(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) 400 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Idealism and unselfishness, would be expected to have these virtues inculcated in his character. Mr. Rice is a man of sterling worth. While a business man, he has not allowed his vision to become obscured by commercial pursuits, for he is gentle and kindly in bearing, true in his friendships, loyal in his citizenship, stanch in principle, and a worthy exponent of his splendid early training. HON. CHARLES Q. HILDEBRANT. In the largest and best sense, the Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant, of Wilmington, Ohio, is distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation in public life in the state of Ohio and as such his life work is entitled to conspicuous consideration in the annals of Clinton county, where he was born and where he has spent practically all of his life, with the exception of the time he has been absent at distant capitals in the service of his country. As a merchant in the city of Wilmington, he is a pre-eminent success; as a citizen of Clinton county, he was honored in three successive elections as clerk of the Clinton county court, and as a man of larger capacities and abilities, he was nominated and triumphantly elected, to the United States Congress from the Sixth Ohio district and served two terms with credit and distinction. Several years later, in 1914, he was called upon by his party to lead it in the state campaign as the candidate for secretary of state, to which he also was elected. Charles Q. Hildebrant is typical of the man who has made a pre-eminent success in public life; pleasant and agreeable personally, honest and upright in his daily life, he is possessed of capacity for large and permanent service. The Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant was born on October 17, 1864, at Wilmington, Ohio, and is the son of Jefferson and Margaret M. (Quinn) Hildebrant. The father, during his lifetime, was one of the most successful merchants of Wilmington and known throughout the length and breadth of Clinton county. He was born on February 10. 1831, near Snow Hill, in Greene township, the son of Christopher Hildebrant, a native of New Jersey, who came to Ohio about 1820, where he became a pioneer farmer in Greene township. The mother of Jefferson Hildebrant was Elizabeth Cripisteen, also a native of New Jersey, who passed away several years ago. The late Jefferson Hildebrant, who died on August 9, 1910, was reared on a farm and when fifteen years of age, entered the Newberry Academy of the Society of Friends in Martinsville. Subsequently, he taught school and later became a teacher at Freeport, Illinois, and while an instructor there, had for one of his pupils Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin of President Garfield. Upon his return to Clinton county, in partnership with his brother, he operated the first thresher and separator ever owned in Greene township, after which he entered Farmers' College. at College Hill, Ohio, where he remained .for two years, graduating In June, 1853. in a class of twelve. After farming for five years, following his graduation from college, he was elected county surveyor and served for three years. He was married on October 9, 1861, to Margaret M. Quinn, the daughter of the Hon. D. P. Quinn, a pioneer settler of Clinton county, who died in 1867. After his marriage, Jefferson Hildebrant moved to a farm on Rattlesnake creek, in. Fayette county, but in 1863 purchased the B. R. Whitcomb book store at Wilmington and was continually engaged in that business until his death. He was the first man to introduce Jersey cattle into Clinton county and exhibited, throughout his life, an intense interest In live stock and agriculture. He owned sixty acres of land within the corporate limits of Wilmington and was an active member of the state horticultural society, a Republican in politics and liberal in his religious views. His beloved wife died on November 15, 1880. Her mother, before her marriage, was Mary Woodmansee. Her father, in pioneer times, had operated a general store at Quinn's Mill, in Clinton township, and was the leading man of the community for many years. He owned sixteen hundred acres of rich CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 401 black soil in that community and was an extensive live stock buyer. As a Republican, he served in the Ohio Legislature in Clinton county. It was the late Jefferson Hildebrant who built the splendid brick house on South street in 1872 and who developed the pretty grounds which surround this magnificent home. It is the present home of Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant and comprises sixty acres of land. The father planted practically all of the trees now on the place. "Hildebrant's book store" became a family expression in the domestic life of Wilmington and its location was a landmark. Although the store is now owned and operated by others, it still retains the old name. Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant was the only child born to his parents. He was a student in the Wilmington public schools during his boyhood and youth and later entered Wilmington College, where he was a student for some time. Subsequently, however, he became a student at Ohio State University at Columbus and upon his return from college, associated with his father in the management of the book store in Wilmington until 1890, when he was elected clerk of the Clinton county court, as a candidate of the Republican party. After serving three successive terms, Mr. Hildebrant was nominated and elected in 1900 to the United States Congress from the Sixth Ohio district, serving two terms, from March, 1901, until March, 1905. After retiring from Congress, Mr. Hildebrant was engaged as a traveling salesman for three years, or until 1909, when he took charge of the book store in Wilmington. The father having died in 1910, in January, 1914, he sold the book store to Joel Walker. In August, of that year, he was nominated in a state-wide primary as a Republican candidate for secretary of state and in November was triumphantly elected to the office. Few men living in this section of Ohio have been as active in political work as the Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant, who has served his party as county chairman and has been a delegate to two Republican national conventions, as well as a representative of his party of the state committee for several terms. On October 14, 1886, Mr. Hildebrant was married to Ada J. Hains, in Wilmington, Ohio. She is the daughter of Augustus H. and Nancy (Johnson) Hains, and was born in Ohio. Her parents are now living retired in Wilmington. Her father has been a prominent man in the official life of Clinton county and is a former county auditor. Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrant have had three children. Margaret, Virginia and Richard. For many years Hon. Charles Q. Hildebrant has been prominent in the fraternal circles of this state. As a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Knights Templar, he is a past worshipful master, past high priest and past eminent commander. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In a business way, Mr. Hildebrant is treasurer of the Clinton County Telephone Company, of Wilmington. Charles Q. Hildebrant has contributed in no small degree to the reputation and fame of Clinton county, yet he is no more popular in Clinton county than he is throughout the state of Ohio as a whole. Conscientious and capable in the performance of public duties, he is likewise earnest and cordial in the private relations of life. THURMAN MILLER. As the press is the greatest modern agency for molding public opinion, its, representatives are a real power in the life of any community. He who can control the sentiment and editorial policy of a newspaper has a weapon for good or evil, which is incalculable. When, therefore, a member of this profession, who has risen to prominence through sheer force of character and innate ability, uses his great influence for constructive purposes and right principles, he may be considered one of society's most valued and valuable members. Estimated upon this premise, the 'man whose name appears above is one of Wilmington's foremost citizens. As editor of the Journal- (26) 402 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Republican, not only is he widely known, but • his editorial wriings are being extensively quoted. Harold Thurman Miller was born on a farm in Highland county, Ohio, December 28, 1881. His father, James Fenton, and his mother, Luella (Martin) Miller were born and reared in the county of his birth, but they are now residing on a farm near Blanchester, Clinton county, Ohio. With the exception of one year in which he traveled, Mr. Miller has had but one occupation other than newspaper business, and that is school-teaching. Thurman Miller's (early life, while in strong contrast with his present work and environment, was an excellent preparation for the latter, for while it furnished the means for strenuous work, it also afforded leisure for the indulgence in reading and study necessary to every literary career. Farm work while pleasant for him, did not hold out the prospect for advancement to his liking, and he did not wait to become of age before other fields of labor were sought by him. Thurman Miller was an only child, and as a boy he took advantage of the training afforded by the country schools, remaining on the farm until he was twenty. Then while continuing his individual studies, he taught school for the following six years, a third of this time as a teacher in the country schools of Highland county, another third in the graded schools of Clinton county, and the remaining two years in the high school, being principal of the Blanchester high school and teacher of English and history in Wilmington high school. Mr. Miller has the distinction of being the only graduate of the Wilmington College having two bachelor's degrees, having graduated in 1907 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and two years later, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After traveling for one year, Mr. Miller took up literary work, and in the spring of 1911 joined the staff of the Clinton Republican. Two years later, the Republican and the Journal consolidated, and on January 1, 1913, the young writer took up his duties as managing editor of the paper thus formed. He is a brilliant writer, and his energy and literary ability have done much to build up the fortunes of the paper with which he is identified. On August 7, 1907, Thurman Miller married Grace Robuck, the bride being a college class-mate, and a native of Clinton county. Their two children are named Eugene James and Harold Thurman, Jr. Mr. Miller is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Martinsville, Ohio, but is affiliated with his wife in her membership of the Friends church in Wilmington. Besides being its editor, Mr. Miller is secretary-treasurer of the Journal-Republican, and in this way he has much to do with the policy and management of the paper. Although a young man, Mr. Miller already is well known in the newspaper world, and his articles are frequently quoted because of their originality in thought and their good literary style. Both as a newspaper man, and as a man interested in life from its broad view point, this young editor takes keen pleasure in what is going on in the world, is a wide and well-informed reader, and above all, he is public spirited in the broadest sense of the word. Mr. Miller has been a member of the Knights of Pythias at Martinsville since his twenty-first year. He is a Republican. The interesting fact in this sketch is that what might have been considered by others as insurmountable obstacles were turned into stepping stones, and by the action of a strong, determined will, were used to further the very career which they seemed at first to defeat. Our subject belonged to that admirable class of young men who, though in isolated localities, and without the inspiration of numbers, decide early in life upon an education. He had to teach school and attend college alternately in order to defray the expenses of his own education, but this experience seems only to have strengthened his abilities, for he emerged strong and self-reliant, ready to take up the struggles of life. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 403 WILLIAM FRANKLIN HAIR. After thirteen years of faithful and devoted service as a teacher in the public schools of Clinton county, William Franklin Hair, better known among his intimate friends as "Frank" Hair, entered upon the life of a farmer and has found much pleasure and satisfaction in tilling his well-kept place in Washington township. Studious in his habits, attentive to the latest developments in agricultural science, Mr. Hair has conducted his farming operations with a high measure of intelligence and, though his place is not as extensive as some of the farms in his neighborhood, he has prospered and has no fear of the wolf howling at his door. He has a delightful home in Washington township, in which he takes much pleasure and where he and his good wife greet their friends with the most cordial hospitality. William Franklin Hair was born on a farm near the village of Westboro, in Jefferson township, Clinton county, Ohio, on January 28, 1857, son of George W. and Permelia (Garrett) Hair, the former a native of Brown county, this state, and the latter a native of Jefferson township, this county. George W. Hair was the son of Titus and Nancy (Sapp) Hair, the former of whom was born in Washington county, Virginia, and the latter in Clermont county, this state, daughter of George Sapp, a pioneer of that county. Titus Hair came to Ohio from Virginia with his parents in the year 1808, the family locating in Clermont county, where Titus Hair grew up as a cabinetmaker, later becoming a farmer. About the year .1855 he moved to this county, buying a farm of about one hundred acres near the village of Westboro. He also continued to work at his trade of cabinetmaking and became one of the best-known citizens in that neighborhood. Later he moved to Clark township, buying a farm near the village of Lynchburg, where he spent the remainder of his life. His son, George W Hair, married Parmelia Garrett, of this county, a daughter of Henry and Nancy (Johns) Garrett, the former of whom was born in Virginia, the son of William Garrett, who came, with his wife and children on horseback from Virginia to this county and located on a farm in the southwest portion of the county, where he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1864. Henry Garrett grew up on his father's farm and married Nancy Johns, member of one of the pioneer families of the neighborhood, and it was the daughter of this union who was the mother of Frank Hair. Henry Garrett died in 1849, before reaching middle age. George W. Hair became one of Clinton county's well-known farmers, his operations mostly being carried on in Clark township. He was exempted from service during the Civil War on account of ill health and his death occurred in 1876. He and his wife were members of the New Light church and their three children were reared in the faith of that communion. These three children were Frank, the immediate subject of this sketch, Hay W., and Nancy E. William Franklin Hair received his education in the public schools of this county and when twenty-three years of age began teaching school, continuing this close personal service in behalf of the public for a period of thirteen years, 1880-93, becoming one of the best-known teachers in Clinton county. He then decided to become a farmer and following out this design bought the farm of eighty-three acres in Washington township on which he is now living, and where he confidently expects to spend the remainder of his days. He is successfully engaged in general farming and is regarded as one of the substantial men of his community. In 1890 Frank Hair was united in marriage to Mary E. Vandervort, who was born in Green township, this county, daughter of T. H. Vandervort, a well-known resident of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Hair are members of the Church of the Disciples at New Antioch and take an active interest in all the good works of their neighborhood, being regarded as among the leaders in the community life thereabout. This amiable couple are in a position to look on the bright side of life and they bring to their relations with their neighbors a wholesome kindliness of spirit that makes them prime favorites with 404 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. all thereabout, the two being held in the very highest regard throughout the entire countryside. Mr. Hair did well his duty to the public during his long service as a teacher, many former youngsters in this county, now grown to useful manhood and womanhood, acknowl¬edging with gratitude the great debt they owe to the early instructions of this conscientious teacher ; and in his later years he is doing equally well his duty toward the body politic by continually advocating all measures designed to promote the welfare of all the people, his sage counsels receiving the most respectful consideration on the part of his neighbors, who repose the utmost confidence in his judgment in matters relating to the common welfare. PROF. EDWIN P. WEST. Edwin P. West was born in Martinsville, Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, February 2, 1851. He is the second son of James H. and Helena (Jackson) West. James H. West was a man of strong intelligence and fair education, first a teacher and then a farmer, distinguished for firmness of conviction and integrity of character. His father, Peyton West, was a man of affairs in the early history of the county, was county surveyor from 1840 to 1846, county treasurer for a period, and had a large share in the larger land transactions of that period in his part of the county. Peyton West had learned the surveyor's art from his father, Owen West, a cousin of Benjamin, the artist, who had emigrated from eastern Pennsylvania into Pittsylvania county, Virginia, and thence to Ohio about 1805 and settled on the East fork of the Miami river a few miles southeast of Martinsville. James H., when a boy of eighteen, was one of the chain carriers for his father when he surveyed Jefferson township in the winter of 1839. James H. West died on June 28, 1903. Helena Jackson, mother of Professor West, was a daughter of Josiah and Ruth (Hiatt) Jackson, and was born near Martinsville on October 4, 1825, and died on October 19, 1864. Josiah Jackson was a son of Jacob Jackson, the first minister of Clark township, whose brother, John Jackson, was the first settler in Wayne township, this county, in 1802. Another brother, Samuel Jackson, built the first cabin in Jefferson township in 1812. Samuel was a famous hunter in his day and was characterized as a second Daniel Boone. He was a typical frontiersman and finally found his way to Cass county, Texas, where he died about a quarter of a century ago, at the age of one hundred years. These brothers are said by Judge Harlan, in his excellent sketches of Clinton county history, to be probably first cousins and intimate friends of President Andrew Jackson, whose father in 1765 came from the same locality in north Ireland, as did their ancestor, Isaac Jackson, a few years earlier. These brothers were sons of Samuel Jackson, a son of the aforesaid Isaac Jackson. who was a descendant of Ralph Jackson, who was burned at the stake as a martyr at Stratford, England, in 1556. Isaac's father and uncle, Anthony and Richard Jackson, had gone with Cromwell from England into Ireland, had become followers of George Fox, and founded the first Friends church in Ireland, with which Andrew's progenitors were evidently not affiliated. Professor West considers himself fortunate in having an ancestry, a childhood home and community in which education was accorded a supreme value. Martinsville was noted for its educational spirit and the excellence of its schools before other communities of the county had achieved this distinction. Milton Hollingsworth, of Richmond, Indiana ; Amos Hockett, Professor Adams and his wife, from Oberlin College; Charles and Sattie Oren, fresh from Antioch College and the inspiring influence of Horace Mann, Thomas J. Moon and others established and fostered an educational regime there that made it an intellectual Mecca for able and ambitious young men and women of this and adjoining counties. Professor West received all his early education in those schools, and after completing CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 405 the course there, attended the National Normal University at Lebanon, when its students numbered a thousand and more. After teaching four terms in the rural schools of the county he entered Wilmington College during the presidency of Benjamin Trueblood, and was graduated in the class of 1878, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. However, he ascribes his education more to a lifelong habit of reading the books of the world's intellectual masters in the lines of literature, history, science and philosophy. Probably no other person in the history of the county has served its educational interests for so long a period or aided more in the development and efficiency of its schools than has Professor West. He began teaching in September, 1871, in the Nauvoo district, south of Clarksville, and has taught continuously since that time, with the omission of three years spent in Wilmington College. He taught his second rural school at Beech Grove, two miles east of Martinsville, his third at Hale's Branch, near Westborn, and the fourth at Sharp's, south of Sabina. In one of those schools the enrollment reached eighty-three, and in none did it fall below forty-eight. He was superintendent of the Martinsville schools for seven years, including the entire township for one year, and was the first to establish a modern high school there. He was superintendent at New Vienna for fourteen years, at Dayton, Kentucky, for four years and has had charge of the Wilmington schools for the past eleven years and has just been re-employed for three years more. The Wilmington schools now require twenty-eight teachers and enroll nine hundred pupils. The high school has grown under his administration from about one hundred pupils to more than two hundred and is accredited by the North Central College Association of the United States and recently by Pennsylvania University. Professor West has graduated more than five hundred young men and women and, so far as he knows, practically all have turned out to be useful and successful citizens. For a dozen years Professor West conducted summer schools for teachers, was many times president of the County Teachers' Association, taught and lectured in the annual institutes of Clinton and other counties, made numerous educational and some political addresses and was for some years a member of the American Economic Association. He obtained a professional life certificate from the state board of examiners in 1886. He has served for twenty-four years and six months as a member of the Clinton county board of school examiners and was secretary for one year of the Ohio association of county and city examiners. He was a member of the first school book board of Ohio, by appointment of Governor Campbell, who was its chairman, and although not a candidate, received the vote of his congressional district for state school commissioner, at one of the state conventions. He is now a member of the Clinton County Teachers' Association, the Central Ohio Teachers' Association, the state and national associations. Professor West is a clear and forcible writer and an efficient public speaker and enjoys the confidence of his constituents and fellow workers in hfs city, county and state. Professor West is a Republican. He is a Mason, an Elk and a Knight of Pythias. In church affiliation, he is a member of the society of Friends. On April 17, 1884, Edwin P. West was married to Josephine Walker, daughter of W. W. and Mary Hackney Walker, of Martinsville, member of old and respected families of the county. Mrs. West taught for three years before her marriage and two years after. They have two daughters, Vivien and Mary, both born hi New Vienna, Vivien on August 25, 1887, and Mary on March 20, 1890. Vivien. after graduating from the Dayton, Kentucky, high school, attended Cincinnati University for a year and is a graduate of the Oxford College for Women, in the class of 1907. In 1911 she was married to Floyd C. Williams, a son of Captain Williams. of Portsmouth, Ohio, and a graduate of Miami University. They have one son, William West Williams, who was horn on April 23, 1913. They reside in Hyde Park, a beautiful suburb of Cincinnati, in which city Mr. Williams is engaged in the practice of law. 406 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Mary, the youngest daughter, is a graduate of the Wilmington high school, Wilmington College and of Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, the largest and one of the best girls' schools in the world, graduating from last named institution in the class of 1910, soon after her twentieth birthday. J. W. B. CROUSE. Among the members of that considerable army which the impoverished Duke of Hesse sold to the government of George III of England, for use against the American colonists during the long struggle of the latter for independence, was one John Crouse, who, following the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, declined, along with hundreds of others of the. Hessians, to return to his native land, preferring to put in his lot with those valiant patriots against whom his reluctant arms had been turned. John Crouse settled in Virginia and soon became a person of substance. There he married and reared a family, his descendants today being numbered among the most patriotic and loyal citizens of this great republic. One of John Crouse's sons, John, married Rhoda Matson, of Virginia, member of an old colonial family, and, about the year 1818, emigrated with his family to Ohio, locating in the neighborhood of Cuba, in this county, where he soon became one of the most substantial and influential citizens of that vicinity. John Crouse, Jr., was an energetic and forceful man, full of enterprise and push, and presently was known as one of the large landowners of Clinton county, he being the possessor of approximately six hundred acres of excellent land, which he brought to a fine state of cultivation. He lived to a ripe old age and in 1851 erected the fine old home which still stands on the Crouse farm. He and his wife reared a large family, only one of whom is now living, the venerable Mrs. Nancy Thatcher, of Wilmington, this county. Henry Crouse, one of the sons of John and Rhoda (Matson) Crouse, received a limited education in the schools of his home neighborhood, being trained in the ways of successful agriculture by his energetic father, on whose place he remained until 1867, in which year he bought a small farm of ninety acres in the eastern part of Washington township, where he spent the rest of his life. This farm is now owned and occupied by one of Henry Crouse's sons, Isaac T. Crouse. Henry Crouse married Elizabeth Pennington, who was born in Washington township, this county, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth (Burk) Pennington, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Clinton county in an early day in the settlement of the county, locating in the Cuba neighborhood. Isaac Pennington was a thrifty man, possessed of keen business sense, and in his day was regarded as one of the wealthy men of the county, his extensive intersts in this county not being confined wholly to his fine farm of two hundred acres in Washington township. To the union of Henry Crouse and Elizabeth Pennington seven children were born, five sons and two daughters. Henry Crouse and his wife were members of the Christian church and did well their part in the development of the best interests of their community, rearing their children in the Christian faith, from which they have not departed. Henry Crouse was an excellent citizen, upright and honorable in his dealings with his fellowmen, and was held in high regard throughout that community, a regard to which his neighbors gave ample expression when they elected him to the important position of township trustee, an office which he held for some years, during which time he was able to exert a fine influence in the way of advancing the public welfare. J. W. Crouse, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Pennington) Crouse, was born on the old Crouse farm in Washington township and received his education in the district schools of that vicinity. Reared to the life of the farm, he has continued farming all his life and his industry and enterprise have been properly rewarded, he now being very well circumstanced as regards the goods of this world, his fine farm of two hundred and three acres, twenty-seven acres of which is in his wife's name, being regarded as one of the most productive farms in the neighborhood. Mr. Crouse has given much atten- CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 407 tion to stock raising and has been particularly successful as a feeder of hogs. In 1901 he erected a fine new barn, at the same time remodeling the old barn, and is well equipped for carrying on his farming operations according to the most approved system of modern agriculture. On December 21, 1876, J. W. B. Crouse was united in marriage to Clarinda Baker, who was born on the farm where she and her husband now live, daughter of William Baker and wife, Kentuckians, who settled on this farm in 1835. To J. W. B. and Clarinda (Baker) Crouse, two children have been born, namely : Bruce B., who lives on the home place, married Jennie Rhodes and has one child, a son, Burdette R.; and Mabel V., who married Guynn Shelton and died, leaving one child, a daughter, Mabel V. Mr. and Mrs. Crouse are members of the Christian church and are warmly concerned in the various beneficences of the congregation to which they are attached, being prominent in all good works thereabout, and are highly esteemed by all. Mr. Crouse is an Odd Fellow and is much, interested in the affairs of that popular order. MATTHEW IRVIN. Born in Ireland, a descendant of one of those zealous Scots colonists whom Cromwell hurled across the Irish sea with the avowed purpose of Protestantizing Ireland, the subject of this brief biographical review has lived in Clinton county since he was eleven years of age and has done well his part in the affairs of •his community. Prospering with the years, he now is in a position to take his ease in "the sunset time" of his life, he now being well past the three-score-and-ten stage of his existence, and is living quietly and contentedly in his pleasant home in Union township, enjoying the confidence and regard of his neighbors and the entire community. Matthew Irvin was born in County Down, Ireland, on August 15, 1842, son of Henry and Mary (Wiley) Irvin, both natives of the same county, members of old Scotch families therein, the former of whom was born in 1788 and died at his home in this county on October 18, 1869, and the latter of whom was born in 1798 and died on November 13, 1869. Henry Irvin was the son of William Irvin, a stanch Presbyterian of County Down, member of a family that had been represented in that county since the time of the Cromwellian colonization of that section of Ireland, who was a shoemaker by trade. He was a large, strong man and he and his wife reared a considerable family. Henry Irvin grew up in. County Down, working on a farm. He married Mary Wiley, a neighbor girl, daughter of Matthew Wiley, a member of another of the many Presbyterian families in that section, to which union were born four children, all of whom are now dead, all having died at their respective homes in this county, save the subject of this, sketch, the youngest of the family, namely: William, who died in 1915 at his home in Sabina, this county ; Mary, .now deceased, who married George Gumley, a well-known farmer of this county; James, who died at the age of eighteen, and Matthew, the immediate subject of this sketch. In 1849 William Irvin, eldest of the children above named, emigrated to America, coming at once to Ohio and locating in Chester township, this county. The letters he wrote home inspired his parents to follow him and in 1853 they and their other children, came to this county, remaining here the rest of their lives. Henry Irvin became a tenant farmer and he and his family associated themselves with the United Presbyterian church. In their later years Henry Irvin and his wife made their home with their son. Matthew, and there their last days were spent. Matthew Irvin was eleven years of, age when he accompanied his parents to their new home in this county. The journey across the water was made in the sailing vessel, "Gilbert," the, voyage requiring five weeks and three days. During his early youth, Matthew Irvin aided his father in his work on the farm, later working for other farmers 408 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. "by the day." He was industrious and frugal and in 1867 found himself in a position to buy a farm of his own. This farm of one hundred and one acres in Union township was covered with virgin forest, with the exception of twenty acres. He cleared off the timber, drained the soil and brought the place to an excellent state of cultivation. He married in 1872 and continued to live on this farm until 1884, in which year he bought a farm of seventy acres near Bartonville, moving onto the same, and has since lived there, though still owning the original farm. From the very start of his agricultural operations, Matthew Irvin recognized the possibility of profit in raising hogs and early became a large feeder of hogs, his money being made in this manner, all the grain he raised being fed to his hogs. For some time past Mr. Irvin has been practically retired from the active work of the farm, having turned the management of his two farms over to his sons, though he still takes a personal interest in the farm operations, and is taking things easy in his later years. On December 24, 1872, Matthew Irvin was united in marriage to Sarah Ann Fife, who was born in Union township, this county, daughter of William N. and Jane (Fife) Fife, both natives of County Tyrone, Ireland, who were early settlers in this county, and to this union six children were born, as follow : Henry, born on January 2, 1874, lives on one of his father's farms; Minnie, October 11, 1876, married John Stephens, upon whose death she married, secondly, J. C. Clevenger and lives in Washington township, this county; Dr. James Irvin, December 4, 1880, a prominent practicing physician, of Durant, Iowa; William M., August 21, 1883, who died at the age of one year and five day; Frank, July 20, 1886, a well-known farmer of Union township, and Fred, September 3, 1889, who lives on the home farm, married L. Dora McMillan and has one child, a daughter, Cleo, aged three years. The mother of these children died on November 13, 1914. Mr. Irvin is a member of the Central Christian church at Wilmington and ever has been interested in good works and largely influential therein. He is a Democrat and while giving a good citizen's attention to political matters:, never has been regarded as an active worker in politics, though his influence ever has been exerted on the side of good government and right morals. He has many friends in the neighborhood In which he has lived so long and in and about Wilmington and is held in the highest regard by all Who know him. HON. FRANK M. CLEVENGER. The force of heredity is not always so easily traced in the lives of public men as in the career of the Hon. Frank M. Clevenger, one of Wilmington's best known attorneys and a man of interesting and forceful personality. The fact that his grandfather was justice of the peace for many years, and his father postmaster, at least shows a predisposition in the family for public service, as well as the possession of those personal qualities which are necessary to merit the public confidence. For three generations, this noted family have won the respect of their fellow-countrymen, evidenced by honors which, perhaps, reached their culmination in the election of Frank Clevenger to the state Senate to represent two districts. Mr. Clevenger is now associated with Simeon G. Smith in one of the best-known law firms in this section of the state. He is the son of William, and Martha (Compton) Clevenger, and was born on a farm in Washington township, Clinton county, Ohio, on March 8, 1865. Enos Clevenger, grandfather of our subject, was the type of pioneer who leaves his impress upon his times. Born and reared in Frederick county, Virginia, he remained there until after his marriage to Christina Crouse at Winchester, Virginia, in 1824. Soon after this event, they packed their scant household goods on horses, and started northward, penetrating the forests of the new country. The young wife, being of German extraction, had the racial qualifications of the helpmeet of a pioneer, for she had love of home, courage, contentment and faith, all of which were needed in the trying years that CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 409 followed. Traversing miles of attractive country, the horses of these early settlers were not stopped except temporarily, until they reached Clinton county, Ohio, which became the future home of the family. Here Enos Clevenger became one of the influential men of the community, and was justice of the peace during nearly all of his residence in the county. He died near Wilmington in 1867, his widow passing away three years later. Both the subject of this sketch and his father were born on the farm on which the old pioneer settled. William Clevenger, although seventy-nine winters have passed over his head, is now, and has been for the past twenty-three years connected with the Irwin Auger Bit Company of Wilmington. From 1885 until 1890, he was postmaster of the town, and served with satisfaction to both his own and the opposing political party. During these years, the devotion of his faithful wife, who was a native of Indiana, was no small element in either his happiness or his success. Their five children are all boys. The eldest, George, is now living near North Yakima, Washington; Frank was the second-born ; William W. resides in Santa Anna, California; the two youngest died at the ages of four and seven, respectively. The career of Frank M. Clevenger is of more than ordinary interest, because it records activity in the great world of affairs; it registers the thoughts and deeds of a man who has helped to mold public opinion, as well as the laws effected thereby. Although born on a farm, he did not remain there after his eighteenth year, when, with an ambition which presaged well for his future, he took up his residence in Wilmington in order to attend school. Graduating with honors from the high school in 1886, he began the study of law the following year, was admitted to the bar in 1890, and has been in active practice since that time. For six years, he had his own law office, then establishing the firm of Slone, Martin & Clevenger, he practiced with them until 1899. In Noyember, of that year, he went into partnership with Simeon G. Smith, and together, these noted lawyers have made their firm one of the strongest and best known in this part of the state. Mr. Clevenger, while attending to professional duties, has always been an active politician, and as such, has made his influence in the community felt. From 1909 to 1911 he represented the fifth and sixth districts in the Ohio state Senate, these districts comprising the counties of Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Ross and Highland. While serving his constituents in this capacity, he was the author of a number of important bills, and was chairman of the special committee appointed to investigate the subject of taxation in Ohio, which investigation resulted in the present law. Although Mr. Clevenger filled the office of state senator with credit both to himself and to the Republican party, under the present system of "rotation of office," now existing, he was not a candidate for' re-election. Notwithstanding his busy professional life, and his public services, Mr. Clevenger has been true to the religious training of his God-fearing parents, and both he and Mrs. Clevenger have been active in the work and worship of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the former is a trustee. Realizing, too, the benefit's to be derived from organization on the social side of life, Mr. Clevenger has allied himself with a number of fraternal organizations, these including the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks lodge. In all of these, affiliation has meant to the noted lawyer not merely membership, but helpful co-operation. Mary H. Robinson, a native of Frederick county, Virginia, became the wife of Mr. Clevenger in August, 1890, the ceremony having been performed at her home in Win chester, Virginia. In their home two children have been born, Agnes Virginia and Russell Robinson. Mrs. Clevenger has been a devoted wife and mother, and the circle of friends and acquaintances gained through her husband's prominence in public life, has only added to the number of those who respect and admire her. 410 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Clevenger is considered one of the ablest lawyers in the state of Ohio. His keen insight, his ability to strike the correct theory of a case, his power of logical thought, and of facile expression, all go to make up what is known as "the legal mind." And the crowning tribute to such a man as he, is that his gifts have not been limited to the -furthering of personal desires and interests, but have been considered by him in the nature of a trust to be used for the common good. With what success this ideal has been attained may be judged by his usefulness and prominence in the community in which the name of Clevenger has been honored in the past, as well as in the present generation. Mr. Clevenger was appointed by Governor Frank B. Willis, on June 21, 1915, a member of the Ohio state board on uniform state laws, for the term ending June 5, 1918. The object is the outgrowth of, a movement made by the bar association about ten years ago. The object is for each state to provide a board which will formulate plans to bring about' uniformity of laws throughout the United States. They shall collect data as to the prevailing law in the United States and other countries, upon special subjects where uniformity is important, and especially on the following subjects : Conveyances—form and exeecution ; commercial law, including bills of lading; corporations; insurance, fire and life ; negotiable instruments; partnerships; trade-marks; unfair competition; warehouse receipts; labor, uniform hours of ; marriage and divorce; wills, execution and probate. CHARLES BOTTS. After three years' experience with the German military service, as a soldier in Baden's standing army, Henry Botts "jumped" his furlough one day and came to America, making his way to Cincinnati That was in the year 1844. Two years later, when the call for volunteers to serve in the war against Mexico was made, Henry Botts enlisted in the First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was with that regiment until the close of the Mexican War. Henry Botts had three brothers and one sister, all of whom also came to America, and became so widely separated that they never were reunited, except in one instance, which hinged on an astonishing chance. Thirteen years after their separation, long after Henry Botts had settled in Highland county, this state, he made a trip over into the adjoining county of Brown in quest of seed wheat and there encountered •his brother, Frederick, the two brothers having, unknown to each other, settled within a few miles of each other's homes. Henry Botts returned to Cincinnati at the close of the Mexican War, later moving to Highland county, this state, locating in the Webbertown neighborhood, where he spent the remainder of his life. After arriving in Highland county he married Elizabeth Gerard, of that county, who was born in Alsace-Lorraine, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Gerard, who emigrated to America about the year 1$38, coming to Ohio, where they located in Highland county, buying a farm on which they erected a log cabin and there they spent the rest of their lives. To this union seven children were born, four sons and three daughters, five of whom are still living. Charles Botts; son of Henry and Elizabeth (Gerard) Botts, was born on the home farm in Highland county, not far from the village of Lynchburg, near the Clinton county line, on January 6, 1863, and was reared there, receiving his early education in the district schools of that neighborhood. When about twenty-two years of age he came to this county to work on the Ward farm in Washington township and ever since has resided there, for on November 7, 1886, the year after -his arrival at the Ward home, he married Anne- Maria Ward, the youngest daughter of the house, who became proprietor of the farm upon• the death of her father. To this union six children have been born, Fay, John, Margaret, Israel, Alice and Elon. This latter child was named in honor of his venerable grandfather, the late Elon CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 411 Bramble Ward, who for many years was one of the best-known and most influential residents of that part of Clinton county. Elon B. Ward was born near the village of Madisonville, this state, on September 27, 1822, and lived to be nearly ninety years of age. He was one of the eleven children of Morris and Mary (Bramble) Ward, the former of whom was born in New Jersey on October 19, 1790, and, the latter of whom was born in Pennsylvania, near' Pittsburgh, on July 25, 1795. Morris Ward was one of the six children of Israel and Sarah (Cook) Ward, the former of whom was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, who followed his father from New Jersey to Ohio, locating in October, 1811, in the Madisonville neighborhood, where the rest of his life was spent. Israel Ward was one of the seven sons of Joseph Ward, who was born in New Jersey in the year 1734, his other sons being Jeremiah, Amos, Usual, Stephen, Isaac and Aaron. Joseph Ward and his three eldest sons, Jeremiah, Amos and Israel, were soldiers in the patriot army during the Revolutionary War, the three sons living to draw pensions from the government for such service, these pensions being granted about the year 1832. Israel Ward went into the service at the age of sixteen and he brought with him, upon coming to Ohio, the musket he carried during the war. This ancient musket stood in his room, with bayonet fixed for hand-to-hand charge, until his death, in June, 1846. In the year 1797 Joseph Ward emigrated from New Jersey to Ohio and entered from the government a section of land nine miles from Cincinnati, in Hamilton county, where the town of Madisonville now is situated. He built a log house in the wilderness and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1828, he then being ninety-four years of age. Joseph Ward's wife was killed by the Indians and he married, secondly, a woman of the name of Muchmore, continuing to live in the pioneer cabin until his death. Joseph Ward's sons all followed him, one by one, from New Jersey to Ohio, all settling on, the same section of land, Israel being the last to come. Morris Ward, son of Israel and Sarah (Cook) Ward, was about twenty-one years of age when he accompanied his parents, from New Jersey to Ohio in the fall of 1811. On February 10, 1814, he married Mary Bramble, whose ,father, Elan Bramble, had brought his family from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the fall of 1801, floating down the Ohio river in a small flatboat. Elon Bramble and his wife were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, Laban, Major, Ayres, Fannie, Lavina and Mary, the last named Of whom was the great-grandmother of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Botts. To Morris and Mary (Bramble) Ward were born -eleven children, namely: Abigail, who married Martin Varner and died without issue; Elizabeth, who married Solomon Way-bright, and had two children, Benjamin A. and Henrietta W. Marietta, who married William Ereheart, and had one daughter, Eveline; Elm B., father of Mrs. Botts; Benjamin C, who married Sarah Holt, upon whose death, four years later, he married,, secondly, Matilda Chew, to which latter union two children were born, Morris and Frank; Ayres B., who married. Elizabeth Pearson, upon whose death he married, secondly, Margaret Rutlege, to neither of which unions was there issue; Harriet C., who married David Stites, and had four children, Mary, Priscilla, Phoebe and George; Frances, who married John Giffin; Danforth B., who remained unmarried, and Isaac and Edgar, who died in infancy. Elon B. Ward was united in marriage on November 26, 1845, to Anne Marie Vanmiddlesworth, to which union were born six children, Marietta, Sarah Ellen, Catherine W., Jane V., Alfred B. and Elon B. The mother of these children died on January 24, 1864, and Elon B. Ward married, secondly, Sarah M. Vanmiddlesworth, sister of his first wife, to which latter union two children were born, Jefferson and Anne Maria, the former of whom died at the age of six months. Of the above named children, Marietta married Watkins J. Farren, Sarah Ellen married George King, Catherine W. married Elisha T. Custis, Jane V. married James Williams, Alfred B. married Ida May Hoskins, Elon B. married Mani Shaffer and Anne Maria married Charles Botts. 412 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. and Mrs. Botts are members of the Baptist church, to which all their children also are attached, and all take a warm interest in the affairs of the church, as well as in all good works in their neighborhood, this family being regarded as one of the leaders in affairs generally in their community. Mr. Botts has taken much interest in public affairs and is keenly concerned in all measures looking to the advancement of the common welfare. For nearly twenty years he served his township in the capacity of supervisor of highways and made an excellent reputation in that direction. He is held in high repute in his community and enjoys the confidence of all. BENJAMIN DUNHAM ASHCRAFT NOSCAR. The founder of the Noscar family in America spelled his name Noftzgar, but this presently was stripped of some of its superfluous letters, for the sake of convenience, and later generations of the family have been quite well contented with the more simpli fled form of the spelling noted in the caption of this brief biographical sketch. The first of the name to come to America was John Noftzgar, who came from Germany, locating in Maryland, where for some time he was connected with the military service. He later married and he and his wife emigrated to Ohio, coming down the Ohio river on a flatboat. They brought with them a favorite cat. Some time after their arrival at their new home, in the Madisonville section of Hamilton county, where they located, they missed the cat. Much to their astonishment, they later learned that the cat, following that marvelous sense of direction for which cats are so particularly noted, had returned to its old home in Maryland. The Noftzgars settled in Hamilton county, at about the point where the Longworth property, in Cincinnati, now is situated, and there they reared their family and spent the rest of their lives. William Noftzgar, son of John and Jane Noftzgar, was reared on the pioneer farm. in the Cincinnati neighborhood and married Elizabeth Ashcraft, daughter of Dunham Ashcraft and wife, natives of the north of Ireland, of Scottish descent, who emigrated to America and also settled in the Madisonville neighborhood near Cincinnati, where the rest of their lives were spent. Dunham Ashcraft was a shoemaker and became one of the best-known and most popular residents of that section in his day. For some years before his death, John Noftzgar gave much time trying to make a machine that would work by "perpetual motion." Upon reaching manhood, William Noftzgar, or Noscar, as he later became known, became a fireman on the railroad out of Cincinnati, and for some years was engaged in the railway service. He then became head sawyer in Crane's mills, a position he also held for years, after which he went to Missouri, where he was engaged for some time in operating a saw-mill. He then returned to Cincinnati and upon the breaking out of the Civil War enlisted for the ninety-day service, at the end of which he moved to Pleasantplain (now Winsor), in Warren county, this state, where for some years he operated a saw-mill. To William and Elizabeth (Ashcraft) Noscar were born two children. Upon the death of the mother of these children, William Noscar married, secondly, Sybil Ann Loose, member of a pioneer family of the Pleasantplain neighborhood, to which union three children were born. Mrs. Noscar's grandfather, Alfred Scudder, was the owner of five hundred acres of land in that vicinity and he leased to his granddaughter's husband fifty acres, which Mr. Noscar later bought, at the same time adding thereto twelve acres, and on this farm he spent the remainder `of his days. His widow is still living. Benjamin Dunham Ashcraft Noscar, son of William and Elizabeth (Ashcraft) Noscar, was born in Hamilton county, this state, in the year 1855. His parents moved to Warren county during his youth and he was reared there. He spent three years at Lynchburg, in this county. learning the shoemaker trade, but never worked at the same. He concluded this apprenticeship when he was about twenty-one years of age CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 413 and immediately began working on farms in the neighborhood of Lynchburg, continuing this form of occupation until his marriage in 1880, in which year he and his wife moved to Cincinnati, where for more than four years he was engaged at work in a coal yard. He then returned to this county and in 1899 bought the farm on which he now lives, in Washington township. This farm of fifty acres is well improved, Mr. Noscar having made all the improvements on the same with the exception of the frame of the barn. In 1880 Benjamin Noscar was united in marriage to Mary Winston, who was born at Loveland, in Hamilton county, this state, a daughter of George and Mary (Sears) Winston, both of English descent. George Winston came to America as a young man and lived to be ninety-four years old. To this union three children have been born, Leuelda, Mary Elizabeth and Howard William. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Noscar spent one year in Warren county, five years in Clinton county, then moved to Selma, Clark county, for one year, then to Cincinnati for about five years, then moved to Clinton county, where they are now. situated. Mr. and Mrs. Noscar are members of the Methodist church, to the affairs of which they are devoted, and their children have been reared in this faith. Mr. Noscar is held in high repute in his neighborhood and has served his district in the capacity of school director and his township in the capacity of supervisor, in both of which positions of trust and responsibility he acquitted himself in such manner as to win the commendations of his neighborhood. LINDLEY MURRAY MOON. After an honorable, faithful and efficient service of twenty-eight years as a member of the able teaching corps of the Clinton county public schools, Lindley Murray Moon retired from that form of service and engaged in farming, since 1905 having devoted his attention to agriculture in Washington township, where he has a well-kept farm of more than two hundred acres, upon which he is living in comfort, enjoying the confidence and respect of the whole countryside. The same diligent attention to the duties in hand which made Mr. Moon's service as a teacher so successful has been given to the operation of his farm and during the ten years he has followed this vocation he has prospered, being now numbered among the substantial residents of that section of the county. He has been honored by his neighbors and is now serving his second term as township trustee, having been for three years president of the township school board. Lindley Murray Moon was born on a farm east of Martinsville, in Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, on March 21, 1857, son of Pleasant and Huldah (Pike) Moon, the former of whom was born in this county on May 20, 1819, and the latter of whom was born in Highland county, this state, on June 16, 1817, daughter of William and Lucy (Butler) Pike, pioneers of that county. Pleasant Moon was born in Clark township, this county, son of Joseph and Rachel (Hockett) Moon, members of the celebrated Moon colony that came from Sevier county, Tennessee, and settled in Clark township in the year 1809, the year before Clinton county was organized as a civic unit. Pleasant Moon was reared in the forest wilderness surrounding his boyhood home, receiving such education as was provided in the "backwoods" school of that neighborhood. Upon reaching manhood's estate he married and moved to Washington township and for twenty-six years lived on a rented farm west of where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives. Following the death of his wife, in 1863, Mr. Moon returned to Clark township, taking a farm near Lynchburg, where he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1885. To Pleasant and Huldah (Pike) Moon were born sixteen children, twelve sons and four daughters, namely : Lucy, Parker, Rachel, Sarah E., Mary A., Samuel, James A., 414 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Lindley M., Daniel, Carey, Joseph P., William, Harvey, Stephen R., Elwood and Manary (or Manara). The mother of these children died on May 25, 1863, and in April, 1868, Pleasant Moon married, secondly, Mrs. Susan Boyd, widow of Samuel Boyd and daughter of John and Jane Terrell, who was the mother of five children by her former husband, Jane M., Sylvester W., John T., James and Suzana. Lindley M. Moon was reared on the home farm in Washington township and attended the district schools of that township until he was nineteen years of age, at which time he entered the training school for teachers at Martinsville and equipped himself for teaching, engaging in this profession the following winter, the pay for his first term's service being at the rate of thirty-five dollars the month. The next winter he was engaged as teacher at the Brown school, near his home, at a somewhat better wage and continued as teacher in that school for four years, working for his father for his board. He then was engaged as a teacher at Macedonia for two years, at a further advance of wages, and then for five years served as principal of the graded schools at Cuba, this county. Following this service he was engaged for two years as teacher at Farmers Station. At this period of his career he moved to Wilmington, where he made his home, and for two years was engaged as teacher at Burtonville, after which he went back to the Brown school in Washington township, teaching there for four years, at the end of which time he was engaged to serve as principal of the central school building at Wilmington, a position which he filled for five years, after which he returned to Cuba, where he concluded his service as a teacher three years later, having for twenty-eight years been engaged in instructing the youth of Clinton county, a service of inestimable value. During that time Professor Moon made many enduring friendships, his students, now men and women of affairs in this county, entertaining for him to this day feelings of the most sincere esteem and deepest gratitude. While thus engaged in teaching, Professor Moon was looking ahead to the future and made some judicious investments in land. In 1892 he bought a small farm of sixty-one acres in Washington township, later adding an adjoining small farm of fifty-three acres, this being the tract on which he now lives; to this latter adding another tract sixty-five acres in extent, to which seven acres later were added and still later a tract of seventy acres, all adjoining, which gives Mr. Moon a fine farm, all of which is under an excellent state of cultivation and to which he has given his personal attention since the year 1905. This farm has three dwelling houses on it, and Mr. Moon rents the larger part of his land to responsible tenants, giving his chief attention to the tract on which his home is situated. In connection with his general farming, Mr. Moon is engaged extensively in the dairy business and has derived considerable profit from his fine herd of dairy cows. He also is much interested in poultry raising, giving particular attention to Black Langshans, and has found this department of his agricultural operations quite profitable. On May 22, 1890, Lindley M. Moon was united in marriage to Alice B. Brown (one of his former pupils), who was born in this county, daughter of Isaiah and Elizabeth (Anson) Brown, and to this union two children have been born, Vivian, who died in infancy, and Vira Alice. Mr. and Mrs. Moon have a very pleasant home and entertain their friends witih the most cordial hospitality. They are interested in all measures designed to advance the common welfare of their community and are held in the highest regard by all. They are members of the Christian church and Mr. Moon is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being looked upon as one of the leaders in the lodge to which he is attached. For years he has given close attention to public affairs in his neighborhood and is now serving his second term as a township trustee. He has been a member of the Cuba Special District board since 1907 and has been president of that board since 1912. in both of these official positions having given faithful and valuable service to the public. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 415 HARRY L. CONNER. The Conner family has been represented in Clinton county since 1831, in which year Jacob Conner, born in Maryland in 1801, and his wife, who was Susan White, also a native of Maryland, came to this county and located in Union township, where they became established as among the best-known and most influential residents of that section of the county. Jacob Conner was the son of Patrick and Mary (Lannem) Conner, also natives of Maryland. Patrick Conner was a blacksmith, held a captain's rank in the army of the United States during the War of 1812 and at the close of that war did not return home, the presumption being created that he was numbered with the unknown dead. His widow accompanied her son to this county and spent her last days here. Susan White's father, also a blacksmith, was a soldier during the War of 1812, and he, too, was reported among the missing. His widow spent her, last days in Maryland. Joseph Conner, father of the immediate subject of this sketch, a son of Jacob and Susan (White) Conner, was born in Union township, this county, receiving his education in the district schools of that township. He always has been a farmer and has been quite successful, most of his life having been spent in Washington township, where he now resides. He has given much attention to public affairs and is regarded as one of the most public-spirited men in the township, his services as ditch commissioner and road supervisor for years having given an impetus to highway improvements and drainage in his community that has resulted in vast improvements in this direction. He is now, and for some time past has been, commissioner of drainage in Washington township and his effective administration of the affairs of that office has met with the approval of all concerned, he being generally recognized as a man of large usefulness in the community. Two of Mr. Conner's brothers, Jesse and Charles, performed valiant service in behalf of the nation during the Civil War, as soldiers in an Ohio regiment, and survived that dreadful struggle between the states. Joseph Conner married Eliza Ireland, who was born in Warren county, this state, a member of one of the old families of that county, and to this union two children were born, both sons, Harry L., the immediate subject of this sketch, and Walter S. Mr. and Mrs. Conner are members of the Christian church and their sons were reared in that faith, the family long having been active in the good works of the community, their influence ever having been exerted in behalf of all movements designed to elevate the standards of living thereabout. Harry L. Conner, son of Joseph and Eliza (Ireland) Conner, was born on the home farm, in Washington township. Clinton county, Ohio, and his entire life has been spent in that township. He received his education in the neighboring district school and was reared as a farmer, to which vocation he early gave his serious attention. In 1898 he bought the farm of one hundred and two acres in Washington township, on which he since has made his home, and has prospered, being regarded as one of the most substantial farmers of his neighborhood. Energetic, industrious and enterprising, he has done well those things which his hand found to do, and is now very well circumstanced, approaching middle life with a fair competence, well fortified against the future chances of fortune. On February 3, 1888, Harry L. Conner was united in marriage to Minnie May Stephens, who was born In Union township, this county, daughter of Frank and Sarah Drusilla (Gallaher) Stephens, the former a native of Warren county, this state, and the latter a native of Washington township, this county. Frank Stephens was the son of Obadiah and Susan (Ireland) Stephens, the former of whom was a native of New Jersey and the latter a native of Warren county, this state. Obadiah Stephens came to Ohio when a lad about seventeen years of age, locating in Warren county, becoming a farmer and later operating a distillery in that county. 416 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. About the year 1830 he came over into Clinton county and bought three hundred acres of land in Union township, becoming one of the most substantial farmers in that section of the county, and there spent the remainder of his days. His son, Frank Stephens, married Sarah Drusilla Gallaher, of Washington township, this county, daughter of Harvey and Ann (Williams) Gallaher, the former of whom was the first white child born in Warren county, who later became a resident of Washington township, this county, where both he and his wife spent their last days. One of their sons, James Gallaher, served the Union as a soldier in one of the Ohio regiments during the dark days of the Civil War and survived that great conflict. To Harry L. and Minnie May (Stephens) Conner thirteen children have been born, namely : Armeda Emaline, Eva Eliza, Edwin Leslie, Leo Ray (deceased), Otto Neal, Bessie Lillian, Stacey M. (deceased), James Espy (deceased), Susan (deceased), Ruth (deceased), Harold Joseph, Herbert Franklin and Ruby Rotensis. Mr. and Mrs. Conner are members of the Universalist church and their children have been reared in that faith. They ever have taken an active interest in the general welfare of the community in which they reside and are held in the highest regard throughout that whole section of the county. FRANK L. GALLUP. Adapting a sentiment once expressed concerning the writing of history, it is appropriate to quote: "Writing history is like making a bouquet in a garden of rare and beautiful flowers—there is such an array of material, so much to choose from, so little that can be chosen, and so much to be left untouched." The same might be said of the biography of a self-made man, such as the subject of this sketch, for in such a life, it is possible only to portray the external events and final results, though their influence may go down to posterity. There is something in the American heart which makes it respond to the word "self-made," as a soldier responds to a drumbeat. When that term is applied to one of our acquaintance, our respect immediately mounts higher, but the hardships encountered on the journey to success fortunately remain in the memory only of the man himself. One of the best-known and most influential merchants is Frank L. Gallup, dealer in carpets and wall paper, who was born in Wilmington on January 27, 1872, the son of Horace and Frances (Crary) Gallup, both natives of Connecticut. Whatever of success Frank L. Gallup has attained, has been largely through his own efforts, for the father was a man of moderate means, and in those days a college education was indeed a luxury. But the father left his son something far more priceless than means, and that was an honest name. Horace Gallup came to Wilmington in the pioneer days of 1848, his journey from the East apparently being made in the desire to find full scope for his adventurous nature. Together with his parents and their family, he started a sash and blind factory with his brothers, Alpha and Henry, which they operated successfully, for many years. He was a man of high standing in the community, and was a Mason. His widow, who still survives him, is living in Wilmington. Mr. Gallup was twice married, his first wife being Emily Clevenger by whom he had two daughters, Nettie, the wife of A. E. Caudel, deceased, and whose home was in Westerville, Ohio, and Emma, now Mrs. Charles Hadley of Wilmington. The children of the second marriage were three in number, of which the subject of this sketch is the eldest. Anna, the eldest daughter, is the wife of H. T. Cartwright, a prominent attorney of Wilmington; Mary, the youngest, is Mrs. P. F. Dixon of Chilicothe, Ohio, her husband being a dentist in that city. As before stated, the boyhood home of Frank Gallup was at Wilmington, in its schools of which he was educated, this including a course in the Wilmington college. As it was necessary for him early to assume the responsibilities of life, be first sought and obtained CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 417 employment from H. G. Cartwright, taking charge of the carpet department of his carpet and dry-goods establishment. Some time after this, Mr. Gallup was employed by Cook & Linton until the death of the former, at which time, Mr. Gallup, who had now become a valuable salesman, took over the carpet department of this business. He first started in business on May 14, 1898, and has grown from a modest beginning to be the largest merchant in his line in the county. That Mr. Gallup is a good business man by nature as well as by training may be perceived by the fact that starting with a small stock and store, he now has a stock four times as large as that of any other town of the size of Wilmington in the state. The store has a floor space of ten thousand five hundred square feet, and the stock and fixtures occupy two floors and the basement. Mr. Gallup carries a large line of carpets, draperies, wall paper, china, vacuum cleaners, and gives especial attention to the work of home decorating. On January 21, 1900, Mr. Gallup and Maude Anderson of Leesburg, Ohio, were married, the bride being a daughter of Thomas J. and Jennie (Chew) Anderson. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gallup are Helen, Mildred and Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Gallup's church affiliation has been with the Presbyterians of which denomination, the former is now a trustee. Both he and his wife have been valuable members of the church, active and zealous in all of its work, and sincere in their desire to make their lives count for good. Mr. Gallup is a loyal and energetic member of various organizations. Besides taking his place among the merchants of the city, Mr. Gallup is a prominent Mason, being up to the commandery; is a member of the Elks lodge; the Knights of Pythias, and is a Republican. One of the honors which has come to Mr. Gallup recently is an office connected with the Commercial Club. Since he has become its treasurer, the financial affairs of this important business organization have been well looked after. In "boosting" its interests, he has also "boosted" the business conditions in Wilmington. He is a "live wire," and is popular both as a business man and in the social and religious circles in which he and Mrs. Gallup move. In closing this sketch, it is fitting to note that high moral standards have always actuated Frank L. Gallup, both in his public, business and private life. With honesty and integrity as the key-note to his career, it is not surprising that he has built up a large business, his geniality and kindliness being no small factor in his success. OTTO GRADY BROWN, Dating from the very beginning of the social order hereabout, the Brown family has been prominently and influentially identified with the best interests of Clinton county, particularly in the Washington township neighborhood. James Brown was one of the very earliest settlers of that section, having come here from Kentucky upon the opening of the Carrington survey and establishing himself as one of the most forceful and energetic pioneers of this region. His son, David Brown, inherited many of the same forceful characteristics and in his generation was regarded as one of the most influential factors in the community life of that part of the county in which his life was spent, he having remained on the paternal acres which were wrested from the forest wilderness by his pioneer father. David Brown's son, William Riley Brown, in his generation, brought to his labors a similar degree of energy and was accounted a man of substance and quality. He was public spirited and enterprising and for eighteen years served his township as trustee, being the incumbent of that office at the time of his death. William Riley Brown's son, Otto Grady Brown, in the fourth generation of this (27) 418 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. forceful family in this county, is carrying on, in his own life, the work bequeathed to him by three generations of energetic forbears and has done equally well, bringing to bear the same talents and energy which placed his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather in the forefront of the earnest citizenship of their respective fields, and is now serving the township as trustee, following his father's faithful example of devotion to the common welfare of the people of his home township. Otto Grady Brown has the first tax receipts issued to his grandfather, David Brown. for the sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents, this being the taxes on fifty acres of land and his personal property. Mr. Brown also has the first tax receipts of his father on his land. Otto Grady Brown was born on a farm near Farmers Station, in Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, on July 22, 1872, son of William Riley and Martha Ann (McKibben) Brown, the latter of whom was a sister of W. J. McKibben, to the biographical sketch of whom, presented elsewhere in this volume, the reader is respectfully referred for details regarding this interesting family in Clinton county. William Riley Brown was the son of David and Rebecca (Lieurance) Brown, the former of whom was born in Washington township, this county, and the latter of whom was born in Ash county, North Carolina, a daughter of George and Mary (Baker) Lieurance, she having come to this county on horseback, with her uncle, at the age of twelve years, locating in the neighborhood of Brown's school in Washington township. Rebecca Lieurance was one of the nineteen children born to her parents, none of whom she ever saw again after coming to this county. David Brown was a son of James and Mary Elizabeth (Baker) Brown, the former of whom was a native of Kentucky and the latter of whom was one of the very earliest settlers in what is now Clinton county, having come here with her parents shortly after the opening of this settlement and locating in the vicinity of Morrisville. When James Brown came to this section from Kentucky, he crossed the Ohio river at Cincinnati (then called Ft. Washington), where he was offered the pick of land at the rate of one dollar the acre. He passed this flattering offer by, however, and came on north, buying six hundred acres of timber land in the Carrington survey, much of which still is hi the possession of the Brown family, Otto G. Brown's farm being a part of this original tract. James Brown erected a log cabin, of the most primitive type, on this purchase and proceeded to clear his land of the dense forest which covered it. He married Mary Elizabeth Baker, daughter of one of the hardy pioneer couples who had settled near by, and presently supplanted his cabin by a residence of more pretentious appearance, this later to give way to the fine brick house in which his last days were spent, this old brick mansion still standing and in use, being now occupied by the family of William Baker. At the time of :Tames Brown's settlement in this county the wolves still were plentiful hereabout and at times he found difficulty in guarding his homely cabin from the nocturnal incursions of these voracious maurading "varmints." He had to go to Miami mills to have his grain ground, a tiresome trip requiring three days, during which time his wife and little children were compelled to remain alone. It was amid these conditions of pioneer life that David Brown was reared. A log school house was early erected on the Brown place, near the spot where Otto G. Brown now lives, and there David Brown received his education under the primitive system that then prevailed. Upon reaching his majority he received from his father fifty acres of timber land, which he cleared and brought to a state of cultivation. Upon his, marriage to Rebecca Lieurance he erected a humble home in the forest and there he reared his family. By energy and industry he prospered and presently became known as one of the solid and substantial men of the county, his land holdings increasing until he owned three hundred acres of choice land. He and the members of his family were adherents of the Baptist faith and earnest workers in the church of that denomination. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 419 During the Civil War David Brown served as a member of the home guards, or "squirrel hunters," as they locally were known throughout this part of the state. For some time he served as township assessor and took an active part in all public affairs. William Riley Brown, son of David and Rebecca (Lieurance) Brown received his education in the Brown district school and upon reaching manhood's estate entered upon the life of a farmer, buying one hundred and sixty acres of the old home farm, and there he spent the remainder of his life. At the age of sixteen William R. Brown began to engage in the business of shipping stock, and followed this business with much success all his life, being one of the best-known stock dealers in that part of the county. He married Martha Ann McKibben, member of one of the old families in this county, and later erected the fine home in which his son, Otto, now lives. He and his wife were members of Bethel Christian church, of which he was one of the "main stays," and their children were reared in that faith. William R. Brown was a Democrat and ever took a prominent part in the political affairs of the county, his sound judgment and thorough acquaintance with local conditions giving much weight to his counsels in the deliberations of the party managers. For eighteen years he served his township faithfully in the important office of township trustee and was the incumbent of that office at the time of his death. William R. Brown and wife were the parents of four children, Otto, the immediate subject of this biographical sketch, Oceus, Ohm and Maude. Otto G. Brown was reared on the paternal farm, receiving his education in the Brown school, and, with the exception of nine years, has spent his whole life on this place, having been located on the old home farm ever since he started farming for himself He operates one hundred and twenty acres of the original tract purchased by his great-grandfather, James Brown, and has prospered, being accounted quite well circumstanced in world's goods. Mr. Brown has given close attention to political affairs and is prominently identified with the civic life of the county. Six years ago he was elected township trustee, on the Democratic ticket, and is still serving the people of his township in that important capacity, his efforts in behalf of the public welfare having been indorsed by successive re-elections. On October 11, 1891, Otto G. Brown was united in marriage to Mary Pond, of Washington township, this county, a daughter of Riley and Jemimah (Lieurance) Pond, to which union two children were born, Reba and Riley. Mr. Brown married, secondly, on March 5, 1913, Vesta. Bond, of Greene township, this county, a daughter of Thomas and Katie (Smingley) Bond, descendants of early settlers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Brown take an active part in the social affairs of their neighborhood and are held in the highest regard throughout that part of the county. Mr. Brown is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and of the Order of Eagles and is very popular with the members of both of these orders. C. M. NOFTSGER. One of the most- highly-treasured relics of a day long gone that is possessed in Clinton county is a Bible four hundred and sixty years old. This truly venerable volume of Holy Writ was brought to America by John Noftsger, grandfather of the gentleman whose name the reader notes above, when he came to this country from Germany back in the early days of the last century. John Noftsger for some time after his arrival in this country was located in Ma ryland, where he married. He then emigrated to Ohio, locating in Hamilton county, and later moved to Clinton county, where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Grandfather Noftsger was a great Bible student, being widely noted for the careful manner in which he searched the scriptures and the old Bible which he brought with him from Germany, and which, even then, was a prized heirloom in the Noftsger family, is now owned by his grandson, C. M. Noftsger, the immediate subject of this sketch. As noted above, this venerable volume is four hundred 420 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. and sixty years old and has been examined by many persons in the neighborhood of the Noftsger home. Namond Noftsger, son of John and Mary Jane Noftsger, was born in Hamilton county, near the town of Madisonville, and was reared as a farmer. Upon reaching manhood's estate he moved to Butler county, this state, where he married Mary Jane Gerard, daughter of John and Martha Gerard, members of old families in that part of the state, and later came to Clinton county, where, in 1855, he bought the farm in Washington township, where his son, the subject of this sketch, now lives. This farm of eighty acres was brought to an excellent state of cultivation and Namond Noftsger made on it a good living, rearing his family of ten children in comfort. During the Civil War Namond Noftsger enlisted in the Union army in response to the call for ninety-day men and performed good service. He and his wife were devoted members of the Seventh Day Adventists church and their children were reared in that faith. C. M. Noftsger, one of the ten children of Namond and Mary Jane (Gerard) Noftsger, was born in Butler county, Ohio, on December 24, 1853, and consequently was but two years of age when his parents moved to this county, practically all of his life, therefore, having been spent on the farm on which he is now living. With the exception of two years he spent in the medicine business at Lancaster, Ohio, C. M. Noftsger has been a farmer all his life. In his early manhood he spent three years engaged in farming in Illinois. He owns thirty-one acres of the old home place, the buildings of which he has remodeled, and is living there very comfortably. On February 28, 1878, C. M. Noftsger was united in marriage to Mary Eliza Bloom, who was born in this county on August 10, 1858, daughter of William and Miranda (Roberts) Bloom. To this union four children have been born, namely: Maude married William Chambers, living in Washington township; Garri is a painter at Burton-vine, Ohio ; Harley and Marion. Harley is in Orofino, Idaho, in business with his father-in-law in a department store. Marion is in Moscow, Idaho, manager second floor of the largest department store in the state of Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Noftsger are members of the Seventh Day Adventists church and are warmly concerned in the affairs of that church, being among the leaders in the local congregation, in which both are held in the very highest esteem. SIMEON G. SMITH For one hundred years the family of Ephraim Smith, an English sailor who settled on American shores and became the founder of an extensive family, has been represented in Clinton county, the first of that line of Smiths to come here having been another Ephraim, who came from New Jersey in the year 1816 and located on a farm in Vernon township, on which he conducted a roadside tavern which was famed far and wide in that day for the hospitable character of the entertainment it afforded for the weary traveler. This pioneer tavern was situated on the main east and west highway through this section at that time, over which there was a constant stream of travel, and Ephraim Smith's reputation as a boniface extended far beyond the mere confines of this county. Ephraim Smith was twice married, and had a large family of children, the numerous descendants of whom, in this generation, are widely scattered throughout this section of Ohio and many of whom have wandered into other states. Of this numerous family probably the best-known member in Clinton county is the gentleman whose name forms the caption for this interesting biographical review, Simeon G. Smith, a well-known lawyer of Wilmington, who for years has been recognized as one of the leaders of the bar of the Clinton circuit court. Simeon G. Smith was born on a farm situated on the line separating Washington and Clark townships, in Clinton county, Ohio, on August 13, 1846, son of Amos and Hester A. (Morris) Smith, the former of whom was born on the old Smith homestead CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 421 in this county, in April; 1824, and died in April, 1879, and the latter of whom was born at Huntsville, Alabama, in 1822 and died in 1898. The family of Smiths from which Simeon G. Smith is descended had its origin in this country early in the second quarter of the eighteenth century, when Ephraim Smith, an English sailor, weary of sailing the seven seas, located in Long Island, later moving with his family to New Jersey, where he spent the remainder of his days. Ephraim Smith was born in England in 1691 and died on March 27, 1750, at the age of fifty-nine years, three months and two days. He and his wife, Hannah, the latter of whom died on February 5, 1736, were the parents of four children, namely : Ephraim, born on December 15, 1727; Simeon, great-grandfather of the immediate subject of this sketch, born on Friday, January 16, 1730, and died on November 27, 1807; Hannah, born on January 4, 1732, and Daniel, born on June 21, 1734, and died on September 27, 1749. Simeon Smith, after whom the subject of this sketch was named, was reared to the blacksmith trade and became a man of substance in his home community in New Jersey. On Thursday, June 9, 1768, he was united in marriage to Catherine Servis, daughter of Uri and Elizabeth Servis, and to this union six children were born, as follow : Elizabeth, born on August 29, 1771; Sarah, November 7, 1773; Anna, December 6, 1775; Ephraim, grandfather of Simeon G., born on April 7, 1778, died on October 14, 1838; Cornelius, October 12, 1780, died on January 15, 1859, and Rebekah, October 13, 1783, died on January 7, 1866. Ephraim Smith, in the third generation from Ephraim, the English sailor, was the first of the line to locate in Clinton county, as set out above. He was twice married, his first wife, Sarah Higgins, grandmother of Simeon G. Smith, having been a daughter of Matthew Higgins, a soldier in the patriot army from New Jersey during the Revolutionary War. Upon her death he married, secondly, Rebecca Dolby, and by both unions had issue, the children of the first union numbering six, namely : Ephraim, a farmer of the Clarksville neighborhood, now deceased; Jonathan, also a former well-known farmer of this county, now deceased; Amos, father of the subject of this sketch; Mary, who married Benjamin N. Austin; Mrs. Eliza Batson and Mrs. Fordyce. To the second union four children were born, as follow : Mrs. Lois Austin, Mrs. Rebecca Osborne, Samuel (deceased) and George, who is living in Iowa. Amos Smith was reared on the farm in Vernon township and was a farmer practically his whole life. During the period of the Civil War he conducted a general store in the village of Morrisville and then bought a farm in Highland county, this state, on which he spent the remainder of his life. He married Hester A. Morris, member of one of the well-known pioneer families of Highland county and he and his wife early became recognized as among the most influential members of the community in which they resided. Hester A. Morris was the daughter of William and Dephsey (Bales) Morris, the former a Virginian and the latter a native of Alabama. William Morris left Virginia during his early manhood, going to Alabama, where he engaged in farming. There he married Dephsey Bales and about the year 1835 came to Ohio, locating in Highland county, where he became a substantial farmer, spending the rest of his life there, living to the great age of ninety-eight years. His wife died at the age of eighty-three and William Morris married, secondly, at the age of eighty-four. He was a prominent member of the Disciples church and took an active part in the affairs of his community, being an influential factor in both the civic and religious life of the county. Amos Smith and his wife also were members of the Disciples church and were active in all good works thereabout. Amos Smith was an ardent Whig and upon the organization of the Republican party transferred his allegiance to that party, for many years being recognized as one of their leaders in his neighborhood. For years he served his community as a magistrate and the soundness of his judgments in such local disputes as required adjudication in his court, secured to him wide fame as a just judge. 422 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. To Amos and Hester A. (Morris) Smith were born six children, namely : Samantha, now deceased, who married S. J. Brown; Simeon G., the immediate subject of this sketch; Mary E., who died in the year 1868, at the age of seventeen; Hiram P., a substantial farmer, of Hillsboro, this state; Sophronia, wife of Judge Savage, of Wilmington, this county, and Almeda, who also lives in Wilmington. Simeon G. Smith's youth was spent at Morrisville, his elementary education being received in the schools of that pleasant village. He supplemented this instruction by a course in Grear's Commercial College at Dayton, this state, after which he entered the law office of Governor McBurney, at Lebanon, Ohio, as a student. So effectively did he apply himself to the study of law under his excellent preceptor that at the end of two years, in 1874, he was admitted to the bar at Lebanon. After thus qualifying for the practice of law, Mr. Smith returned to his native county, locating at Wilmington, where he since has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profession. Upon locating in Wilmington, Mr. Smith formed a partnership with the Hon. John S. Savage, former congressman from this district, a mutually satisfactory' arrangement which continued until the death of the latter in 1884. Mr. Smith then formed a partnership with W. W. Savage, and this connection continued until the latter's elevation to the bench of the Clinton circuit court in 1900, whereupon Mr. Smith entered into a partnership with F. M. Clevenger, a happy combination of talents, which still exists, to the mutual satisfaction of both. Mr. Smith's success as a lawyer was assured from the very start and he rapidly rose to a commanding position at the bar of the Clinton circuit court, quickly achieving a reputation for prudent and sagacious practice which extended far throughout this section of the state. Few legal firms in this part of Ohio are better established than that of Smith & Clevenger, that firm's clientele including many important connections hereabout. On August 27, 1879, Simeon G. Smith was united in marriage to Althea B. Moore, who was born in Missouri, near the city of Cairo, Illinois. She was a daughter of William and Sarah Moore, both of whom now are deceased, and to this union six children have been born, as follows: Wella M., who is a teacher of domestic sceince in the public schools of Covington, Kentucky ; Allan, who was graduated from Wilmington College and the law school of Columbia University and is now engaged in the practice of law at Cincinnati; Anna, a teacher in the Wilmington schools; Jessie, also a teacher in the Wilmington schools; Helen, who also occupies a position as teacher in the Wilmington schools, and Kathryn, a student in the Arnold School of Physical Culture, at New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Disciples church and their children were reared in the faith of that communion. Mr. Smith is a Republican and takes a keen interest in the political affairs of his home county, being deeply concerned in all matters having to do with the betterment of conditions in the community to which, for years, he has given devoted efforts. He has served the public acceptably in the capacity of city councilman at Wilmington and as a member of the city school board, to both of which important trusts he gave his most intelligent attention. He also is alertly attentive to the rapidly-growing business interests of his home city, ever being found among the leaders in movements designed to promote the city's advancement, and, as a director and vice-president of the First National Bank of Wilmington, and formerly a director of the Clinton County National Bank, occupies a prominent position in the financial circles of this region. Mr. Smith is a prominent member of the Masonic order at Wilmington, having attained to the commandery, and is a past master and a past high priest in the order. He has prospered in the matter of the world's goods, and owns a handsome home on Lincoln avenue, Wilmington, which he built in 1909, and which is the scene of much cordial hospitality, he and his family being regarded as among the leaders in the social CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 423 affairs of the city. Genial, affable, a thorough lawyer and a gentleman, Mr. Smith is exceedingly popular, not only among his associates at the bar, but among all classes in this county. WALTER H. HOSKINS. Approximately one hundred million people come under the influence of the American educational system, and millions are yet to come under the influence of this system. A few realize their maximum potentialities as citizens of the republic, as workers in the home, in the fields and in the marts of trade. An almost unbelievable majority of the people never rise above the plane of superficial thinking and lackadaisical effort. Far too many fail to attain a higher state of culture because they are unwilling to take modest beginnings. A few men have profited in a large degree by our educational system, and Walter H. Hoskins, a splendid young farmer of Union township, Clinton county, Ohio, owes his success in a large measure, no doubt, to the careful and scientific training he received in the public schools of Clinton county and.at Wilmington College. Walter H. Hoskins was born on his father's farm on the Port William pike in the Dover neighborhood of Union township, November 28, 1882, a son of Rev. Josephus and Emily (Gallimore) Hoskins. Rev. Josephus Hoskins who is a native of Green township, in this county, was born three miles north of New Vienna on April 26, 1841. He is a son of Isaac and Rachel Hoskins, the former of whom was born in 1811, in Guilford county, North Carolina, and died in March, 1897, and the latter of whom was born in 1809, in Guilford county, North Carolina, and died in May, 1854. The parents of Isaac Hoskins, John and Hannah (Hockett) Hoskins, were natives of North Carolina, of Welsh descent. The first members of the Hoskins family to settle in America came about 1750. There were three brothers, one of whom settled in Philadelphia and two in North Carolina. During the War of the Revolution the brothers who located in North Carolina operated a blacksmith shop. All were members of the Quaker church. John Hoskins was the eldest son of Moses Hoskins, he was reared in North Carolina, and was married there. The Hoskins family came to Clinton county, Ohio, in 1813, and settled in Green township in the Fairview neighborhood of Friends. Walter H. Hoskins attended the Dover district school near his home and later became a student at Wilmington College. He worked with his father on the farm until his marriage, and then rented a farm for a few years, and in 1907, purchased seventy-four acres of the old General Denver farm in the Dover neighborhood of Union township. At the time he purchased the land, it was nearly all covered with timber and there were no fences. Mr. Hoskins has built a new house and barn, and has since erected a garage. He cleared the land of its timber and erected fences and improved the place generally. Here he carries on general farming and makes a specialty of raising early lambs, which are dressed and shipped to New York for "baby mutton," and for which fancy prices are received. He also feeds a large number of hogs, being very successful in his live stock business. He has been the local agent for the Regal Automobile Company for some time and has sold a large number of these machines. Mr. Hoskins is considered a very successful young farmer, and has a beautiful farm with neat and attractive grounds. On September 7, 1904, Walter H. Hoskins was married ,to Florence Peelle, a native of Wilson township, Clinton county, Ohio, a daughter of Elias and Armetha (Creamer) Peelle. and to this union one child has been born, Robert, who was born on February 11, 1909. Mrs. Hoskins' father, Elias Hicks Peelle, was born April 5, 1843, in Wilson township, Clinton county, Ohio, and is a son of Reuben and Emily (Corcoran) Peelle, the former of whom was born in Wilson township, and who gave each of his four sons one 424 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. hundred acres of land, and each of his daughters an equal value in money. The family were all members of the Friends church. Elias Hicks Peelle married Armetha Creamer, who was born in 1847, in Fayette county, Ohio, and who died in 1909. She was a daughter of Simon and Anna (Johnson) Creamer, the former a native of Fayette county, Ohio. where he was a prominent farmer and an influential member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Hoskins' father is a retired farmer, and for two years has been a resident of Whittier, California. He formerly lived near the corner of Fayette, Clinton and Green counties, Ohio, where he had a farm of one hundred and eighty-five acres of land. He is a member of the Friends church and retired from active farm life in 1904, removing at that time to Wilmington, and in 1913 to California. Mrs. Hoskins, who was the fourth child born to her parents, is one of five children, the others being: Dr. F. A. Peelle, of Wilmington; Delaware C., a farmer living in Union township; May, who is a trained nurse living with her father ; and Pearl T., who is the wife of Burritt Hiatt, of Wilmington. Mr. Hoskins has a birthright membership in the Dover meeting of the Friends church. He is a Republican and is well known and popular in Clinton county. SULLIVAN D. CHANCELLOR. It may prove a bit of interesting information to the many friends of Sullivan D. Chancellor, proprietor of the well-known Chancellor saw-mill at Wilmington, this county, to learn from the following biographical sketch of that popular manufacturer, that he is a lineal descendant of William the Conqueror's first chancellor. Though Mr. Chancellor is not much given to vaunting his descent, his family having been so long established in this country as to lose that high measure of consideration for distinguished ancestry which marks social relations in Europe, the fact of this distinguished descent is so interesting from a genealogical point of view that the biographer is taking the liberty to make reference to the same here, regarding it as a very proper point to be brought out in a historical and biographical work of this character. The founder of the well-known Chancellor family was M. Gaultier, a distinguished French law officer of the crown, who accompanied William of Normandy on the Conqueror's historic invasion of England in the year 1066. Chancellor Gaultier was wont to affix his name to crown documents as "M. Gaultier le Chancelleur." indicative of his official position. His descendants gradually dropped the "Gaultier," writing the name "Le Chancelleur." Time gradually made further changes, until in the fourteenth century we find the "le" dropped and the French form of spelling changed to the Anglo-Saxon "Chancellor," which form since has been retained by the family. The founder of the family in this country was Richard Chancellor, who married Catherine FitzGerald, an Irish girl, and came to America in 1682, the descendants of this pair now being found in practically every state in the Union and in many cases have been persons 'of power and influence in their respective communities. Sullivan D. Chancellor was born on a farm in Chester township, Clinton county, Ohio, on September 16, 1855, the son of William and Abigail J. (Colvin) Chancellor, the former of whom was born in Virginia in the year 1825 and the latter of whom was born in Warren county, this state, in the year 1827. William Chancellor was the son of Hyrocelus and Rebecca (Rowe) Chancellor, both natives of Virginia, who, in 1843, emigrated from Virginia to Ohio, locating in this county, where for about twelve years Hyrocelus Chancellor taught school, engaging in farming during the periods of the summer vacations. In the winter of 1855-56 the Chancellor family moved from this county to Oxford, Indiana, where Hyrocelus Chancellor and his wife spent the remainder of their days. William Chancellor was eighteen years of age when his parents emigrated from Virginia to this county. He taught school for several years and was married in this county to Abigail J. Colvin, daughter of John and Margaret (Neil) Colvin, the former