  business,  which  since  then  has  been  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  H.  C.  Peters  &  Sons,  James  H.  Peters  being  in  charge  of  the 
office  and  Howard  A.  Peters  in  charge  of  the  cleaning  and  dyeing  estabhsh- 
ment. 


REV.  THOMAS  PERKINS. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Perkins,  of  Wilberforce,  a  retired  minister  of  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  the  owner  of  a  large  plantation 
in  the  state  of  Mississippi,  is  a  striking  living  example  of  the  amazing 
accomplishments  of  the  Negro  race  since  the  days  of  emancipation.  Born 
a  slave,  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  by  that  divinely-directed  stroke 
of  the  immortal  Lincoln's  pen  he  became  a  freeman.  Slavish  servitude, 
however,  had  not  crushed  within  him  that  strong  native  sense  of  industry 
that  later  was  to  bring  him  so  large  a  measure  of  success,  nor  had  his 
instinctive  aspirations  for  something  beyond  such  servitude  been  stifled 
thereby.  Exercising  a  sense  of  proportion  and  a  keenness  of  judgment  that 
can  not  be  commended  too  highly,  he  remained  on  the  plantation  on  which 
he  was  born,  a  rich  Mississippi  cotton  plantation  of  nearly  one  thousand 
acres;  saved  the  greater  part  of  such  wages  as  came  to  him  after  he  became 
"his  own  man,"  improved  such  opportunities  as  he  could  seize  in  the  way 
of  education  and  mental  development,  applied  his  native  common  sense  to 
the  task  in  hand  and  in  time  became  the  owner  of  the  plantation  on  which 
he  had  labored  as  a  slave.  In  the  meantime,  in  the  pursuit  of  the  material 
things  of  life,  he  had  not  been  neglecting  the  cultivation  of  the  spiritual  side  of 
his  nature,  and  after  a  powerful  conversion  turned  his  attention  to  the  spread 
of  the  gospel  message,  in  due  time  was  ordained  a  minister  of  his  church 
and  became  the  presiding  elder  of  his  district.  Upon  his  retirement  from 
his  plantation  he  came  North,  joined  the  Wilberforce  settlement,  erected 
there  a  comfortable  residence  and  has  since  been  living  there,  very^  properly 
possessed  of  a  sense  of  accomplishment  that  might  profitably  to  the  race 
be  set  out  in  a  much  more  ample  tale  than  the  limitations  of  this  brief  bio- 
graphical sketch  will  permit. 

Thomas  Perkins  was  born  on  a  plantation  in  Leflore  county,  Missis- 
sippi, November  15,  1845,  son  of  Rufus  and  Isabella  Perkins,  who  were 
slaves  on  adjoining  plantations  in  that  county  and  who  continued  to  make 
their  home  there  after  emancipation.  Rufus  Perkins  lived  to  be  seventy 
years  of  age.  His  widow  survived  him  until  1902,  she  being  eighty  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death.  She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
seven  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  but  two  are  now  living,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Perkins  having  a  half-brother,  John  Robinson,  who  is  still  living 


REV.  THOMAS  PERKINS. 


GKEENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  91)3 

in  Leflore  county,  Mississippi.  When  Lincoln's  emancipation  proclamation 
freed  the  slaves  Thomas  Perkins  was  a  husky  young  slave  boy  on  the 
plantation  on  which  his  mother  was  held.  He  had  had  practically  no  oppor- 
tunity to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  letters,  such  lessons  as  he  had  received 
along  those  lines  having  been  but  occasional  Sunday  lessons  delivered  to 
the  youngsters  on  the  plantation  by  one  of  the  kind-hearted  women  in  the 
"big  house,"  but  from  the  days. of  his  early  youth  he  had  felt  a  longing  for 
that  form  of  learning  that  comes  out  of  books  and  after  emancipation  he 
and  some  of  the  other  young  folks  of  his  race  in  the  neighborhood  formed 
a  group,  employed  a  teacher  and  set  up  an  "independent"  school  in  which 
he  was  able  to  advance  somewhat  farther  than  the  knowledge  of  the  mere 
rudiments  of  learning  and  his  mind  was  thus  opened  to  the  possibilities  of 
self-study  which  he  later  improved  to  the  great  advantage  of  himself  as 
well  as  to  the  advantage  of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  close  personal 
touch.  Upon  his  release  from  bondage  he  received  for  his  labor  the  sum 
of  fifty  cents  a  day,  paid  by  the  owner  of  a  nine-hundred-acre  cotton  planta- 
tion, but  so  simple  were  his  needs  that  he  was  able  to  save  the  greater  part 
of  even  this  meager  wage.  He  married  when  twenty-one  years  of  age 
and  after  that  his  wife  helped  him  save.  It  was  his  custom  to  have  his 
employer  reserve  his  wages  until  the  end  of  the  year,  when  he  would  receive 
the  pay  for  his  year  of  toil  in  a  lump  sum.  Before  his  marriage  he 
made  an  old  tool  chest  his  bank,  there  being  no  bank  within  sixty  miles  of 
the  place,  but  after  his  marriage  he  found  his  wife's  "bustle"  a  safe  and 
ample  receptacle  for  his  accumulating  wealth.  After  a  while  he  branched 
out  on  his  own  account  and  sub-rented  a  portion  of  the  plantation  on  which 
he  had  been  employed.  His  industry  and  excellent  methods  of  farming 
produced  their  rewards  and  as  he  prospered  he  extended  his  operations, 
still  successfully,  until  in  1892  he  was  enabled  to  buy  the  whole  of  the 
plantation  of  nine  hundred  acres  on  which  he  had  so  long  labored,  and  six 
hundred  acres  of  which  he  still  owns,  having  sold  three  hundred  acres 
of  his  place  upon  his  removal  to  Wilberforce.  In  1885  he  was  converted  at 
a  revival  meeting  being  held  in  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
in  the  neighborhood  of  his  home  and  felt  a  powerful  call  to  turn  his  talents 
in  the  direction  of  the  ministry  of  his  church.  He  presently  was  admitted 
to  the  conference  and  for  two  years  served  as  an  itinerant  preacher,  this 
service  proving  so  acceptable  to  the  conference  that  he  was  ordained  and 
not  long  afterward  was  made  presiding  elder  of  his  district,  in  the  mean- 
time, however,  continuing  to  carry  on  his  farming  operations.  After  a 
while  his  health  began  to  fail  and  he  was  advised  to  come  North.  In  1897 
he  arranged  his  affairs  in  Mississippi  so  that  he  could  leave  his  big  farm 
in  the  charge  of  a  responsible  tenant  and  moved  to  Wilberforce,  the  fame 


994  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

of  which  active  center  of  race  education  had  long  been  dear  to  him,  and 
there  has  ever  since  made  his  home.  In  1899  he  erected  there  the  twelve- 
room  house  in  which  he  and  his  family  reside.  He  owns  a  tract  of  seven 
acres  surrounding  the  house  and  there  enjo3's  comforts  and  advantages  that 
he  hardly  could  have  even  dreamed  of  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood  when  a 
slave  down  on  a  Mississippi  cotton  plantation.  Though  long  retired  from 
the  active  ministry  he  continues  to  take  an  interest  in  church  work  and  is 
a  member  of  the  board  of  stewards  of  Holy  Trinity  church  at  Wilberforce. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Perkins  has  been  twice  married.  In  1866  he  was 
married  to  Lulu  Fisher,  who  was  born  in  a  county  adjoining  that  in  which 
he  was  born  in  Mississippi,  and  to  that  union  were  born  eleven  children, 
those  living  being  Alice,  wife  of  L.  Baker,  superintendent  of  construction 
of  United  States  government  buildings,  first  colored  man  to  have  that  place, 
now  stationed  at  Detroit,  Michigan;  Lizzie,  wife  of  Dr.  John  Fehrs,  a 
physician  of  South  Bend,  Indiana;  Charlotte,  wife  of  Fred  McGinnis,  in- 
structor in  printing  in  Wilberforce  University;  Eliza,  wife  of  Gilbert  Allen, 
of  Wilberforce,  the  two  making  their  home  with  Mrs.  Allen's  father,  and 
Bryan,  who  is  married  and  lives  at  Centralia,  Illinois,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  railroad  shops.  The  mother  of  these  children  died  in  1897,  and  on 
March  2,  1909,  Reverend  Perkins  married  Ella  Irvin,  who  was  born  in 
Kentuckv. 


CLARENCE  A.  LINDSAY,  M.  D. 

Dr.  Clarence  A.  Lindsay,  a  young  colored  physician  at  Xenia,  was  born 
in  that  citv  on  June  :i,  t8qi,  son  and  only  child  of  Dr.  Frank  T.  and  Flor- 
ence .\.  (Kirk)  Lindsay,  the  former  of  whom  died  in  the  summer  of  1910 
and  the  latter  of  whom  is  still  living,  now  performing  the  office  of  matron 
of  the  girls  department  of  Wilberforce   Universit)'. 

Dr.  Frank  T.  Lindsay,  who  for  years  was  a  physician  at  Xenia,  was 
born  south  of  the  Mason  and  Dixon  line  and  as  a  young  man  came  North. 
After  a  course  in  Oberlin  College  he  entered  Howard  Medical  School  and 
upon  his  graduation  from  tlie  same,  in  1875.  located  at  Xenia,  where  he 
spent  the  rest  of  his  life  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  his  death 
occurring  there  on  June  2,  igio.  he  then  being  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years. 
His  wife  was  born  at  Van  \\'ert.  this  sta*e. 

Reared  at  Xenia,  Clarence  A.  Lindsay  received  his  early  schooling  in 
the  schools  of  that  city  and  was  graduated  from  the  high  school  there  in 
1909.      He  then   entered   W'illjerforce  L^niversity  and  was   graduated    from 


GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO  995 

that  institution  in  191 1,  after  which  he  entered  the  Ohio  State  Medical 
School  at  Columbus  and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in  1916.  Upon 
receiving  his  diploma  Doctor  Lindsay  returned  to  Xenia  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  there,  occupying  the  residence  and  office  of  his 
late  father  at  537  East  Main  street. 

On  July  20,  19 1 6,  Dr.  Clarence  A.  Lindsay  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Margaret  V.  Smith,  who  also  was  born  in  Xenia.  The  Doctor  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  St.  John's  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Xenia. 


PROF.  LUTRELLE  F.  PALMER. 

Prof.  Lutrelle  F.  Palmer,  former  principal  of  tiie  academic  department 
of  Wilberforce  University  and  present  librarian  of  the  university,  is  a  native 
of  Alabama,  born  at  Snow  Hill,  that  state,  September  25,  1888.  His  parents, 
Aaron  and  Anna  (Johnson)  Palmer,  also  were  born  in  Alabama  and  the 
latter  died  there  in  1904,  she  then  being  forty-nine  years  of  age.  Aaron 
Palmer  is  a  carpenter  and  is  following  that  vocation  at  Birmingham,  Ala- 
bama, where  he  has  made  his  home  for  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  has  for  years  been  a  class  leader  in  the  same. 
To  him  and  his  wife  were  born  five  children,  of  whom  Professor  Palmer  was 
the  fourth  in  order  of  birth,  the  others  being  the  following:  D.  G.,  who  is  a 
railroad  fireman,  living  at  Montgomery,  Alabama;  Alexander,  a  machinist, 
also  living  at  Montgomery;  Ella,  widow  of  Charles  Hamilton,  now  keeping 
house  for  her  father  at  Birmingham,  and  Mrs.  Lola  Huston  formerly  of 
Birmingham,  deceased. 

Lutrelle  F.  Palmer  was  but  a  lad  when  his  parents  moved  from  Snow 
Hill  to  Selma,  Alabama,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  the  latter  place  he  re- 
ceived his  first  schooling.  In  1905  he  entered  the  academic  department  of 
^Vilberforce  L'niversity,  lie  then  being  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  he  contin- 
ued his  studies  througli  the  academy  and  then  through  the  university  until 
he  was  graduated  from  the  latter  in  191 1  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
He  then  entered  the  senior  class  of  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor 
and  in  191 2  received  his  Bachelor  degree  from  that  institution.  He  then 
accepted  a  call  to  the  chair  of  ancient  languages  in  Paul  Quinn  College  at 
Waco,  Texas,  and  was  there  thus  engaged  for  years,  or  until  1914,  when  he 
was  called  back  to  Wilberforce  to  take  the  position  of  assistant  professor  of 
Latin  in  the  university.  A  year  later  he  was  made  professor  of  history  and 
two  years  later  was  made  the  principal  of  the  academic  department,  a  position 
he  occupied  for  a  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  June,  1917,  he  resigned  in 


996  GREENE    COUNTY,    OHIO 

order  to  accept  the  position  of  librarian  of  the  newly  completed  Carnegie 
library  at  the  university,  which  position  he  now  holds. 

On  June  30.  191 5,  Prof.  Lutrelle  F.  Palmer  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Myrtle  Hathcock,  who  was  born  at  Bellefontaine,  this  state,  and  who  was 
graduated  from  the  commercial  department  of  Wilberforce  University  in 
T912,  and  to  this  union  one  child  has  been  born,  a  son,  Edward  Nelson,  born 
on  January  30,  1917.  Professor  Palmer  is  a  member  of  the  African  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church  and  is  the  present  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  college  fraternity  Alpha  Phi  Alpha. 


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