650 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY Miami County, located in the village of Lena, is a substantial and progressive citizen. He was born in Brown Township, Miami County, in 1864, and comes of an old family of the community. He is a son of Samuel and Phoebe (Shanks) Yates, and a grandson of Ebenezer Yates. Ebenezer Yates came from New Jersey at an early date and located upon a farm in Lost Creek Township, Miami County, Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his days. Samuel Yates was born in Miami County and here passed a life of great usefulness. He was a prosperous farmer and was the owner of two good properties in Brown Township. He married Phoebe Shanks and they became parents of the following children Alice J., wife of George W. Brecount Florence, who died at the age of seventeen years; Mary Ann, wife of Joseph Wolcott ; S. Frank, whose name heads this record; Clara B., who was first married to James Buckles, and after his demise to I. M. Wolcott ; and Earl A., who married Mattie Denman, a daughter, of Dr. Denman, of Lena. S. Frank Yates was reared in Brown Township and received a good common school education. He engaged in fanning on the home place and in 1893 embarked in the poultry business, in which he met with success. and was at that time a member of the firm of White & Yates and was engaged in the general mercantile business at Lena for many years. Upon selling out that business, Mr. Yates moved to Troy, where for fifteen months he engaged in clerking. At the end of that time, in 1908, he again purchased the store at Lena, where he now continues. He carries a comprehensive line of general merchandise and groceries, and enjoys the liberal pat ronage of the community. In 1901, he erected one of the finest store buildings in Miami County, aside from those to be found in the two principal cities. He has taken an active interest in the affairs of the place, and for a period of sixteen years has served efficiently as a member of the Board of Education. Mr. Yates was united in marriage with Miss Wilda M. White, a daughter of .James White of Champaign County, Ohio, and they have two children : Ethel M. and Florence A. Religiously, they are members of the Baptist Church. Politically, he is inclined to be independent, casting his ballot always for the man best fitted for the office. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Masons, and the Knights of the Golden Eagle. OSCAR FRANKLIN FURROW. whose fine farm containing 170 acres, is situated in the northeastern part of Lost Creek Township, was born on the old McNeal farm in Elizabeth Township, Miami County, Ohio, August 6, 1854, and is a son of Captain John Kennedy and Margaret (Nickles) Furrow. The Furrow family is of Scotch-Irish extraction and was founded in Ohio by Tyson Furrow, the grandfather, who settled in the deep woods which in his day covered the country near what is now Miami City. His children bore the following names : Margaret, Elizabeth, Martha, Mary, Samuel, Elijah and John Kennedy. John Kennedy Furrow was the eldest of the above family and he was born in the old log cabin standing on the Furrow place near Miami City, in August, 1831. His young strength was given in helping his father clear off the farm and he remained AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 653 after the father's death and his own marriage, to care for his widowed mother and sisters. When the Civil War broke out, John K. Furrow was one of the earnest, thoughtful men who, from a sense of duty, put aside every personal consideration, and in 1861 hastened to enroll for the defense of the -Union. He enlisted in Company A, Forty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, contracting for three years and after serving through that period, reenlisted, with the rank of captain, to which he had been promoted, in the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, and in this he served until almost the close of the war, when he was relieved on account of disability, having twice suffered the unspeakable hardships of incarceration in Libby Prison. He is one of the prominent members of the Grand Army Post at St. Paris. For twenty years after the close of his military service, he conducted a grocery business in that village and then retired to Conover, where both he and wife live. in great comfort. He is a Knight Templar Mason and a leading Republican in his section. Captain Furrow was married in 1853, to Miss Margaret Nickles and they have had the following children : Oscar Franklin ; Laura, who is the wife of C. K. Heisey ; Effie, who is the wife of Dr. C. F. Johnson ; Edgar 0.. who is a physician at Troy ; Albert D.; John ; and Jonathan. who died young. Oscar Franklin Furrow, or Frank, as he is familiarly called by his many friends, spent his boyhood in Elizabeth Township, being seven years old when his father went into the army. After his long and honorable service terminated, Captain Furrow moved his family to St. Paris, and there Frank Furrow became a bright student and subsequently graduated from the High School. After that he became a clerk in his father's grocery store and remained until he reached his majority and then started out for himself. He served an apprenticeship of five years to the watchmaking trade and followed it for twenty years, during this period traveling over a large part of the South and Indiana. When he returned he purchased a jewelry store at St. Paris and conducted it for ten years, when failing health made it necessary for him to enter into an occupation which would keep him more or less in the open air. This life he found in farming, in the far West, and he spent nine years in Washington and six years in Oregon before coming back to Ohio. In December, 1900, he bought his present farm in Lost Creek Township, from Michael Wilgus. The place was in fair condition, the buildings all standing, but he has done considerable improving, nevertheless, and has a very fine place. He devotes his land to the growing of corn, wheat, oats and hay and raises enough stock for his own use. On November 8, 1879, Mr. Furrow was married (first) to Miss Louisa M. Hill, a daughter of George Hill. She died May 7, 1888, leaving three children : Eva M., who is the wife of Ora Super and has one child, Mary E.; Rex F.; and John K., deceased. Mr. Furrow was married (second) March 10, 1889, to Miss Mary E. Sills, a daughter of Samuel Sills of Champaign County, Ohio. For twenty-eight years Mr. Furrow has been identified with the Masonic fraternity and belongs to the Commandery at Troy. He is a stanch Republican but has never accepted any office other than that of township trustee. 654 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY AUGUST PETERS, owner of a valuable farm of fifty-three and one-half acres located about two miles west of Piqua on what is known as the Jimtown Pike, is a well-known and progressive citizen of Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 20, 1857, and is a son of John Henry and Catherine (Snyder) Peters. The parents of August Peters were born in Germany, but were married at Cincinnati in 1849. John Henry Peters learned the trade of a nailsmith in his native land and for a time followed it in Cincinnati; about the year 1860 he moved to Shelby County, Ohio, and followed farming many years. Upon the death of his wife, November 20, 1904, he came to Miami County and made his home with the subject of this sketch until his death on February 18, 1906. Both he buried at Newport. Shelby County, Ohio. August Peters was about three years of age when his parents moved to Shelby County, Ohio, and there he was reared and educated. He was there married and continued to reside until 1891, when they moved to Miami County. He located on the Freeman Skinner farm at Eldean and lived there ten years, at the end of which time he purchased a farm of eighty-one acres in Shelby County, Ohio, but decided not to move there, instead locating on the old Dr. Coleman farm in Staunton Township, where they lived four years. In the spring of 1905 they sold the Shelby County farm and purchased what is known as the old Hattie. Grey farm in Washington Township, where they now live. Mr. Peters has always followed general farming and has achieved a high degree of success. All that he has was earned by his own ef forts, with the assistance of his wife, and he can look with pride upon the advancement he has made. September 8, 1885, Mr. Peters was married in Turtle Creek Township, Shelby County, Ohio, to Miss Sarah J. Ike, who was born and reared in that township. She is a daughter of John and Esther (Kruse) Ike, both now deceased. Her father died in Shelby County, July 22, 1893, and her mother on March 28, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Peters became parents of four children, as follows : Leota May, who was graduated from Piqua High School in June, 1908. and is now a teacher at the Children's Home in Miami County Harry Clifford; William Warren and Mary Esther. Religiously the family belongs to the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church at Piqua. GEORGE W. HOOPES, who has attained a high degree of success in farming and dairying, resides on a farm of 157 acres which he owns, located about one mile north of Covington, in Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio. He also owns a farm of seventy-eight acres in the same township, located north of Polo, on the Miami and Shelby County line, which is farmed by his son, Harley. Mr. Hoopes was born in Chester County, Penn., August 14, 1861, and was about twelve years old when his parents moved to Shelby County, Ohio. About one year later, in 1874, he accompanied them to Miami County, where they purchased a farm of forty acres. The father, Elwood Hoopes, died on that place in July, 1907, and his widow, who in maiden life was Mary Ann Carpenter, still lives at Clayton with a daughter, Cordelia Hoopes. George W. Hoopes was reared on the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 655 farm and received a common school education. He continued to live at Clayton for one year after his marriage, then moved to Shelby County, where he rented a farm for three years. At the end of that time he moved to the farm adjoining his present one on the east, and farmed it as a renter for six years. He then purchased the tract of seventy-eight acres located north of Polo, which he farmed and resided upon for twelve years. At the end of that time, or on March 4, 1907, he rented his present home place of A. F. Mikesell, and in the fall of 1908 purchased it. He is engaged in general farming and dairying, and runs a milk wagon. Mrs. Hoopes for a period of twenty-two years has attended the Piqua Market, where she has a stall. They have one of the best improved farms in the township and reside in a large yellow brick house which sets about 100 yards back from the road. Between the house and the road is a well-kept lawn, beautifully shaded by trees. A round barn, large in size and of good arrangement, and other substantial buildings, are in keeping with the general fine appearance of the farm. Mr. Hoopes was united in marriage with Miss Annoh Hay, who was born and reared in Newberry township, and is a daughter of Daniel and Sarah Jane Hay. both of whom are deceased. Three children were born to them, namely : Harley, who married Delmar Fuller and lives on the farm north of Polo ; Roy, who lives with his parents; and Mean], who is also at home. Harley Hoopes and his wife are parents of two children, Ilene and Imo. WILLIAM T. SHANKS, residing on a farm one and a half miles east of Fletcher, in Brown Township, comes of an old and respected family of Miami County. He was born in the southern part of Brown Township, September 16, 1849, and is a son of Daniel and Jane (Yates) Shanks. Peter Shanks, grandfather of William T., was the first of the family to come to Miami Countv; he came from Pennsylvania and entered the tract in the southern part of Brown Township which has since been known as the old Shanks homestead. He also entered the eighty acres to the west of it, but was obliged to give it up. He continued to live on that farm until his death at the advanced age of ninety-three years. His trade was that of a cooper. His wife died on that place at an early age. Daniel Shanks, father of the subject of this record, was born on the home place in Brown Township, and continued to reside there throughout life, dying at the age of sixty-two years. His first marriage was with Jane Yates, who died at the age of forty-five years. They were parents of the following children : Lear, who died at the age of five years ; William T.; Seymour, who lives in South Dakota; Josephine, who lives on the home place and is the wife of George Pence ; Sarah Jane, deceased wife of H. Lane; and one who did not survive birth. Mr. Shanks formed a second marital union with Miss Charlotte Gaskell, by whom he had the following issue : Clara, Frank, Effre, Maude, Blanche, George, and Lily. William T. Shanks was educated in the common schools of Brown Township and worked on the home farm until his marriage in 1872. He then rented various places in the township until 1891, when he purchased his present farm of fifty-five and one-half acres. In 1901, he erected a modern residence, which is complete in all 656 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY its appointments and is finished in five kinds of natural wood. It is one of the best houses in this section. He carries on general farming and tobacco raising, and is rated among the well-to-do and progressive citizens of the township. November 14, 1872, Mr. Shanks was married to Miss Elizabeth Lane, a daughter of Isaac Lane of Brown Township. and they have one son, Lawrence Earl, who attended business college at Piqua and is at present bookkeeper for the Stewart & Brown Company of that city. Politically, Mr. Shanks is a Democrat and has served six years as township treasurer and ten years as member of the School Board. He is a member of the Order of Odd Fellows, its auxiliary lodge, the Rebeccas, the Encampment, I. 0. 0. F.; and the Knights of Pythias. Religiously, he is a member of the Baptist Church at Fletcher. GEORGE C. RHOADES comes of an old and respected family of Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio, and lives on the farm on which he was born, located about six miles northwest of Covington, on the Piqua and Versailles pike. He was born May 15, 1867, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Schneck) Rhoades. John Rhoades was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, and lived there until after his first marriage; he then came to Newberry Township, Miami County, and entered 180 acres of land, of which the farm of George C. Rhoades was a part. He was twice married; the mother of the subject of this sketch being his second wife. As a result of these unions, he became the father of fourteen children, of whom but five are now living. He died on the home farm in November, 1889, and was survived by his widow, whose death occurred September 22, 1906. George C. Rhoades was reared on the farm and attended the district schools. He has always followed farming and is the owner of ninety acres of the old home place, which formerly consisted of about 170 acres, the remainder being owned by his brother. Charles D. Rhoades. In 1892 he built a large and commodious frame house, in which he now lives, and in 1893. completed the big barn. The other buildings and most of the improvements have been made by him, and his place is one of the best kept in this section of the county. Mr. Rhoades was united in marriage with Laura P. Grunert, who was born in Fletcher, Miami County, Ohio, but was reared in Shelby County, and is a daughter of Frederick Grunert. They have two children : Emory A.. who married Glenna Routson and 0. Fern, who teaches school in District No. 15, Newberry Township. Religiously, they are members of the Lutheran Church, of which he is a trustee. CAPT. SAMUEL D. PALMER, formerly mayor of Covington, Ohio, and since 1904 in the Government service in connection with the Rural Free Delivery system here, is a veteran of the Civil War and since boyhood has been identified with military affairs. He was born April. 19, 1848, in Franklin County, Penna., a son of Michael and Elizabeth (Rowe) Palmer. The parents of Capt. Palmer were born, reared and married in Maryland. They later settled on a farm in Franklin County, Penna., and their subsequent life passed there. Samuel D. Palmer attended the public schools in Franklin County until he was AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 657 thirteen years of age, when he joined two brothers, Daniel and George, at Gettysburg, Darke County. Ohio. From there, February 18, 1864, he entered the Federal Army, although he was only fourteen years of age, enlisting in Company K, Thirty-fourth Regiment. Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war, being mustered out July 26, 1865. On February 14. 1865, his regiment was consolidated with the Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the two regiments being consolidated while he was a prisoner. Although a boy in years, the young soldier displayed the courage of a man, participating in thirty-four battles and skirmishes and often for weeks being in hourly danger of death. Only on one occasion was he injured and that not very seriously, being felled by an exploding shell, but on January 11, 1865. he was captured by the Confederates, at Beverly, Virginia, and he was confined in the terrible Libby Prison until April. 1865. rejoining his regiment as soon as exchanged. His record is one of which he is justly proud. After he returned to Gettysburg, his interest in military matters continued and for twenty-seven years he was an officer in the Ohio National Guards, now being on the retired list, with the rank of captain. For five years he served as second lieutenant of Company G. Third Regiment, for one year as lieutenant, for eleven years as captain and for ten years was captain of Company A. From 1865 until 1880, Captain Palmer resided at Gettysburg or on a farm of 120 acres belonging to Andrew Weaver, in Adams Township, Darke County. His military duties frequently required his presence at other points and much of his atten tion. The farm of twenty acres in Concord Township that he owns now he never lived on. He is a member of Langston Post, G. A. R., of which he has been adjutant for fourteen years and for several years was commander, and he was also on the staff of General Mumford, with the rank of colonel, when that officer was at the head of the Ohio organization. In 1830 he came to Covington and soon became a man to whom the citizens looked for advice and public help, electing him to the city council for two years and in 1894 making him mayor. He served in that responsible office for three full terms, up to 1900, and during that time Covington made many leaps forward, adding to her public utilities and her commercial importance. Capt. Palmer was married to Miss Belle Hill and they have two children : Maud, who is the wife of Samuel N. Arnie; and Loretta Pearl, who married Dr. W. B. Carey. Dr. Carey and wife have one son, Palmer Benord Carey, and they reside at Brooklyn, New York. Capt. Palmer and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has been a steward since 1880. In politics he is a Republican. He is identified fraternally with the Masons and Knights of Pythias. JOHN DUER, the owner of farming land in Shelby County, Ohio, and 145 acres of well improved land in Brown Township, Miami County, on which he resides, is a substantial and representative man of this section. He was born December 1, 1845, in Clark County, Ohio, and is a son of Joshua A. and Sarah (Fryback) Duer. John Duer can claim Revolutionary ancestry, his great-grandfather, William Anderson, serving under General Washing- 658 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY ton, with the rank of colonel. The paternal grandfather, William Duer, was born in Pennsylvania and died there, but his widow accompanied her son to Ohio and died in Fletcher, Miami County, when aged eighty-six years. Joshua A. Duer was born in Bucks County, Penna., and came to Warren County, Ohio, in 1830, one year later moving to Fletcher, Miami County, later to South Charleston, Ohio, after which he returned to Fletcher, and in 1837 bought the farm now owned by his son, John Duer. He was a blacksmith and followed this trade for some twenty-five years, and he was also a farmer and the remainder of his life was passed either on the farm or in Fletcher. He died on the farm at the age of eighty years and three months. He married Sarah Fryback, who lived to be eighty-four years old. They had ten children born to them, as follows : Samuel, who died at the age of thirteen years George W., deceased ; William A., who lives in Indiana ; Susannah and Charlotte, both deceased ; John ; E. F., who lives in Cleveland; James T., who lives in Miami County; Frank, and an infant, the former of whom died when aged nineteen years and the latter at birth. John Duer was four weeks old when his parents moved from Clark County to Fletcher, Miami County, and he was educated in the Brown Township schools and at New Hope, up to the age of seventeen years, and then attended the Piqua High School for three months during the winters of 1863-4 and 1865. During the winters of 1865-6 and 1867 he taught school, but after that he devoted about all of his attention to agricultural pursuits, beginning on the old home farm, from which he moved later just across the road, and two and one-half years afterward, to his farm in Shelby County, on which he resided for thirty-three years. On December 13, 1906, he came back to the homestead. He had improved his Shelby County property with excellent buildings and in 1906 erected a comfortable residence on his Brown Township place and is making preparations to do more building. A part of Mr. Duer's farm possesses great historic interest. It was formerly owned by Colonel Munsel and county annals tell of the notable gathering of men, around the old spring, on this farm, to discuss the acquisition of the Northwest Territory, the final decision of which brought about such momentous results. The old spring still bubbles up its clear, sweet cold water, never, in all these years. having failed. On June 18, 1868, Mr. Duer was married to Miss Mary E. Worthington, a daughter of George M. Worthington, and they have two children : Walter and Clyde. The former resides at Troy, married Helen Cook, of Piqua, and they have two children: Elsie and John C. Clyde resides on his father's farm of eighty acres, in Shelby County. He married Sarah Wilgus, daughter of E. J. Wilgus, and they have one daughter, Dorothy. Mr. and Mrs. Duer are members of the Christian Church, of which he has been clerk for twenty-three years. Politically he is a Prohibitionist, and while living in Greene Township, Shelby County, served six years as clerk and one year as trustee. W. W. BOSSERMAN, one of the leading -business men of Bradford, Ohio, proprietor of a general store, is one of the town's best known citizens, having been a resident AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 659 since he was sixteen years of age. Mr. Bosserman was born on a farm in Newberry Township, near Clayton, Miami County, Ohio, December 2, 1862, and is a son of Solomon and Elizabeth (Fink) Bosserman, the former of whom died in 1868. W. W. Bosserman grew to the age of sixteen years on the home farm and attended the country schools. He then came to Bradford and for twenty years was in the employ of his uncle, Philip Fink, who conducted a general store. In this connection Mr. Bosserman had the very training essential to him in starting and maintaining a similar business of his own, which he embarked in in 1903. He has one of the largest general stores in Bradford and carries a carefully selected stock of groceries, dry goods, shoes, etc., and has a trade that makes him need the services of three clerks. Mr. Bosserman is numbered with the most enterprising business men of the place. Mr. Bosserman married Miss Almeda Zerbe, a daughter of Abraham Zerbe, and they have three children, Elsie, Mildred and Wilbur. Mr. Bosserman is not very active in politics, but is ever ready to support movements for good government and to advance efforts to further the prosperity of his town. He is identified with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias. HARRY M. WHITMORE, owner of seventy and one-half acres of the old Whitmore farm situated just north of Fletcher, in Brown Township, Miami County, was born June 5, 1861, in Lost Creek Township, Miami County, Ohio, and is a son of David J. and a grandson of Henry Whitmore. Henry Whitmore was one of the pioneer settlers in Miami County and owned 187 acres of land in the vicinity of Casstown, all of which he cleared with the exception of four acres. He was one of the sturdy men of early times and the founder of a family which has ever since been one of prominence in this section. David J. Whitmore was born on his father's farm near Casstown and attended the district schools and was given advantages at Wittenberg. He returned to the homestead and cultivated it until he was about sixty years of age, when he moved from there to a farm of less dimensions, but failing health caused his retirement to Casstown and there he died of paralysis, when sixty-eight years of age. He married (first) Mary Odaffer, of Miami County, and they had two children, Harry M. and John, the mother dying when her sons were small. Mr. Whitmore was married (second) to Cassie Lewis, who died May 24, 1909, and three children were born to this union: Mary, Edmond and Estella, all of whom survive. Harry M. Whitmore obtained his education in the schools of Lost Creek Township, after which he engaged in farming on the home place until 1900, when he purchased his present property. He carries on a general agricultural line, making no specialty of any one product but making his land produce to its fullest capacity in every part. He grows grain, hay and stock and has productive orchards. Mr. Whitmore married Miss Jennie Smith, a daughter of Martin and Nancy J. Smith, the former of whom died November 11, 1906. The mother of Mrs. Whitmore makes her home with Mr. Whitmore. The Smith family has been of Miami County since 18;53. Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore have 660 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY one son, David Martin, who is a bright pupil in the public school. Mr. Whitmore and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Fletcher. He is not identified politically with either of the great parties, but he is a good citizen, one who lives up to his responsibilities, but does his own thinking and votes as his judgment suggests. WILLIAM E. SHELLABARGER, a venerable citizen of Covington, Miami County, Ohio, who is now living in retirement, was engaged in agricultural pursuits throughout his active career. He was born in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, November 30, 1827, and is a son of David and Elizabeth (Randels) Shellabarger. David Shellabarger, father of the subject of this record, was a farmer in Juniata County and resided there until his death. His widow later moved to Miami County, Ohio, and there formed a second marital union with a man bearing the same name as her first husband, David Shellabarger. She continued to reside there until her death. William E. Shellabarger preceded his mother to Miami County by several years, coming west in 1851. His first year here he worked in Covington at his trade as a millwright, then for three years worked at sawmilling. He continued this until his marriage, when he became a farmer. Two years later he purchased a farm of seventy-nine acres in Newton Township, which he improved and lived upon for a period of thirty years. He was a man of great energy- and keen business judgment, and he added to his property until he was possessed of 172 acres. In the fall of 1886, he moved with his wife to Covington, and there has a fine brick residence and three lots on South High Street. He retained his farm in Newton Township until April, 1909, when he sold out to good advantage. February 9, 1854, Mr. Shellabarger was united in marriage with Miss Susan Mohler, who was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. July 21, 1834. and is a daughter of Rudolph and Elizabeth (Miller) Mohler. She was about eight years of age when she accompanied her parents, on May 2, 1842, to Miami County. Ohio, settling on a farm at Sugar Grove which her father had previously bought. They moved in wagons. the trip taking nearly three weeks. They had three vehicles. a wagon pulled by four horses, a one-horse wagon and a carriage. Both her parents died on the farm in this county and were buried at Sugar Grove. The subject of this record and his wife became parents of the following children : Mary. wife of George Saylor ; Reuben, who died at the age of five years : Elias, who died at three years ; (,Trace. who died when one month old : Rudolph. who died at the age of forty-three years : Sarah, wife of Granvill Minnich, who has charge of the Old Folks Home at Greenville, Ohio ; Roland Ellis, who lives on a farm in Newton Township; Levi. a bookkeeper who was for eight years in the postoffice at Manila, P. I.. but is now a resident of Washington. D. C.; and Anna, who is the wife of John Goodenbarger. of Akron, Ohio. Reuben and Elias were stricken with diphtheria and died within one day of each other. Rudolph Shellabarger died in 1905 of lockjaw, resulting from a fractured limb. Mr. Shellabarger has long been an active member of the Church of the Brethren, of which he is a deacon. He was for many AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 661 years and until recently a member of the board of trustees of that church. B. F. LOXLEY, SR., one of Newberry Township's most substantial citizens, who resides in a fine residence which he erected on a well improved lot of two and one-fourth acres, just north of Bradford, still retains possession of one farm of 240 acres and has probably given away more land to his children than three-fourths of his fellow citizens ever owned. Mr. Loxley was born on Wolf Creek, near Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio, April 18, 1834, and is a son of Samuel and Magdalena (Keener) Loxley. When Mr. Loxley was six weeks old his parents moved to Preble County, where they died and where he lived until maturity, in 1859 marrving, and continuing to engage in farming in Preble County until 1867. In that year he moved to Miami County and bought 120 acres on the Klinger and Searer turnpike road, and to this land kept adding parcel after parcel until it aggregated 700 acres, making him one of the largest landowners in the county. He also bought land in Darke County, Ohio, and in Kansas and still retains an interest in a large plantation in New Mexico. Mr. Loxley has been exceedingly kind to his children, setting them up in life and not only advising them but giving practical help whenever needed. In addition to the farms that he has distributed, he has given no less than $12,000 in money. On December S. 1859. Mr. Loxley was married (first) to Miss Phebe Ann Kaylor, who died after they moved to Miami County. They had seven children, as follows : Mrs. Ida Martin ; Charles E., who died from an accidental shooting ; Mrs. Ella Katherman ; Mrs. Lucinda Rhoades ; Mrs. Amanda Apple ; Mrs. Ermina Bosserman; and Benjamin F. Mr. Loxley was married (second) to Miss Sallie Miller, who was born at Bradford, Ohio, and when three months old was taken to Newberry Township, one mile north of Bradford, and was reared on the old homestead farm of her maternal grandfather, Jacob Wise, who had entered that land from the Government. Her parents were Michael and Molly (Wise) Miller. Her father was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, a son of Jacob Miller. He died on the old Wise farm in 1884 and was survived by his widow until 1890. They were fervent members of the German Baptist Church, most worthy people in every way. To the second marriage of Mr. Loxley, nine children were born, one of whom died in infancy, the others being as follows : Samuel M., Mrs. Nora Kepner, Jesse Albert, Jacob Edward, Isaiah R., Jennie M., Jonas M., and Jeremiah M. The second born, Aaron, died a babe. Mr. Loxley and wife are leading members of the Church of the Brethren. WILLIAM B. MOON, a progressive and public-spirited citizen of Brown Township, Miami County, Ohio, is the owner of a fine farm of 125 acres, located about ten miles northeast of Piqua. He was born in. Green Township, Shelby County, Ohio, April 14, 1862, and is a son of James and Harriet (Dorsey) Moon. James Moon was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and was four years of age when his parents moved to Ohio. His father, Mahlon Moon, was a Quaker, as was his wife, who in maiden life was Sarah Wharton. He moved west to Greene 662 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY County, Ohio, in 1829, and shortly afterward moved to Shelby County, where he passed away. James Moon passed nearly all his life in Shelby County, Ohio, where he owned a farm of eighty acres ; his death occurred at the age of seventy-five years. He married Harriet Dorsey, who came of a Miami County family, and they became parents of the following children: Sarah E., wife of C. A. Mahan of Miami County ; Mary, wife of W. H. Anderson of Shelby County; Hannah A., wife of J. W. Applegate of Shelby County ; William B., subject of this sketch ; Mattie J., deceased wife of Martin Bennett ; Clara B., wife of E. M. Baker of Shelby County ; and Lodema C., wife of F. I. Moore of Brown Township. William B. Moon was reared in his native county and there attended the public schools. He lived in Shelby County until his marriage in 1883, then moved to his present farm in Brown Township, Miami County. He has followed general farming in a most successful manner. In 1906, he erected one of the best homes -in the township, a modern structure with splendid arrangement and equipment. His barn was built in 1890, but was later moved to its present location. Mr. Moon has been a member of the board of education almost continuously since his arrival in the township, has served twelve years as township trustee and was assessor two terms. He is a Democrat in politics. Mr. Moon was united in marriage with Miss Luella Mathers and they are parents of three children : J. Oscar, of Miami County, who married Jennie Wiley and has two sons, Harrold W. and Louis R ; A. Foster, who lives at home ; and Elsie H. Religiously, they are members of the Chris tian Church, of which he has been a deacon for a period of eighteen years. HON. RICHARD M. ALBERY, formerly mayor of Covington, Ohio, and proprietor of the Albery Sawmill Company, has his plant located about one mile south of Covington, on the Dayton turnpike, and is one of Miami County's most enterprising and substantial citizens. He owns the Falls Electric Light Plant and the Covington Electric Light plant, and the forty-four acres of valuable land in Newberry Township, on which he resides. He was Dorn on a farm in Jefferson Township; Franklin County, Ohio, ten miles east of the city of Columbus, on August 26, 1840. His parents were John M. and Sarah (Baldwin) Albery, who were farming people in Franklin County. Richard M. Albery was reared on the home farm and in early manhood learned the carpenter trade. He also worked in a sawmill and when he went to California, in 1863, it was with the intention of running a sawmill there. This industry he carried on in the far West for two years and has been identified with the sawmill business for forty years. In 1872 he came to Covington and in November of that year started the business which has developed into the Albery Sawmill Company, a very important lumbering enterprise of this section, which has been located at the same point for thirty-seven years. His other interests have been equally well conducted. Mr. Albery married Miss Hannah Isabelle Fowler, a daughter of Ezekiel Fowler. She was reared near Union City, Indiana. They have had six children: Martin S., Morris W., Richard F., Esther G., Mabel Ruth and Mamie. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 663 He has one surviving child, Richard. R. M. Albery has a handsome brick residence on his place, which he erected in 1878. The name of Albery is well known all through this section, both father and son having been prominently identified with both business and political affairs, and they have done much to add to the good name and prosperity of Covington and vicinity. WILLIAM JONES is a prominent farmer and dairyman of Spring Creek Township; Miami County, Ohio, and conducts a milk route in the city of Piqua. He resides on a farm of 126 acres, owned by his father, which is considered one of the best improved farms in the township. Mr. Jones was born in Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio, February 12, 1871, and is a son of John and Louisa (Wagner) Jones, and grandson of Josiah and Catherine (Olaman) Jones. His great-grandfather came to this country from Wales and settled in Delaware, where Josiah Jones was born. John Jones was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and after his marriage came to Miami County, Ohio, where he is well known and is an extensive property owner. He lives in Washington Township. William Jones was reared in Washington Township and received his educational training in the public schools. He worked on the home place some fifteen years, and after his marriage moved to his present farm in Spring Creek Township. This property consisting of 206 acres was purchased by his father for $18,564 in cash, and soon after he erected the fine home on it at a cost of $2,500. William Jones follows general farming and dairy- ing, keeping an average of twenty head of mulch cows, and is meeting with much success in his business. The subject of this sketch was united in marriage with Miss Maud Mellinger, a daughter of William Mellinger of Shelby County, and they are parents of the following children : Guy B., who assists his father on the farm; Hazel M., who is attending High School in Piqua ; Margaret M. ; Forrest F.; and Ralph W. Politically, he is a Republican. In religious attachment, he and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. JOHN MATHEWS, residing on a farm of fifty-five acres located one and a half miles east of Fletcher, was born in Brown Township. Miami County, Ohio, June 3, 1854. He is a son of William and Frances S. (Yates) Mathews, both natives of Miami County. William Mathews was a lifelong resident of Miami County. After a public school course, he prepared himself for the ministry and throughout nearly his entire active career filled the pill pit in the Baptist Church at Lena. He has a farm of sixty acres south of Lena, where he was living at his death, which occurred at the early age of thirty-four years. He married Frances S. Yates of Miami County, and the following children were born to them : John; Nezer Y., a Baptist minister at St. Paris, Ohio ; William C., who was adopted by an uncle named Moore and lives in Shelby County ; and Ora Alice, who died at the age of twenty-one years. John Mathews attended the public schools of Brown Township and has always followed farming. After his marriage he rented and farmed until 1894, 664 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY when he purchased the old Duncan farm, on which his wife was born and reared. In 1899, he traded that property to George W. Brecount for the one he now owns he has made many improvements on the place and carries on general farming in a successful manner. Mr. Mathews was united in marriage with Rebecca Jane Duncan, a daughter of Thomas P. Duncan, who was at one time superintendent of the infirmary of Miami County. The latter died in March, 1893. Two children have blessed this union : Maude and William Thomas. Maude Mathews was married in September, 1902, to C. Earl McMillen, a Baptist minister, who was born in Miami County but was reared at Jackson Center. They formerly resided at Rochester, New York, but now live at Cincinnati, Ohio. William Thomas Mathews, who lives south of Conover, was married to Grace M. Howell on January 28, 1909. He is a Democrat in politics, and is a member of the Baptist Church at Fletcher. John Mathews is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and has served eight years as a member of the School Board. He has been a member of the Baptist Church at Fletcher for thirty-five years, for many years a deacon, and he is a member of the board of education in Brown Township. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also is a member of the Anti-Horse Thief Association. E. B. DAVIS, M. D., one of the leading, professional men and representative citizens of Troy, was born in 1858, in Clark County, Ohio, and obtained his literary training in the public schools near his home and in the Normal School at Tremont City. While doing his preliminary medical reading, Dr. Davis engaged in teaching school and for two years taught through the country and at the Normal School. He then entered the Columbus Medical College, where he was graduated in 1886 and later also received a diploma from Starling Medical College. He located for practice at North Hampton, Clark County, and remained there for fourteen years. After taking a thorough post-graduate course in New York, Dr. Davis then moved to Covington and subsequently to Troy and here he has been in active practice for some six years. His standing in the profession is evidenced by his being a valued member of the Miami County and the Ohio State Medical Societies. In 1888 Dr. Davis was married to Miss Anna Martha Arnett, of Dialton, Clark County, Ohio, who died in October, 1907, leaving three children, Florence Ethel, Elwood and Lillian Gertrude. With his children, Dr. Davis is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to the official board, at Troy, while at North Hampton he was an active worker in the Sunday-school and in general church work. He is identified with a number of fraternal organizations, belonging to the Odd Fellows, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Knights of the Modern Brotherhood of America and the Junior Order of American Mechanics. OLIVER H. SNOWBERGER, who successfully carries on general farming in Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio, resides on the old Snowberger homestead, a valuable tract of 160 acres, which is situated on the Klinger turnpike road, one and AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 667 one-half miles north of Covington. He was born on this farm, October 7, 1873, and is a son of David R. and Lydia E. (Cassel) Snowberger. The first member of the Snowberger family to come from Pennsylvania to Ohio, was Andrew Snowberger, grandfather of Oliver II. He came to Shelby and Darke Counties and after living in both, decided to return to Pennsylvania, where he subsequently died. David R. Snowberger was born in Pennsylvania and when twenty-four years of age, in 1866, he came to Darke County, where he lived for one year and then secured a farm in Miami County, situated four miles north of his present one. He married Lydia E. Cassel, who was born at Greenville Falls, where her father, Michael Cassel, then lived. Subsequently he moved to Newberry Township, Miami County, settling on the present farm of Oliver H. Snowberger, which contained 160 acres. David R. Snowberger and wife continued to reside on this farm during their active lives, retiring then to Covington, where Mrs. Snowberger still lives. David R. Snowberger died at Covington, April 13, 1907. They had four children : Oliver H.; Mary C., who is the wife of Charles Minnick, resides on a half of the homestead farm; and Andrew and Elmer, both of whom died in infancy. Oliver H. Snowberger has spent the larger part of his life on his present farm, in fact all of it with the exception of three years when he lived in North Dakota. He obtained a district school education. For six years following his marriage he continued on the old farm, but in 1902 moved to North Dakota. Circumstances caused him to return to the old place, in Newberry Township. This farm is well im proved with excellent buildings, a set on each eighty acres, these houses and barns having been built by David R. Snowberger. On February 27, 1896, Mr. Snowberger was married to Miss Viola Pearl Deeter, a daughter of Aaron H. and Sarah Angeline (Myers) Deeter. Her father still survives and resides in Newton Township, but her mother died when she was six years old. Mrs. Snowberger was born in Newton Township, on a farm three miles southeast of Covington. Mr. and Mrs. Snowberger have two children : Glenn H. and Joyce D. The family belongs to the Church of the Brethren. JOHN M. KNOUFF, who has been a valued member of the Washington Township School Board since 1903, resides on his valuable farm of eighty acres, which is situated in section 34, on the county line road, five miles northwest of the Council House, in Piqua. He was born on a farm in Harrison County, Ohio, November 21, 1853, and is a son of George and Lettie Ann (McKelveen) Knouff. George Knouff was a native of Pennsylvania and was a son of John Knouff, who brought his family to Harrison County, Ohio, where George Knouff was reared to manhood. He married Lettie Ann McKelveen, a daughter of Thomas McKelveen, of Scotch-Irish extraction. In 1857, they moved to a farm in Newberry Township, Maimi County, south of Covington, and a few years later to a farm south of Pleasant Hill, on which they lived for two years, and then bought eighty acres in Washington Township, on which farm both George Knouff and wife died. They had five children, all of whom, except the youngest, were horn in Harrison County, 668 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY his birth taking place after the family settled in Newberry Township, Miami County. The children were : Jennie, who is the widow of Thomas L. Drake ; Susan, who is the wife of George Mowry, residing in Tennessee; Mary, who is the wife of Matthew Hearst, living in Staunton Township, Miami County; John M.; and Joseph C., who is a prominent farmer in Washington Township. John M. Knouff was four years old when his parents settled in Newberry Township and his whole life has been passed on a farm and his main interests have been connected with agricultural pursuits. In 1895 he came to his present farm and immediately began improving it, erecting his fine residence, with substantial barn and farm buildings and making it a very valuable property. Mr. Knouff was married October 13, 1892, to Miss Ida Lyon, who is a daughter of Jehial and Nannie (Morrow) Lyon and was born in Spring Creek Township, Miami County. They have three children: Elva, Marie and Lester. Mr. Knouff is one of the township's representative citizens. EDWARD S. COX, postmaster and general merchant at Lena, in Miami County. Ohio, has a large and well established business and comes of one of the oldest families of the community. He was born in Lena, in 1863, and is a son of Dr. IV. S. and Nancy L. (Duncan) Cox. Dr. W. S. Cox was born in Brown Township and after completing the prescribed course in the public schools there, entered Cincinnati College of Medicine, from which he was graduated with the degree of M. D. Upon leaving that institution, he first engaged in practice at Plattsville in Shelby County, Ohio. From there he moved to Lena, where he practiced with uninterrupted success for a period of forty-five years, his death occurring there in 1898. He was married to Nancy L. Duncan, who was born near Fletcher, in Miami County, and they became parents of six children, as follows: Amanda (Brantner) of Conover; Lorilla (Johnston), a twin, who lives at Monroe, Michigan; Charles, twin of Lorilla, who died aged four years ; Edward S.; George S.. who lives at Lena; and Arminta (Wolcott), deceased. Edward S. Cox attended the public schools in Brown Township and the Piqua High School, of which he is a graduate. After leaving that institution he clerked for Joseph Frazier at Conover two years, after which he carried on operations on his father's farm for five years. At the end of that time he bought out the store of S. G. Frazier at Lena, and has been in business there continuously for seventeen years. He carries a large and complete stock of general merchandise, including everything for which there is a demand in a small place, and enjoys a fair share of the patronage of the community. He has been postmaster at Lena for ten years, and has discharged the duties of that office with marked efficiency. Mr. Cox was united in marriage with Mary Brecount, a daughter of A. and Sarah Brecount of Brown Township, and they have a daughter, Maude, who is the wife of Howard Weaver of Troy. Politically, he is a Republican. He is a prominent Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge at Lena, the Chapter at St. Paris, and the Council at Troy. In religious attachment he is a member of the Universalist Church at Conover. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 669 HENRY D. APPLE, a leading citizen of Newberry Township, the owner of the fine seventv-five acre farm on which he lives and which lies one and one-half miles southwest of Bloomer, was born on a farm in Darke County, Ohio, west of Versailles, June 23, 1861), and is a son of Solomon and Eve Lavina (Gephart) Apple. When. Mr. Apple was six years old his parents moved to a farm in Newberry Township, Miami County. and there he was reared. On August 7, 1880, he was married to Miss Sarah A. Rhoades. a daughter of George and Matilda (Erisman) Rhoades. The parents of Mrs. Apple were born and married in Montgomery County, Ohio. and prior to Mrs. Apple's birth, they moved to a farm in Shelby County, two miles north of Mr. Apple's farm. There she was born and grew to womanhood, and there her parents still reside. The children of George Rhoades and his wife are : Mrs. Elizabeth Voisard, Mrs. Laura Mosher, John, of Dayton; Mrs. Sarah A. Apple, William, of Bloomer ; George, of Preble County; Mrs. Mary Oda, Mrs. Lucinda Martin and Peter Monroe, residing at Bloomer. Mr. and Mrs. Apple went to housekeeping on the Apple home farm, where they lived for five years, find then moved to the present place. Here Mr. Apple has done a large amount of improving. In 1903 he erected his large frame residence, one of great comfort, and in 1908 he built his substantial barn, the dimensions of which are 40x80 feet, with an ell of 30x24 feet, a cement floor being laid all through. This is one of the best and most sanitary barns in the township. Mr. Apple carries on general farming, but makes raising of fine stock something of a specialty. For twenty years he has al -o been in the threshing business and for the past eight years has owned his own outfit. He is a very thorough, practical business man and all his industries are so planned that they never interfere with each other. Mr. and Mrs. Apple have one child, Walter Monroe, who was born September 11, 1883, on the old Solomon Apple farm. He is the very capable manager of the home farm at the present time. He married Plora M. Brown, a daughter of Reuben and Amelia (Wagaman) Brown. Mr. Apple and family are members of the Lutheran Church. WILLIAM B. BROWN, whose well improved farm of 152 acres lies one mile north of Fletcher, in Brown Township, Miami County, was born in Lost Creek Township, Miami County, Ohio, September 19, 1833, the oldest child of S. K. and Mary (Ralston) Brown. The Brown family was a pioneer one in Miami County and one of such importance as to leave an impress on this section, giving its name to the township and to a number of local points. It was founded by the grandfather, William Brown, who entered the land from the Government which now forms the farm of his grandson and namesake. He was a pioneer in all the enterprises that went to building up this section and lived a long and useful life. S. K. Brown, father of William B., was born in Clark County, Ohio, but was reared from childhood in Lost Creek Township. After marriage he moved to an adjoining farm, on which he lived for seven years, his wife dying there. In 1844 he removed to Paulding County, and. in 1847 to Oregon, and lived in the far West until his death. 670 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY He married Mary Ralston and they had four children. William B. Brown accompanied his father to Oregon, being fourteen years old at that time, and after reaching that Territory, attended school for a short time. In 1866 he returned to Ohio and located on the old homestead but worked by the month for some three years before he took complete charge of the farm, since which time he has made the excellent improvements which include the erecting of a comfortable residence and a substantial barn. He grows grain, hay and fruit and raises enough stock for his own use. Mr. Brown married Miss Lou Brown, who is a daughter of John M. Brown, of Miami County. They are members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. He is one of the reliable and representative citizens of Brown Township. JOHN JONES, a well known citizen and dairyman of Washington Township, -Miami County, Ohio, resides on a farm of 191 acres located about three miles north of Piqua on the Hardin pike and is an extensive land owner in the county. He has been a resident of the township and located on his present farm for more than half a century. He is of Welsh descent but was born in Dauphin County, Penna., September 28, 1830. He is a son of Josiah and Catharine (Alaman) Jones, his father a native of Delaware. and is a grandson of James Jones, who came to this country from Wales. John Jones was reared on a farm in Dauphin County, Penna., and received but little schooling. He was very young when it became necessary for him to make his own way in the world. and with the thrift characteristic of the Welsh race he worked and saved until he became a man of affluence. In 1858. some seven years after his marriage, he moved west to County, Ohio, the earnings which he had saved up to that time amounting to $2,500. He purchased ninety acres of his present farm in Washington Township, and has added to it until it now consists of 191 acres. He and his sons own some 714 acres of land in the county. all well improved and under a high state of cultivation. A farm of 206 acres in Spring Creek Township, probably the best farm in the township, he purchased for $18,584 in cash, and erected thereon a new house at a cost of -2,500, in which his son William now lives. To work has been a habit with him, and although advanced in years, he would be discontented if his time was not employed to advantage. For the past twenty-five years he has conducted a dairy route in Piqua and has the unique record of missing but one day on the route in eleven years. He has been prominently identified with the progress and development of Washington Township. and for seventeen years served as a member of the School Board. When twenty years of age, John Jones was married to Louisa Wagner, whom he survives, her death occurring December 31.. 1893. They became parents of the following children: Elizabeth. wife of Josiah Wilkinson. of Piqua ; Henry, who lives in Shelby County. about one mile north of the home of his father; Mary, wife of John Thompson of Shelby County; William, who lives on the farm before mentioned in Spring Creek Township : Laura, who lives at home: Josiah. who died leaving a wife and children : John. deceased, who was a AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 671 prominent farmer of Washington Township; Emma, who died in childhood; and Louisa, who also died in childhood. Religiously, Mr. Jones is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. GEORGE L. DU BUIS, a representative citizen and general farmer of Washington Township, residing on a valuable farm of eighty-seven acres, which is owned by his mother, Mrs. Laura .Ann (Howe) Du Bois, was born in Spring Creek Township, Miami County, Ohio, November 5, 1872. and is a son of William T. and Laura Ann (Howe) Du Bois. William T. Du Bois was born near Franklin, Ohio, and died at Piqua, February 26, 1902. He was a son of William Du Bois, who bought a farm in Washington Township, on the Clayton turnpike, on which be died. William T. Du Bois spent his life in Miami County. He married Laura Ann Howe, a daughter of Alexander Howe, who was a farmer and also at one time captain of a canal boat. Mrs. Du Bois was born at Piqua. where she still resides. They had three children. namely : William. residing at Piqua. where he is assistant cashier of the Piqua Savings Bank ; and Alexander and George L.. both of Washington Township. In the latter's boyhood, William T. Du Bois and wife moved to Washington Township, where he owned three farms aggregating 217 acres and was one of the leading men for a number of years. In June, 1901, he retired from active life and moved to Piqua. where he resided until his death in the following Februa ry. George L. Du Bois was reared and educated mainly in Washington Township and has devoted his entire mature life to agricultural pursuits. The farm on which he resides is situated four miles west of Piqua, on the old Piqua-Carrington road. It is a valuable tract of land and under the careful management of Mr. Du Bois produces abundantly. After marriage he settled on the homestead with his parents. In 1895 Mr. Du Bois married Miss Annie Wetzel, who is a sister of the wife of his brother Alexander and a daughter of John and Caroline (Thoma) Wetzel. The parents of Mrs. Du Bois were both born and reared in Germany and came to America on the same steamer, being married a year later. Mr. Wetzel still survives and resides in Washington Township, but his wife died October 18, 1886. They had seven children as follows: Charles, who died when aged one year; Frances, who is the wife of George Bausman, of Washington Township; Mary, who is the wife of Harley Mowery. of Piqua; Lewis, who resides in Washington Township; Lena, who is the wife of Alexander Du Bois, and Charles, a twin brother, who lives in Washington Township; and Annie, who is the wife of George L. Du Bois. Mr. and Mrs. Du Bois have one son. Stanley Edgar. They are members of the Christian Church. He belongs to the order of Knights of Pythias, having passed all the chairs in Stillwater Lodge at Covington, Ohio. D. C. JOHNSON, a substantial citizen of Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio, owns and resides upon a farm of 180 acres located on the Troy Pike, about one mile southeast of Covington. He has lived on this farm since September 2, 1856, having at that time moved from Wayne Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, where he was born. The date of his birth is Feb- 672 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY ruary 26, 1831, and he is a son of Joseph and Mary J. (Stoker) Johnson. His father was a native of Virginia and became a prominent farmer of Wayne Township, Montgomery County, whither he moved in his early days. D. C. Johnson was the youngest of thirteen children and was but two years old when his father died and thirteen at his mother's death. He went to live with Squire Thomas Crook, father of General George Crook, who attained distinction in the Union Army during the Civil War. He and General Crook were reared to manhood together, and he continued to live at the Crook home until his marriage in 1852. He and his wife set up housekeeping on a farm of seventy-five acres in Wayne Township, which he owned, but in December of the same year moved to a farm one mile east of his present farm in Newberry Township, where he bought eighty acres. After three years he moved back to Wayne Township, Montgomery County, where he remained one summer. He then purchased 160 acres of his present farm, to which he later added twenty acres a brick house had been erected on the place in 1852, which he has since more than doubled in size and improved in every way. He has other good substantial buildings on the place and one encounters few farms so well improved. He and his wife own a sixty-acre farm about a mile east of their home, which is farmed by their son, Henry Johnson. On March 18, 1852, Mr. Johnson was joined in marriage with Mary Jane Brenner, who was born about seven miles north of the court-house in Dayton, in Wayne Township, Montgomery County, and is a daughter of Jacob and Sarah Ann (Mathews) Brenner. The following children were born to them: Sarah Ann, who died December 31, 1836, aged two years, ten months and twenty days; Henry, who was first married to Emma Kaufman (deceased), and second to Mary Dick; Jacob,' a blacksmith of Covington, who married Lucy Dickey and has a daughter, Mary; William Clement, who married Henrietta Kruse, by whom he had a daughter, Clara, now deceased and Oscar, who married Viola Landis and has two children living, Oscar Millison and Ferril Amanda. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had fifty-seven years of married happiness, and are living in the enjoyment of comparative good health. ROBERT F. GRAHAM, who has been a resident of Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio, since his early boyhood, with the exception of three years spent in the Union Army, is a farmer by occupation and has been active in the affairs of the community. He has been especially prominent in advancing the cause of education, and has been on the School Board for more than thirty years. Mr. Graham was born about seven miles north of Enniskillen, in the north of Ireland, on the Sabbath Day, January 20, 1833, and although of Irish birth is of Scotch and English parentage. He is a son of William and Jane (Johnston) Graham, and was about six years of age when his parents, in 1839, emigrated to the United States. They first located at Pittsburg, Penna., for the winter, and in the spring of 1840 moved west to Shelby County, Ohio. Two years later they settled in Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio, where William Graham be- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 673 came the owner of a farm of eighty-five acres on the Covington Pike. Robert F. Graham was reared on the home farm and early turned his hand to farming pursuits. He remained at home until he answered his adopted country's call to arms, enlisting September 8, 1861, for three years' service as a member of Company K. First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer infantry. he was in all of the engagements of his company. and although he saw much hard fighting, was never wounded nor captured. He was honorably discharged at Chattanooga, Tenn., September 8, 1864. He then returned home and resumed farming operations, at which he has since continued. He has been located on his present farm since 1876 and has a well improved property. He is a man of sterling ability and has a host of friends and acquaintances throughout this section of the country. October 13, 1864, Mr. Graham was united in marriage with Miss Martha Jane West, a daughter of James and Jane (McCorkel) West, and they became parents of eight children. as follows : William J., who died in 1888, leaving a wife and one daughter, Ruth; John J., who lives with his father; Robert A.. who is married and has two children ; Nellie Jane, who died at the age of three years; Lulu B., who is the wife of Isaac Stanley and has a son, John R.; Jennie. who is the wife of Henry Scheafer of Bradford and has four children ; Alice, wife of Arthur Toon, by whom she has two children, Helen and Ralph ; and Martha E. Mrs. Graham was called to her final rest, April 4, 1887. Religiously, Mr. Graham is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Covington. He is a member of Alexander Mitchell Post, G. A. R. I. A. CORWIN, one of Covington's well known citizens, who is agent for the Miami Valley Gas and Fuel Company, at this point, was born at Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio, February 29, 1836, and is a son of John R. and Sarah (Miller) Corwin. In his infancy, the parents of Mr. Corwin moved from Urbana to Addison, where he grew to manhood and learned the carpenter trade with his father. When nineteen years old he accepted a position as clerk in a dry goods store at Urbana, where he worked for four years, and then came to Covington as manager of a branch store for the firm of Brown & Price, of Urbana. His management of the Covington branch was entirely satisfactory, but within a year the firm got into difficulties and made an assignment. The call for troops when the Rebellion broke out found the young clerk one of the first patriots to respond, his enlistment taking place on April 19, 1861, as a member of Company K, Thirteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, four days after the call was made. He served a little over three months and then returned to Covington, but re-enlisted on March 1, 1862, entering Company I, Sixty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served a little less than two years when he was discharged for disability, and came home to recuperate. On May 10, 1864, Mr. Corwin again entered the Federal service, becoming second lieutenant of Company I, 147th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving 100 days and receiving his third honorable discharge. One of his most highly prized possessions is a certificate of honorable military service which bears the signature of the revered Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Corwin has been active 674 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY in Grand Army circles and was a charter member of Langston Post, No. 299. Mr. Corwin has been a continuous resident of Covington since the close of his military life. He entered into partnership with E. D. Sillies, in the carpenter business. and this association lasted for thirteen years, and after the firm was dissolved he continued individual work for another thirteen years. Mr. Corwin can point out many substantial specimens of his construction work during the twenty-six years that he labored as a carpenter at Covington, his skill being very generally recognized by his fellow citizens. Mr. Corwin was married to Miss Margaret E. Orr, a daughter of Josiah Orr and a sister of Col. Orr, of Piqua. Four children were born to this marriage, namely: John Sherman, who resides at Covington; Sybil, who died in 1874, was the wife of Walter Hill Olive, who died in 1873; and William P., who is engaged in the gas business at South Charleston, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Corwin are members of the Christian Church. He has been identified with the Masonic fraternity for forty-four years and is a trustee of Covington Lodge. in which lre has taken all the degrees. Being one of the older residents of Covington. he has been a witness of its remarkable development and, in as far as he has been able, he has furthered the good work. He is still actively engaged in business and has an unusually wide circle of personal friends. MOSES B. WISE, a general farmer and representative citizen of Newberry Township, residing on his well improved farm of fifty-five acres, which is situated two miles southwest of Bloomer, was born on the old Moses Wise farm north of Brad ford, Ohio, September 24, 1838. His parents were Moses and Elizabeth (Burkett) Wise. The elder Moses Wise was born near Lebanon, Ohio, and died on his old home farm near Bradford, in November, 1897. He was twice married, his first wife, Elizabeth Burkett, being a native of Parke County. Ohio. She died April 8, 1860, when Moses B., the youngest of her thirteen children, was a babe of eighteen months. Moses Wise was married subsequently, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Sword) Ullery, and four children were born to that union. Moses B. Wise was reared by his stepmother and remained on the home farm until his own marriage. This took place December 16, 1883, to Miss Anna Miller, who was born in Newberry Township, Miami County. on the farm lying south of the present Wise home. She is a daughter of Joseph and Anna B. (Bashore) Miller and when she was six months old, her parents moved into Parke County, where she was reared. The late Joseph Miller, who died March 22, 1909, at the age of eighty-four years, was born on the same farm as his daughter, November 23. 1824, and at the time of his death, was the oldest native-born resident of the township. He was the last one of a family of ten children. His long life had covered a very important period of history in this section and he could recall the time when the whole extent of fertile, improved farming land which makes this section one of the garden spots of the State, was covered by a dense forest growth. He could remember when his parents and the neighbors had to make the long trip to Cincinnati in order to obtain the provisions necessary for subsist-