HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1125 James Price was a son of Samuel Price. Nancy D. Bennett was a daughter of Abel and Roxana (Remington) Bennett, while Roxana Remington was a daughter of Peleg Remington. On both sides the ancestry goes back to early American history. In the maternal line, Abel Bennett was a ship owner and importer. He was married at Warwick, Rhode Island, November 12, 1772, to Roxana Remington. James Price, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Brookins, was a sailor and for several years was captain of a vessel. He was married at Warwick, Rhode Island, November 5, 1801, to Nancy D. Bennett, daughter of Abel Bennett, and in March, 1815, having determined to give up the sea for a vocation, he moved west as far as Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, remained there until 1817, and then with his family embarked on a flat boat and floated down the Ohio River as far as Hockingport: From there they drove across the country to where the Town of Trimble is now located in Athens County. There James Price located on a farm of 160 acres, raw land, and spent a number of years industriously in clearing and improving. While living there his wife, Nancy, died. James. Price died in Hocking County, Ohio, when about ninety-three years of age. James and Nancy Price were the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, all of whom lived to old age. Of these children Hannah Susan Price, who was the mother of I. B. Brookins, was born at Providence, Rhode Island, February 2, 1815, and on March. 6, 1834, was married at Trimble, Ohio, to Henry Anderson, who died August 1, 1841. There were three sons and one daughter in the Anderson family, all of them now . deceased. Edmond F., the second son, was a lieutenant in Company F of the Ninth West Virginia Infantry and died of typhoid fever at Charlestown, West Virginia, September 12, 1862. Mrs. Hannah S. (Price) Anderson was married February 21, 1846, to Eleazar Brookins. This brings the sketch to the paternal line. Philip Brookins, menti above as the great-great-grandfather of I. B. Brookins, was a descendant of John Brookins, who came from Tottenes in Devonshire, England, and located in Boston, Massachusetts, about the year 1631 and died there about 1682. Philip Brookins was married November 7, 1727, to Sarah Keyes at Lancaster, Massachusetts. In 1741 he removed to New Marlboro in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. He was the father of a large family of sons, and it is a remarkable fact of Brookins family history that some twelve or thirteen of these sons were soldiers on the American side during the Revolutionary war. One of them was Capt. Ithamar Brookins, the great-grandfather of the Jackson citizen. Captain 1126 - HANGthG ROCK IRON REGION Ithamar settled at or near Poultney, Vermont, before the beginning of. the Revolution. His wife, Judith, died there. Their son, Benjamin, was married to Esther Olds. Benjamin and Esther moved' from Ver-mont to the State of New York, and while living there the War of 1812 broke Out and Benjamin served as a volunteer throughout that conflict. It was Benjamin Brookins who established the family home in Ohio, and though the date is not accurately known, it can be fixed approximately at near the year 1830. The family first settled in Knox County, later moved to Athens County. Benjamin and Esther Brookins were the parents of seven children, two sons and five daughters. Benjamin Brookins died at Trimble, Ohio, in 1850, when about eighty-three years of age, and his wife died near Coolville, Ohio, aged about ninety-three. Eleazar Brookins, who was a son of Benjamin and Esther, was born in the State of New York January 7, 1802, and died' at Trimble, Ohio, February 27, 1851. He was a shoemaker by trade, but after his marriage to Mrs. Hannah S. (Price) Anderson, followed farming until his death. His wife died at Jackson, Ohio, July 3, 1900. They were the parents of four sons: Ithamar B., Asahel P., Cyrus A. and Silas E. Asahel P. died in infancy, but the other three sons are still living and all have their home in Jackson, Ohio. Ithamar B. Brookins, owing to the early death of his father, had to become self-supporting when nine years of age, and from that time until he was past fifteen was employed by different farmers about Trimble. military record was Made before he reached his legal majority. He was about sixteen when he enlisted in Company A of the 129th Ohio Infantry, and when that regiment was mustered out he re-enlisted and was a corporal in Company E of the, 174th Ohio Infantry until the end of the war. Mr. Brookins was mustered out of service with his regiment July 7, 1865. From the army he came back to Ohio and located in the City of Jackson. With the exception of six years spent in Missouri, Jackson County has been his home since 1865. From July, 1865, to September, 1868, he was, in business in Jackson and Berlin. At the latter date, a few months after his marriage he moved to Springfield, Missouri, and for nearly six years bad his home in Springfield and in Bolivar, Missouri. He then returned with his family to Jackson. While in Missouri Mr. Brookins learned the carpenter's trade and that Was his principal line of employment until 1884. He then took up insurance work as a general agent for the Piqua Insurance Company, and was later advanced to vice president of the company and also filled the position of adjuster. In 1900, on account of failing health, Mr. Brookins was obliged to retire from active HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1127 business, and since that time has lived somewhat quietly in Jackson, employing his time and energy in caring for his garden and in grow-ing plants for sale. Ithamar B. Brookins was married January 1, 1868, to Flora Durrant, daughter of John and Elizabeth Durrant. To their union were born six children, four sons and two daughters. Three of the sons died in infancy. Mrs. Flora Brookins died April 9, 1889, and Mr. Brookins was married February 9, 1892, at Jackson to Sarah E. Durrant. Of his children by his first wife Mr. Brookins reared three : Blanche F., Susan H. and Lindsey R. Blanche F. Brookins was born in Springfield, Missouri, May 6, 1871, and was married January 22, 1890, to John W. Willis. Their three children are : Flora E., born in Chillicothe, Ohio, January 24, 1892, and died at Jackson February 14, 1897 ; Robert Ithamar, born at Jackson November 10, 1893 ; and Hester D. E., born at Jackson October 9, 1896. Susan H. Brookins, who was born at Jackson January 9, 1875, and died at North Baltimore, Ohio, February 5, 1900, being buried at Jackson, was married at Jackson December 22, 1897, to James A. Wharton. The two Wharton children are : Helen E., born at Beverly, Ohio, November 8, 1898, died at Beverly November 11, 1898 ; and Allen B., born at North Baltimore December 23, 1899. Dr. Lindsey R. Brookins, the only living son of Mr. Brookins, was born at Jackson November 10, 1879, and is now a dentist at Cin-cinnati. Doctor Brookins was married at Cincinnati November 28, 1907, to Nelle Johnson. They have a son, Donald G., who was born in Cin-cinnati January 29, 1909. JOSEPH GIDEON REED. For many years an honored and respected resident of Portsmouth, the late Joseph Gideon Reed held a place of prominence among the active businessmen who contributed so largely toward the development and advancement of the city's mercantile pros-perity. A native of Ohio, he was born December 4, 1835, at Piketon, Pike County, a son of William and Rebecca (Chenowith) Reed, and grandson of Samuel and Rebecca (Lucas) Reed. He was of distinguished pioneer descent, the Reed, Chenowith and Lucas families having been among the more influential people that came to Ohio at an early period of its settlement. Educated in the Piketon schools, Joseph G. Reed was but twelve years of age when he began his mercantile career as a clerk in the store of an uncle, with whom he remained ten years, obtaining a practical insight into the details of the business. Locating in Portsmouth in 1857, he embarked in the drygoods business with his brother, and had just 1128 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION got well started when the panic of 1857-58 caused a suspension of all kinds of business. The brothers lost heavily, and 'went out of business for a time, but later paid all obligations. Mr. Reed subsequently clerked for a few years, but in 1865 became a member of the firm of J. M. Rumsey & Company, dealers in drygoods and notions. In 1866 Josiah Rhoades purchased an interest in the business, which was continued under the firm name of Rhoades & Reed until 1871, when Mr. Reed retired from the firm. Forming a partnership in 1873 with John Peebles, under the firm name of Reed & Peebles, he engaged in the wholesale notion business, to which he later added a line of drygoods. In 1891 William Jordan was admitted to membership in the firm, and in 1897 Mr. Peebles withdrew, and the firm became Reed & Jordan, and continued in active business until the death of Mr. Reed, June 25, 1897. Mr. Reed was a man of excellent judgment and ability, and under his able management the business of the firm with which he was so long connected substantially increased, assuming large proportions. Since the death of Mr. Reed the business has been incorporated as the Joseph G. Reed Company, of which Mr. Reed's son, Edward T. Reed, is the President. Mr. Reed married, November 16, 1865, Anne Maria Newman, who was born at Staunton, Virginia, a daughter of William and Catherine (Ott) Newman. Mrs. Reed is a lineal descend& of the immigrant ancestor, Thomas Newman, the line of descent being as follows: Thomas,1 Thomas, 2 Alexander, 3 Thomas,4 Alexander,5 Reuben,6 William, 7 and Anne Maria. 8 Thomas 1 Newman, born in England in 1620, was but fifteen years old when, in 1635, he came in the brig "Joanna" to America, and located in Virginia, where he spent the remainder of his life. Thomas 2 Newman was a life long resident of Virginia, dying there about 1705: Alexander 3 Newman spent his earlier years in Lancaster, Virginia, where the stone mill he erected is said to be still standing. He subsequently removed with his family to Culpeper County. Thomas' Newman married Eliza, daughter of William Morton of Orange County, Virginia. Alexander5 Newman married Frances Bowen, daughter of Andrew Bowen. Reuben6 Newman, Mrs. Reed's grandfather, married Catharine Ott. Coming with his family to Ohio in 1840, he bought property in Highland County, where his death occurred during the same year. His widow survived him for a long time, living to be ninety-four years of age. William7 Newman was one of the early pioneers of Scioto County, and for many years a prominent resident of Portsmouth. A more extended history of his life may be found on another page of this volume, in connection with the sketch of his son, George O. Newman. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1129 Mrs. Reed now lives in the house erecred by her father in 1842, it being the only home she has ever known. The house was substantially built, but has since been enlarged and improved, and is a most pleasant and attractive home. Mr. and Mrs. Reed reared five children, namely; Sallie, wife of Dr. Edward Seamans, has two children, Anne Newman and Abigail Merrick; William R., residing in Colorado; Edward T., president of the Joseph G. Reed Company, married Lena Kline, and they have one child, Evelyn; Bertha, wife of Earl Pursell, has three children, William. McClain, Joanne Reed and Edward Reed; and Charles N.; the fourth child in succession of birth, died February 23, 1906. Mrs. Reed is a member of the Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, to which Mr. Reed also belonged. JOHN PETERS, SR. Among the ironmasters of Southern Ohio one of the men credited with most of the pioneer undertakings was the late John Peters, Sr. He probably built more furnaces than. any other man in the state. In every sense, of the term he was self-made, and his life was one of great activity and usefulness. He lived to advanced years, well preserved in body and mind, and at a green old age was still identified with the iron industry in Lawrence County. He well deserved the wealth which his labors- and judgment. accumulated, and had many admirable qualities as a business than and: in his personal and civic character." John Peters, Sr., was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, February 18, 1814, a son of. Henry and Rebecca (Wilhelm) Peters, both natives of Pennsylvania. It was due to the influence of Judge Salters, who was long a prominent citizen of Portsmouth, that the Peters family came to Southern Ohio. In 1831 Judge Peters moved to Ohio and on a visit to Pennsylvania. in 1833 induced Henry Peters and the latter's brother-in-law, George Wurtz, afterwards prominent in the iron -industry, to return to Ohio with him. They landed at Wheelersburg, and settled. at Scioto Furnace, Scioto County, where they lived three years. John Peters. had practically no. advantages in schools; but by long experience among Men. and affairs made p to a great extent his lack of early education. At the age of nineteen 'he began for himself by learning the moulder's trade at Pine Grove Furnace, Lawrence County. Two years later he took up, the Manufacture of charcoal at Mount Vernon Furnace, a business that engaged him for five years, and with profitable returns. Then associated with., J. O.Willard. he leased the Buckhorn Furnace, and was manager 2 1/2 years. During the '40s he built the Greenup Furnace in Greenup County, Kentucky, later called. 1130 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION the Honeywell Furnace. A. year later he returned to Ohio and joined John Campbell, Madison Cole, William Clements and J. L. Thompson in building the Olive, Furnace, with Mr. Peters in superintendence of the construction work. He continued as its active manager for about six years. He next removed to Ironton, and was one of a company consisting of Samuel McConnel, Isaac Peters, John Campbell, W. M. Bowles and Thomas McGovney who built the Washington Furnace, the erection of which he superintended. In 1855 Mr. Peters superintended the 'building of the Monroe Furnace in Jackson County, the company consisting of S. McConnel, Thomas McGovney, Isaac Peters,. W. M. Bowles,. Professor Mathers, John Campbell and John Peters, the last two owning a controlling interest in this furnace. In 1855 Mr. Peters also con-structed the Madison Furnace in the same county, the owners of which were J. P. Terry of Portsmouth, J. Bentley, M. R. Tuksbarry, F. Duduit, John Campbell and John Peters. This was a very profitable investment. Mr. Peters sold out his interests in Madison Furnace in 1867. In 1865 he formed a partnership with his brother, Isaac, and opened a banking house at Ironton under the name J. Peters & Company, a business which was continued for three years. He then superintended the building of the Monitor Furnace, owned by Isaac Peters, Joseph Bimpson, F. E. Duduit, William Simington, John Ballard and himself. He afterwards bought individually the Lawrence Furnace from. Cul-bertson, Means & Company. This was an old furnace, built in 1834, and when a young man John Peters had been employed there as a laborer. It remained for many years a valuable property, and was long owned and controlled entirely by the Peters family. Aside from his work as an ironmaster, Mr. Peters was one of the leading men who laid out the Town of Ironton and built the. Iron Railroad; was one of the originators of the old Star Nail Mill, under the name Peters, James & Company, this establishment later becoming the Bellefont Iron Works; was one of the original owners of the Olive Foundry and Machine Shops; likewise laid out the Town of Petersburg, four miles above Ironton, and built. the Monitor Furnace at that place, the town being named in his honor. After selling the Washington and Monroe furnaces Mr. Peters purchased 300 acres of land and laid out an addition to the Town of Portland in Jackson County. He was at one time interested in the old Ironton rolling mill, later the New York and Ohio Iron and Steel Works Company, and in the Gallia Furnace in Gallia County. For a number of years Mr. Peters voted with the whig party, and HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1131 later with the republican until 1875, when becoming dissatisfied with party management he withdrew and went over to the democrats. He always took a lively interest in political campaigns, and occasionally appeared b_efore public audiences to expound his political ideas. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1836 and long. held the office of steward. His first wife was Sarah McDaniel, who died August 30, 1842, the mother of four children. His second wife was Mary C. Duduit, of the prominent Southern Ohio family of that name. They were married December 23, 1843, and six children were born to their union. The sons were all educated in the public schools of Ironton, and George had a course in Athens College. The daughters were educated in the Wesleyan Female College at Cincinnati. The sons, George, Charles and Ptolemy, were all at one time connected with the Lawrence Furnace. William Peters occupied a high place as superintendent of iron mines. and. of. the Bellefont Iron Works Company. John Peters, Jr., became superintendent of the Car Wheel Iron Company at Petersburg. James F. Peters built up a business in the insurance line at Ironton, which in time gave him probably four-fifths of all the business transacted in that line in Ironton, and made one of the best concerns in the state. James F. Peters was married November 27, 1849, to Jennie, the oldest daughter of Edward James Bird. Mary A. Peters, the oldest daughter of John Peters, married C. H. Spaler. Another daughter, Rebecca, became the wife of the great Methodist divine and chaplain, later Bishop C. C. McCabe. The daughter Martha A. married M. S. Bartram, and Josephine became the wife of a Chillicothe lawyer, A. B. Cole. EDWARD JAMES BIRD, SR. One of the most noted ironmasters not only of the Hanging Rock Region but in the industry in its worldwide extension, was Edward James Bird, Sr., for many years a resident of Ironton. He was extensively identified with the business in three-quarters of the globe, and to such an extent as to entitle him to be called one of the leading ironmasters of the world. Probably no man in America was for so long a time actively engaged in that department of industry. He started in the business when only eight years of age, and passed his fiftieth year without losing a single week's salary. He was a man of remarkable activity, energy and industry, had engaging social qualities, and was highly respected as a citizen. He was born in Staffordshire, England, April 30,, 1828, the oldest of a family of seven children born to John and Sarah (Greene) Bird. His early book education was very meager, and was received for the most part in evening schools up to the age of fifteen. At the age of 1132 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION eight he was apprenticed to the iron manufacturing industry, begin-ning as a helper in refining pig iron, at which he was kept four years. For the next three years he- was in the rolling mill at merchant iron-rolls, and then for three years at general furnace work. At the age of eighteen he was put in charge as keeper of the cold blast coke furnace at Woodside Iron Works, Staffordshire. After a few years there he was employed as a puddler in the Oak Farm Iron Works, and then became -keeper of a blast furnace at Oldbury Iron Works, Worcester-shire, and remained there several years as second assistant manager. He subsequently became founder at the Ormsby Iron Works at Middlesboro on the Tees in Yorkshire. In 1858 the British government sent him to the East Indies to instruct the natives in the manufacture of iron. He remained there nearly three years, and at the end received from the government $500 in gold and a silver medal as a reward for having made the first cast-ings ever produced in that part of the country. This casting was a hammer for forging iron, and is now in the East India House in London, and bears his initials. In three days after returning from the East Indies he was engaged to go to the Bremagwynine Iron Works in Glamorganshire, South Wales. A little more than a year later he went to the North of England and for about five years was assistant manager for the Norton Iron Works, and was also contractor, moulder and instructor with that concern. Following this came another important distinction in his career. At Marinha-Grandem, a village of Estremadura, he erected the first charcoal blast furnace ever built in the Kingdom of Portugal. Some-what later he again visited Portugal for the purpose of instructing the people in the manufacture of pig iron and castings. About that time he became connected as manager of the Glaisedale Iron Works near Whitby, Yorkshire,. and while thus engaged demonstrated the practical ability of working the Titanic ore into pig iron, and from that into chilled shot. He deserves credit as being the originator of this reducing process. The secret of the flux was stolen from him, and for years afterwards was employed at the Norton Iron Works. Mr. Bird came to America in 1868 to superintend the building of the Player hot blast stoves and blast furnaces. His first engagement was for the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company of Maryland for the building and putting into operation their furnaces near Frostburg. He next built and started a blast furnace for Mendenhall & Gaylord at Covington, Kentucky and afterwards a furnace at Washington, Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1869 he removed to Chicago to erect the blast furnaces for the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company, remaining HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1133 there about tvvo years in superintending this plant.. In the meantime he built: two furnaces at Milwaukee. About three weeks before the furnaces were blown in, John Player, who was director of the work, died, and Mr. Bird took charge of affairs and brought to a successful culmination the Player interests. Mr. Player's daughter, one of his administrators;. subsequently wrote to Mr. Bird as follows : "I am truly thankful to you for your kind care and attention in carrying out Mr. Player's wishes and intentions so well. My dear father always had the very highest opinion of your knowledge and judicious manage-ment, as well as your kind heart ; and all I wish and strive to do is to act in his spirit and to deal generously with those who have been true and :faithful. to him." In 1871 Mr. Bird took up. his residence at Milwaukee, living there about five years, superintending the furnaces he had. erected, and in the meantiine building another, known as the Kinnikinnick Blast Furnace, and having charge of the entire group of furnaces. Mr. Bird removed to Ironton, Ohio, in 1877, and 'thereafter was engaged as superintendent of the Etna Iron Works. The furnaces designed or built by Mr. Bird in this country may be briefly enumerated as follows : Covington, Maryland, Johnstown, Chicago, Milwaukee, Kinnikinnick, Big Lucy., Soho, that for Moorhead & Company at Pittsburg, Belmont, the Top Mill in Wheeling, and the Ogden near Salt Lake City. He also remodeled the Marquette Furnace On Lake Superior. During the course of his long career Mr. Bird worked, according to their- analyses and on scientific principles, all the better known iron ores. in the world. July 2, 1854, Mr. Bird married. Mary Skelding. To them were born thirteen children, six still living: The oldest daughter, Jennie, is the wife Of James Peters of Ironton. The other daughters were Polly and Lillie.. The oldest son, Edward James, Jr., finished his education in Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College at Chicago, and in the University of Michigan, and became a practical and scientific furnace man, becoming manager of the Bellefont Blast Furnace at Ironton. The other sons were Frank and Arthur. JENNIE BIRD PETERS. The oldest daughter of the late Edward James Bird, Jennie Bird, was born in. Oldbury, Worcestershire,. England, and came with her parents to America at the age of eleven, sub-sequently living in Frostburg, Maryland, Chicago and in Milwaukee. Her parents sent her back to England to pursue her education and 1134 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION studies in music, and after some absence abroad she returned to Milwaukee, and in 1886 the family removed to Ironton. On November 27, 1889, Miss Bird married James Francis Peters, youngest son of John Peters, Sr. Their first child, Mildred Bird Peters, was born February 9, 1881; Frank Bird Peters was born February 21, 1883 ; James Francis Peters was born November 2, 1888; and Jennie Bird Peters was born after the death of her father on August 16, 1892. *James Francis Peters died January 7, 1892. Mildred Bird Peters, the oldest of the children, married Edwin Ervin MacNary, a. well-known business man of Ironton, and to their union were born thee daughters : Ethylwynne, the older of twin daughters, died September 23, 1913 ; Mildred Peters, the other twin, is now ten years of age ; and Helen, the youngest daughter, is aged nine. Frank Bird Peters, the oldest son, was educated in the Ironton public schools, and at the age of sixteen was employed by the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railway to establish the car service, and was later freight agent, and then became agent and traffic man at Lawrence Furnace, subsequently traveled as traffic man for the Superior Portland Cement Company, and is now connected with the Lee-Hi Cement Company. James Francis Peters, the second, at the age of sixteen was chemist at the Bird Iron Company in Lawrence, then as chemist at Jackson, at Perryville, Pennsylvania, was employed in looking up coke for the Jackson Company in Virginia, and is now connected with the Indiana Harbor Iron Company at Indiana Harbor, Indiana. . Jennie Bird Peters, the youngest daughter, still lives at home. The son Frank Bird Peters married Miss Barbara Neecamp, daughter of Mrs. Theo Neecamp, a business woman of Ironton. They were married August 12, 1908, and to the union have been born- two children : Frank Bird Peters, Jr., and Barbara Peters. This family is living in East St. Louis. Mildred Peters finished her education at Delaware, Ohio, in art and music. GEORGE M. SWEPSTON, M. D. Of the Hanging Rock Iron Region, to which this publication is devoted, it may with all consistency be said that Doctor Swepston is an essentially representative practicing physician, and he is engaged in the successful practice of his exacting profession at McArthur, the attractive judicial center of Vinton County, where he is an able and honored exponent of the Eclectic school of medicine. A man of recognized technical skill, earnest in his devo-tion to his humane vocation and genial and considerate in all of the relations of life, he naturally has secure place in popular confidence and good will and is one of the loyal and public spirited citizens of Vinton County. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1135 Gradu.ated as a physician and surgeon in the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College as a member of the class of 1890, Doctor Swepston, in November of the same year, established his residence at McArthur, where he has since been engaged in active general practice and where he has won prestige as one of the leading representatives of the medical profession in Vinton County. He is county physician for the Ohio Industrial Commission in Vinton County and for seventeen years was physician for Vinton County's Children's Home and two years for County Infirmary., He is also examining physician for a number of prominent life insurance companies and fraternal insurance orders. Special interest attaches to the achievement of Doctor Swepston in his chosen field. of endeavor, by reason of the fact that he is a native son of Vinton County and a representative of one of the old and hon-ored families of this favored section of the Buckeye State. He was born in Richland Township, Vinton County, on the 22d of October, 1861, and was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm, in the work of which he early began to assist, the while he made good use of the advantages afforded in the schools of the locality. He early formulated definite plans for his future career and in consonance, with his ambition to prepare himself for the medical profession he began his 'technical reading under the effective preceptorship of Doctor Wescott, who was then engaged in practice at Allensville and who now maintains his residence in Columbus, Ohio. In fortifying himself fully for the work of his chosen calling Doctor Swepston finally entered the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College, from which he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1890, as previously intimated in this context. Doctor Swepston now holds precedence as the oldest representative of his profession at McArthur, in point of years of continuous practice in this thriving town, and his ability and personal popularity have been the mediums through which he has developed his large and representative practice. He has the distinction of being the only exponent of the eclectic school of practice in Vinton County, and his individual suc-cess amply demonstrates its efficiency and benignancy. The doctor has entered fully into the community affairs, has become the owner of a most attractive residence property at McArthur and is known as a liberal and public spirited- citizen who is ever ready to lend his influence and co-operation in.-the furtherance of Measures and enterprises projected for the general well-being of his home village and county, where he is specially -well known and where his circle of friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances. Doctor Swepston is a son of Edward and Maria (Montgomery) Swepston, the former of whom was born in the State of Virginia, on 1136 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION file 24th of Januarys, 1823, and the latter of whom was born in Belmont County, Ohio, oh the 15th of March, 1822, a date that indicates most conclusively that her parents were numbered among the pioneers of that section of the state. Edward Swepston was about one year old at the time When his parents. came from Virginia. to Ohio and. settled in Gallia County, whence, in. 1835. they came to. what is now Vinton County and became pioneers. of the county, which was then an integral part of Jackson. County. &Ain Ashford Swepston grandfather of the subject of this review, here entered claim to a tract of government land, in Richland Township, where he red:aimed a farm- from the forest wilderness and lived up to the full tension of pioneer life. The original family domicile was a loghouse of the primitive type common to the locality and period, and the domestic larder gained its supplies largely through the medium of the untrammeled preserve in which were to be found deer and other wild game, besides such. less desirable game as wolves, bear, etc. John A. Swepston, a man of strong individuality and impregnable integrity. became one of the influential citizens of the. pioneer community, and he served many years in the office of justice of the peace. They continued to reside on their old homestead farm in Richland Township until their death, he having attained to the venerable age of eighty-two years of age and she having passed away at the age of seventy-five years. Mrs. Swepston was born and reared in Virginia, where her marriage was solemnized, and her maiden name was WinniebBruce. The father of John A. Swepston was born in the. north of Ireland, of sterling Scotch ancestry, and after his marriage he came with his wife to America and established his home. in the historic old State of Virginia, where they passed the remainder of their lives. The democratic party received the allegiance of the representative of the Swepston family until the climacteric period of the Civil war, When Most of the adult men. of the family transferred their support to the republican party. Edward Swepston passed the period of his childhood and early youth on the pioneer farm, but he also served a thorough apprenticeship to the trade of cabinetmaker and became a skilled artisan. In the pioneer days he found much requisition for his services in the making of coffins, which were made to order at the time of the decease of residents of the pioneer community, there having been at the time no disposition to provide a surplus stock, as shown in the pretentious undertaking establish-ments of the twentieth century. He was the pioneer wagonmaker of Vinton County and was able to construct a wagon when only seven-teen years old: Edward Swepston was for a number of years employed as a skilled woodworker in the car shops of various railroads, and in HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1137 Vinton County are yet standing many substantial houses that attest his ability as a carpenter and builder. He was a man whose life was guided and governed by lofty principles of integrity,- and honor, he commanded the unqualified confidence and esteem of all who knew him, and in the sanctuary of the home he was known and. revered as a devoted husband and father. He was repeatedly called upon to serve in local offices of public trust, and in each he served with characteristic ability and fidelity. He was a member of a family of seven sons and seven daughters, all of whom attained to years of maturity and all of whom married and reared children, the last surviving member being Charles, who maintained his home in Ross County, this state. He was the last of this pioneer family to pass away, his death having occurred in 1915 at the age of eighty-two years. On the 24th of October, 1845, was solemnized the marriage of Edward. Swepston to Miss Maria Montgomery, who proved to him a loving companion and helpmeet and whose gentle devotion to her children causes them to hold her name in reverent affection and. to "rise up and call her blessed." For nearly sixty years Edward Swepston and his wife walked side by side down the pathway of life, and the gracious companionship was severed by his death, which occurred at their home in McArthur on the 29th of October, 1901, she having, been summoned to the life eternal on the 3d of March, 1909, the names of both meriting enduring place on the roll of the honored pioneer citizens of Vinton. County, where they lived and labored to goodly ends and where their kindly influence proved a benediction upon all whom it rested. Of their children the eldest is Daniel, who now maintains his residence at Washington, Indiana, where he is engaged as. a pattern-maker in the employ of the. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. Lydia became the wife of Ezekiel. Jarvis and is now deceased, she being survived by one son and one daughter. Elizabeth died at the age of twenty-three years, Mary at the age of six years and Lowell at the /Ike of six months. Dr. George M., of this review, was the next in-order of birth. Ellsworth G., who now resides in the City of Cincinnati, has been in the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company since 1887, as a mechanic and later as car inspector. His wife is deceased and is Survived by four children. Etta., is the wife of John Seal of McArthur, Vinton County, and they have no children. Doctor Swepston is found aligned as a staunch and loyal supporter of the principles and policies for which the republican party has ever Stood sponsor in a basic way, but he has subordinated all. else to the exacting demands of his profession and has manifested no desire for public office of any description. He is an active member of the National 1138 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Eclectic Medical Association and the Ohio State Eclectic Medical Association, with both of which he has been identified since 1896, and through the medium of which he is aided in keeping in close touch with the advances made in medical and surgical science. He is also a member of the \alumni association of the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College. The doctor has passed the various official chairs in McArthur Lodge No. 198, Knights of Pythias. The Swepston family has been specially prcificient in musical talent, and the doctor has found much of diversion and pleasure in developing his ability along this line of art. He has more than ordinary skill as a.violinist, and as such has been frequently called pon to give his inter-pretations on various public occasions, besides which he now finds in his home an effective coadjutor in his niece, Ida O. Swepston, who is also his foster daughter, and who is showing marked talent as a pianist, so that she proves. an effective accompanist to him in his violin renditions. On the 1st day of May in the year 1892 was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Swepston to Miss Mary Long, who likewise was born and reared in Vinton County, and who is a daughter of Isaac and Martha (McMarland) Long, both natives of the State of Pennsylvania, whence they came to Ohio and established their residence in Vinton County prior to the Civil war, the residue of their lives having been passed on their homestead farm, in Elk Township, near the Village of McArthur, and both having been highly esteemed citizens of the county for many years prior to their demise. Doctor and Mrs. Swepston have no children, but in their home resides as their virtual foster daughter their niece, Ida O. Swepston, who was born on the 1st of August, 1902, and who is attending the public schools of McArthur, besides being given excellent musical training, as already intimated. JOHN KELLER. Of the families which have contributed to the agricultural welfare and development of Jackson County, one of the best known and most highly regarded is that bearing the name of Keller, of whom a worthy representative is found in the person of John Keller, a substantial agriculturalist of Scioto Township. This family was founded here by Peter Keller, grandfather of John, and one of the earliest settlers of Scioto Township, where he secured a tract of land in section 36, built a loghouse in the wilderness, and at once commenced to clear a, farm. He was industrious and energetic, succeeded in the cultivation of his first property, subsequently bought other lands and improved them, and at the time of his death was the owner of upwards of 600 acres of land. He married a Miss Carpenter, and their HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1139 children were as follows : Susanne, who married Elijah Crabtree ; Miriam, who married Washington Bennett ; Sallie, who married Ed Crabtre,e ; Polly, who married Enoch Crabtree ; Drusilla, who married Cicero Davis; Macey Ann, 'who married James McGow ; John, who went West as a young man and wias never again heard from ; and George W. George W. Keller, the father of John Keller, was born in Scioto Township, Jackson County, Ohio, and was reared amid agricultural surroundings. He inherited a part of his father's estate and purchased the interests of the other heirs, and here resided. throughout his life as a farmer, dying at the age of fifty-five years. Mr. Keller married Miss Catherine Comer, who was born on Symmes Creek, Lawrence County, Ohio, in April, 1827, her father being Adam Comer. He was born in Greenbriar County, Virginia, and was there reared, educated and married, coming to Ohio accompanied by his wife, and making the journey with a team. He had learned the blacksmith trade in his youth and this vocation he followed in Lawrence County until 1830, in which year he came to Hamilton Township, Jackson County, at that time all a wilderness. The greater part of this land was then for sale at $1.25 an acre by the United States Government, from whom Mr. Comer bought a tract on which he erected a log cabin. He devoted his energies to working at his trade while his children were engaged in clearing the land and tilling the soil, and there he continued to make his home until his death, when he was about eighty years of age. Mr. Comer married Miss Elizabeth Fritz, who was born in South Carolina and went to Virginia with her parents. She died at the remarkable age of ninety-three years. There were thirteen children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Comer, namely : Philip, Earl, Mary, Susan, Elizabeth, Margaret and Fanny (twins), Catherine, George and John (twins), Henry, Adam and Martin. Mrs. Keller, who still survives her husband, resides at Stockdale, in Pike County, Ohio, and has been the mother of eleven children, as follows : Emily J., John, Dennis, Peter, Caroline, Katie, Maggie, William, Ira, Mary and Millie. John Keller attended the district schools of Scioto Township, where he was born November 23, 1851, and where his entire career has been passed. He was reared to habits of industry and honesty and commenced at a very early age to assist his father and brothers in the cultivation of the homestead place. After a number of years Mr. Keller succeeded to the ownership of this property, and is one of the few men of Jackson County now living on original homesteads. At the age of twenty-five years Mr. Keller was married to Dorcas Crabtree, daughter of Alexander and Louisa (Kincaid) Crabtree, pioneers of Scioto Township. Five children have been born to this union : Roscoe, who died Vol. II-32 1140 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION at the age of fourteen years; Loring, who was twelve years of age at the time of his death; George O., who was first Married to Sara Johnson, who died leaving a son, Millard, and was married again to Connie Carroll and has two sons, George O., Jr., and John; Daisy it who married A. J. Eckhart, and died leaving three children, Gladys, Edith and Marion; and Ivy E., who married Henry Reigle and leeaaving son, Roscoe. Mr. and Mrs. Keller are members of the Baptist Church. He belongs to Scioto Grange and 'to Alhambra Lodge No. 554, Knights of Pythias As a citizen he has ever been foremost in promoting movements for ththeeneral welfare, and is generally esteemed in his community for hi many admirable traits of character. HORATIO SEYMOUR JORDAN. In all Vinton County there is probably no more picturesque and atractive homestead than that of Horatio S. Jordan in section 10 of Jackson Township. It is in that fine community so distinguished by the sterling character of its citizens known as Locust Grove. The farm comprises eighty acres in the north-east quarter of section 10, and it is all well improved and grows abundant crops of corn, wheat, apples, peaches and poultry. He might be classified as a specialty farmer, and has made his success by giving close attention and study to the production of fruit and poultry. This has been. his home since 1884, when he inherited the farm from his father. His father had acquired it in 1854 from Warren Dennison, who in turn got it from Ephraim Bone, who entered it from the Government about 100 years ago. The buildings on the farm are in a very substantial condition. The conspicuous feature of the place is the living spring which furnishes a perpetual supply of water for all stock and domestic purposes. This spring is a somewhat remarkable feature in the physical geography of Ohio, since it comes out of the ground at an elevation higher than any other in the state. It is 1,050 feet above sea level. The waters of this spring after serving the purposes of the Jordan farm becomes the headwaters of Salt Creek, flow through that stream into the Scioto River, thence into the Ohio and Mississippi and finally mingles with the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Jordan's home is also one of the highest in elevation in Vinton County, its situation being 1,100 feet above sea level. Mr. Jordan was born on this farm April 19, 1864, son of James and Sarah (Turner) Jordan. His father was born in Noble County, Ohio, in 1819, and his mother in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1821. When she was a child she lost her parents and came with her grandparents to Noble County, where she lived with them until they died HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1141 when quite old people. James Jordan and wife were married in Noble County, and while living there five daughters were born to them, namely : Rachel E., who married Nelson Lee,. and died in Vinton County, leaving three sons and one daughter, who are still living, while a son and a daughter died young. I. Jane married Stephen G. Davis, and after the death of her husband she died on the old homestead, leaving a son, Samuel P., who is still living, and a daughter, Iva, deceased. Sarah S. married Samuel Bone, and both died about the same. time in Vinton County, leaving three sons and three daughters, two of the: daughters and two of the Sons being now married. Almira married John Shaw, and both died in Pickaway County, Ohio, leaving three. daughters, two of them still living. Viola. died at the age of twenty-two, unmarried. The parents. of these children spent the greatest part of their. lives in Vinton County, and James Jordan died in 1884: He was a democrat, and a very active Methodist. His widow survived him a number of years and passed away October 7, 1905, at the home of her son, Horatio. She was also a member of the Methodist Church. Horatio S. Jordan was the only son and is now the only living child born to his parents. He was the only one of the family born in Vinton County. He received a good education, and when only about sixteen years of age. qualified himself as a teacher in his home township. His first school was in the Otterbein District, and altogether he continued his work as an educator for twelve years in this. county. In the meantime he had become closely associated with the management of the home farm and for many years has been its proprietor and has given all his time to. its cultivation. In the Locust Grove community he married a neighbor girl, Miss Etta A. Shively. She was born in Jackson Township August 7, 1868, and was reared and educated in that community. She was an excellent wife and mother and her death on March 28, 1910, was a severe bereavement to the home circle. Her parents were John and Ellen (Ramey) Shively, both of whom were born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, and were married in Vinton County. They lived for many years in Jackson Township, where they died. The day after John Shively married he joined as a private the 90th Ohio 'Volunteer Infantry and spent full three- years in the service of the Union army, participating in many battles and skirmishes and arduous campaigns. He escaped without a wound, and after the war he rejoined his family. He died in 1909. His widow is still living, and was born in 1846. She is an active member of the Locust Grove Methodist Church. Mr. Jordan is the father of three sons and three daughters. Wini- 1142 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION fred, who was educated for a teacher, is the wife of John Amerine, a farmer in Hocking County, and their two, daughters are named Ruth and Edith. Harry C., who acquired a business college education and is now engaged in insurance and real estate at Lancaster, Ohio, married Lulu Patton. Sarah E., after getting her education in the public schools, married Ernest Bishop, and they live in Jackson Township and have a son named Glenneth. Dorothy 'M. is still single and lives at home with her father, and the two younger children are Lane E. and Lloyd N., both at home and attending school. Mr. Jordan and his family are all members of the Locust Grove Methodist Church. He has been. one of the most earnest supporters of this congregation, served as class leader for a number of years and for ten years was superintendent of the Sunday School. His interest in public affairs has also extended to service for two terms as a member of the board of education. JOHN M. MURPHY. A long line of really efficient and loyal executives have guarded and administered the fiscal affairs of Vinton County, and the present incumbent of the office. of county treasurer has fully upheld the high standard set by his predecessors, the estimate placed upon his administration being significantly shown in his re-election to office in the autumn of 1914 for a second term of two years, his first incumbency of the position having been by election in 1904. He has maintained his residence at McArthur, the county seat, for nearly a quarter of a century, is a native son of Vinton County and commands the high esteem of the entire community, the while he is a representa-tive of one of the old and honored families of this section of the state. John M. Murphy, to whom the foregoing tribute applies, was born on his father's farm in Richland Township, Vinton County, Ohio, on the 24th of August, 1860, and is a son of Joseph J. and Caroline (Martindill) Murphy. His father was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, on the 11th of April, 1824, and was a scion of one *of the well known pioneer families of that section of the state, where. he was reared to adult age and received the advantages of the common schools of the period. As a young man he came to Vinton County and here was solemnized his marriage to Miss Caroline Martindill. They settled on a farm in Richland Township and he developed his land into one of the valuable rural estates of the county, besides having long held prestige as one of the substantial and progressive farmers and loyal citizens of the township that so long represented his home. Joseph J. Murphy. continued to re-side on his well improved homestead farm until his death, in November, 1913, at which time he was nearly ninety years of age. His widow still survives him and 'celebrated her eighty-eighth birthday anniversary HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1143 in 1915. Her brother, James A. Martindill, died when ninety years of age, lacking three days. Mrs. Murphy has long been a zealous and devout member of the Christian Church, as was also her husband, his political allegiance having been given unreservedly to the republican party and he having been for many years influential in local political activities, though he never sought public office. Of the children the eldest was Rachel, who became the wife of James Taylor. Both are now deceased and they are survived by two sons and one daughter. Matilda Jane, is the wife of James L. Johnston and they maintain their home at Wellston, Jackson County, their children being several in num-ber. John M., of this review, was the next in order of birth. Sevenia M. is the wife of Robert M. Colville and they reside in the City of Columbus, Ohio, their children being one son and two daughters. Dr. Joseph A. is a representative physician and surgeon in the City of Columbus, where he completed his course and was graduated in Starling Medical College when a young man. He has a family. Dr. James W. became one of the prominent and honored physicians and surgeons in Vinton County, where he continued in the practice of his profession until his death, his widow and their three daughters being now residents of Ross County, this state. Anna A., the next in order of birth, is the wife of Charles E. Carson, of McArthur, Vinton County, and they have one son. Samuel E., who is the youngest of the number, resides on the old homestead of his father and is one of the representative farmers and teachers of Richland Township. He is married and has a family of children. The present treasurer of Vinton County was reared under the invigorating discipline of the home farm and acquired his early education in the schools of Richland Township, where he continued identification with the fundamental art of agriculture until he had attained to the age of twenty-three years. He then removed to the county seat, the Village of McArthur, and here he has been long associated with the mercantile business of Isaac M. Lantz, his relations therewith having been severed when he assumed the office of county treasurer. Mr. Murphy has taken a lively and loyal interest in all that touches the welfare of his home village and native county and has served for a long period as a member of the board of education of McArthur, of which important body he has been president for two years. In addition to his effective service as county treasurer he has held for a term of years the further fiduciary office of treasurer of the Village of McArthur. His interest in educational affairs has been vitalized through his former association with the pedagogic profession, as a representative of which he devoted about nine years to successful. work as a teacher in the schools of his native. 1144 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION county, prior to becoming connected with the hardware establishment of Mr. Lantz. His popularity and ability as a pedagog-ue are indicated by the fact that he taught thirty-two months in a single district school. His political support is given to the republican party and he has given yeoman service in behalf of its cause, both he and his wife being mem-bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the family being one, of prominence in connection with the representative social activities of the Village of McArthur. In Hocking County in the year 1891 recorded the marriage of Mr. Murphy to Miss Mary Huston, who was born and reared in Jackson County, Ohio. The date of her nativity having been May 1, 1864. She is a daughter of. Martin V. and Sarah (Daneyhoff) Huston, who are natives respectively of Ohio and Pennsylvania and who now, venerable in years, maintain their home at McArthur, Mr. Huston having served for many years, and with consecrated zeal, as a minister of the United Brethren Church. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have four children : Miss Ethel, who received excellent educational advantages, remains at the parents' home and is a popular factor in the social life of the community. J. Martin, who was graduated in the McArthur High School, is a young plan of sterling character and much. progressiveness, and he now maintains his residence in the State of North Dakota. John Kent remains at the parental home and is identified with the automobile business, he having been graduated in a school of practical motoring. Leland E., the youngest son, is still attending the public schools of McArthur. FINLEY A. HUGHES. The character of any community can be best judged by the men of light and leading who give color to its affairs and who sustain the burden of its activities. One of the most interesting rural localities in Vinton County is New Plymouth, a village which serves as a market, school, church and social center for a community of wholesome, law abiding and upright people. During the last quarter of a century the business leader of this community as also a man whose work has been important in every movement for good has been Finley A. Hughes, whose standing as a merchant and citizen is a fact unquestioned in all that section of the country. In 1894 Mr. Hughes became proprietor of the large general mercantile store at New Plymouth that has since been conducted under his direct management and ownership. The store was originally established by R. E. Stephenson in 1886. Mr. Hughes became associated with Mr. Stephenson in 1891, and three years later bought out the entire stock. He has two rooms, with a floor space 50x75 feet, devoted to a HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1145 display. and storage of a full mercantile stock, with practically everything that the country needs for its use. Above the store is the Maccabee Hall, an organization which has been in flourishing condition at New Plymouth for the past sixteen or seventeen years. While successful in business, Mr. Hughes also possesses that public spirit and progressiveness which give a community life and character. He was born in Swan Township of Vinton County February 12, 1859, and was reared in the locality about New Plymouth and spent the first thirty years of his life on the old farm. He acquired a practical farming experience though -the latter part of his career has been devoted almost entirely to business. In 1890 he moved to New Plymouth and became station agent for the Hocking Valley Railway, and continued the duties of that work in addition to his other interests for twenty-three years. He is a son of David Hughes, Jr., and a grandson of David Hughes, Sr. The Hughes family is of Scotch and Welsh stock, and was estab-lished about .1794 on Cape May at the southern end of New jersey. It was on Cape May that Grandfather David Hughes, Sr., was born in the closing-years of the eighteenth century. In the early days members of' the family took an active part in supporting and carrying on the Presbyterian. Church in that locality, and many of the descendants are still living that section of New jersey. David Hughes, Sr., grew up there, married and spent practically all his life as a farmer, and did much service as a kindly neighbor and an active church man. His children were: Daniel, who spent his life as a Cape May farmer and left a son and five daughters; David, Jr.; Beulah who left one son. David Hughes, Jr., was born in 1821 at Cape May, New Jersey, was reared there and received a good education but later moved to Southwestern Pennsylvania and located in Washington County. He studied medicine and practiced that profession in Washington County from 1.844 to 1850. Washington County has for more than a century been a center of Presbyterian Church influence, and he finally took a course in the theological. seminary and was ordained as: a minister. It was as a minister of the Presbyterian faith that in 1852 he came to Ohio and .became pastor the New Plymouth Presbyterian Church, and he continued the beloved leader of that congregation until his death in 1865. In the meantime he had purchased a home and since then his family have lived in that community. Rev. David Hughes married in Wash-ington County Susan B. Lee, who was born there in 1820. Her father, James Lee, was a native of Pennsylvania and lived in Washington County in the early part of the 'last century, and went from that county as a captain Of a company in the War of 1812. He was an excellent soldier, 1146 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION and the rest of his life was passed in consonance with his ideals and practices of loyalty. He married a Pennsylvania, girl named Susan Patterson, who died in the prime of life. Her children were William, Mrs. Hughes, Mary and Ellen. The two younger daughters died unmarried and Ellen passed away alter a long and lingering illness when past forty years of age. The son William grew up and spent his life in Pennsylvania where he left a family. Mrs. David Hughes, after her husband's death, continued to live in the old home at New Plymouth and died there in 1888 surrounded with most of the surviving members of her- family. She was a loyal helper and worker with her husband in the Presbyterian Church and a woman revered for her many fine qualities of heart and mind. Her children. were : James L., who married Elizabeth Morgan, and she still survives and lives with her three children; Daniel V. went west, married there, and is now deceased ; Beulah C. married, but both she and her husband are deceased and they left no. children ; Maggie died after her marriage to Milton Morgan, who is still living and is the father of three sons; Robert L. died in Swan Township of Vinton County, where he was a farmer, and left five daughters; Charles B. died in young manhood un-married ; Mellie died after her marriage to Judge H. G. Coultrap; Finley A.; William, who died after his marriage, having had two children, but both of them passed away before his death ; Henry D. is now a resident of Kansas and has three sons. Finley A. Hughes was married in Brown Township of Vinton County to Laura Mutchmore. She was born in Vinton County, February 12, 1857, spent her life largely within the limits of this county and died here June 30, 1900. She was the mother of two sons : William D., after getting his education in Vinton County went to Columbus, where he is now connected with the street railway company, and by his marriage to Lillie Bristol has a son Charles B. now in school. Raymond F., the second son, who is clerk in a wholesale house at Columbus, married Geneva Black of West Liberty, Ohio, and they have two children, Maxine and James. After the death of his first wife Mr. Hughes married Etta Campbell, who was born in Vinton County in 1866, and after gaining a liberal education took up work as a teacher at the age of sixteen, a profession which she followed successfully until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and his sons are all members of the New Plymouth Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hughes has been identified with that congregation since early boyhood and has long been one of its most influential members, has served as an elder for over twenty years and as Sunday school superintendent for twenty-six years. In politics he is a republican and-has served as township clerk and can always be depended HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1147 upon for a proper exhibition of public spirit in connection with any local movement for good. He is also affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees No. 444 at New Plymouth. HON. GORDON F. LAUMAN. As an example of what unlimited energy and untiring perseverance, when united to a character of fearless and unswerving honesty, can achieve in the world, the Hon. Gordon F. Lauman, gallant Union soldier and exemplary citizen, faithful public servant and successful agriculturist, stood pre-eminent among the residents of Scioto County, Ohio. The various difficulties which can beset a man in the battle of life he fought against and triumphed over. Denied the advantages of an education in his youth, by steadfast application and close observation he educated himself ; forced to begin his struggles among the World's workers when a lad of but ten years, he, without aid, made himself one of the most substantial men of his community ; in the absence of influential friends, he brought himself forward in public life and. won the confidence and respect of his fellow men. In each avenue of life's endeavor he had an honorable and enviable record, on which there was no stain or blemish. Gordon F. Lauman was born in Flemingsburg, Kentucky, November 17, 1840, and is a son of George M. and Anna J. (Shanklin) Lauman, the latter also a native of the Blue Grass State. The father was born in Pennsylvania of German descent and at an early day came to Ohio, where for several years he followed his trade of tanner. Subsequently he went to the South, where he was married in Kentucky, and for some years was the proprietor of a tanyard, but later came to Ohio and located in Brown County opposite Maysville. He became the father of eight children, of whom only one survives, Grace E., who is the widow of William Chapman and resides in Nebraska. From Brown County George M. Lauman removed to Ross County, Ohio, and for several years worked at his trade at Chillicothe, but in 1849 took his family to Waverly and there conducted a tannery for some years, being also a foreman at the Emmett distillery at Waverly. There both he and Mrs. Lauman passed their declining years and died. Gordon F. Lauman received a very limited education in the public schools of Chillicothe and Waverly, but although his opportunities were few in his youth, he afterward devoted much time to study and reading, and one could not be with him long without realizing that he was a man of broad general knowledge with an inexhaustible fund of information on important subjects. At the age of ten years he became a wage earner in the store of Emmet, Myers & Company at Waverly and was there employed until President Lincoln's first call for troops found him 1148 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION one of the earliest volunteers for service during the Civil war, he becom-ing a member of Company G, First Ohio Regiment Volunteer Infantry, April 17, 1861. Two months after he left home Mr. Lauman was dangerously wounded in battle, and following a like period in the East Street Hospital, Washington, D. C., he was given his honorable discharge on account of disability and returned to Waverly. The family, always noted for its patriotism, was subsequently represented in the Union army by Mr. Lauman's father and brother, who enlisted and continued to serve until the close of hostilities. After his recuperation, Mr. Lauman resumed his duties in his old position at the store, where he remained until about the time of the close of the war, when he was married to Mary L. Watkins and moved to Jasper, Ohio, where he clerked for three or four years. He then became manager of the store of Allison, Rue & Company, where he remained until 1872, in that year removing to Portsmouth, Ohio, where he was connected with a wholesale grocery establishment. After a few years Mr. Lauman turned his attention to farming, in which he made a decided success. He first rented his property until he accumulated enough money to consummate its purchase, in 1880, and on this excellent Morgan Township land in Scioto County just west of the Scioto River he continued operations to the time of his death, which occurred on January 22, 1916. While his start was modest, he added to his hold-ings and improvements from time to time and had 800 acres, including hill land* and bottoms, all well cultivated and very productive. In 1908 was erected his beautiful residence, and this is surrounded by barns and outbuildings of a commodious and attractive character, all erected under his careful and efficient supervision. Mr. Lauman was a member of Myrtle Lodge No. 159, Free and Accepted Masons, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Portsmouth. Politically a republican, he served capably in a number of offices of trust and importance, and for three terms was state senator for the Seventh Senatorial District of Ohio, including the counties of Scioto, Pike, Jackson and Adams. His public service was characterized by the. utmost fidelity to duty, and through his labors he was able to materially advance -the interests of the community and his constituents, Mrs. Lauman died in 1892, without issue, and in 1895 Mr. Lauman married Mary E. Dever. They have no children. Mr. Lauman made the best of life and was master of its fit conduct—serene, simple, with generous sympathies and liberal interests, large thoughts and kindly wisdom. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 1149 OTTO F. PILCHER. He whose name initiates this paragraph has proved himself a man of much initiative and executive ability and is known as one of the most progressive business men of McArthur, the judicial center of Vinton County. Here he has been conspicuously iden-tified with the development and upbuilding of important enterprises that contributed greatly to the material and civic prosperity and prestige of the town, and he has shown in a significant way that opportunities for the development of prosperous industrial enterprises of broad scope and importance are not lacking in his native town and county, where he stands as a popular representative of a prominent and influential pioneer family whose name has been most worthily and effectively licked with the history of the Hanging Rock Iron Region; to the exploitation of which this publication is devoted. Mr. Pilcher is secretary of the McArthur Building & Loan Association, which has played a large and benignant part in furthering the upbuilding of McArthur and has assisted many citizens to provide for themselves excellent homes in the county seat and other parts of the county. He was also one of the organizers and is secretary of the McArthur Brick Company, which represents one of the important industrial enterprises of this section of the state, in the manufacturing of vitrified decorative brick for architectural work of the highest type. The McArthur Building & Loan Association bases its operations on an authorized capital stock of $100,000 and is known as one of the oldest and strongest corporations of the kind in this section of the Buckeye State, where it instituted operations more than a quarter of a century ago and where its history has been one marked by definite success and extensive service in the domain of home building. Mr. Pilcher has been a director of the association from the time of its organization, in 1888, and during all but the first three or four years he has held also the office of secretary, in which he has given an administration that has been primarily conducive of the splendid operations of the association. The other members of the official corps at the present time are as here noted : F. P. Magee, president ; L. W. Sprague, vice president ; and the directorate including the above officers and also A. W. Paffenberger, Dr. G. M. Swepston and James Darby, the last mentioned of whom is also attorney for the corporation. The average annual business of the association has now reached an aggregate of $250,000, and. the business is one of the most extensive and successful of the kind in Southern Ohio, with broad and beneficent ramifications. The McArthur Brick Company, which was organized and incorporated in 1905 and which controls valuable patents. on its processes for the, manufacturing of matt brick and whose products are of recognized