600 - GENEALOGICAL AND. BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. West Virginia; he was captured and held a prisoner in. the Pemberton House, Richmond, for thirty-three days, at the end of which time he was paroled and came home on a furlough. He had re-enlisted at Strawberry Plains as a veteran in the Eighth Ohio Cavalry, and remained in the service until the close of the war, being honorably discharged in June, 1865. For fifteen years Mr. Shields rented the old home farm ,and after the death of his father purchased it. He has added to his property from time to time until he now has two hundred and ninety-five acres of land in Van Buren township, and has made great improvements upon his place. He is one of the most skillful and thorough farmers of his community, and is a man of good business ability and sound judgment, and to these characteristics may be attributed his success in life. In his political views he is a Republican. On the 4th of March, 1859, Mr. Shields was united in marriage with Miss Mary Taylor, daughter of the late William Taylor, of Franklin township, and to them were born three daughters, namely : Eleanora, wife of John Jobes, of Van Buren township; Susan, wife of Joshua Poe, of the same township; and one who died in infancy. THOMAS A. SHIVES. The subject of this sketch is one of the progressive agriculturists of Brown township, and his is also the distinction of being an honored veteran of the war of the Rebellion. All praise and gratitude is due the brave men who offered their services, and lives, if need be, in defense of their glorious land of united thought and liberty. Mr. Shives traces his lineage to the sturdy old Pennsylvania German stock, so notable for integrity, industry and frugality. Mr. Shives was horn in Bedford county, of the Keystone state, on the 25th of April, 1836, being the only child born to John Shives, who was likewise a Pennsylvanian by birth, the latter's father having been a native of Maryland, where he was educated. The subject of this review has in. his possession an old letter which was written with a quill pen, before envelopes were invented, the letter being folded up for mailing like an old-fashioned thumb-paper such as .the boys and girls used to make in the old-time, spelling books to avoid soiling the same. He has also one of the finest collections of Indian relics that the historian has seen in Darke county, the display including stone. darts, arrow-heads, knives, etc. These interesting specimens have been found on his estate, and it is supposed that an Indian battle occurred on the grounds—possibly at the time when "Mad Anthony”: Wayne-passed over the old Fort Recovery road, which was about one mile west of Mr. Shives' residence. He also has a picture of William Henry Harrison, painted on glass,. the work being done during the campaign of 1840. Mr. Shives was but two years of age. when he was brought by his mother and grandfather to Perry county, Ohio, the journey being made overland with team and wagon, which were ferried across the Ohio river at Wheeling. On March 20, 1851, our subject made his advent in Darke county, locating in York township, where he remained until the fall of 1854, when he came to Brown township, where he has made his home for nearly half a century, engaged in farming and known as one of the representative .citizens of the community. He was GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 601 reared to the trade of a carpenter and joiner, to, which line of occupation he gave his attention for the period of sixteen years, having received a liberal education for the day in the schools of his native state, the first institution of learning which .he attended having been a subscription school, so common in the early. days. The first school he attended in Parke county was in York township, and a description of the same will be appropriate in this connection. The building was about twenty feet square; constructed of unhewed logs, the floor being of puncheon and the seats of split logs, with wooden pins for legs, while the desk for the "big" boys and girls was a broad board supported by wooden pins inserted in the side wall, the boys being placed upon the large, high seats, which had no backs. The mode of punishment was chastisement with the birch or hickory rod, which was wielded vigorously, as occasion demanded, and our subject can personally testify as to the adequacy of this primitive method of correction, while for minor offenses the old-fashioned dunce-block was brought into requisition. Under these primitive advantages Mr. Shives acquired such knowledge as to make him eligible for pedagogic work, and he taught for three terms in the schools of the county. Mr. Shives is the architect of his own fortune, having won for himself a marked success in temporal affairs, through his own industry and effective methods. He star ed out in life upon his own responsibility as soon as he attained his majority, and soon established for himself a home, by choosing a companion for life's journey. March 12, 1863, he was united in marriage to Miss Dona M. Clawson, and four sons and seven daughters blessed this union. Of the seven who are living at the present time we offer the following brief data : Phoebe Ellen, who was a successful teacher, became the wife of Augustus Huddle, who is a successful farmer of Brown township; Charles, who is also a farmer of this township, married Miss Gertrude Poling ; Emma is the wife of J. C. Poling, of Allen township, who is a successful teacher, being a graduate of the college at Ada, Ohio, while she herself is a graduate of the Ansonia high school, and did effective work as a teacher for eight year ; Etta is the wife of Enos Sipple, a farmer of Brown township ; Iva R., who is at home with her parents, passed the Boxwell examination seven years ago, which entitles her to admission to any high school in the county ; Estella, who attended the Ansonia. high school, is at home; and Lowell Clawson, the youngest, is in school and making excellent progress in his work. Mr. Shives was born in Darke county, August 24, 1845, being the daughter of Aaron and Deziah (Vail) Clawson, the former of whom was born in Boundbrook, Middlesex county, New Jersey, August 23, 1812. Mr. Clawson moved to Washington township, Darke county, in 1837. Politically he was a Whig, but of strong anti-slavery sen timent, leading off with the Free-soil party and casting the first Free-soil vote in the township. He was also among the first to engage in the cause of temperance, beginning with the Washingtonians, advancing with the Sons of Temperance, and lastly was a firm Prohibitionist. For a half century he was prominently identified with the history of Darke county, and here he died on the 31st of March, 1888. Of his ten. children only three are now living—Mrs. Shives ; Phoebe, a resident of Jay county, Indiana, is the widow of Benjamin Miller, who served in the civil war, as a member of 602 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Company G, Eighth Ohio Cavalry ; and Elihu is a prosperous agriculturist of Brown township, this county. Mr. Shives did valiant service in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting in Company K, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Newkirk. At President Lincoln's first call for volunteers he proffered his services, enlisting for the three-months service at Greenville, this county, and being -sent with his regiment to Camp Dennison. He received his discharge August 17, 1861, and forthwith re-enlisted in the one hundred-days service, as a member of the Ohio National Guards, while on the 2d of May, 1864, he again volunteered in the United States service and received his honorable and final discharge September 2, 1864. He participated in the Lynchburg raid, and was always at the post of duty, ready to respond to any service required of him as a true soldier of the republic. In politics our subject is a stanch Republican, having cast his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. He has frequently represented his township in the county conventions of his party. He is a member of Ansonia Lodge, No. 488, A. F. & A. M., and of the G. A. R. Post, No. 632. He began life as a poor man, but by industry and perseverance, with the effective aid of his estimable wife, to whom he accords a large quota of credit, he has accumulated a nice estate of eighty acres, well improved and under a high state of cultivation. When they came into possession of their present homestead it was given over to. the virgin forests, but the ax has laid low the forest monarchs, and the fine fields and meadows bear perpetual testimony to the energy and arduous labor of our subject, who now has one of the fine places of the township. Mr. Shives and his family are devoted members of the Christian church, and our subject has been liberal in his contributions to Christian work, having given financial aid in the erection of six different churches in this vicinity. Mr. and Mrs. Shives are sterling citizens of Brown township, and here are held in the highest esteem by all who know them, and we are glad to accord them this tribute in the genealogical record of their county. ABRAHAM RHOADES. Among the wealthy and influential citizens of Darke county, Ohio, is found the subject of this review, Abraham Rhoades, a retired farmer living at his pleasant rural home on section 4, Greenville township. He was born in Perry township, Montgomery county, Ohio, eight miles west of Dayton, February 8, 1832. His father was Jacob Rhoades, a native of Bedford county, Pennsylvania, who, when seven years old, moved with his parents to Montgomery county, Ohio. Grandfather Rhoades, also named Jacob, and also a native of Pennsylvania, on coming to Ohio settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, located six miles west of Dayton, where he developed his land and passed the rest of his life. On becoming of age the younger Jacob Rhoades entered eighty acres of land in that county, married there and settled down to farming, and in Montgomery county spent his life and died, his age at death being seventy-six years. He ;was a Christian man, a member of the Lutheran church, and was highly respected in the community in which he lived. His first wife, whose maiden name was Barbara Souders, was a native of Montgomery county and a daughter of Peter Souders, who was of Pennsylvania birth and Scotch GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 603. descent, his father having been born in Scotland. Mrs. Barbara Rhoades died at the age of forty-five years, she bore her husband eleven children. By his second wife Mr. Rhoades had five children. Abraham was the third-born in the first family. His brothers are : John, deceased ; Noah, a resident of Montgomery county, Ohio ; Jacob, deceased ; Peter, of Montgomery county; Jonas, deceased ; and Hiram, of Darke county. His sisters are as follows : Katie, the wife Of Robert Surber, of Darke county; Barbara, deceased ; Malinda, the wife of Henry Smith, of Darke county. The members of the family by the second marriage are : Margaret, the wife of John Tompson, deceased ; David, deceased; Henry, of Montgomery county; Amanda, the wife of Jefferson Lamon, of Montgomery county; and Daniel, deceased. Abraham Rhoades was reared to man's estate in his native county, with very limited opportunities for obtaining an education. Indeed, it may be said that the whole of his education has been obtained in the broad school of experience. In 1854 he came to Darke county, making the journey on foot, carrying an ax and an old carpet-bag, which contained his earthly possessions. Arrived here, he began cutting cordwood, and from this small beginning laid the foundation of his present fortune. He soon bought of one hundred acres of land, only two acres of which were cleared, and in the purchase of this property he went in debt eleven hundred dollars. By faithful, honest toil he trans-. formed this piece of wild land into a well-cultivated farm, with a comfortable and attractive home and other good buildings thereon, and not only paid off the debt that he had contracted but also bought adjoining land, seventy-two acres, which he has likewise brought under cultivation. His life has been one of constant endeavor. A hard worker and a good manager, he has Made his own success. Mr. Rhoades was married in 1856 to Mary Pitzenberger, a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, who came to Darke county in 185o. She departed this life June 24, 1894. Her children are as follows : Jacob, who married Mary Lynn and now resides in Indiana; Matilda, the wife of Crist Appenzeller ; Elizabeth, the wife of William Pitsenberger, of Columbus, Ohio ; Stephen, who married Clara Stephens ; and Curtis, who married Charity Mong. Mr. Rhoades has given to each of his children six thousand dollars, and comfortably settled them in life, at the same time retaining for himself an abundance of this world's goods. In addition to his farm above referred to, he has valuable property in Greenville and stock in the First National Bank at that place. He gives his support, politically, to the Republican party. GEORGE W. RAHN. The history of a state or nation is best told in the lives and deeds of those who have conferred dignity and honor upon society, and a record of this nature best indicates the true annals of the historic old. county with which this compilation has to do. In thus considering the lives of the representative citizens of Darke county the subject of this particular review will need no special introduction, for he is widely and favorably known throughout this section. Mr: Rahn is a native of the Buckeye state, and of the county in which he now lives,. having been born in Darke county, Adams township, January 25, 1849, being the fourth 604 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. in order of birth of the two sons and three daughters of Levi and Amanda (Lightner) Rahn, and one of the four who are yet living—Josephine, wife of Chipman Coppess, of Randolph county, Indiana; Francina, wife of Wesley Armstrong, of Greenville, Ohio ; George W., the subject of this sketch ; and Addison C., a dairyman of Greenville, this county. The name Rahn is of German derivation, and our subject may well take pride in tracing his lineage to the sturdy Teutonic stock which so early. became conspicuously identified with the history of Pennsylvania. Levi Rahn was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, about the year 1820, and he was reared to the life of a farmer. It should be mentioned in this connection that there were many of the. Pennsylvania Germans who came to Darke county and colonized as pioneers in what is now Adams township. As they came from Adams county, Pennsylvania, and from near the city or town of Gettysburg", they concluded to name their new township in honor of their old home and to confer upon the village of Gettysburg its title in honor of the county seat of Adams county. Levi Rahn came with his wife and three children from their Pennsylvania home to Darke county in 1847, making the trip overland with wagons, in which were transported the little stock of household goods, and covering the long and weary journey of six hundred miles, through the unbroken forests which then marked much of this section of the Union, the work of reclaiming Darke county having but just begun. When the Rahn family arrived in Darke county they had two horses and their wagon, with .a few necessary household goods, and about five dollars in cash. The Germans are well known for their industry, frugality and pragmatic ability, and Levi Rahn showed the typical thrift of the race,. working diligently and eventually becoming the owner of one hundred and ninety acres of valuable land in Darke county. In national affairs he supported the principles of the Democratic party, although at the time of the Rebellion, when the integrity of the nation was threatened, he voted for Lincoln. He and his wife were members of the German Reformed church. George W. Rahn of this sketch has been reared and educated in Darke county, which has been his home for more than half a century. He is what may be well termed as a self-educated man, as his educational advantages were perforce limited in the little pioneer township where he was reared, and like most of the other boys of the time and place he had soon to lend his aid in clearing away the forests and reclaiming the land for cultivation. He may thus be consistently considered as one of the founders and builders of the progressive and finely-improved county of which he is now an honored citizen. He remained at home until the age of twenty, and in starting out for himself had to rely solely upon his own industry and judgment to accomplish his purpose in life. He was married to Pauline Bailey November 26, 1872, and of this union two sons and six daughters were born, all living except one : Alera is the wife of John A. Feltman, a farmer of Jackson township, and they have two children, George R. and Lucille; Emma D. is the wife of Harry C. Martin, of Brown township, and their children are Harold and Fredrick ; Vermille M. graduated in the Union City high school, as a member of the class of 1899, and she is now a successful teacher in Darke county, being also an excellent musical student ; Hattie E., of the class of 'goo, in the Union City high GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 605 school, is also a musical student and has shown proficiency in the study of languages Ida Opal is now in the eighth grade of the public schools ; Georgiana is in the seventh grade ; and Charles R., the youngest, is in the fourth grade. Mrs. Rahn was born in Brown township, this county, December 25, 1852, the daughter of James and Mary Ann (Teegarden) Bailey. There were ten children in the family, of whom only three are living : Mrs. Rahn; ; Anna, wife of Levi Hopper, proprietor of the Farmers Hotel, at Greenville; and Stephen H., who is a blacksmith and wagon-maker at Union City. James Bailey was born in Perry county, Ohio, June 12, 1814, and died on New Year's day, 1891. In earlier years he was a carpenter and joiner, but eventually devoted his attention to agriculture. He was originally an old-line Whig, but identified himself with the Republican party upon its organizaiton, being an ardent abolitionist and an admirer of President Lincoln. He was a deacon of the Christian church for thirty years. The mother of Mrs. Rahn died when the latter was but seven years old. When our subject and his wife began their wedded life they rented land in Greenville township, and their excellent success has been conserved through their ability and tenacity of purpose. Their first land was a tract of eighty acres of timber and swamp land, in Jackson township, with no buildings and scarcely any improvements, the property having been willed to Mrs. Rahn. Their first purchase was a fifty-acre tract, for which they assumed an indebtedness representing more than seventy per cent of its valuation, but by economy and wise management they met all obligations and attained the success which was so justly their due. Their first home was a log cabin, and today they have a beautiful brick residence of two stories, with ample attic and basement, which was erected in 1879, and own two hundred and forty acres of valuable land, lying in Brown and Jackson townships. In 1885 Mr. Rahn erected a fine barn, and the entire estate gives evidence of thrift and prosperity, while against the same there is not a dollar of indebtedness. Mr. Rahn has in his possession the old deed of the Bailey land purchased in Jackson township, the same having been executed August I. 1838, and signed by President Van Buren. Our subject is a stanch Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote for Horace Greeley, in 1872, and he has represented his party in various conventions He has served with gratifying success as trustee of his township, being chosen as his own successor. In 1899 he was elected land appraiser of Brown township, and is the present incumbent. He and his wife are devoted members of the Christian church, holding membership in what is known as the Teegarden chapel, in the erection of which edifice Mr. Rahn was a member of the building committee. Their daughter Vermille is superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. and Mrs. Rahn are representatives of old and honored pioneer families of the county, and on this score, as well as by reason of their own beneficent and kindly lives, they merit full recognition in a work of this nature, and this tribute we are glad to accord. THOMAS C. MILLER. Thomas C. Miller, a member of the Darke county bar, was born in West Milton, Miami county, February 25, 1841, upon 606 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. a farm. His father, Samuel Miller, was a native of Virginia, born in Charleston, in 1801. He learned the miller's trade and followed that pursuit for many years. In early manhood he removed to Ohio, and in this state was married to Margaret Bowman, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio. Subsequently they removed to Miami county, where Mr. Miller followed his chosen vocation for many years. In 1860 he came with his family to Darke county, locating in Arcanum, where he remained for a number of years, and then returned to Miami county, where his death occurred in 1874. His wife, who survived him for some time, died in Greenville in 189o. Thomas C. Miller, whose name forms the caption of this sketch, was the only child born to his parents. He spent his boyhood days in the vicinity of his native town and pursued his education in the common schools, and afterward assisted his father in the work of the farm and the operation of the mill; but, not content to devote his energies to industrial pursuits, he determined to enter professional life and to this end began reading law under the direction of Hon. E. P. Kellogg, of West Milton, now a prominent lawyer of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Miller was admitted to the bar at Troy, this state, and began practice in Bedford, Ohio, where he remained for twelve years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Greenville, where he has since devoted his attention assiduously to the practice of his profession and the duties it involves. He is recognized as one of the leading lawyers of the Greenville bar, and his dev0tion to his clients' interests is proverbial. Mr. Miller has been twice married, and by the first union had, three children : Perry E., William E. and Lemuel,. E. His present wife bore the maiden name of Miss Anna Gundell. She was born in Darke county, was a daughter of Benjamin Gundell, an old resident of this county, and at the time of their marriage was the widow of Henry Beard. During the civil war Mr. Miller manifested his loyalty to his country by enlisting in the One Hundred and Tenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Captain Jason Young and Colonel J. Warren Keifer. The regiment was ordered to Virginia, and in the south he faithfully served until 1865. He participated in a number of engagements and skirmishes, and also spent some time in the hospital, and when the war was ended received an honorable discharge, in July, 1865. He is a member of the Frizelle Post, No. 227, G. A. R., and is as true and faithful to the duties of citizenship in times of peace as when he followed the starry banner upon the battlefields of the south. His life has marked a steady advance in his profession, and by his careful preparation of cases, combined with a keen power of analysis, he has won many notable forensic combats. JOHN HOSCHOUER. A representative of one of the pioneer families of Brown township; Mr. Hoschouer has been a resident of Darke county since his birth, which occurred on the 18th of May, 1846. His father, Isaac Hoschouer, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, May 13, 1809, and died December 13, 1884. He spent the early years of his life in the state of his nativity, was descended from one of the old Pennsylvania Dutch families and could speak the German tongue. He received a common school education, GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 607 which, however, was quite meager, and was reared to habits of industry and economy. Removing to Ohio, he took up his abode, in Montgomery county, where he located when Mansfield was a mere hamlet. The trip was made across the country with teams, and about 1833 he came to Darke county, where he entered forty acres of land from the government. This was a dense forest tract, upon which not an improvement had been made. Soon, however, he built a little log cabin and as the years passed he added to his property, extending the boundaries of his farm until at the time of his death he was the owner of three hundred and seventy acres of land in Brown township. His political support was given the Democracy, and he was a strong advocate of Jacksonian principles. In his early manhood he wedded Catherine Hutchinson, who was born in .Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of June, 1807, and passed to her final rest on the 13th of September, 1885. A fond and indulgent mother, her influence for good was marked among her children and by all who knew her. She had four sons and five daughters, and of the family five are yet living, namely : Mary, the widow of Henry Moore, of Fredonia, Kansas; Jackson, a -farmer who is married and lives in Friend, Nebraska; Martha, wife of John 'Gilbert, a resident farmer of Friend, Nebraska; John of this review ; and Phebe, the wife of John Routsong, who resides on the old family homestead. Mr. Hoschouer is now the only living male representative of the family in Brown township. No event of special importance occurred to vary the monotony of life upon the farm in his boyhood days. He began his education in a little log school-house, 18x20 feet, the seats being formed of saplings which were hewed smooth on one side and placed horizontally upon wooden pins, and across pins inserted into the wall was laid a long board which served as a writing desk for the older scholars. The building was heated by, an immense fireplace, and the smoke made its escape from a mud-and-stick chimney, The schoolmaster was often more successful in maintaining discipline by the aid of birch rod than in instructing the scholars in the branches of English learning taught in. the common schools. The old-time "blue-back elementary spelling book" and Ray's, arithmetic where used, and the school term, continued for about three months. Throughout the remainder of the year Mr. Hoschouer was engaged in the operation of the home farm, in tilling the soil and harvesting the crops. He remained with his parents until they were called to the home beyond. On the 2d of January, 1876, he wedded Miss Jennie Young, one of Darke county's native daughters. Her birth occurred February 3, 1855, her parents being Ebenezer Reed and Sarah (Colby) Young. They had ten children, five sons and five daughters, and all are living with one exception. Of the nine who survive eight are residents 'of Ohio, one sister, Lydia, being the wife of Jackson Hoschouer, of Friend, Nebraska. The father of these children was born in Ohio,,. May 9, 1820, and died about 1891. He possessed natural mechanical ability and was a carpenter and joiner by trade. His education was obtained in the common schools. For many years he was a resident of Allen township, Darke county, and was known as a reliable citizen. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and in religious belief a Universalist. His wife, who was born in Ohio, April 11, 1828, and died in April; 1890, was also of the Universalist faith. 608 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. At the time of his marriage Mr. Hoschouer rented the old family homestead, and in 1880 purchased fifty-five acres of land, going in debt for a part of it. His industry and economy, however, have enabled him to make all payments upon his property, and to add to the farm until he is now the owner of two hundred and seventy acres, constituting one of the valuable farms of Brown township. It extends into York township also. He raises the crops best adapted to this climate, and the well-tilled fields are an indication of his careful supervision and yield to him a golden tribute in return for the care and labor he bestowed upon them. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hoschouer was blessed with the presence of eight children, six sons and two daughters, and the living are : Myrtle, the wife of Charles Harless, a tobacco-grower of York township ; William I., who has passed the Boxwell examination, admitting him to any high school in the county, but is now assisting his father in the cultivation of the home farm; Lewis F., who also aids his father; and Jackson, Edward, John R. and Leland C., who are all with their parents and are making good progress in their school work. Mr. and Mrs. Hoschouer have traveled life's journey together for a quarter of a ,century, sharing its joys and sorrows. They are active in support of all measures which contribute toward the intellectual and moral development of the community. Both are representatives of honored pioneer families, and through this community are widely and favorably known. Mr. Hoschouer is an advocate of Democracy, and has. cast his ballot for its presidential candidates since voting for Hon. Horatio Seymour in 1868. His entire life has been devoted to the work of the farm, and his practical and progressive methods have resulted in bringing to him creditable success, of which he is in every way worthy. THE DENISE FAMILY. The Denise family is one of the most prominent of the sturdy pioneer families of Darke county. They came from Butler county, Ohio, in the autumn of 1832 and settled on a tract of one hundred acres of land west of Greenville, a mile from the city hall and on the Union City pike. At that time the family consisted the father, John S. Denise, who was born in New Jersey, in 1803 ; his wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret M. Clark, was of Irish descent, and was born in Warren county, Ohio, in August, 1804; and their 'three children: William, born May 13, 1824; Aaron, January 16, 1825, and Eleanor, July 16, 1830. At that early period there were only about a dozen houses in Greenville, and the Union City pike was only an Indian trail extending as far as Hillgrove. There were two or three houses and a tanyard at the latter place, but Union City had not been founded. While the determined couple were laboring to build for themselves a home in the wilderness, 'where Indians, bears, wolves and wild-cats abounded and now and then the screams of the panther were heard, five more children were added to the family circle, and seven of the eight children grew to mature years. William married Miss Catherine Garber, and after her death wedded Louisa McClain. By their union there were six children, four of whom are living and reside with their parents in Dayton, Ohio. Eleanor became the wife of R. B. Farra, by whom she had four children, two yet living. Mr. Farra served for two years in the Mexican GENEALOGICAL AND. BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 600 war, and for nine months in the civil war. Charlotte is the wife of John S. Vantilburg, and of their ten children four yet survive. Margaret is the wife of Elijah McConnell and the mother of two children. She and her family reside at the corner of Fifth and Devor streets in Greenville, Ohio. Jennie, Obadiah and Aaron always made their home with their parents. The older children were sixteen and eighteen years of age before any schoolhouses were built in that section of the country, so the education obtained from textbooks was very limited. Nature, however, taught them the most essential lessons at that period, the preservation of life. When the farmers wanted to take their meager wheat crop to mill it was necessary to drive to Franklin, Warren county, or to Piqua, to have it ground. Their corn was taken to Coletown, where Samuel Cole, the father of Joseph Cole, who lives near Nashville, operated an old burr mill, now known as the Weimer mill, run by Mathias Dean. The customer was obliged to wait a whole day for his grist, and while the miller attended to the grinding the farmer had to watch below so that the hounds, which were numerous in every household, would not eat the meal as fast as it was ground. Many times when the father was too busy to ride to mill the mother went to the field, gathered some ears of corn and grated them to make mush or bread for her family. They tell of a voice crying around their lonely cabin one dark night and what an effort it required to keep Aaron from going out to the relief of the helpless woman, as he supposed it was. The man says with a perceptible nervousness even at this late day, "It would have been all up with me if I had, because the Cry was that of a hungry panther." The greater part of the Denise farm was at that time swamp land. The cabin of one room was built of logs and had no floor or chimney, while coverlets of the mother's own spinning served for doors and windows. Corn at that time was worth eight cents a bushel and wheat forty cents a bushel. Everything was primitive. Mrs. Margaret McConnell now tells of a fright that she and her sister Jennie experienced when they were quite young. Having stolen a watermelon they quietly made their way into the cornfield to eat it unobserved, when they suddenly came upon a big black bear. Loyal to the country which the family had helped to transfcrm from the wilderness into homes of comparative peace and plenty, the two sons, Obadiah and Aaron, answered the call for volunteers at the beginning of the civil war. Aaron enlisted in the Fortieth Ohio Infantry in August, 1861, and served with the company for three years, after which he was transferred to the Fifty-first Ohio Infantry, where he remained until the close of the war, his services therefore covering more than three years. He bears as a memento of his army experience a shattered thumb. On one occasion he had his arm raised to shoot when a rebel ball fired from the side of Lookout mountain broke the gun to pieces in his hand and injured his thumb. He was never arrested or in the guard house, and was in the hospital only for one week. On one occasion during his four years' service he visited home, receiving a twenty-seven days' furlough. Obadiah enlisted on the 2d of August, 1862, in the Ninety-fourth Ohio Infantry, where he served for nine months, when he was transferred to the One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Regiment, and from the latter was honorably discharged on the 2d of September, 1864, owing 610 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. to physical disability. He was in the hospital for only a few days, preferring exposure to the close hospital air. The father of these children died April 25, 1852, and on the 24th of January, 1884, thirty-two years later, the mother also passed to the home beyond. In that year Obadiah and Aaron rented the farm, comprising one hundred acres of as good land as can be found in Darke county, and with their sister Jennie retired from active business life. On the 4th of August, 1897, the sister died upon the farm where she was born and had always lived. On the 7th of October of the same year the brothers and their sister, Mrs. Eleanor Farra, who had been a widow for some years, and had returned to the old home, removed to No. 618 East Third street, in Greenville, where they are now living in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest. ELIHU WEAVER. Numbered among the highly respected citizens and representative farmers of Van Buren township, Darke county, Ohio, is the subject of this review. The family to which he belongs was founded here by his grandfather, Peter Weaver, a native of Virginia, and a farmer by Occupation, who on first coming to Ohio located in Highland county, but at an early day removed to Miami county, where he cleared and improved a farm in Newberry township. From there he moved to Adams township, Darke county, and settled on Greenville creek. His last days were spent at the home of the father of our subject, Henry F. Weaver, where he died, May 15, 1848, aged eighty-two years. His wife had died several years previously. Henry F. Weaver was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, and there married Susanna G. Winters, also a native of the Old Dominion. They came with his parents to this state, and accompanied the family on their removal from Highland county to .Miami county, and later to Darke county, locating in Adams township,. where the father purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, mostly wild and unimproved. He died upon that place November 10, 1865, at the age of seventy-two years, and his wife passed away December -18, 1866, aged seventy-eight years, eight months and eight days. Their children were : John, who died in Bradford, Ohio; Andrew, a physician of Covington ; Elijah, who died near Rose Hill ; Nancy, wife of Eli Reck, of Missouri ; Betsey, wife of Samuel Hill, of Covington, Ohio; Eli, who died in boyhood; Henry, who died at the age of twenty-eight years ; and Elihu, our subject. Elihu Weaver was born on the old homestead on Stillwater river, Adams township,. Darke county, July 1, 1833, and during his boyhood this region was wild and the schools poor and quite a distance from his home. His educational advantages were necessarily limited, but for a time he pursued his studies in an old log school-house, one of his first teachers being a Mr. Knowlton. When old enough to be of any assistance he commenced to aid his father in clearing and improving the farm, and remained with his parents until their death. He was married soon afterward and located upon his pres- ent farm of seventy-one acres, then mostly wild land, on which was a hewed-log house. To the further improvement and cultivation of his place he has since devoted his energies, until to-clay it is nearly all cleared and under excellent cultivation. He is a stanch advocate of free silver and Democratic prin- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 611 ciples, and is an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. On the 14th of March, 1867, Mr. Weaver married Miss Sarah Weaver, who, though of the same name, was no relative. She was born in Franklin township, Darke county, January 15, 1845, and died April 14, 1879, aged thirty-three years, two months and nineteen days. Her father, Adam Weaver, emigrated. to Ohio from Virginia at an early day. To our subject and his wife were born two children : James Edward, born December 30, 1867, who married Lizzie Strowbridge; and Harvey, born January 15, 1874, who married Elizabeth Ludy, and lives in Ohio City, Ohio. JOHN T. HIMES. All honor is due to those loyal sons of the republic who are willing to go forth in her defence when her integrity is menaced, and there is no call which demands greater fortitude and sacrifice than that of volunteers to serve their nation on the field of battle. One of the honored citizens of Darke county, and one whose is the distinction of being a veteran of the great war of the Rebellion, is the gentleman whose name forms the caption of this article, and it is clearly incumbent that we accord to him due recognition in this work. Mr. Himes is a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, having been born near the city of Dayton, May 14, 1839, being the eldest of the eight children—three sons and five daughters—born to Thomas J. and Elizabeth (Ewry) Himes. Six of the children are yet living : John T., subject of this sketch ; Mary M., wife of Nelson D. Hall, of Dayton, Ohio ; Martha E., of Dayton ; Nancy J., wife of Thomas J. Minton, of Eaton, Ohio ; Rose Ann, wife of Richard Edwards, of Indianapolis, Indiana ; and Laura C., wife of Wilson Minton, of Covington, Ohio. The father was born in Ohio in. 1807, and he died December 7, 1872. He was a weaver by trade, and passed his entire life in Ohio; where he was duly accredited a position as a pioneer. He was an expert weaver, and in the family are still extant some fine specimens of his work. Politically he was first a Whig and later a Republican, while religiously he was originally a member of the New Light denomination, though at the time of his death he held to the faith of the United Brethren. He was interred in Montgomery county. The mother of our subject was born in Montgomery county, and she died at about the age of forty-six. John T. Himes passed the first thirty years of his life in his native county, his early educational advantages having been very limited in extent. He began to earn wages at the early age of twelve years, receiving twenty-five cents for a full day's work. He started at the bottom of the ladder, and has toiled early and late to earn for himself the success which has come as a just reward for his efforts. The first dollar which he earned seemed an enormous sum to him. At the age of sixteen he was paid six dollars a month, and his first work was as a plowman, though he was not a farmer's son. He continued as a wage earner until he reached the age of twenty-six, and thirteen dollars per month was the maximum pay received. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion Mr. Himes enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, at Dayton, an organization previously known as the National Guards, and the date of his enlistment in the United 612 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. States service was May 2, 1864. The regiment was sent to Baltimore, Maryland, and assigned to guard duty at the forts, the old soldiers being placed in the ranks. He was one who was willing to sacrifice his life in defense of his country if need be. He served his allotted term, receiving his honorable discharge August 25, 1864. Mr. Himes has been twice married, his union with Miss Mary R. Emick having been solemnized December 7, 1865. Of the two sons and three daughters born of this union three survive : Anna B., wife of David Reigel, of Dawn, Ohio ; Lydia E., wife of William John, of Dayton, Ohio. Our subject was called to mourn the death of his devoted wife on the 13th of February, 1877, and for his second wife he chose Mrs. Mary F. (Risch) Reed, their marriage being celebrated March 5, 1878. Mrs. Himes is a native of Boston, Indiana, where she was born May 10, 1835, a daughter of John and Catharine (Hapner) Patterson. She became a resident of Preble county, Ohio, when a child of six years, and there she passed the greater portion of her life. She had been twice married prior to her union with our subject. Her first husband was Christian Risch, and of their union two sons and two daughters were born, of whom only one is now living—Inez F., who has received a good education in the public schools, and who is at the home of her mother. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Dawn, Ohio. Mrs. Himes' second husband was William Reed, to whom she was married in 1873. It is a noteworthy fact that each of her husbands was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, as were also her brothers and brothers-in-law. Her brother, W. H. Patterson, was shot through and through at the battle of Cold Harbor, but almost miraculously survived his wounds, and is still living. His company went into the engagement with practically a full complement and came out with only three men. Henry Hapner, grandfather of Mrs. Himes, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio in a very early day, the trip being made with a four-horse team and covered wagon. The family came through to Cincinnati, thence to Franklin and finally to Preble county, where they secured one hundred and sixty acres of good land. This continued to be the home of the grandparents until their death. Mrs. Nimes has in her possession the original deed for this old homestead, the same having been executed June 13, 1812, and signed by President James Madison. These old deeds are of infrequent occurrence now, and are of great historical value. The one mentioned is treasured as an heirloom and is one of the oldest the writer has encountered in Darke county, the deed antedating the formation of Preble county by a number of years, the locality being then known as the Miami valley region. Upon the old homestead the first domicile erected was a diminutive log cabin of one room, and before the windows and doors had been placed in the dwelling Grandfather Hapner was drafted for service in the war of 1812, and was compelled to leave his wife and two little children alone in the forest home. The fortitude demanded of the devoted mother was of the severest order, for she was menaced by dangers by night and by day. In the night Indian camp fires could be seen gleaming through the forest in many directions. Of stern stuff were these early pioneers constituted, and the stories of their trials and deprivations read like romances in these later days. Mrs. Himes herself well recalls many incidents of the pioneer epoch, and she is thus the more GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 613 appreciative of the privileges and facilities enjoyed by the present generations. Of Mrs. Mary R. (Emick) Himes, the first wife of our subject, it should be recorded that she was born in Ohio, July 17, 1838, the daughter of David and Jane (Morgan) Emick, who were among the early pioneers of the state, settling among the Indians, who many times teased "Little Mollie," by saying they would take her away. They were kindly treated, however, and in the main did not abuse the courtesy shown them. David Emick was a cooper by trade, and he came to Dayton, Ohio, in 1815. Mrs. Himes was a true helpmeet to her husband, assisting him by counsel and aiding him in his early efforts to lay the foundations of success. In religion she was a devoted member of the German Reformed church, in which faith she died. It was in the year 1875 that Mr. Himes purchased his present fine farm of fifty acres, in Richland township, the place having been partially improved, having a one-story brick house and an old log barn. He had but little means at the time of purchase, and assumed an indebtedness of two-thirds of the valuation of the property, but he labored energetically and gave so effective management to his interests that he was enabled to gradually reduce the indebtedness and finally to clear the homestead of all incumbrance. His devoted wife, who had nobly shared in his labors and anxieties, was summoned to the better land just at the time when prosperity began to smile most brightly upon them, but her memory is cherished and her efforts are held in lasting appreciation. Our subject's present companion has been to him a devoted coadjutor and is a woman of refinement and gracious dignity, presiding over the pleasant home and showing that spirit of sympathy and hospitality which always wins and retains friendships. The homestead now comprises seventy acres, improved with a commodious and comfortable brick residence and excellent outbuildings, while the entire place gives indication of the care bestowed by an intelligent and thrifty owner. In politics Mr. Himes has always given his support to the Republican party, haying cast his first presidential vote for the martyred Lincoln. He is not an ultra-partisan in his political sentiments, and in local affairs often supports men and measures without regard to political affiliations. He has in his possession the original deed for eighty acres of land, of which his present place is a part, the same having been executed November 7, 1837, during the administration of President Van Buren. Mrs. Himes has many interesting old relics, including dishes of various sorts, one piece having been handed down from generation to generation and being more than a century old. Mr. and Mr. Himes and their daughter, Inez, are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Dawn, and he has contributed his quota to all worthy benevolences and charities. The family hold an enviable position in the social circles of the community, secure in the esteem of many friends, to whom they always extend the most genial hospitality in their pleasant home. CHARLES W. ROLAND. Charles- W. Roland is the editor in chief and one of the proprietors of the Greenville Democrat, which paper was purchased in 1866 by his father, Charles Roland, Sr., after it had passed through several hands. It was made a Democratic paper, placed upon a 614 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. substantial footing and became the leading. Democratic official organ of Darke county. It is a large sheet, printing the local and general news, and has an extensive and constantly growing circulation in Greenville and Darke county. It is issued on Wednesday of each week, and its publication was continued by Charles Roland until June 14, 1899, when he retired from the active management, which was then assumed by his sons, Charles W. and Edward H., under the firm name of Roland Br0thers. The paper is a nine-column, four-page journal, 32x46 inches. The plant is equipped with a gas engine, cylinder power press, three job presses and all the necessary machinery and type for turning out first-class work. The paper is considered an excellent advertising medium and does a large job printing business in addition to the regular newspaper work. The building occupied was built expressly for the purpose and is a three-story brick structure, the entire third floor being occupied as the printing office, while the second floor is used for general office purposes and the first floor is used as a store room. Charles W. Roland, the senior partner, was born in the city of Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 15th of August, 1857, a son of Charles and Amelia (Clark) Roland. He came to Greenville, Darke county, Ohio, with his parents when nine years old. He pursued his elementary education in the preliminary schools of Greenville and then entered the high school, in which he was graduated in the class of 1876. In 1871 he began his apprenticeship at the printing trade and after his school days had ended he continued the printing business in all its departments, and assisted his father for a number of years until, on the 14th of June, 1899, in company with his brother, Edward H., he purchased the business, which is now conducted under the firm name of Roland Brothers. The father retired from the active management and the sons took charge, their practical knowledge and extended experience well qualifying them for the responsibilities which they assumed. Charles W. Roland was married September 6, 1882, to Miss Lizzie Davis, of Aberdeen, Ohio, a daughter of Elijah Davis,. who served as the postmaster of that place under Presidents Hayes and Grant. She was born January 26, 1858, at Flemingsburg, Kentucky. They now have four children:. Gertrude, born August 22, 1883; Gladys, born January 26, 1897 ; Charles E., Jan-:. uary 21, 1888 ; and Virgil D., October 18, 1894, all born at Greenville, Ohio. Edward H. Roland was born in Lancaster, Ohio, January 9, 1865, was educated in the public schools of Greenville and mastered the printer's art in his father's office, becoming familiar with the business both in general principles and detail. He is therefore a practical printer as well as newspaper man, and the combined labors of the brothers have made the Greenville Democrat a leading journal in this section of the state. As the name implies, its political support is given the Democracy, and on the Democratic ticket Charles W. Roland' was elected to the city council, in which he served for one term. Both brothers are reliable and energetic business men, of agreeable social qualities and are popular in the community where they have so l0ng resided. T. L. BISHOP. In the history of those men who are accorded recognition as leading and representative citizens of Darke county T. L. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 615 Bishop is mentioned. He was born in Butler county, Ohio, November 8, 1829, and is a son of William F. Bishop, deceased, who came to this county in 1842, locating in Greenville township near Mud creek, and was born near Burlington, New Jersey, in the year 1800, and was a son of Frazee Bishop, who was descended from one of the old colonial families. William F. Bishop was reared in the state of his nativity until five years of age, when he was taken by his parents to Ohio, a settlement being made at Middletown, Butler county, in 1805. Cincinnati was at that time only a small village and Ohio was thought to be upon the very border of western civilization. There William Bishop was reared to manhood and acquired a common-school education. When still a lad he began the butchering business, although he had familiarized himself with the tanner's trade. He followed butchering until 1842, when he made preparation to come to Darke county. Three days were consumed in making the trip and they had a wagon train of thirteen teams. Mr. Bishop was accompanied by his wife and eight children. The former bore the maiden name of Maria Bogas and their marriage was celebrated in Butler county in 1825. Their children were Ezra, Thompson L., Peter W., Joseph L., Elizabeth, Mary, Frances and Valeria F. After coming to this county Theodore, their youngest child, was born. On the land on which he located the father made his home until his declining years when he removed to Greenville, his death occurring there in 1887. His wife passed away in 1880 at the age of seventy-five years. She was of Virginian parentage. Mr. Bishop was a prominent and influential citizen and was frequently called upon to serve in township offices. His wife was a prominent member of the Baptist church and an exemplary woman, and their home was often the meeting place for people of the Baptist denomination, services being held whenever a preacher was in the .neighborhood. Mr. Bishop gave his political support of the Whig party until the organization of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks. He was a stanch advocate of Abraham Lincoln's administration during the civil war and was a radical Union man. He held membership in the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges of Greenville and in his daily conduct exemplified the benevolent and enabling principles of those fraternities. He began life a poor young man, but by his enterprise and energy he gained success and acquired a good property. He was very progressive and at one time was the owner of shops in three different places, at least fifteen miles apart, all three of which were carried on under his personal supervision. He never speculated, but depended upon the more substantial elements of success,—honest labor and capable management.. He modeled his life according to the Golden Rule and by his adherence to its principles he won many friends throughout the county, being highly respected by all who knew him. He was familiarly known as "Uncle Billy." When called to his final rest he was laid to rest beside his wife in Greenville cemetery and thus two of the most highly esteemed pioneers of Darke county passed to the home beyond. On his father's farm in his native county T. L. Bishop spent his boyhood and in that locality he obtained a common and high-school education. With his parents he came to Darke county in 1842, when fifteen years of age. His education was quite thorough for that day, for he learned something of 616 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Latin and the higher branches of science. He continued with his father until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life on his own acc0unt, continuing to engage in the ursuit to which he had been reared. He married Miss Cynthia A. Dunham for a companion and helpmeet on life's journey. She resided in Warren county, Ohio, and their wedding took place in December, 1856. Subsequently Mr. Bishop engaged in the operation of a saw-mill at Gordon, Darke county, where he resided until 1861, when he purchased ninety acres of land, on which he now lilies. This he bought and operated in partnership with his brother, Peter W. Bishop, the business relationship between them existing for eight years. In May, 1864, Mr. Bishop enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Infantry, for one hundred days' service, and spent that time in Virginia. With his command he went to Martinsburg, thence on the Hunter raid through the Shenandoah valley, penetrating through the country as far as Lynchburg. He participated in several skirmishes and at White Sulphur Springs his comrade, Mr. Thomas, of Arcanum, was killed by his side. Mr. Bishop served his term of enlistment and was then honorably discharged at Camp Dennison on the 2d of September, 1864. He has added to his original purchase and is now the owner of one hundred and thirty-seven acres of good land, all under a high state of cultivation and improved with the various modern accessories which go to make up the model farm, many of these having been placed on his land by himself, and his property is a monument to his thrift and enterprise. While his life has been a busy one he has yet found time to faithfully discharge public duties and has held several minor offices. For over twelve years he was supervisor and for eighteen years has been a school director. In educational matters he has always taken a deep interest, doing all in his power to promote the efficiency of the schools. He was at one time actively connected with the Masonic fraternity, but is not now associated therewith. At the age-of twenty-nine he was converted and has since been a prominent and useful member of the Baptist church. He was one of the first members of the first Missionary Baptist church of Greenville, has long been one of its officers, served as its first clerk, has for many years been a deacon and has likewise-filled the position of church trustee. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Bishop has been blessed with three children,—Sylvan E., Cora B. and William L.; all yet living. The mother died in 1884, at the age of fifty-six years. She was a member of the Baptist church and an exemplary Christian woman. Mr. Bishop was again married in 1896, when Mary F. Sayers, of Troy, Ohio, became his wife. Mr. Bishop affiliates with the Republican party, casting his first presidential vote. for John C. Fremont in 1866. His efforts in business life were attended with the success which never fails to reward honest and continued labor when directed by sound judgment. He is one of the widely known and highly esteemed citizens of Darke county. His life has ever been an honorable and useful one, his word is as good as his bond and his example is indeed in many respects worthy of emulation. ADAM FRANKMANN. Prominent among the leading citizens of the prosperous town of Versailles, Ohio, is the gentleman whose name introduces this GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 617 Sketch, Adam Frankmann, president of the People's Bank. Mr. Frankmann is a native of Germany and was born April 10, 1829. According to the custom in Germany, he attended school until he was fourteen years of age, and then went to work at a trade. He served an apprenticeship of two years at the tailor's trade, after which he spent, some time as a journeyman tailor, traveling about from ,place to place, in the old country. Then, thinking that his chances for getting on in the world would be better in America, he turned his face westward. After a voyage of fifty days in a sailing vessel he landed at New Orleans, May 17, 1853, and in that city remained until June 29 of the following year. His next move was up the river to Louisville, Kentucky, thence to Cincinnati, and from there to Dayton. At the last named place he secured a position and spent six months in work at his trade. The next six months he worked in West Alexander, Preble county, and from there he went to Lewisburg, same county, where, March 1, 1857, he engaged in business for himself. August 1, 1881, he came to Versailles and established himself in a tailoring and clothing business, with his son, E. G., as partner. This business he conducted successfully until February, 1897, when he and Manier Brothers organized the People's Bank with a cash capital stock of twenty-four thousand' dollars. Mr. Frankmann was elected the president of this company ; Joe Manier, vice-president; Felix Manier, cashier; and E. C. Manier, assistant. cashier. In 1898 Mr. Frankmann built what is known as the Frankmann block, in which the bank is located, which is a valuable additon to the town, and he has also made other valuable improvements. He has accumulated consid erable property, all the result of his own energy and wise investment; and in this instance we find another one of the many successful business men who have worked up from poor boyhood to substantial and honored position in the business world. Mr. Frankmann was married September 14, 1857, to Elizabeth Fasig, and the children of their union are as follows : Mary. T., who died in 1866, at the age of two years; Flora F., at home ; Edward G., a merchant tailor of Versailles ; Irena, the wife of F. L. Wallen, a druggist of Nicholasville, Kentucky ; and Herman A., who married Jennie O. Burns and resides in Versailles. Politically, the subject of our sketch affiliates wth the Democratic party. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church. WILLIAM E. G. JEFFERIS. William E. G. Jefferis is well known as a prominent farmer of German township, living on section 11. He was born on the farm where he now resides March 24, 1868, and is the eldest child of Joshua and .Sarah J. Jefferis. His great-grandfather, Job J. Jefferis, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1776, and married Barbara Long. Their only child was Darlington Jefferis, the grandfather of our subject. He was a native of Virginia and when two years old was brought by his parents to Ohio, the family locating in Clinton county, where he was reared. He afterward came to Darke county and entered a farm on section 11, German township, where Joshua Jefferis now resides. He there secured one hundred and sixty acres at a dollar and a quarter per acre, and throughout his remaining days carried on agricultural pursuits there, his 618 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. death occurring in 1880, in his eighty-fifth year. He was a member of the Universalist church, of Palestine. He married Mary Potter, who belonged to an old family of New Jersey, and they became the parents of ten children, all of whom were born on the old homestead in German township, namely : Rebecca, Julia Ann and Job D., deceased ; Squire, of German township; John, deceased ; Milton, of German township ; Mary Ann, who has also passed away ; Joshua ; William H. H., who died at the age of twenty-two at Nashville, Tennessee, while in the service for his country ; and Elizabeth, the wife of William H. Mills. Joshua Jefferis was the eighth child and fifth son in the family and was born October 15, 1837. He was reared on the farm where he now resides, pursued his education in a log school house and remained at home until 1864, when he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Infantry, with which he served as sergeant. He was at the front for over four months, located at Cumberland, Maryland. He participated in the Shenandoah valley raid and the battle of Greenbrier, in which a man was killed by his side. He received an honorable discharge at Camp Dennison, Ohio, in 1864, and then returned to his home. The following year he went to Iowa and other western points on a visit. On the l0th of January, 1867, Joshua Jefferis married Sarah J. Ware, who was born in Darke county, Ohio, June 20, 1849, the youngest daughter of J. F. and Mary (Ritenour) Ware. They began their domestic life upon the farm where they now reside. Four children have been born to them : William E. G. ; Marvin R., who was :born November 5, 1877; Alma, born May 13, 1879 ; and Hallie V., who was born February 17, 1884, and died August 22, 1885. Marvin attended school in Ada, Ohio, and was en gaged in teachingi He is now assisting his father in the work of the farm. Alma is engaged in teaching piano and organ music. Joshua Jefferis is the owner of two hundred and fifty acres of land, the greater part of which is under cultivation. He is now practically living retired, his son operating the farm. In politics he is a stalwart Republican and has served as trustee of his township, as a member of the school board for twenty years and has been a director of the Darke County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He is also a member of the German Grange, which he joined on its organization, and in its work he has taken an active part since 1874. He also holds membership in Reed's Post, G. A. R., of Palestine, and the Universalist church at that place, of which his family are also members. He is to-day as true and loyal to his duties of citizenship as when he followed the starry banner upon the battlefields of the south. William E. G. Jefferis, whose name begins this record, assisted his father in farming until he was twenty-one years of age, attending school during the winter months, and received a good common-school education. After becoming of age he was hired by his father for nine months' labor on the farm. He was united in marriage on December 24, 1889, with Miss Harriet V. Harding, also a resident of German township. She was born July 10, 1867, and is a daughter of Samuel( and Martha (Clay) Harding. Two children have been born to this union, both now living, namely : Mae, born November 5, 1890, and Grace, born April 25, 1894. After his marriage Mr. Jefferis began farming on the shares on his father's farm, and has since been engaged principally in GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 619 farming and stock-raising. He is also a carpenter by trade and when not otherwise engaged in farming has devoted his time to that trade. He began keeping books of his business affairs when he became of age and has since kept a careful and correct account with day and date of all business transactions and receipts and expenses with yearly statements. He has been an active member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry for twelve years, serving for two years as representative from Darke county to the annual state meeting of Ohio. By the great interest taken in the work of this organization he hay become a member of national and state orders of Patrons of Husbandry. Politically he is identified with the Republican party and is now serving as a justice of the peace of German township. Both Mr. and Mrs. Jefferis were reared in the Christian faith taught by the Universalist church. MORRIS BRYSON. Morris Bryson, deceased, the eldest son and child of James Bryson, was born on the old Bryson farm on Mud creek, Greenville township, Darke county, Ohio, May 13, 1818. Here he grew to manhood, obtaining only a limited education in the schools of the district, but continuing his studies at home and thus fitting himself to teach. He then taught school for a number of terms, He was married April 8, 1846, to Miss Mary Annie Cole, a daughter of Joseph and Annie (Sweet) Cole, both representatives of pioneer families of the Western Reserve. Mrs. Cole was born in 1800, and came to Ohio at the age of eighteen. She was living near Oswego, New York, during the war of 1812, and from her home could .see the smoke of battle. After the marriage of Morris Bry son and Miss Cole they began housekeeping on a rented farm, on which they resided two years. In 1848 he bought eighty acres of improved land in Greenville township, to which they moved and where he passed the rest of his life and died, his death occurring December 17; 1896. Of Morris Bryson it may be said that he was a representative man in his locality. He was one of the founders of the' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and for a number of years, up to the time of his death, was a director of the company. In educational matters he always manifested particular interest. For many years, off and on, he was a school director and always gave his support to whatever he believed was for the advancement and best interest of the schools of his district. A man of recognized. business qualities, he was sought for by the administrators of estates, and thus had charge of the interests of numerous heirs. Politically he was originally a Whig, which party he continued to support until 1856, when he joined the Republican ranks. During the civil war he championed the administration's policy, and his generosity in caring. for soldiers' widows and families during that period is yet well remembered ; and not only during that period but throughout his life he was noted for his generous hospitality. The needy were never turned empty-handed from his door. By honest toil and careful management he worked his way up to a position of financial independence, and at his death he left to his family a fine farm comprising two hundred and eighty-seven acres. Mrs. Bryson died in 1885, at the age of sixty-three years. She was a most estimable woman, a devoted member of the Disciples' church, and was much beloved by all who knew her. 620 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. The children of this worthy couple were ten in number, seven of whom are still living, namely : James W., Rachel, Joseph C., Newton, Clarissa, Volney and David. The deceased were William, an unnamed infant and Mary Alice. Those living are all residents of Darke county. James lives in Brown township, and Newton in Washington township, and the others at the old homestead. Joseph married Eva Bennett in 1881. She died August 28, 1884, leaving one child, Mary C. Volney married Mollie Vail, by whom he has four children—Cloe, Elmer, Belle and an infant. David married Cora Harris, and they have five children—William Ray, Roscoe, Guy, James and Caroline. The Bryson brothers operate the home farm in partnership. They are enterprising, representative citizens and enjoy the respect of the people of the community in which they live. CHRISTOPHER M. ARMACOST. Christopher M. Armacost, deceased, was for many years one of the respected citizens of Darke county, Ohio. He was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, November 2, 1807, and was descended from German and English ancestors. The Armacosts were of German origin, but at what time the first representatives of the family landed in this country is not now known. Christopher Armacost, the father of Christopher M., was born, reared, passed his life and died in Baltimore county, Maryland. His wife, whose maiden name was Malinda Murray, was also a native of that place, where both her father and grandfather settled on landing in this country from England, where both were born. Christopher and Malinda Armacost. were the parents of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, Christopher M. being the fourth son and seventh child. In his native county Christopher M. Armacost was reared and married. Thinking to better his fortunes by seeking a home in what was then called "the west," he came in the fall of 1837 to Darke county, Ohio, bringing with him his wife, whom he had married in the spring of that year.. They first located on a rented farm,. where they spent the winter, and in the spring of 1838 moved to the farm on which Mrs. Armacost still lives, on section 29, German township. Their first home .here was a little log cabin, 16x14 feet, situated in a small clearing with heavy timber all around them. On this farm he lived and labored for more than a quarter of a century, and as a result of his industry the primitive log house was replaced by a better home, the forest was cleared away, and the well-cultivated fields gave evidence of prosperity. Here he lived until 1885, when he moved to Hollansburg, where he died the following year. His life was a useful, active one, and there were few, if any, of the early pioneers of this locality better known or more highly respected than he.. He helped to raise many of the log houses and barns in the county. He served as a township trustee and constable; and he was ever ready to give his influence and support to whatever he believed to be for the best interest of the county. Politically he was a Democrat, being the only one of the large family of which he was a member that voted wth the Democratic party. The date of Mr. Armacost's marriage has already been given. Mrs. Armacost was before her marriage Miss Sarah Hoover, and is of German origin, her great-grandfather having been born in Germany. The German for Hoover is Huber, and the GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 621 name was changed after the settlement of the family in this country. Both Ulrich and Henry Hoover, the grandfather and father of Mrs. Armacost, were born in Pennsylvania, near Hanover, and from there Henry Hoover, after his marriage, moved to Baltimore county, Maryland, where the rest of his life was spent on a farm, and where he died at the age of seventy-three years. His wife, nee Susannah Dubbs, was a native of Pennsylvania, as also was her father, Oswalt Dubbs, and the Dubbs family also was of German origin. Henry and Susannah Hoover were the parents of ten children, namely : David, deceased; Mrs. Lydia Cooper, lives in Rutland, Illinois; Mary, deceased; Sarah, now Mrs. Armacost; Henry, deceased; Catharine, deceased; John, deceased; and Margaret, Peter and Susannah. Sarah, the fourth born and third daughter in the family, was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, January 17, 1813, and is the only member of her family in Darke county, Ohio. She is the mother of ten children, as follows: Eli, living; Henry, Amanda, Louisa, John and Elizabeth, all deceased.; Lydia, wife of John Harnish, of Washington township, Darke county ; Mary P., wife of J. B. Jones, of Randolph county, Indiana; Margaret C., wife of George Mike-sell, of Republican county, Kansas; and James B. James B. Armacost, the youngest of the above named family, resides with his aged mother on the home farm. He was born here, April 8, 1857, and in May, 1881, was married to Miss Emma R. Heironimus, a native of Darke county, Ohio: She died in 1889, leaving him with four little children : Eva Gertrude, born March 9, 1882 ; Herbert E., October 23, 1883; Henry Glen, September 3, 1887; and Justin Ray, October 18, 1889.          Mrs. Armacost has other grand- children, numbering in all thirty, and her great-grandchildren at this writing number twelve. Her son, James B., has charge of the home farm and is ranked with the representative citizens of the community. Like his father before him, he affiliates with the Democratic party. He served three years as a township trustee, and at this writing is a school director. Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias, having his membership in Lodge No. 476, at Hollansburg. HENRY ERISMAN. Henry Erisman was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and there passed his early boyhood. As one of a family of fifteen children he accompanied his parents to Ohio, and with them settled in the woods of Darke county, where he assisted in the work of clearing and improving the farm. On reaching manhood he married Miss Mary J. Reck, and soon afterward located on the farm in Adams township, this county, where he passed the rest of his life and died, and where his widow still resides. He was a man of sterling worth, interested in whatever tended toward the development of the community, and was ranked with the leading farmers and most respected citizens of the township. For many years he was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. He died July 14, 1892. Mrs. Henry Erisman, whose maiden name was Mary J. Reck, dates her birth in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1828. Her parents were Jacob and Mary M. (Seips) Reck, natives of Adams county, Pennsylvania. When she was a small child her father died and at the age 622 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of eleven years she accompanied her mother -to- Ohio, and in Darke county was reared and married. She has one brother and two sisters living : William Reck, of Greenville, Ohio ; Eliza, the wife of John Walker, of Van Buren township, Darke county ; and Susan, the wife of John Morrison, of Greenville. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Erisman four are now living, namely : Samuel J., who has been twice married, first to a Miss Clark, and after her death to a Miss Forman; John I., who married Miss Mellie Livingston; William H., who married Anna Katzenberger ; and Charlie. The deceased were Frances, Della, Mary and Joseph Ed. The grandchildren of Mrs. Erisman now number nine. Samuel J. has four children—Fay, Ray, Ruth and Helen; John I. has two—Della and Clyde; and William H. has three—Nellie, Floe and Myrtle. The Erisman farm comprises eighty-eight acres, and is under the management of William H. Erisman, who resides at the home place with his mother. LEONARD MARKER. Leonard Marker, a well known undertaker and furniture dealer of Versailles, Ohio, has the distinction of having won the-proud American title of self-made man. His great determination and energy have enabled him to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in his pathi and work his way steadily upward to prosperity. He was born near Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, June 9, 1846, and is of German descent, his paternal great-grandfather having been a native of Germany. The grandfather, George Marker, was born in Maryland and became a wealthy slaveholder of that state, but being a very liberal man he lost his property by going as security for others. He then came to Ohio with his family, and located on the site of the present Soldiers' Home near Dayton, Montgomery county, where he spent the remainder of his life, dying at about the age of seventy-two years. Raymond J. Marker, the father of our subject, was born in Maryland, in 1824, and was four years of age when the family removed to Montgomery county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and married Eliza Bachman, who was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but was reared in Montgomery county, this state. Her father, Christian Bachman, was a native of Germany. She died at the early age of twenty-eight years, leaving four children : Leonard, our subject; Allen, who is engaged in the transfer, dray. and express business in Versailles; Hiram, who died at the age of eighteen years; and Maggie C., the widow of George Burns and a resident of Cleveland. In early life the father followed the butcher's trade, but after coming to Darke county, in 1850, he purchased a farm near the old Bowers Mill and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He died there in 1855, at the age of thirty-one years. He was serving at that time as justice of the peace, and had also filled the offices of township clerk and land appraiser. In religious belief he was a Lutheran, and in politics a Democrat, and he was one of the most highly respected citizens of his community. Left an orphan at the early age of nine years, Leonard Marker went to live with his uncle, Perry Marker, in Liberty, Ohio, remaining with him until nineteen years of age and attending the village schools. He then spent two years with B. Engelken, of Ver- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 623 sailles, learning the cabinet maker's trade, Working the first six months for no material compensation. On attaining his majority he embarked in the furniture and undertaking business on his own account at that place, and now has the oldest established house of the kind in Darke county. He has kept a complete record of all the funerals ofwhich he has had charge since 1867, the date of the same, the name of the deceased and the number of miles traveled. He has buried over two thousand people. When he first became connected with the business he manufactured all his own coffins from the rough lumber, often working all night. He now has two diplomas as an embalmer, one from Professor Clarke at Springfield, Ohio, and the other from Professor Sullivan, of the Indianapolis (Indiana) School of Embalming. He has one of the finest funeral outfits in the county, and is doing a large and successful business. Having prospered in his life work, he is now the owner of considerable property, including his business block and residence in Versailles. At Versailles, April i, 1869, Mr. Marker married Miss Gertie Reed, a native of that place and a daughter of J. C. Reed, one of its first business men. By this union were born four children, namely : Grace, who was graduated at the Versailles high school, and has successfully engaged in teaching in the same for eight years ; James R., also a graduate of the same school, who has engaged in teaching for five years, and is now completing a four-years classical college course; Maud, Who was graduated at the Versailles high school and is at home; and Raymond J., who is still in school. As a Democrat Mr. Marker has taken an active interest in local politics, and has been honored with a number of offices, having served as a member of the board of health, the school board and as township clerk. He has been the chief of the fire department almost continuously since 1884, and superintendent of the Greenland Cemetery Company since its organization in 1896. It is one of the finest cemeteries of Darke county. Mr. Marker has a fine collection of geological specimens, awl Indian, war and family relics, and is interested in the founding of a reading room for young men. Socially he is a prominent member of the Odd Fellows Lodge, of Versailles, in which he has filled all the chairs, and has served as deputy grand master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member. of Lodge No. 290, F. & A. M., and has served as the secretary for a number of years. Religiously he and. all of his family are members of the Christian church. He has ever taken an active part in its work, was a member of the building committee of the parsonage, and is now serving as the clerk of the church. In all the relations of life he has been found true to every trust reposed in him, whether public or private, and has done all in his power to advance the interests of his town and county. MORRIS HUHN. Morris Huhn was born in stadt Langsfeld. in the province of Saxony, Prussia, Germany, June 21, 1871. His father was Isaac Huhn, who was born in the same locality in the year 1836. The mother, Mrs. Sophia Huhn, was born in 1840. By their marriage they became the parents of five children, three of whom are yet living. As is the custom in his native country, Morris Huhn attended the common schools until he was twelve years of age, and then entered 624 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the high school, where he pursued his studies until he had attained the age of fifteen. His school life was then ended and he entered upon his business career in a hardware store, where he served as a clerk for several years. Believing that the new world might furnish him better opportunities for advancement, he took passage on the German steamship Kaiser Wilhelm on the 12th of September, 1893. After a voyage of ten days he arrived in New York city, and at once came to Greenville, where he entered the clothing store of his uncle, the late Moses Huhn, being there employed as a clerk until the death of the proprietor, which occurred three years after our subject's arrival in the new world. After his uncle's death Mr. Huhn purchased the store and carried on business alone for one year. He then admitted to partnership Frank Pointner, who had for many years been a clerk in the establishment. Success has attended the enterprise, and the trade has constantly increased, the firm now enjoying a large and liberal patronage. On the 18th of October, 1899, Mr. Huhn was united in marriage to Miss Lottie Stricker, of Tiffin, Ohio, a daughter of Samuel and Eurika Stricker, who were natives of Germany, and in early life came to the United States. The Huhn residence is at No. 415 West Fourth street, and is celebrated for its gracious hospitality, which is enjoyed by many friends f the family. Mr. Huhn is the only member of his father's family who has visited the new world. Although he has been in America for only seven years, he speaks the English language with remarkable fluency and ease. It is wonderful with what readiness one of foreign birth adapts himself to the manners: customs and methods in vogue in this coun try. Without capital, our subject came to the new world and has steadily worked his way upyard, securing through determined purpose and honorable effort an enviable position in the business and social world. Close application and gentlemanly demeanor have gained for the firm of Huhn & Pointner a very enviable reputation and secured for them a business which is bringing to them excellent financial returns. HUGH T. McKIBBEN. Hugh T. McKibben is a retired farmer living on his seventy-five-acre farm on section 26, Mississinawa township. The competence which enables him to rest from his labors was acquired by active toil in former years. He was born in Clermont county, Ohio, December 27, 1826, and his grandfather, Hugh McKibben, was one of the pioneers of that locality, to which he removed from his former home in Pennsylvania. His wife was Susanna Hughes, and they became the parents of thirteen children, six of whom reached adult age and were married. Of the family, however, William and Wesley died in early life. Three sons reached mature years, and Hugh and Joseph died in Illinois, while Samuel Parker McKibben died in Kentucky. John A. McKibben, the father of our subject, was born in Clermont county, Ohio, June 13, 1802, and was reared amidst the wild scenes of the frontier. After he had attained to man's estate he married Jemima Pigman, who was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia. They were married about 1821, and became the parents of six children, five sons and one daughter, all of whom were born in Clermont county. One son, Harrison, died in that county, at the age of eight GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 625 years. On the 15th of September, 1839, the family arrived in Darke county, and the father purchased a quarter-section of land about two miles from the present home of our subject. In the midst of the forest he cleared and developed a farm, the timber being so dense that he had to cut away the trees in order to erect his log cabin, which was built of round logs, while the roof was made of boards cut from a large red oak tree which stood on the site of the cabin. The floor above also was made of red oak, while the lower floor was made of puncheons. The father, with the aid of his sons, cleared the greater part of the land, and there he made his home for eighteen years. But about 1857 he went to live with his son Hugh, and his death occurred in 1881, when he had reached the age of seventy-nine years, his remains being interred at Rose Hill. His widow was called away about four years later, when eighty-four years of age. Of their children we observe : Joshua R., who was born in 1821, followed carpentering and died in Indianapolis, Indiana, about 1877, being survived by his widow ; Levi P. was born in 1824, and died in Rossville in 1895, when about seventy-one years of age ; his only child, a daughter, is also deceased ; Hugh T. is the third of the family; Joseph H. was the next youngest and died in childhood ; Susanna Jane died when about twenty-one years .of age ; and William W. was born in 1834, was a farmer and is now living in Knobnoster, Missouri, his family consisting of four children, of whom two sons and a daughter are now living. The educational advantages which Hugh H. McKibben enjoyed were limited. He pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse, sixteen by sixteen feet, with puncheon seats and floors. His training at farm labor, however, was not meager, and he remained at home until twenty-four years of age, when he was married to Mary Nesmonger, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1827. They took up their abode in the midst of the forest and the farm upon which Mr. McKibben resides has been cleared almost entirely by his own efforts. For forty-six consecutive years he aided in building houses and barns, attending all the log-rollings, and was thus an active factor in the development of this portion of the county. He always enjoyed good health, being never ill except on one occasion, when he suffered an attack of sickness lasting thirteen days. His life has been one of marked industry, bringing to him creditable and desirable prosperity. Eight children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. McKibben. Amanda, the eldest, became the wife of William Funke, and after his death married Jacob Seacrist, of Darke county; he has one living child by the first marriage; Mary A. is the wife of George Brooks, a farmer of Jackson township, and they have five sons and four daughters, and have lost two other children ; Hiram A., a farmer residing five miles from Arcanum, is married and has three sons and one daughter yet living; Sarah J. is the wife of Gottlieb Coupp, and they have two children livingi Albert J. is married and has five sons and three daughters ; Irving Grant manages the home farm and has four daughters ; Elmer Elsworth, twin brother of Irving, resides in Jackson township and has one son and one daughter ; and Dora Ellen is the wife of William Stauffer, of Union City, Indiana, and they have a son and daughter. Mri McKibben has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for fifty-seven years, and the house of worship is located on his farm. His wife and most of the children are also 626 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. members of the same church and the family is one of the highest respectability, enjoying the warm regard of many .friends in the community. DAVID L. MEEKER. Perhaps the public record of no man in Darke county has extended over a longer period than that of Judge David L. Meeker, and certainly none has been more fearless in Conduct, more faultless in honor and more stainless in reputation. He served for nearly :twenty years as judge on the common pleas 'bench, and his career was marked by the utmost fidelity to duty, while a comprehensive knowledge of law and great accuracy in applying the principles of jurisprudence to the points in litigation won him high standng among the legal fraternity. Judge Meeker was born in Darke county, Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1827, a son of David M. and Nancy Ann (Miller) Meeker. The former, a native of Newark,New Jersey, came to Ohio in 1802, when about ten years of age, and for a time worked in brickyards in Cincinnati. On attaining his majority he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, following farming for a short time in Hamilton county, Ohio, whence he removed to Darke county, settling within its borders when it was a wild region almost on the extreme limit of frontier civilization. There the remainder of his life was passed in the work of transforming the wilderness into a productive farm, and, by the assistance of his wife rearing a large family of children, who have honored his memory and added lustre to his name. He died in 1852, respected by all who knew him. Upon his father's farm Judge Meeker spent his boyhood, becoming familiar with all of the hard work and discomfort of clearing the land and cultivating the soil when the financial reward of agriculture was scarcely greater than the advantages offered for education. He attended the school in his native district a portion of each year and enjoyed the limited amusements which the country afforded. The privations of pioneer life were more than offset by the helpfulness of neighbors and the genuine, unpretentious hospitality characteristic of the occupants of log cabins in pioneer times. When sufficiently advanced in his studies he was employed in teaching the district school for several winters and extended his studies to the advanced. branches in the academy, which marked the progressive instincts of the people among whom he lived. While engaged in teaching he directed his course of reading with a view to entering the legal profession as soon as the opportunity offered. His preliminary study of the law was prosecuted under the instruction of the late. Judge Ebenezer Parsons, of Miami county, and he was admitted to the bar in June, 1851, For almost a year thereafter he was traveling in the west, and it was not until 1853 that he settled in Greenville for the practice of his profession. The discipline acquired by study and teaching, the habits of industry formed and his close application to books, together with an excellent natural capacity, qualified him for success in the law. He made his way unaided among the attorneys of the county and soon established himself as a lawyer. In 1856 he was elected prosecuting attorney for the county and re-elected in 1858, serving four years. His preference for the practice of law rather than the duties of public office was so pronounced that he yielded reluctantly to the solicitation of friends to accept even the judgeship. He GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 622 persistently declined to permit the use of his name as a candidate for congress, although he was frequently urged to become a nominee for that important position. In 1861 he was elected judge of the common-pleas court of the first subdivision of the second judicial district for a term of five years, but resigned after four years of service and was succeeded by Judge William Allen. Resuming the practice, he was permitted to continue it without interruption until October, 1872, when he was appointed judge by Governor Noyes, on the unanimous recommendation, and petition of the bar in every county of the judicial district. This appointment was for the unexpired portion of the term to which Judge McKemy had been elected. Judge Meeker's service on the bench was so acceptable to all the people that he was chosen at the net election for the position without opposition. Both of the leading political parties nominated him, and the members of the bar without dissent recommended his electioni After this he was re-elected for two terms and declined a third because of failing health. It is given to few men to enjoy the public confidence to a degree that disarms all political opposition. The example of Judge Meeker is almost unique. Although a member of the Democratic party and a partisan, in the sense of supporting its principles an candidates, he was known to be so fair and impartial as to be universally trusted by political adherents and .political adversaries alike. The Judge was married, on the 18th of June, 1857, to Miss Mary A. Deardorff, of Darke county, and to them were born eight children : Frank D., who married Emma Anderson, of Franklin,, and is engaged in the real-estate and loan business in Greenville ; Sadie E., who is the wife of D. L. Gaskill, who was associated in the practice of law with her father ; Walter S., who was also his father's partner, married Minnie Lowry;. Mary C., who is the wife of J. R. Smith, a druggist, of Dayton, Ohio ; Nana, who is. the wife of Dr. S. A. Hawes, of Arcanum,: Ohio ; Virginia G., who is the wife of Wi H. Gilbert, an attorney at law, of Troy, Ohio ;. Alice M., who is the wife of A. R. Crawford,. of Ventura, California, where he is serving as deputy clerk of the court ; and Carrie W.; at home. The mother of these children died. November 21, 1876, and the Judge was afterward married, on the 5th of September, 1878, to Miss Jennie D. Crisler, of Eaton, Preble county, a lady of many accomplishments, who presided over his household with dignity and grace, assisting him to dispense the hospitality for which his home was noted. She is a native of Ohio. Her father, Albert G. Crisler; was born in, 1810 in Culpeper county, Virginia ; and her mother, Ann nee Foos, was born in Pennsylvania in 1812. They were married in 1831 in Preble county, Ohio. The mother died February 28, 1857, and the father passed away October 19, 1857, near Columbus, Indiana. Mrs. Meeker attended the country schools in her early girlhood, but later enjoyed, and took advantage of the privileges Afforded by a private school. At the age of sixteen she began teaching and followed that profession for a few years, when she went to reside with her uncle, J. H. Foos, a prominent attorney of Eaton, Preble county, Ohio. After her marriage to Mrs Meeker she took charge of his household, discharged faith fully all the duties of helpmate, and at once took a motherly part in caring for, educating and advising his eight children in the moral and religious duties of life, the youngest child being at the time only three years of age. After the death of the Judge she erected 628 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. her present residence from a fund set apart by him, and with the request that after his death a new dwelling-house should be built for her because it required too much care and expense to keep the former residence—a palatial brick—in proper condition. The new dwelling was planned by Mrs. Meeker, assisted by her stepson, Walter S. Meeker. It is modern in architectural design, neat, and commodious in all its appointments. Mrs. Meeker is an acceptable member of the First Presbyterian church, is consistent in her professions, and her life of Christian fortitude may well be imitated by all. Judge Meeker's tastes were essentially domestic, and he found at home the pleasure some men seek at the club. The time not necessarily devoted to business was spent in the society of his family and among the inspiring, renewing influences of home. One of the leading lawyers of the district has furnished a characterization of him substantially in the following terms : "Judge Meeker filled a place in the history of this judicial district that is creditable to himself and honorable to the profession. A judge for a period of almost twenty years, he retired from the bench with the highest respect of the profession and admiration of the public. He was always a close student, and when in practice was known as a hardworking lawyer, and likewise a successful one. His greatest reputation, however, will rest on his work as a judge. His judgeship was almost unerring. He possessed what is termed a legal mind ; understood thoroughly the principles of the law; was painstaking in his investigations, and accurate in his decisions. He was always fearless and impartial in the discharge of every duty. There has never been on the bench in the history 0f this judicial district a judge who held the confidence of the profession to a greater degree. His personal popularity was unbounded. Nature made him a gentleman, and he made himself a lawyer. One of the sources of his popularity was undoubtedly his unassuming manners, unfeigned cordiality, his fine sensibilities, and readiness to help his fellowmen. Both in the relations of private citizenship and in public office, Judge Meeker's life was irreproachable. Not only was he an able jurist, but also a successful business man. He possessed one of the finest homes in the county, accumulated a competence and left a valuable estate." Judge Meeker died suddenly, September 5, 1896, at his home in Greenville. While at the supper table he was stricken with partial paralysis, which became complete a few minutes later, causing a painless death within three hours. The tributes to his character and worthiness, expressed in a memorial meeting of the bar and in the funeral service, were hearty and sincere. They testified that he was not only an incorruptible judge but also scrupulously, delicately and conscientiously free from all willful wrong, in thought, word or deed. His uniform kindness and patience to the younger members of the bar were marked. In later years he was accustomed to recount for the edification of the young lawyers his own early struggles to secure success, the discouragements he encountered and the difficulties he had overcome. He was not a dreamer in any idle sense, but as a boy looked forward hopefully, spurred to his best endeavors by high aspirations. In a paper read at his funeral by D. W. Bowman, a former law partner, it is said that throughout a career of nearly half a century at the bar and on the bench, the day dream of his boyhood, the cherished desire of his heart in youth, was never lost sight of, but kept in full GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 629 view. With this noble longing for professional success he wore the judicial ermine for twenty years, and laid it aside as spotless as when it first touched his shoulders. He achieved a fame that posterity will not willingly let die. CHARLES W. CHENOWETH. Darke county shows within its boundaries. many fine farms, indicating that progressive and careful methods have been brought to bear in bringing the section up to its high standard as one of the most attractive agricultural sections of the Buckeye state, and among those who have signally contributed to the prestige of the county in this ever important field of endeavor may be mentioned Charles Wesley Chenoweth, one of the representative agriculturists of Harrison township. He is a native son of the state of Maryland, where the family was established at an early day, the lineage being of stanch old Scotch extraction, the first American ancestors of the name having left the land of brown heather and shaggy wood to establish a home for himself in Maryland, in the new world. Mr. Chenoweth was born in Maryland, on the 3d of September, 1830, being one of the thirteen children born to William and Katurah (Murray) Chenoweth, the former of whom was born on the same farm as was his son, our subject, the place being about twenty-two miles distant from the city of Baltimore. William Chenoweth was born in the year 1802, and he died at the age of seventy-four years and one month. His wife was born in Maryland in 1804, the daughter of John Murray, and their marriage was celebrated in Maryland, in 1822. Of their thirteen children all but one grew to maturity, a soil haying died at the age of eighteen months. Of the others there were ten sons and two daughters. Charles W., with whom this sketch has more particularly to do, was reared to farm life and remained at the parental home until he had attained the age of twenty-two years. His educational advantages were necessarily of meager extent, as in the early days in Ohio the primitive log school-house, with puncheon floors, slab benches, open fireplace and window provided with oiled paper in place of glass, did not enlist the services of teachers notable 'for great learning, and even had their erudition been greater, the young boys of the locality were in requisition during the greater portion of the year as assistants in the work of clearing off the timber from the pioneer farms and in the various other duties which went to make up the routine of labor. In February, 1853, Mr. Chenoweth was united in marriage to Miss Minerva Harrison, who was born in Darke county, July 17, 1837, the daughter of James and Hanner C. (Bowen) Harrison, the latter of whom is still living, having attained the venerable age of eighty-eight years, and being still well preserved in both her mental and physical faculties. James Harrison died in 1864, leaving his widow and eight children, of whom only three are now living. Our subject was called upon to mourn the death of his devoted and cherished wife in September, 1878, she having become the mother of seven children, as follows : William Albei t, who is a merchant in Glenkarn, this county, having married and being the father of seven children ; James Augustus, who is a successful farmer in German township, has six children ; Marietta Katurah, who was born October 19, 1860, became the wife of George Slarp, and she died May 30, 1895, 630 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. leaving eight children; Washington Ellsworth is a firmer in German township and six children; Morton Monroe, likewise a farmer of German township, has three children.; Elnora Belle is the wife of Colville Woods; and Elmer E., born in 1872, resides in Hollansburg, and is operating the old homestead for his father, he being the father of one son and one daughter. In 1879 our subject consummated a second marriage, being then united to Miss Mary Ann Felton, who was born in Pennsylvania, September 27, 1846, the daughter of Charles D. and Hannah (Priestly.) Felton, who resided near Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Of this union two children have :been born—a son, who died in infancy; and Ethel Olga, who was born March 11, 1886, and who is a studious young lady, showing no little talent in her musical work. Mr. Chenoweth enlisted for service in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion, having become a member of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Infantry, on the 2d of May, 1864, and having been discharged September 3 following. Though in. active service he participated in no regular battle. He as a member of the Grand Army of the Republic- post which was organized in Hollansburg, but which was disbanded several years ago. He casts his ballot in support of the Republican party and its principles, and he and his wife are zealous members of the Christian church, with which Mr. Chenoweth has been identified for nearly a half-century, having served as a deacon in the same and maintaining a lively interest in all branches of the church work. Our subject settled on his present farm of eighty-four acres in 1875, having purchased previously, in 1864, a tract of one hundred and eighty acres, which is now occupied by his two sons, each having a comfortable and attractive home and good outbuildings. When Mr. Chenoweth started out in life upon his own responsibility he received five hundred dollars from his father, choosing this amount in preference to eighty-acres of timber land. The father's estate was worth about thirty thousand dollars, and this was eventually divided among the nine children. Mr. Chenoweth has devoted his attention to diversified farming, beginning operations on the farm of his father in-law, and later settling on his own eighty- four-acre farm, and he now owns the two farms, comprising two. hundred and sixty four acres. He has been a very successful farmer and business man, and having done his full quota of hard work he is now joying that rest which is the just reward of his many years of toil and endeavor, having relegated the active duties' to his sons. He is one of our county's prosperous and honored citizens, and it is incumbent that this slight recognition be accorded him in a Compilation having to do with Darke county and its interests. JOHN HUFNAGLE. John Hufnagle, now deceased, was for many years a highly esteemed and prominent resident of Greenville. He was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, August 27, 1805, and died in this city on the l0th of March, 1889, at the age of eighty-three years, six months and twelve days. He was the youngest son of Valentine and Eve (Berger) Hufnagle, both natives of the Keystone state. His father died in 1830, when seventy years of age. At the age of seventeen, John Hufnagle, whose name introduces this record, was ap- GENEALOGICAL AND. BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 631 prenticed to learn the hatter's trade, but in 1847 he changed his base of operations by embarking in general merchandising, which pursuit he followed for thirty-five years, becoming one of the best-known and most reliable representatives of the commercial interests of this city. In February, 1876, he opened the Greenville Bank, and filled the position of president, making the institution one of the most substantial and trustworthy financial concerns in the county. In business circles he enjoyed an unassailable reputation and a liberal patronage was therefore accorded him. In September, 1826, Mr. Hufnagle was married to Miss Barbara Boardner, of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania. Unto them were born three sons and five daughters, but only two are now living—H. E., of Greenville, and Mrs. J. E. B read en. Mr. Hufnagle was for over halt a century a resident of Greenville, and left the impress of his strong individuality upon the public life and commercial improvements of the city. He was a man of strong mind upheld by a good constitution, was energetic in business, frugal and economical. At all times he lived a. moral and upright life, and although not associated with any religious denomination he was nevertheless a firm believer in Chrstianity. In politics' he was a Republican, ardent and liberal, often donating. considerable sums for campaign purposes. To those who did not know him. Mr. Hufnagle seemed to be close in his dealings with men, but he was always found to be honest and fair. He stood firmly by his contracts, and required that those dealing with him should perform their portion of the contract as agreed upon. With his family he was very liberal, giving generously to supply their wants and devoted to their comfort and desires. As a neighbor he was kind and obliging, and with him friendship. was inviolable. A few years before his death he gave to his children by deed land to the value of seventy-five or one hundred thousand dollars, and by will he left the residue of his large estate in lands, money and. notes to be equally divided among them.. His success was acquired entirely by his own efforts, and by his well-directed labors he rose to a prominent position among the business men of Greenville, his being the. controlling influence in many public affairs. He passed away March J0, 1889, and his remains were laid to rest by the side of his wife in the Greenville cemetery: PHILIP HARTZELL. Mr. Hartzell is a native of historic old Darke county, which is known to be one of the most important in the State, and one whose annals have been interesting from the pioneer days up to the end of the century, marked by the highest development and substantial improvements. The date of our subject's birth was May 23, 1843, and he is the second in a family of six children, all of whom were sons. The parents were John J. and Nancy (Westfall) Hartzell, pioneers of the county and people well known for their integrity and genuine worth. Of the six sons only two are livingPhilip, of this sketch, and David, who is engaged in the drug business at Rossville, Kansas. The father was a native of the old Keystone state, where he was born December 1, 1815, and his death occurred in 1852. He was reared, to agricultural pursuits, and to this line of occupation he gave his attention throughout his long and active life. He emigrated to Ohio when he was a young 632 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. man, coming directly to Darke county, where he purchased a tract of wild land in Richland township, the same tract which figures today as the beautiful and finely-cultivated farmstead of our subject. In his political proclivities, John J. Hartzell was a Democrat of the true Jacksonian school, and he was a zealous advocate of the party cause throughout the course of his life. The mother of our subject was born in the Buckeye state, February 22, 1823, and here was' solemnized her marriage to Mr. Hartzell. Her death occurred about the year 1863. Both she and her husband were devoted members of the German Reformed church. Philip Hartzell was reared on the old homestead, growing up under the invigorating discipline attendant upon the operation of a farm, and his educational training was secured in the common schools. He has always devoted his attention to agriculture, with the exception of eight years, during which time he was a resident of Ansonia, and for two years of the interval was engaged in business as a dealer in agricultural implements. Even at this time he did not resign his farming interests, though he did not give them his close personal attention as he had formerly done. He has been very successful in his endeavors and is known as one of the substantial and representative farmers of the county. Mr. Hartzell has also been a practical thresher for many years, operating with the best of equipment and having threshed many hundred thousands of bushels of wheat and other grain in Richland and Brown townships and throughout the contiguous territory. He has gained a wide acquaintanceship in the county and enjoys a marked popularity wherever he is known. Mr. Hartzell has been twice married, his first union having been with Miss Caroline Dill, a native of this county. They became the parents of two children—Rosetta, wife of J. P. Slyder, a prominent dealer in general merchandise at Ansonia, this county; and Charles Dill Hartzell, who still remains at the paternal homestead. The latter received excellent educational advantages in the graded schools of Ansonia and Beamsville, Ohio, and is a young man of much intellectual force. He is a Democrat in politics, having cast his first presidential vote for William Jennings Bryan, and fraternally he is identified with Lodge No. 356, Knights of Pythias, at Ansonia, in which he holds the office of master-of-arms. Mrs. Hartzell was summoned into eternal rest in September, 1888, and on the 15th of December, 1898, Mr. Hartzell wedded Miss Laura Sharp, who was born in Darke county, the daughter of Perry and Maacha (Schwartz) Sharp, who were the parents of ten children. The father was a native of New Jersey, and the mother of Pennsylvania, and both are residents of Brown township, this. county. To Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell three children have been born, one being deceased,. while those living are Maacha and an infant boy. Mrs. Hartzell ably fills her place as a wife and mother, being truly .a helpmeet to her husband. In politics Mr. Hartzell gives his support to the principles and policies advanced by the Democratic party, his first presidential ballot having been for the support of General George B. McClellan, and he has. ever since been a stanch advocate of the party cause. Officially he has served as trustee of Richland township, and, being a firm friend of the cause of education, he has been called upon to act as school trustee GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 633 both in Ansonia and in Richland township, holding such preferment for more than six years. He holds advanced ideas in regard to the schools, and believes that only competent teachers should be employed and that the highest possible standard should be maintained in every branch of educational work. In the fall of 1899 Mr. Hartzell was elected land appraiser of Richland township, an appointment whose tenure extends over a full decade. This preferment clearly indicates the confidence and high regard bestowed upon our subject in the community. Mr. Hartzell purchased part of the old homestead of one hundred and fifteen acres, all located in Richland township. The soil is a rich black loam, admirably adapted for the cultivation of cereals, and various other crops, including tobacco and potatoes. Mr. Hartzell is classed as a practical, progressive agriculturist, and as a scion of one of the old and prominent families of Darke county we are pleased to offer this tribute in connection with this important genealogical record of the county. Fraternally our subject is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, No. 356, at Ansonia, of which he was a charter member, and he is also a member of Lodge No. 488, of the Free and Accepted Masons, at Ansonia. VALENTINE GRUSENMEYER. Among the native sons of Ohio who in the business world have attained success, winning prosperity through earnest purpose, careful management and honorable dealing, Valentine Grusenmeyer is numbered. He is a son of George Michael Grusenmeyer, who was born on the 21st of June, 1820, in Alsace, France,. a section a the country now in possession of the Germans. Having arrived at years of maturity he wedded.. Elizabeth Schammer, who was born in Baden, Germany, February 18, 1826. In 1846 George Michael Grusenmeyer emigrated to the new world, locating near Troy, Ohio, where he was employed. for six. years. On the expiration of that period he returned to the fatherland, and when he again came to America brought with him his mother, his. brothers and sisters, the family, eight in number, locating near Dayton, Ohio. His-father had died during his sojourn in America. Of the family four are still living, namely : Mrs. Lena Lepbart and Mrs. Mary Roth, both of Dayton; and Anthony and Joseph, who are residents of Logansport, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. George Michael Grusen meyer became the parents of eight children, four of whom are still living, as follows : Anthony, Mrs. Mary Ruh; Mrs. Lizzie Heck, of Dayton, Ohio, and Valentine,. whose name introduces this review. Valentine Grusenmeyer was born near Dayton, on the 8th of October, 1854, and entered upon his business career as a gardener. His father followed that pursuit, and for him our subject worked until he. was twenty-four years of age, when he went to Logansport, Indiana, where he was employed for a year. On the expiration of that period he returned and cultivated his father's garden for a period of two years. In 1881 he came to Darke county and commenced gardening on his own place, called the "East Side Garden," but in October, 1891, he abandoned that pursuit and embarked in the grocery business in connection with Jacob Goetz. They conducted a store in Versailles, Ohio, for a year, after which they removed their stock into the Andersoni 634 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. building in Greenville, where they carried on business through the succeeding year. Mr. Grusenmeyer then began business as a wholesale dealer in fruit and vegetables. In 1893 he purchased the Ruth grocery and carried on the dual enterprise for a period of Eve years. When that time had elapsed he established a' branch store in the St. Clair building; and in the spring of 1898 he sold the store in the Ruth building to the firm of Lampa & Maher, continuing business, however, in. the St. Clair building through the succeeding sixteen months. He then sold his large stock of groceries to Ray M. Gilbert and removed his fruit and vegetable store into the Waring building He is a .man of marked enterprise and indefatigable energy who gives close attention to the conduct of his mercantile affairs and follows most systematic and honorable methods. In 1881 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Grusenmeyer and Miss Mary Seybold, of Logansport, Indiana. They took up their residence in Greenville, and unto them were born nine children : Ersula, born August 30, 1882; George B., born July 13, 1884; Frances C., born January 30, 1886; Savier, born November 25, 1888; Anastasia, born February 5, 1890; Clara, born March 1,1892, and died September 1 of the same year; John, who was born September 11, 1894; Oscar, born September 24, 1896; and Engene, born October 6, 1898. After residing for three years in Greenville Mr. and Mrs. Grusenmeyer removed to their farm, which is just outside the city limits, and there make their home. They were reared in the Catholic faith, have always adhered to that religious belief' and are now instructing their children therein. In Darke county they have a wide acquaintance and are highly esteemed for their many excellencies of character, while in business circles Mr. Grusenmeyer enjoys an unassailable reputation that has come to him as the result of incorruptible integrity in all his dealings. DAVID HARTLE. The pioneers of a county or state play a most conspicuous part in its history, laying the foundation not only for its present. advancement, but for its future prosperity and progress. The pioneers of Ohio, by their sturdy industry, perseverance and sterling characters, have made the wilderness to “blossom as the rose." Among those who in early frontier days resided in Darke county, bearing his. part in the work of advancement and development, is David Hartle. Some of his ancestors were very early settlers of Darke county, and here entered land from the government. The subject of this review is one of its native sons. He was born January 30, 1824, and is the ninth in a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, whose parents were :Jacob and Catherine (Spade) Hartle. He is now the only survivor of this pioneer family, and is the oldest native resident of Richland township, and possibly of Darke county, as he has passed the seventy-sixth milestone on the journey of life. His father was born near Hagerstown, Washington county, Maryland, October 5, 1779, and died April 6, 1850. His birth occurred twenty years previous to the death of General George Washington. He traced his ancestry directly back to Germany. He was reared as a tiller of the soil, and was early inured to the hardships and privations of pioneer life. He received a rudimentary education in the subscription school's of the early times, and GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 635 during much of his youth remained in his native state. When a boy, however, he removed to Pennsylvania, and was there married. About 1805 he emigrated to Ohio, Teaching the Buckeye state only three years after its admission to the Union. He located in Pickaway county, where he purchased land and made his home for iten years, after which he came to Darke county and entered three hundred and twenty acres of land from the government, in what is now Richland township. The county was not then organized, this entire portion of the state being known .as the Miami district. The Indians were far more numerous than the white settlers, and the work of civilization and progress seemed scarcely begun. The first habitation of the Hartles in Darke county was a primitive log cabin, and during its erection the family took refuge in old Fort Briar, which was erected on the banks of Stillwater creek, in the vicinity of the farm now owned by Job Shafer. In that fort the family remained from March until May, and then took up their abode in their new home. The county was largely in its primitive condition, and many a wild deer and turkey did the father kill in the vicinity of the Hartle home. Such primitive agricultural implements as the sickle, the flail and the old fashioned four-fingered cradle were in use, and many are the days in which David Hartle has swung a cradle and scythe from early morning until eventide. The father was possessed of an energetic and sturdy Teutonic spirit, was thrifty and industrious and was successful to a large degree, accumulating land to the extent of five hundred and sixty acres in Darke county. He was imbued. with a progressive spirit, withholding his support from no measure or. movement which he believed would prove of public good, and this commendable quality has been inherited by his children and grandchildren. In politics he was a Democrat and a great admirer of Andrew Jackson, and throughout his life he gave a. loyal support to the party. He held membership in the German Reformed church. His wife died during the early boyhood of our subject, who therefore knows little of her ancestry, and has never experienced a mother's kindness and loving care. David Hartle, of this review, one of the most honored pioneers of Darke county, has spent almost three-quarters of a century Richland township. He has witnessed a wonderful transformation in the condition of Darke county, has seen it crossed by a great network of railroads, while the forest tracts have been replaced by beautiful, well-tilled farms, improved with fine brick residences; churches and school-houses have been built and all the accessories of civilization added. The beautiful city of Greenville, with a population of eight thousand, has taken the place of Fort Greenville, then hardly a hamlet. All of these improvements have been made since Mr. Hartle has been a resident of Darke county, and he has been instrumental in its development to a large degree. He has also witnessed the building of one thousand miles of splendid stone pike roads within the borders of the county, and has seen a transformation wrought that almost equals scenes from the Arabian Nights, so quickly have the changes been made. Mr. Hartle acquired a fair education in the schools of his day and by personal application mastered the studies taught at the time. He began his education in the winter of 1831, in a hewed-log building, 18x18 feet, into which light was admitted through 636 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. three little windows, the panes being 8x10 inches. The benches were crude in construction, being made of split blue ash slabs, from fourteen to sixteen feet in length, placed upon four wooden legs or pins. The writing desks for the older scholars were formed of a black-walnut board, sixteen inches wide and resting on thole pins driven into the wall. The floor was of puncheon and the ceiling was constructed in a similar manner. This primitive school building was heated by a large, old-fashioned fireplace, constructed of boulders up to the distance where the jamb began. The chimney was made of mud and sticks, as there were no brick manufactured in that early day in Darke county. The roof was made of clapboards, held in place by a heavy log, and the birch rod and the dunce-block formed an important part in the discipline of the school. The school was conducted on the subscription plan, for the splendid system of public schools was not then inaugurated. The .text-books used were Webster's spelling book—the one previous to "Webster's blue-back speller"—Pike's arithmetic, the Universal History of the United States and the old English reader. Mr. Hartle has in his library a copy of the Tutor's Guide, published in 1804, the key of which was published in 1806. Such is the description of the temple of Minerva in which Mr. Hartle gathered his learning in pioneer days. He was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes of the Buckeye state, and throughout his life has carried on farming. His parents were sturdy people, of great endurance, and he resembled his maternal ancestry, being a man of large size, strong and robust. In his youth he was particularly fond of athletics, in which he greatly excelled. The amusements enjoyed by young people in those days consisted of apple-parings, logrollings and corn-huskings, which were followed by games and amusements in the eveningi Out of the dense forest Mr. Hartle hewed a farm for himself and has always carried on agricultural pursuits. He was married, June 3, 1852, to Miss Rebecca Shults, who was born in York county, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1822, and died January 22, 1899. She was a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Gregor) Shults, and came with her parents to Warren county, Ohio, in 1840. In 1845 they removed to Greenville township, Darke county; where the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hartle was celebrated. For almost a half a century she was to her husband a faithful companion and helpmate on the journey of life, sharing with him its joys and sorrows, its adversity and prosperity. At length the wife was taken, leaving a vacant chair in the household, her death being a great blow to her husband. Her remains were interred in the Beamsville cemetery, where a beautiful monument marks her last resting place. Unto this worthy couple were born four sons and a daughter. Frank P. is a prosperous farmer of Richland township, and is married and has five children. He is a Republican in his political views. Orrin C., an agriculturist of the same township, is married and has four children. Dayton Fremont, named in honor of the celebrated John C. Fremont, resides in Richland township, and is married and has two children. David O. is a resident farmer of German township, and he, too, is married. Calla Belle is the wife of Hollis Hartzell, an enterprising agriculturist of Brown township, by whom she has three children. Mr. Hartzell is a Democrat in his political views, but all of the sons of the family are stanch Republicans. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 637 After his marriage Mr. Hartle established his home in the midst of a forest so dense that he could hardly see the sun through the branches of the trees. He had eighty acres of land and a little frame house. He would walk to his work six miles away, and there fell trees, clearing his land preparatory to placing it under cultivation. Prosperity has attended his well directed and continuous efforts, and as his financial resources have increased he has added to his possessions until he now owns three hundred and seventy acres of land. His children are also well situated in life. Much of his leisure time has been given to the study of the best literature, and he is now a well informed man. He retains his mental vigor to a remarkable degree, although he is now upon the downward slope of life. He has in his possession a piece of the continental currency issued in 1777. His grandfather was a teamster in the Revolutionary war and was paid in that money, and after purchasing a little farm in Maryland he had a few pieces of the script left, one of which was inherited by our subject. Its value was about nine pence, and it is now treasured as a priceless heirloom, although at that time in purchasable value it was almost worthless. On the reverse side of the bill is the inscription, "To counterfeit this money is death." It is probably the only piece of continental currency in Darke county. In his political views Mr. Hartle, has always been independent, voting for the man whom he considered best qualified for office. He cast his first presidential vote for Martin Van Buren. He supported our two martyred presidents, Lincoln and Garfield, and also voted for General Grant. He is a warm friend of the cause of temperance and of the little red school house, and believes in securing competent teachers and giving them remunerative salaries. At one time he taught school for seven years and long served as a school director in his neighborhood. His wife was a member of the German Reformed church, while he advances the doctrines of the Universalist church. He is benevolent and has contributed toward the erection of four different churches, two in Greenville, one in Pikesville and one in Beamsville. He is a man well known for his sterling honor and integrity, and over the record of his life there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. His memory will remain as a blessed benediction to those who knew him long after he shall have completed the journey of life. DAVID WELLER BOWMAN. Among the leading and prominent attorneys of Greenville, Ohio, none are meeting with better success than the subject of this review. He is a native of Darke county, born on a farm two miles east of New Madison, January 20, 186o, and is the second son' of George W. and Phebe (Noggle) Bowman. The father was a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and came to Darke county, Ohio, with his parents in 1838. On the maternal side our subject's grandfather, Michael Noggle, was also of Pennsylvania stock, his ancestors being residents of Franklin county, that state, but early in the nineteenth century the family came to Ohio. Our subject's maternal grandmother was of English descent and her people made their home in Georgia and the Carolinas before coming to this state. The subject of this sketch was reared on his father's farm and received his education in the common schools of the neighborhood 638 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and in the high school at Greenville. At the age of eighteen he commenced teaching school and taught eighteen months before attaining his majority. On the 4th of April, 1881, he entered the office of Allen, Riffle & Otwell, attorneys of Greenville, and began the study of law. In October following he entered the office of Hon. J. W. Sater, with whom he pursued his legal studies untili May 1, 1883, on which date he was admitted to the bar by the supreme court at Columbus. He at once began the practice of law at Greenville and on the 4th of February, 1884, formed a partnership with Hon. D. L. Meeker, a connection which continued until May 14, 1888, when the firm dissolved partnership on account of the election of Mr. Meeker to the office of common pleas judge. On the 1st of July, 1888, Mr. Bowman entered into partnership with Hon. C. M. Anderson, with whom he is still associated, and they enjoy a large and lucrative practice. They rank among the ablest attorneys of Darke county, and, as prominence at the bar comes through merit alone, their skill and ability are attested by the liberal patronage they receive. ABDEL PETERS. Abdel Peters, who has served his fellow townsmen in official positions and is known as a practical and progressive agriculturist of Darke county, was born in Richland township on the 14th of October, 1855, a son of Christian and Marie (Sloniker) Peters, who had a family of two sons and one daughter. The father was born January 13, 1815, in Oldendorf, Prussia, and died on the loth of March, 1893, at the age of seventy-eight years. He remained in the country of his birth until 1847, when he determined to seek a home in America, believing that he might better his financial condition in the land of the free. He had no money to pay his pas sage, but he borrowed the necessary amount and in a sailing vessel crossed the briny deepi from the city of Havre, France. Eleven weeks had elapsed before the passengers sighted land. Mr. Peters not only came to this country a poor man, but was totally unacquainted with the English language. He-possessed strong and resolute purpose, however, and these qualities stood him in stead of capital. After arriving he at once made. his way to Dayton, Montgomery county, Ohio, where he began life in the new world as a wage-earner. His first purchase of land was a tract of eighty acres in Richland township, Darke county. It was covered with natural forest trees, which he had to cut away in order to make room to erect his first log cabin. The first barn which he built was also a log structure. He resided in Darke county when there was not a single railroad within its borders and later he worked on the construction of the Panhandle Railroad. He could also remember Greenville when it was a hamlet containing not a dozen houses. He took an active interest in everything pertaining to the growth and improvement of his county, and he and his wife were liberal contributors toward the erection of the beautiful St. John's church in Greenville township. They also took an active part in the church work, doing all in their power to promote the cause of Christianity. When called to their final rest their remains were interred in the St. John's Lutheran cemetery, where now stands a beautiful monument sacred to their memory. In his political views Mr. Peters was a Democrat. His wife, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, in 1827, passed away- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 639 in 1899. Her children rise up and call her blessed, for to them she was a faithful and loving mother. Maggie, the only daughter, was educated in the common schools and now makes her home with her brother, Abdel, who was the second of the family. Like her parents, she is a member of the St. John's Lutheran church at Greenville. James, a younger son, resides on the old homestead in Richland township, his attention being given to farming. He married Miss Flora Lang and they have one son. Mr. Peters, of this review, remained with his parents until he had attained his majority, assisting his father in the operation of the home farm. He began to earn his own living by working as a farm hand, receiving twelve dollars per month. in compensation for his services. He was industrious and energetic, and with the capital which. he had acquired through his unflagging effort and his economy, he was at length enabled to purchase land. He remained with his father until be was twenty-nine years of age and then spent one year in raising tobacco for his brother-in-law, John Clark. After his marriage he rented land in Greenville township for two years, during which time he saved five hundred dollars. This he invested in fifty-six acres of land, their present home, and though he took up his abode upon the place burdened by an indebtedness of . thirty-one hundred and forty dollars, his resolute energy enabled him to courageously face the future. He was assisted and encouraged by his estimable wife, who has ever been to him a true helpmeet. When he located on the farm only three fields' had been fenced and no fence had been built around the home, which was a poor little structure. Since then, however, Mr. Peters has erected a eery pleasant residence and has built a large barn, 90x32 feet, which furnishes shelter for stock, grain and farm implements. In 1899 he also erected a tobacco. warehouse at a cost of six hundred dollars. It was on the 1st of May, 1884, that Mr. Peters was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Shafer, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, March To, 1862, a daughter of Christian and Louisa (Edmire) Shafer, whose family numbered eight children, two sons and six daughters. All are yet living and are residents of Darke county. The only sister of Mrs. Peters is Mollie, wife of Louis Dohma, a business man of Greenville. The father is now a resident of Greenville township, is a successful farmer and honored citizen. The mother, however, has passed away. Mrs. Peters was only two years of age when brought by her parents to Darke county. She ireceived a good education in the German tongue and when about fifteen years of age was confirmed as a member of the Lutheran church. By her marriage she has become the mother of one son and two, daughters. Susie, the eldest, was confirmed at the age of fourteen years in the Lutheran church by Rev. C. H. Mayer. She possesses considerable musical ability. Louisa, the secpnd daughter, is attending school, and Clarence completes the family. The parents have a thorough appreciation of the value of education and intend that their children shall have good advantages in that direction, receiving intellectual training in both the German and English languages. Both Mr. and Mrs. Peters enjoy the high regard of many warm friends in the community. He exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party and cast his first vote for Hon. Samuel J. Tilden in 1876, since which time he has 640 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. upheld the principles of Democracy. He has served as township trustee, having been elected to that office in 1895 for a three-years term. He discharged his duties so capably that he was re-elected in 1898 and is therefore the present incumbent, being recognized as an official who has the public good at heart and is prompt and reliable in performing the duties which devolve upon him. As a business man he is energetic and trustworthy. His time is given to the cultivation of corn, wheat, oats and tobacco, and he is a practical and progressive farmer. His home is pleasantly situated about a mile and a half from Dawn, two and a half miles from Ansonia and nine miles from Greenville, the county. seat. Everything about his place is neat and thrifty in appearance and the owner is regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of his community. His entire life has been spent in this locality and Darke county may well be proud to number him among her native sons. His wife is a most estimable lady, who has been to him a capable assistant, and, like her husband, she enjoys the regard of many fr:ends. WILLIAM M. HARPER. William Marion Harper is the proprietor of one of the oldest established jewelry houses of Greenville and belongs to that class of enterprising merchants who, in the legitimate channels of trade and by the careful management of their business interests, annually augment their capital, and are known as substantial residents of the communities which they represent. Mr. Harper was born in Greenville township, Darke county, upon his father's farm. October 30, 1835. He is a son of William Sanford Harper, who was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, July 11, 1810, and became one of the early settlers of this section of the state. He married Miss Delilah Arnold, a native of Ohio and a daughter of William Arnold. On leaving Trumbull county William Sanford Harper took up his abode in Butler county, Ohio, and thence came to Darke county, in 1823, locating on a farm in. Greenville township, where he remained until 1874. In that year he took up his abode in the city of Greenville, where he is still living, in his ninetieth year,—a venerable old man, receiving uniform respect from young and old, rich and poor. His first wife, whom he wedded September 5, 1832, died on the farm in 1875. She was the mother of four children : Elizabeth, the wife of Thomas Culbertson ; William M. ; John; and Catherine, who died in her eleventh year. In 1875 Mr. Harper was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Sarah J. Culbertson, the widow of John Culbertson and a (laughter of Peter Elston. Mrs. Harper was born in Washington township, Darke county, December 29, 1823. In the usual manner of farmer lads William M. Harper, of this review, spent his boyhood days and in the district schools of the neighborhood he acquired his education, to which he has added by reading observation and experience until he has become a well informed man. At the age of twenty-one he entered upon his business career, learning the jeweler's trade of Mr. Webb in Greenville, to whom he served a regular apprenticeship. On its completion he started in business for himself in Greenville and for a time was associated with Mr. Webb. He now has a large store and carries a good stock of clocks, watches and silverware. As he is a practical and skilled workman he also does much repairing and cleaning and GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 641 adjusting of high-grade watches in his line. During his long residence in this city he has become widely and favorably known and has also many acquaintances throughout Darke county; Many of these are numbered among his patrons and he is enjoying a good trade, which shows that his business methods are reliable and that he has the confidence of the community. On the 13th of November, 1861, Mr. Harper was united in marriage to Miss Helen M. Angel, of Bluffton, Indiana, a daughter David Angel and Adaline Porter Angel. They had two sons, William Angel, who was born August 5, 1862, and is now living in Columbus, Ohio ; and Harlie Bliss, who was born February 17, 1869 and died November 24, 1899, at the age of thirty years. The sons learned the jeweler's art in their father's store and became expert engravers and jewelers. The mother passed away November 11, 1877. Mr. Harper married Mrs. Vicie C. Barnhiser; of Eaton, Ohio, August 4, 1886. She died in Greenville January 22, 1891. He was again married, February 15, 1893, Miss Anna E. Manor, of Greenville, Ohio, becoming his wife. She was the daughter of William Manor, who was a Union soldier in the civil war and died in the service. Mrs. Elizabeth Manor, her mother, is still living, is eighty-three years of age and retainsi her mental faculties. She is loved and honored by all who know her. Mrs. Harper was a teacher in the public schools of Greenville for several years. She and Mr. Harper are leading and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church and are highly respected by all who know them, and the circle of their friends is only limited by the circle of their acquaintances. Mr. Harper is a man of even temperament, of refined character and appearance. Nature deals kindly with the man who abuses not her laws, and though he has long been in business age rests lightly upon him. JACOB K. TURNER. Prominent among the business men of Greenville, Ohio, is numbered Jacob K. Turner, who is now successfully engaged in the real estate and loan business. He is a native of this state, his birth occurring in the village of Liberty, Montgomery. county, December 5, 1838, and he is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Burtch) Turner, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born in Lancaster county and in early life learned the cabinetmaker's trade. After his marriage he located in Liberty, Ohio, where he followed his chosen occupation for several years and enjoyed a large trade, as all of the furniture at that day was made by hand. He also manufactured coffins and in that branch of his business was kept extremely busy, especially during the cholera epidemics in 1848 and 1850. The subject of this sketch began his education in the public schools of Liberty, but having lost his mother when he was quite small he removed to a farm and completed his education in the country schools. which he attended until eighteen years of age. Subsequently he was variously employed until 1862, when he came to Greenville and obtained a position as a clerk in the store of Adams & Snyder, dry-goods merchants, with whom he remained for three years. During the following seven years he was in the employ of Moore & Wenner, also merchants of Greenville, and at the end of that time embarked in the grocery business on his own account at that place. On dis- 642 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. posing of his stock of groceries he turned his attention to the real estate and loan business, to which he has since devoted his energies, handling farm and city property for both local an': eastern parties. In this enterprise he has met with well deserved success. In 1864 Mr. Turner was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Doty, who died the following year. For his second wife he married Miss Lanasa Meisse, of Greenville, a daughter of the late iDr. Meisse, an early settler and one of the prominent physicians of that place. By this union were born four children, namely : William A., who is in the railroad service at Washington, D. C. ; Frank A., who is interested in the same business at Decatur, Alabama; August M., a civil engineer in the Indian territory; and Rome E. Turner, at home. GEORGE S. BYRD. Long a resident of Darke county, Mr. Byrd belongs to that class of enterprising American citizens who while promoting their individual success also contribute t0 the public good through the support of many measures which they believe will prove of general benefit. He is numbered among the native sons of the county, his birth having occurred within its borders June 2, 1843. He is the eldest of a family of ten children, four sons and six daughters, who were born unto Abraham and Emma (Radfeld) Byrd. The father was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, February 18, 1804. and his parents were natives of Germany, whence they emigrated to the new world, becoming the founders of the family in America. He remained with his parents &ring his minority and gave to them the benefit of his services. At an early age he learned the brick and stone mason's trade and later in life became an agriculturist. His educational privileges were limited, but he was reared to be an honest lad and to make the most of his opportunities, and steadily he advanced in life, commanding the respect of all with whom he came in contact. In 1838 he started westward and made a trip through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky on horseback, after which he returned to his home. He visited the site of the present city of Springfield, Illinois, when there were but few houses there and almost the entire state. was in a barren, uncultivated condition. In 1840 he took up his abode in Darke county, purchasing eighty acres of land almost entirely unimproved, the greater part of it being covered with a dense growth of timber, but a small clearing had been made. Upon that farm he made his home until his death, which occurred April 28, 1887. His brothers, Peter, Jacob and William, were soldiers in the war of 1812, in which the noted Indian chief, Tecumseh, took part. He had formerly been a resident of what is now Darke county. The father of our subject was an ardent advocate of Democracy and cast his first presidential vote for Andrew Jackson. He was always a firm supporter of the principles of the party, but never sought political preferment for himself. His wife, who was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, November 17, 1820,. is still living on the old homestead in Wayne township. She is a member of the Lutheran church and a most estimable lady. The record of her children is as follows: Hannah is the widow of David Shafer, a resident of Webster, Darke county. Jacob F. is a mechanic living in Webster. Sarah Isabel GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 643 is the wife of James Young, a mechanic Hiring at Dawn, Ohio. Mary M. resides with her mother on the old homestead in Wayne township. Abraham and Emma were twins and the latter is deceased, but the former is married and follows farming in York township. Henrietta resides with her mother on the old home farm. Lucy A. is the wife of Thomas Omerod, a salesman of Warren, Indiana; and Sylvester is a farmer living at .Green Mountain, Marshall county, Iowa. In taking up the personal history of George S. Byrd we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in Darke county. He acquired his education in the common schools, the first school. he attended being a log structure with a mud and stick chimney; the rooms were heated by a large old-fashioned fireplace and the benches were made of slabs placed upon wooden pins, while the desks used by the "big boys and girls" was a board in the rear end of the building laid on pins inserted in the wall. The birchen rod and the old dunce block were important factors in the discipline of the school. Mr. Byrd laughingly tells how, in punishment of some boyish prank, he was forced to sit upon the dunce block With a sunbonnet on his head. The amusements enjoyed by the young people of that day were apple-parings, corn-huskings and taffy-pullings, together with other innocent games which are now known only as memory reverts to them. Greenville, during the time of Mr. Byrd's boyhood, contained only about seven hundred inhabitants and he can well remember the first train which ran over the Dayton & Union Railroad. He witnessed the building of all of the fine pikes of Darke county and aided in the construction of the Brandon pike. Mr. Byrd spent a part of the year 1865 in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota on a prospecting tour, but preferring Ohio as a place of residence he returned home. He was married on the 15th of February, of the following year, to Miss Amanda Plessinger, and unto them were born four, children, three sons and a daughter, all yet living. Mrs. Byrd was born in Richland township, Darke county, March 16, 1839, a daughter of Nicholas and Rachel (Miller) Plessinger. Her father was born in Pennsylvania September 24, 1808, and died January 19, 1885. He was a lad of about twelve years when he came to Darke county, arriving on the 1st of November, 1820. He made his way at once to Richland township, where he afterward purchased eighty acres of timber land of the government, walking to Cincinnati to make payment thereon. He added to his possessions until he had accumulated two hundred and twenty-seven acres, constituting a valuable farm, which was one of the earliest developed in the county. In politics he was a Democrat and was of German lineage. In his family were six children, a son and five daughters, but only two are yet living,—Leah, wife of J. J. Winbigler, and Philip J., a prominent farmer of Richland township. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Byrd are as follows : Philip F., the eldest, was educated in the common schools and follows farming near Green Mountain, Marshall county, I0wa, and is a Democrat in politics. Rachel O., who was born on the old homestead and attended the common schools, is her father's housekeeper. She , is a member of the Christian church at Beamsville and a devoted member of the Sister's Home, Rebekah Lodge, No. 216, at Versailles. She has held all of its offices 644 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. and is at present deputy grand master. In April, 1899, she was alternate to the grand association of the grand lodge, at Piqua, and she has the honor of being the second member of the Versailles lodge that has taken that degree in the grand lodge. She also belongs to the Ladies' Aid Society of the church and is a young woman of pleasing manner, highly esteemed throughout the community. Ira M. married Miss Ella Mitchell and follows farming in Marshall county, Iowa. Herschel M. is associated with his father in the real estate business. He acquired a good practical education and is devoting his energies to farming. In politics he is a Democrat and cast his first vote for William J. Bryan. In manner he is courteous and genial and has many friends throughout the community. Mr. and Mrs. Byrd began their domestic life upon a rented farm in Adams township. Their capital was very meager, but they were industrious and economical and their resolute wills enabled them to overcome many difficulties. In the spring of 1880 Mr. Byrd made arrangements to purchase his present farm of one hundred and seven acres and installed his family in their new home, where they lived happily until death entered the household on the 24th of September, 1885, carrying away the wife and mother. She was most devoted to her family and her loss was indeed a great blow to husband and children. She was a devoted member of the Christian church at Beamsville and a woman whose many excellencies of character endeared her to all. Her remains were laid to rest in the Green Lawn cemetery at Versailles, where a beautiful granite monument has been raised to her memory. The following obituary was written by C. W. Heoffer, her pastor : "Amanda (Plessinger) Byrd, wife of George S. Byrd, died September 24, 1885,. aged forty-six years, six months and eight days. She united with the Beamsville Christian church in 1860 and lived a faithful member till death. In her death the church has lost one of her valued members and the community one of its shining stars: Sister Byrd was an affectionate wife and a loving mother. Though dead, yet she speaks by her pure life and noble example. She leaves a husband, four children, brother and sister and a host of relatives and friends to mourn her loss. "Dearest sister, thou hast left us ; Here thy loss we deeply feel; But 'tis God that hath bereft us : He can all our sorrows heal. "Yet again we hope to meet thee, When the day of life is fled ; And in heaven with joy to greet thee, Where no farewell tear is shed." Since casting his first presidential vote for General George B. McClellan, Mr. Byrd has always been a stalwart Democrat. He has served for thirteen years as school director and the cause of education has found in him a warm friend who has done effective service in its behalf. In 1897 he was elected by a handsome majority to the. office of township trustee and capably filled the position. Socially he belongs to the Versailles Lodge, No. 286, I. O. O. F., in which he has passed all the chairs. He took the past grand degree at Sidney, Ohio, in May, 1896. He, too, belongs to the Christian church at Beamsville and has contributed to the building of three other churches in this part of the county. He is a man whom to know is to respect and honor, for his life Has been an active, useful and upright one. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 645 He enjoys the friendship and regard of all with whom he has associated and through his long residence in Darke county he has made many friends. Mr. Byrd, with his daughter, Rachel, and son, Herschel, still resides on the old home place and their standing is high in the community. JAMES B. AVERY. The subject of this sketch needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume, but the work would be incomplete without .the record of his life. He has ever cheerfully given his support to those enterprises that tend to public development and has done all in his power to advance the moral, educational and social welfare of his township and county. This worthy citizen of Greenville township, whose home is on section 3, traces his ancestry back to Christopher Avery, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1590; and who, tradition states, came to America in 1630 or 1631 and landed in Salem, Massachusetts, though his home was for the most part in Boston. He had one son, James, who subsequently settled in Connecticut and from whom all the Averys in New England are descended. He left four sons, one of whom was an ancestor of our subject. The family has always been well represented in the wars of this country. Some have been noted in professional life and have distinguished themselves in letters and politics, but it has been in manufacturing circles that they have been most prominent. Elroy M. Avery, of Cleveland, Ohio, is the author of a series of school text books and has represented his district in the state senate, and in ministerial work members of the family are scattered through the various Protestant denominations. Our subject was born in New London county, Connecticut, August 27, 1826, a son of Billings and Prudence Avery, in whose family were four children, three of whom reached years of maturity, namely : James B., Theopolis and Amos G. Theopolis is now deceased. The father died in Connecticut July 15, 1833, at the age of thirty years, and the mother March 23, 1833, at the same age. In the county of his nativity James B. Avery grew to manhood, aiding in the work of the home farm and attending the local schools. In 1847, on attaining his majority, he came west alone, and after looking the country over stopped in Greenville township, Darke county, where he taught a district school. during the winter. In the spring of 1848 he returned to Connecticut, but the following fall he located permanently here, buying eighty acres of the land in Greenville township where he now resides. To this he has added until he now has one hundred and thirty. acres, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation. Only a few acres had been cleared when he took up his residence thereon. In the fall of 1848 Mr. Avery married Miss Marcella Earhart, a daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Scribner) Earhart, early settlers of this county. By this union were born five children : Prudence M., now the wife of David Hartle, Jr., of Darke county; Franklin, deceased ; Emily, the wife of Orin Hartle, also of this county; Lizzie, the wife of Frank Townsend ; and Ira J., who lives with his parents. Samuel Earhart, the father of Mrs. Avery, was a son of George and Mary M. (Smith) Earhart, who were among the first 646 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. settlers of Warren .County, Ohio,. and about 1818 came to Darke county, entering land in Greenville township. George Earhart was a Virginian by birth and of German descent. He died in Greenville township in 1852, his wife in 1858. They had ten children, namely : Martin, Samuel and Elizabeth, all deceased ; Mary ; Washington ; Mahala ; William; Nancy; Julia and Henry J. They were earnest Christian people, the grandfather being a member of the Christian church, his wife of the Presbyterian. Mrs. Avery's parents were life-long residents of Darke county and her father was an elder in the Presbyterian church, to which both belonged. He died in 1854, aged fifty-three years, Mrs. Earhart in 1873, aged sixty-seven. Their children were Marcella, the wife of our subject; Anna M., Mary Jane and William Henry, all deceased.; George F., a resident of Oregon ; Samuel M. and Mrs. Elizabeth Sarah Warnfelt, both of Darke county; Stephen James, of Oregon ; Isaac S., of Oklahoma; David, of Florida ; and Mrs. Lucinna Mergler, of this county. Azor Scribner, Mrs. Avery's maternal grandfather, came from New York to Darke county, Ohio, in 1806 or 1807 and traded with the Indians. Both he and his brother, Abraham, were soldiers of the war of 1812. He died in 1822, leaving the following children : Mrs. Sarah McCann, Mrs. Elizabeth Earhart, Mrs. Rhoda Clare, Mrs. Emily Kidder, Mrs. Maria Gates, Mrs. Nancy Stacy, Mrs. Julia Lee and Mrs. Mary Hool. The mother of these children was three times married, her third husband being a Mr. Davis. She died about 1849. Mr. Avery is a well informed, enterprising man who has taken an active interest in educational affairs, and has efficiently served as a school director many years. He votes the Republican ticket, and Moth he and his wife are active and consistent members of the Presbyterian church of Greenville, in which he has served as an elder. He is a man of exemplary habits, of strong religious convictions and has endeavored to live up to the teachings of the Golden Rule. He has always been charitably disposed to all worthy enterprises, is well informed on current topics, possesses a retentive memory and is incisive and clear. in speech. In fact he is one of Darke county's best and most valued citizens, a kind husband and father and a good neighbor. GEORGE H. WINBIGLER Throughout the greater part of his life George H. Winbigler has been a resident of Darke county and has watched with interest its progress and development, withholding not his support from such measures as he believed would contribute to the public good. He belongs to the better-class of citizens in this community, and the record of his life well deserves a place in its history. He is a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, born on the 4th of March, 1841, and is the second in order of birth in a family of nine children. His father, Samuel Winbigler, was born in Maryland, not far from the city of Washington, D.. C., and was reared to agricultural pursuits. His educational advantages were quite limited, for he was only a boy when his father died and he was thus early thrown upon his own reseurces. At the age of fourteen years he became a resident of Montgomery county, Ohio, and from that time until his death was dependent upon his own resources. In 1845 he emigrated to Darke county and settled upon ninety-four acres of dense forest land, which GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 647 had been entered from the government by Jacob Weaver, father of Mrs. Winbigler. His first home was a log cabin, and the Subject of this review well remembers that primitive structure. The father continued a resident of Darke county until, his death, devoting his energies to agricultural pursuits. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat and supported Stephen A. Douglas, "the little giant of the west." He served as township trustee and in other official positions, discharging his duties in an able manner. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran Reformed church in York township, and this organization he aided and also contributed liberally to the building of the house of worship. He was of German descent, and possessed many of the sterling characteristics of his German ancestry, being economical, thrifty and enterprising. In this way he acquired a comfortable competence, becoming the owner of one hundred and thirty acres of rich and arable land. He died May 4, 1876, respected by all who knew him, and a beautiful granite monument marks the last resting place of himself and his wife in the Lutheran cemetery in York township. Mrs. Winbigler bore the maiden name of Ann Maria Weaver and was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, February 13, 1821. She died December 9, 1887, at the age of sixty-six years, and, like her husband, was a consistent Christian. Of their family of three Sons and six daughters all are yet living : Jacob, who resides in Versailles with his family, was formerly a teacher, but is now engaged in the insurance and loan business ; George H. is the next of the family ; Uriah is married and follows contracting in Ansonia, Ohio ; Sarah is the wife of Irvin York, a farmer and stock dealer residing on the old Winbigler homestead ; Amanda E. is the wife of James Renchler, of Wayne township; Malinda M. is the wife of Levi Kesler, of Versailles, Ohio; Lovina is the wife of Oliver Miller, also of Versailles ; Jane is the wife of J. B. alerts, a salesman residing in Wayne township; and Louisa is the wife of Warren Plessinger, an agriculturist of Brown township; Darke county. George H. Winbigler was a little lad of four summers when he came with his parents to Darke county, and since that time he has resided within its borders. He was reared to the work of the farm and has always carried on agricultural pursuits: Farmer boys were at that early day important factors in the development and cultivation of the land, and educational privileges were in consequence somewhat limited. The methods of farming were primitive and Mr. Winbigler can well remember when horses were used in tramping out the wheat on the barn floor. He can also remember seeing the first locomotive that ever cane to Greenville, it making a run over the Day-. ton & Union Railroad. At that time he and his brothers had accompanied their parents to the town preparatory to making a visit to Illinois. Now the county is crossed and recrossed by the iron rails, which have brought all the improvements and advantages of civilization. Mr. Winbigler has also witnessed the building of all the pikes which constitute such a splendid system of roads in Darke county, and in connection with one of his neighbors, Mr. Berch, he circulated a petition for the building of a gravel' pike to Dawn, to intersect another pike, and this road is known as the Winbigler & Berch pike. He remained with his parents until twenty-five years of age, and during a considerable portion of that time 648 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the management of the farm devolved upon him. When he attained his majority his only property was a horse which his father had given him. On the 5th of November, 1866, Mr. Winbigler chose as a companion and helpmate on life's journey Miss Faith Plessinger, who was born September 20, 1845, and died May 24, 1892. On the .21st of July, 1894, he wedded Mary E. Hartzell, who was born in Darke county, November 6, 1846, and is a daughter of Philip and Juliana (Harman) Hartzell. Her father was born January 3, 1811, in Adams county, Pennsylvania, near the famous battle-ground of Gettysburg, and died April 5, 1873, in Darke county. In early life he followed the hatter's trade. He never attended school after attaining the age of twelve years and was therefore largely self-educated. He often studied by the light of a hickory torch or of a rude lamp filled with grease or oil. In 1836, at the age of twenty-five, he removed from Pennsylvania to Ohio. He married Juliana Harman on the 18th of October, 1832, and with a party of twelve they came to Darke county, settling at Pikesville. Only three of this party are now living. The journey was made in wagons, and the homes of these settlers were primitive. Mr. Hartzell was always .a warm friend of education and gave his children the best advantages in that line that could afford. He took an active part in the early development of the county, coming here when there was not a railroad within its borders. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and was a true friend of the little .red school house., He and his wife were earnest Christian people, and he was active in establishing the Reformed church at Beamsville, about 1840. He also aided in the erection of the first Reformed church at Greenville, of which he and his wife were charter members. The Children's Home, a beautiful structure, north of Greenville, is located on a part of the old Hartzell farm. Mrs. Hartzell was born in Adams county,. Pennsylvania, October 21, 1810, and died June 6, 1893. Her youngest brother, Henry, was a drummer boy in the war of 1812 and was killed at the battle of Lake Erie. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell were four sons and five daughters, eight yet living, namely: Clara, who was a successful teacher of Darke county and who is the only living charter member of the first Reformed church at Greenville, and is now the wife of C. F. Bartling, who is living retired in. Greenville ; George is a farmer of Brown township ; Maria, who resides with Mrs. Winbigler ; Julia A., who was formerly a successful teacher of Darke county, now engaged in dressmaking in Greenville, where she is highly esteemed and is known as a capable worker in the Reformed church,. being especially active in missionary work; Philip H., who is the twin brother of Mrs. Winbigler, was educated in the Greenville high school, was formerly. a teacher, but is now a carpenter and joiner of Springfield, Ohio, where he is regarded as a leading citizen, being a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, a Democrat in politics and in religious belief connected with the Reformed church ; Neander, a farmer residing at Okarche, Oklahoma, is the father of triplets, Faith, Hope and Charity, and twins, Alpha and Omega ; and Reuben H. is married and lives in Springfield, Ohio, where he occupies the position of foreman in the Superior Drill Company. Mrs. Winbigler spent her girlhood days in Darke county, and, following in her father's footsteps, became a successful teacher. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 649 She was educated in the public schools and in the normal school of Greenville, and. for nine years followed the profession of teaching in Darke county, spending one term a§ a. teacher in the Children's Home. She is a lady of broad, general culture as well as scholarly attainments, and her work in the schoolroom was signally useful and effective. She has also been a most active and earnest worker in the church. She is a member of the Reform Missionary Society, of Green-line, the Ladies' Aid Society, of Pikeville and of Dawn, and was formerly. a member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. After his first marriage Mr. Winbigler began farming upon rented land in Richland township. His first purchase comprised forty acres in. that township, but later he sold that property and in 1873 bought ninety-four acres on section 21, of which only thirty acres had been cleared. His first home was a little log house, but to-day he has a modern country residence and near by stands a large and commodious barn and other substantial outbuildings. All the improvements and accessories of a model farm are there found. His land is of clay and black soil, well adapted to the raising of corn, wheat, oats and tobacco. His marked industry has been one of the salient features in his success, and his life stands. in exemplification of what may be accomplished through determined purpose and enterprise. In politics he has been an earnest Democrat since casting his first presidential vote for Gen. George B. McClellan. He has frequently served as a delegate to county and congressional conventions.- He is an anti-expansionist and is always firm in support of his honest convictions. He has three times been elected to serve as township trustee of Richland township—a fact which indi- cates the confidence reposed in him. Both. he and his wife are warm friends of public. Schools and believe in employing excellent teachers. He has acted as school directori for a number of years and in this capacity has done much for the cause of education. They are earnest Christian people, the former belonging to the Lutheran and the latter to the Reformed church in Greenville,. and Mr. Winbigler has contributed toward the erection of four different churches in Darke county. Both he and . his wife are-representatives of honored and highly respected families of this community and well deserve mention in this volume. ISAAC NEWTON BOOKER. Darke county has many enterprising and energetic business men whose success is due to their industry, perseverance and sound judgment, and to this class belongs the subject of this sketch, who is. at the head of the hardware trade in North Star. He was. born in Huntington . county, Indiana, October 25, 1863, a son of Jacob and Rebecca (Detrich) Booker, the former born in Pennsylvania, December 17, 1833, the latter in. Virginia, November 3, 1839. Our subject. never remembers seeing his paternal grandfather, Emanuel Booker, as he died in Montgomery county, this state, about 1866. Throughout life the father engaged in farming. He began for himself in a humble. way, had a hard struggle, and never accumulated much, though he lived well. He died September 24, 1896, and his wife de-'parted this life September 3, 1893, both being laid to rest in Gilbert cemetery, Darke county. They were active members of the German Baptist church and most estimable