(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 425 of whom was a native of Kentucky and the latter a native of Philadelphia. John Colvin was a wagon-maker, who settled in Hamilton county, this state, where he worked at his trade, becoming well-to-do ; among his holdings being a number of lots that are now very valuable, the growth of the city of Cincinnati- having brought that tract within the corporate limits. He became surety on a note of a friend, who defaulted, and in discharging the obligation John Colvin was rendered a bankrupt, being compelled to start all over again. Following this ill stroke of fortune, Mr. Colvin and his family moved to Canbytown, in Warren county, this state, where they remained for a few years, at the end of which time they came to this county, settling in Chester township, buying a' small piece of land on Buck run, on which Mr. Colvin erected a wagon-making shop and continued to follow his trade. He and his family were active in all the good works of the community. William Chancellor and his wife accompanied the parents of the former to their new home in Oxford, Indiana, where he engaged quite successfully in the livestock business. He and his wife were the parents of but two children, sons, Sullivan D., the subject of this sketch, and Leonidas M.; the latter died in Wilmington in 1910, having for years been associated with his brother in business. William Chancellor died in January, 1865, in the very zenith of his business career, of what probably was appendicitis, though at that time this malady was known merely as an inflammation of the bowels. His widow returned to this county and married John G. McIntyre, a farmer, spending the rest of her life here, her death occurring in 1889. There was no issue of this second marriage. Sullivan D. Chancellor was but three months old when his parents moved to Indiana, he having been born in September and their move being made in December, and his early years were spent in the town of Oxford, where he received his primary education. He was ten years of age when his father died and his mother returned to this county with her two sons. The next year his mother remarried and he remained with his mother and stepfather until he was eighteen years of age, diligently pursuing his studies in the district school in the neighborhood of his home. When fifteen years of age, he began looking after himself, "working out" on farms by the month. In 1872 he learned the blacksmith trade under J. R. Littler, remaining with the latter for five years, at the end of which time he set up a blacksmith shop for himself at Starbuck town on prairie road, three miles east of Wilmington, where he remained six months and then returned to Chester township and bought out the man from whom he learned his trade. He taught his brother the trade and took him as a partner in the venture. For several years the brothers maintained this shop and then started a saw-mill nearby, operating the two industries in conjunction. They dissolved the partnership, Leonidas retaining the sawmill and Sullivan taking the smithy. Five years later, Sullivan Chancellor closed the smithy and resumed the partnership with his brother in the milling business, continuing to operate the mill in Chester township until 1900, in which year they moved the plant to Wilmington, where it ever since has been in successful operation. Leonidas Chancellor died in 1910 and Sullivan D. purchased the decedent's interest in the mill, remaining since that time sole owner of this important and growing industry. He handles all kinds of native lumber, retail, beside which the mill has a quite extensive trade in all kinds of custom sawing. On January 4, 1882, Sullivan D. Chancellor was united in marriage to Emma S. Dakin, who was born in Warren county, this state, daughter of Hiram Dakin. Both of Mrs. Chancellor's parents are dead, her mother having died when she was an infant. To this union two children have been born, Anna May, who died when sixteen months of age, and Mrk Lena B. Toops, who, with her two children, Benonia and Anna May, makes her home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Chancellor are members of the Methodist church and are earnestly concerned in the good works of the community, taking an active interest in measures 426 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. designed to promote the common welfare. Mr. Chancellor is one of Wilmington's most prominent Masons. He has attained to the royal arch chapter in that order and is president of the board of trustees of the Masonic Temple Association of Wilmington. Few citizens of Wilmington display a more active public spirit than, does Mr. Chancellor, and he is held in the highest regard in, business and industrial circles throughout this section of the state, being regarded very properly as one of the substantial leaders hereabout. JOHN LEININGER. To America, the "melting pot" of all the nations, every country has contributed its quota to make the truly wonderful cosmopolitan character at once the marvel and the puzzle of other nations. Here in the sifting that has come from the struggle with wild stubborn Nature and new obstacles to be met and overcome, and the increasingly accentuated splendid qualities of the mother country. A new character has been developed, retaining the best of the old, added to, and developed by the unequalled conditions of a vast new country. The picturesque little principality of Alsace-Lorraine added its contribution, born of the struggle and emerging into splendid young manhood, in the person of John Leininger, the subject of this sketch. John Leininger was born fifty miles from the noted city of Strasburg, in the quaint little town of Mietesheim, in Alsace-Lorraine, now a part of Germany, on April 17, 1856. He was the son of John Leininger, who was born in the same place. The paternal grandfather of John Leininger was Jacob Leininger, a well-known blacksmith, who plied his trade all of his life in the place of his birth, dying in Alsace-Lorraine. John Leininger, the son of Jacob Leininger, and the father of the subject of this sketch, learned the blacksmith trade .from his father, continuing his labors in Germany in a blacksmith shop of his own. He was a very large sturdy man, a splendid physical type. He belonged to the Lutheran church, following with manly zeal and steadfastness of purpose the early ideals set forth and followed assiduously by the founder of this sect. In his early manhood days, he met, and later, in 1834, married Kate Root, who :vas born and reared in the same town with him John Leininger, responding to the law of change and the love of the wanderlust, emigrated to this country' in 1873. While it is true that in recent years, the emigrant coming to our shores is not the "flower of his native soil," yet in the days when John Leininger left a sure thing for an uncertainty and came to this country, unknown and strange, to cast his lot among new peoples and new conditions, it was a mark of the highest courage and fortitude. His patient and steadfast companion, his wife, had died in 1870. Starting in February with his son, John Leininger, after a stormy voyage lasting almost a month, he arrived in America and traveled to Highland county, Ohio in March, 1873. For a year, he worked on a farm in Highland county, Ohio. At the end of that time, he moved to Clinton county. True to the steady industry and frugality of his race, although a stranger in a strange land, he had saved sufficient money to enable him to send to Germany for his children. Later, he opened up a blacksmith shop in Burtonville, Ohio, in which he worked and prospered until his death. On account of the training of his father and his own early work, he returned to his trade as naturally as the tiller to the soil. The children born to John and Kate Leininger were: John Leininger, the subject of this sketch; Margaret, deceased, who married John Emory; Sarah, who married George Riehl and now resides in Wilmington; Maggie, who married Stanley McKenzie, a farmer of Greene township ; Kate, who married Isaac Mobley and now lives in Burtonville; Jacob, who is a farmer residing in Union township, and ,Michael, who is a farmer residing in Washington township. CLINTON COUNTY; OHIO - 427 As a boy John Leininger, the eldest of this family and the subject of this sketch, attended the government schools of Germany, and into his youthful mind were inculcated many of the finest ideals and traditions of his people; but out of school hours, John Leininger was always to be found in the blacksmith shop of his father, literally growing up in the atmosphere where he was to spend the most of his life. We find him in his early youth attracted to the fiery forge and the fine, physical expression exhibited in the work ; watching the splendid figure of his father achieving results easily discernable at hand. His youthful imagination and alert understanding were stirred deeply by the horrors of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, witnessing part of a battle, in and around his home. The trade of the blacksmith has always been held in good repute among the earliest peoples and even until this day, for it is truly an exacting trade, and a very necessary one. The blacksmith produces through honest sweat before the eyes of his customers and he can truly look the whole world in the face—and proudly. When John Leininger emigrated with his father to this country he entered the blacksmith shop of his father in Burtonville, where he toiled for many years. On September 27, 1887, John Leininger was married to Mary Babb, who was born in Union township, Clinton county. To this happy union were born the following children : Elva, who is living at home; Charles, who married Leona Murphy and is living in Dayton, Ohio; they have one child, Velma C., born on June 25, 1909; and George, who married Edith Summers, and is a farmer living in Washington township. At the time of his marriage, John Leininger became a partner in his father's business. In 1889 his father died and for a time John Leininger ran the shop alone, but later entered into a partnership with his brother, Jacob. Feeling the "call of the soil," in 1886, he turned the shop over to his brother and engaged in farming. He bought a farm consisting of eighty-seven acres of fine land on the New Vienna pike in Union township, and here he settled and still lives, carrying on general farming. Mr. and Mrs. Leininger have so improved this tract of land, clearing it and ditching it, that, today, it is one of the finest farms in Clinton county. In addition, in 1905, they bnilt their present, fine, roomy, country home in keeping with its splendid surroundings. John Leininger, by his honesty and quiet persistency, has won and enjoys the confidence and respect of his neighbors and his many friends. He is a stanch Republican in politics, not seeking office but choosing rather to add the weight of his opinion in a quiet way, influencing his friends by daily deeds well done. His opinion is due to be relied npon, backed by years of well-poised and quiet deliberation. He belongs to that vast array of people who silently but surely mold the opinion and work ont the destinies of this nation. CHARLES E. DWIGGINS. Charles E Dwiggins, a well-known farmer of Union township, Clinton county, Ohio, is descended on his paternal side as well as on his maternal side from the very earliest settlers of Clinton county. The family has long been prominent in this county as members of the Society of Friends. Charles E. Dwiggins was born on December 13, 1856, on the farm where he now lives in Union township, the son of Robert J. and Rebecca B. (Kinsey) Dwiggins, the former of whom was born on February 1, 1832, on the farm where his son, Charles E.. now lives, and who died on October 11, 1895, and the latter of whom was born in Union township, on March 31, 1834, and who died on March 14, 1913. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Dwiggins were Robert and Sarah (Dillon) Dwiggins, the former of whom was a native of North Carolina, born in 1781, and who died in 1839, and the latter of whom was born in 1785, the daughter of Jesse Dillon and who died in 1861. 428 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Daniel Dillon was a cousin to Susannah Haworth, the progenitor of the Haworth family in Clinton county and the brother of Jesse Dillon. He came to Todd's fork in 1804, settling on a hundred acres of land, which he sold to Samuel Stanton. Later he bought three hundred acres from George Haworth and his son James. The land was the Brackney farm on Todd's fork. His son, Jesse, owned the Levi Smith farm and sold it to Smith. His son, Walter, owned the home place of Elijah Haworth; Thomas, the John Peebles' farm; Nathan, who married a Haskins, was justice of the peace in Greene township, and after his removal to Illinois served as justice there; William Dillon bought land in the Haskins neighborhood and lived there in early times; he, too, moved to Illinois; Absalom and Joseph went west ; one of his daughters married Daniel Hodgson; Jane was the first wife of James Fife and the mother of his children; Ann married Michael Bennett. Jesse Dillon, who was Daniel's brother and the father of Sarah (Dillon) Dwiggins, settled on and improved the Denver farm. He bought the whole of the Heath survey on Todd's fork, containing twelve hundred and ninety-two acres. The land was surveyed for him by Nathan Linton, September 28, 1815. His eldest daughter, Achsah, married Hur Holgson; Susanah married Gayer Starbuck; Martha married Dora Fisher, who owned the William Rannell's farm; he sold that and afterwards owned the David Bailey farm and removed to Illinois; Sarah married Robert Dwiggins, Sr.; Hannah married William Wright, who owned a part of the Jacob Jenkins place, which he sold to Joseph Oren, and Oren, in turn, sold it to Isaac Wright, William's brother, both sons of James Wright; Abigail married Isaac Wright; Jonathan Dillon owned the farm known as the Zimri Whinery farm near Gurneyville; there were about two hundred and ninety acres in the farm; Luke obtained the Denver farm and sold it to George D. Haworth; his wife, Charity Wright, was a sister of Isaac Wright; they removed later to Illinois. When a young man the late Robert Dwiggins, Sr., came to Clinton county, Ohio, and settled on a farm of a hundred and two acres in Union township, where his grandson, Charles E., now lives. He belonged to the Christian church, but his wife was a member of the Society of Friends. A Whig in politics, he served several terms as school director. During his life he went to Grant county, Indiana, and purchased a quarter section of land for each of his elder children. The first seven children in the family settled in Grant county and their descendants still live there. Robert Dwiggins' wife's father and mother, Jesse and Hannah Dillon, came from Nantucket Island about 1800 to the Dover neighborhood in Clinton county, or a little earlier than Jesse's brother, Daniel. Jesse and Hannah Dillon purchased the farm from the government and gave it to their children. The Dillon family were members of the Friends church, and had been whalers, or seafaring people before the Revolutionary War, which drove their boats off the seas. Robert and Sarah (Dillon) Dwiggins had ten children, born as follow : Daniel, 1807; Elizabeth, 1809; Susannah, 1810; Lydia, 1812; Hannah, 1814; Sarah, 1817; Isaiah, 1820; Nancy, 1822; Martha, 1825; and Robert J.. the father of Charles E., in 1832. The last three of the children lived and died in Clinton county. Mr. Dwiggins' maternal grandparents were Edmund and Matilda (Ballard) Kinsey, the latter of whom was the daughter of Enoch and Rebecca Ballard, and was born in Clinton county. Edmund Kinsey was the son of Christopher and Mary Kinsey, who were among the earliest settlers in this county. He and his wife lived on a farm in Union township for some time, but later removed to Marshall county, Iowa, where they lived until their death. Robert J. Dwiggins purchased the interest of his brothers and sisters in the home place and lived and died on his father's farm in Union township: He was a Republican In politics and served as school director. He was also a very strong temperance man, and during the later years of his life voted the Prohibition ticket. He was instrumental in the founding of Wilmington College, and was an elder and overseer in the Dover CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 429 meeting of Friends. His wife was also an elder in the church. Robert Dwiggins, Sr., built the brick house in which Charles E. now lives in 1828. There were five children born to Robert J. and Rebecca B. (Kinsey) Dwiggins, of whom Charles E. is the eldest; Sallie M., who married Allen Brackney, was born in 1862 and is now deceased; Emma, 1866, married Joseph McMillan, and they live near Waynesville, Ohio ; Clara Anna, 1868, died in 1871; Mata lives with her brother, Charles E. Charles E. Dwiggins attended the public and subscription schools of Union township, and later Wilmington College. During the time his father was living he remained on the farm and operated it. In 1880, he and A. L. Starbuck purchased a portable sawmill and engaged in custom work for several years. Subsequently, he operated a threshing machine in the neighborhood for twenty years. He and his sister, Mata, operated the home. place. On October 29, 1885, Charles E. Dwiggins was married to Clara E. Hilling, a native of Union township, Clinton county, the daughter of John and Mary (Postlewaite) Hilling, the former of whom died in 1867, and the latter in 1868, when Mrs. Dwiggins was two years old. She grew up with the family of Jesse G. Starbuck. Mr. and Mrs. Dwiggins have had one son, Arthur, who was born on June 11, 1886. He married Anna Carman, and they have two children, Howard C., born on March 24, 1908, and Edith Lucile. September 3, 1910. Mr. Dwiggins has served as road supervisor of Union township ever since the law creating this office was passed. He is a Republican in politics. At present he is one of the overseers of the Dover meeting of Friends. All of the members of the family belong to the Dover meeting. Charles E. Dwiggins is a good citizen and an upright, honorable man in all the relations of life. He is popular in the community where he lives and enjoys the confidence of all his neighbors. ARTHUR D. ANTRAM. No event has occurred in recent years in Union township which cast a deeper gloom over the hearts of the people of this township than the unfortunate accident which resulted in the death of Arthur D. Antram on August 10, 1911. He was a well-to-do and popnlar farmer of Union township and a man who had a host of friends in this section of Clinton county and prominent in the political and civic life. He was devoted to his family and their interests and was admired by all with whom he had come in contact. The late Arthur D. Antram was born on the farm where his widow now lives in Union township, Clinton county, Ohio, March 27, 1855, and died on August 10, 1911, as a result of Injuries sustained when his horses ran away in the woods. He died three hours after the accident. He was a son of John M. and Catherine (Babb) Antram, the former of whom was born in Clinton county, Ohio, one mile west of Wilmington, June 19, 1825, and who is still living at the homes of her son, Frank William, and his daughter, Mrs. Arthur A. Antram, the latter of whom was born on July 21, 1827, on a farm in Union township, where Frank Antram now lives, and died on June 24, 1898. John M. Antram is the son of Hiram and Sarah L. (Whitson) Antram, the former of whom was born on January 29, 1798, in Frederick connty, Virginia, and the latter of whom was born in 1800 in Center county, Pennsylvania, and who died in 1872. In 1817 Hiram Antram came to Union township, Clinton county, Ohio, with his parents, John and Ann (Hackney) Antram, who were among the first families to settle in Clinton county. Sarah L. Whitson came from. Pennsylvania to Madison county, Ohio, in 1816 and to Clinton county in 1817. They were married in Clinton county. John Antram was a farmer and kept a hotel and store at Harveysburg in Warren county for a number of years. Sarah L. Whitson was the daughter of John Whitson, who married a Miss Moore. The Antram family have been members of the Friends church for many generations. 430 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Hiram Antram's family came from Ireland to Virginia in an early day and the family is of Scotch-Irish descent. Hiram Antram owned a farm of two hundred and thirty-six acres one mile west of Wilmington. He and his wife had nine children, of whom five are deceased. The living children are: James W., who is living at Monticello, Missouri, and who is ninety-two years of age; John M., who is living with his son, Frank William, and is ninety years old; Calvin H., who lives in California ; and Priscilla, who married Frank Larzelere. The deceased children are: Emily, who died unmarried; Amanda Louisa, who died in infancy; Joseph, who died in Warren county, Ohio, in 1912; Maria, who married Alfred Haines; and Mary, who died at the age of twenty. The Antram family is noted for its longevity and John M., who is now ninety years old, has spent all of his life with the exception of six years, when he lived in Warren county, in Clinton county. He grew up on his father's farm and in 1861 was married, after which he purchased seventy-seven and three-quarter acres of land and added to it until he owned one hundred and forty acres at what is now known as Antram Corners. He lived there for thirty-seven years, or until 1888, when he retired and moved to Wilmington. Since 1903 he has made his home with his son. He was trustee of Union township for four years and an ardent Repnblican in politics. In 1870 all the members of the Antram family joined the Friends church and John M. Antram was an elder in the church for some time. He was not only a farmer during his active life but was engaged in buying and selling stock. He kept a tavern at Antrams Corners for several years. He had only two children by his marriage in 1851 to Catherine Babb: Arthur D., the subject of this sketch, and Frank William. Catherine Babb was the daughter of Azel and Hannah (Hollingsworth) Babb, the former of whom was the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Walker) Babb. Henry Babb came to Ohio in 1806 from Frederick county, Virginia, and settled about a mile and one-half north of the court house in Wilmington. His wife's father, Mordecai Walker, in 1805, purchased a thousand acres of land from Thomas Posey, the owner of the survey on which Wilmington was laid out, and divided the same into four eqnal parts, giving each of his four children,, two sons and two daughters, one of these parts. Elizabeth Walker received her portion in the northeast corner of the one thousand-acre purchase, including the land on which Mr. Babb had settled. At the first election of (county officers, Henry Babb was elected county commissioner and served two years. He was the father of five sons and six daughters. His sons were Peter, Thomas, Henry Azel and Samson. His daughters were Mary, who married Thomas Babb; Rebecca, who married William Crumley ; Rachel, who married John Walters; Hannah, who married Joseph Smith; Lydia, who married a Mr. Smith; and Betsy, who married a Mr. Wall. Arthur D. Antram attended the district school at Antram's Corners and later Wilmington College. After leaving college, he was married and purchased a farm at the edge of Liberty, in Union township, comprising one hundred and fifty acres, in partnership with his brother, Frank W. Later he sold his share to Frank W., and lived with his parents, operating the home farm. In 1888, when his parents moved to Wilmington, he purchased a part of the home farm and later bought .the entire tract of one hundred and twenty acres. Subsequently, he bought sixty acres of the Curl farm and added it to his land which he already held. In 1910 he remodeled his house. On February 2, 1878, Arthur D. Antram was married to Margaret Welch, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States with her parents when a baby. She was born on December 25, 1850, and was reared by George and Lydia Bailey, now deceased, who lived on a farm in Liberty township. Mrs. Antram had a half-sister, Catherine, who married Samuel Brann, of Wilmington, but more than that she is not acquainted with her family history. Mr. and Mrs. Antram had three children: John, Ralph and Mary C. John was born on September 1, 1879, and lives on a part of the Antram farm which he purchased. He married Maud South. Ralph, who was born on March 7, 1881, CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 431 is unmarried and operates the home farm for his mother. Mary C., who was born on December 27, 1883, lives at home. She attended Wilmington College and has taught school for five years. Mrs. Antram has also taken a hoy to rear. His name is Orville A. Paris and was born on March 21, 1904. Arthur D. Antram was prominent in the political life of Union township, having served as township assessor and as road supervisor for a third of the township. He was identified with the Republican party. The family are members of the Dover meeting of the Friends church. FRED STOLTZ. In the history of agriculture in Clinton county, Ohio, Fred Stoltz, who owns one hundred and ninety-two acres of land in Union township, occupies a conspicuous place. During several decades he has been one of the representative farmers of the county, progressive, enterprising and persevering. Such qualities always win success sooner or later, and to Mr. Stoltz they hate brought a satisfactory reward for his well-directed efforts. While he has benefited himself and the community in a material way, he has also been influential in the educational, political and moral advancement of the community where he has lived so long. Fred Stoltz was born six miles from Stutgart, in the province of Wurttemberg, Germany. March 28, 1846, the son of John and Fransine (Stoltz) Stoltz, who were second-cousins. John Stoltz was born near Stutgart, December 25. 1823, and died in February; 1903, and his wife was born at Stutgart in 1821 and died in 1872. They came to America in 1851 and located in Adams county, Ohio. The paternal grandparents of Fred Stoltz lived and died in Germany, as did also his maternal grandparents. They were all members of the Lutheran chnrch. John Stoltz, before coming to America, owned fourteen acres of land in Germany, and this was considered no small amount in that country. After coming to America they purchased a farm in Adams county, and later he purchased another farm. In 1870 he sold out and moved to Clinton county and purchased one hundred and fifty acres in Union township. John and Fransine Stoltz had eleven children: Rachel, who is the deceased wife of James Keach; Dora, who died unmarried at the age of fifty-two; Fred, the subject of this sketch; John, who is a retired farmer of Highland county, Ohio; Jacob, who is a retired farmer of Sabina, Ohio; Fannie, who is unmarried and lives in Wilmington; Mary, who died in 1912; William, who lives in Greene township: Christian, who lives on a farm in Washington township; Callie, who is the deceased wife of Joe Sherman; and Lizzie. who married R. M. McCoy and lives in Wilmington. Fred Stoltz was three years old when the Stoltz family immigrated to the United States. The voyage to America required forty-two' days. After the family settled in Adams county. he attended the public schools in a German settlement. He was twenty-four years old when the family came to Clinton county and shortly afterwards he purchased seventy-two and one-half acres on the New Vienna pike in Union township. Since 1884 he has added eighty-six acre in one tract and thirty-three acres in another and now owns one hundred and ninety-two acres altogether. In 1885 Mr. Stoltz built a new house and in 1910 he remodeled and enlarged this house. One year before building the house, he built a splendid barn. He makes a specialty of purebred Jersey cattle and has been very successful as a farmer and dairyman. On September 4. 1884, Fred Stoltz was married to Mary J. O'Niel, who was born in Clinton county. Ohio. the daughter of William and Mary Ann (Miskelly) O'Niel, the former of whom was born in South Carolina, and is now deceased, and the latter of whom was born near Philadelphia in 1810 and died in 1893. Mary J. O'Niel has lived all her life thus far in Clinton county and was a teacher in the public schools for eight years before her marriage. 432 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. To Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz have been born five children, namely: Charles William, who was born on January 3, 1886, and who travels for the International Harvester Company; Mary, June, 1887, died at the age of seven years in 1894 ; Cora 0., who is a school teacher at Batavia, Ohio ; Viola, who is attending Wilmington College; and Winifred, who was born in January, 1893, and died in June, 1894, of scarlet fever. Cora 0. received the scholarship for excellence in her senior year at Wilmington high school and used her scholarship at Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, from which she was graduated in 1913 and is now a teacher of languages in high school at Batavia. Mr. and Mrs. Stoltz and family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Stoltz is a Republican. DARIUS J. MILLER. Darius J. Miller, a successful farmer of Union township, Clinton county, was born on the farm where he now lives on April 21, 1852, the son of John D. and Jane (McKenzie) Miller, the former of whom was born in Center county, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1817, and died on March 18, 1892, and the latter of whom was born in Green township, Clinton county, Ohio, in 1816, and died on April 27, 1883. John D. Miller was a son of David and Tamzen (Whitson) Miller, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. The latter was born on June 23, 1792, and was married to David Miller on December 30, 1815. David Miller came to Clinton county, Ohio, from Pennsylvania, in 1819. He died on April 15, 1869. A brother of his, John, served in the War of 1812, in a company from Center county, Pennsylvania. After his removal to Clinton county, Ohio, he owned two different farms in Union township. David and Tamsen (Whitson) Miller were the parents of eight children: Emmeline, born on April 10, 1815, married John McCool, of Wilmington ; Mary Ann, April 12, 1821. married Samuel Collins, of Cincinnati, Ohio ; Almina Margaret, January 10, 1823, married Charles Jones, of Wilmington; Priscilla, October 7, 1824, died Jnly 3, 1837; Angeline, June 5, 1828; Alfred Adams, May 5, 1826, was a farmer in Iowa where he died; John D., the father of Darius J., was the seventh born ; Louisa Ellen, January 1, 1832, became the wife of Nathaniel Hale. John D. Miller was married on October 31, 1841, to Jane McKenzie, a daughter of John McKenzie, a native of Kentucky, who emigrated to Warren county, Ohio. The settlement in the southeast part of Union township was made in 1804 and 1805, John McKenzie and the Spencer family being the first to locate here, building their cabins on Cowan's creek. Although the families of McKenzie and Spencer were unfriendly, it became a necessity for them to assist each other in raising cabins and at log rollings. At this period a number of Indian camps still remained along the brow of the hill facing the creek, where Mr. McKenzie and the Spencers were making their improvements, but they were friendly to the whites, whose children often visited the Indian wigwams. Hunting parties of the Shawnee tribe made annual visits to their old camping ground on Allen's creek until 1811, when, on account of the approaching trouble with the whites, their hunting expeditions ceased. When John D. Miller was brought to Clinton county, Ohio, by his parents in 1819, he was only two years old. He grew up on the farm, married and rented land. His wife inherited seventy acres of land in Union township from her father, to which she and her husband moved, and here they lived the remainder of their lives. John D. and Jane (McKenzie) Miller had the following children.: Isabel, the eldest, who married William Carver, is deceased; Miles D. is a farmer living in Union township on a farm adjoining the one on which Darius J. is living, who is the youngest of the family. Darius J. Miller attended the Sugar Grove district school, and grew up on the farm, living at home with his father until the latter's death in 1892. Afterwards Darius J. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 433 Miller purchased the interest of his sister in the farm and now owns fifty acres. In 1886 the house burned, and Mr. Miller built a new house, in which he now lives. On August 17, 1883, Darius J. Miller was married to Anna M Gumley, who was born on July 14, 1865, in Union township, the daughter of George and Mary (Irvin) Gumley, both now deceased. Mrs. Miller's parents were both natives of County Tyrone, Ireland, who came to America in their younger days, he being eighteen years of age at the time of his arrival in this country, and was married after coming to this county. George Gumley died on April 27, 1911, at the age of eighty acres, and his wife died on April 30, 1913, in her eightieth year. They were the parents of five sons and three daughters, who are still living, and two sons who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of four children: Ennie, born on May 4, 1885, married Nell Elliott, has one daughter, Josephine, and lives on a farm in 'Adams township; Pearl, April 28, 1888, married Russell Crouse, of Wilmington, and they have one daughter, Evelyn May, born May 18, 1912; May, October 19, 1890, lives at home with her parents; and Lloyd, March 13, 1904, also lives at home. In politics, Darius J. Miller is independent and casts his vote regardless of parties and party emblems for the man he believes to be the best fitted to fill the office sought. Mrs. Miller is an earnest and consistent member of the Central Christian church, of Wilmington. LORIN A. VANDERVORT. It is an axiom demonstrated by human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it with a reasonable interest on his investment. The individual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune cannot be called a successful man. The man who starts in the world unaided and by sheer force of his will, forges ahead and at length attains a position of honor among his fellow citizens, is a success which can hardly be appreciated. To a considerable extent Lorin A. Vandervort is a creditable example of the man who has succeeded by his own unaided efforts. Lorin A. Vandervort was born on December 14, 1860, in Greene township, Clinton county, Ohio, and is the son of Thaddeus H. and Minerva (Noble) Vandervort, the former of whom was born on October 30, 1830, in Greene township, near New Antioch, and died on July 5, 1900, and the latter of whom was born in 1836, in Greene township, and died. in June, 1911. Thaddeus H. Vandervort was the son of Nicholas and Nancy Vandervort. Nicholas Vandervort was born at Columbia, near Cincinnati, in 1803, and his wife was born in Warren county, Ohio. Nicholas Vandervort was six years of age when brought to Clinton county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and married. He was an earnest worker in the Christian church and lived a most useful life, at his death having been a resident of Clinton county for sixty-four years. He passed away on June 23, 1876, and his wife on January 11, 1873. They had seven children besides Thaddeus H., the father of Lorin A., as follow : James M., John M., Nicholas W., Jonah S., Paul C., William V. and one unnamed. Paul C. and William V. were soldiers in the Civil War, having been members of the Company B, Fortieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. The former died of typhoid fever at Catlettsburg, Kentucky, February 8, 1862. The latter became a drummer boy and served throughout the war, being discharged at Atlanta, Georgia, in December, 1864. He came home, was married and died on April 14, 1880. The ancestry of the Vandervort family goes back to Michael Paulus Van Der Voort, who came from East Flanders, the region of Dendermonde, prior to 1640 and located in New Amsterdam, now New York. The records show that Michael Paulus Van Der Voort was married to Marie Rapalye on November 18, 1640, and their marriage is the fifth recorded in New Amsterdam. Among their children is one son, Paul, who was baptized (28) 434 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. on January 3, 1649. He married Lysbeth Paulus Deickson and they had one son,, who was called Paul and who was born at Bedford, Long Island, and baptized in 1681. He married Nultze Staats and they had a son, Nicholas, born at Bedford, Long Island. Subsequently, the family, moved to Orange county, New. York, where Nicholas married Abigail Halstead and they had, six children: John, Martha, Paul, Peter, William and Jonah. Jonah settled in Clinton county and sat on the first jury impaneled in Clinton county in 1810. He was born at Shepherdstown, Virginia, May 30, 1765, was married to Jane Tibbs, March 29, 1796, and moved to the Northwest Territory in 1800, locating at Columbia, now within the city limits of Cincinnati. He died at New Antioch in 1842 and she died in 1845. Jonah had eleven children, six sons and five daughters, among whom was Nicholas, the father' of Thaddeus and grandfather of Lorin A. The descendants of Jonah now number about four hundred souls scattered over eight different states. Mr. Vandervort's maternal grandfather, Elisha Noble, who married a Miss Matthews, was one of the contractors who assisted in the erection of the present court house at Wilmington, about 1838. He lived on a farm near New. Vienna, in Green township. Minerva Noble was one of eight children born to her parents: Elisha and John M., the two eldest, now deceased; Mrs. Vandervort ; Mrs. Melinda Elliot; Mrs. Emily Slocum ; Mrs. Spear; Mrs. Williams, and Mrs. Bowers. When a child Minerva Noble made her home with Doctor Runnells at New Antioch and was living with them at the time of her marriage to Thaddeus H. Vandervort. Thaddeus H. Vandervort grew up on a farm in Green township and attended the public schools at New Antioch. After his marriage he drove a huckster wagon for Wilson's store at New Antioch, but subsequently rented a farm at Snow Hill. Later he purchased a farm two and one-half miles north of New Antioch in Green township, where he lived until his death. He added to his farm from time to time until he owned two hundred acres. He was a Republican and served several years as township trustee. He was well known in Clinton county as a hog raiser. Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus H. Vandervort belonged to the Christian church at New Antioch. They had eight children; Andrew R., who married Alice Devers and lives on a farm in Washington township; William, who lives in Trumbull county, Ohio, where he is a farmer; Lorin A., the subject of this sketch; Nannie J., who married B. B. Vandervort, a distant cousin, and lives near Jamestown, Ohio, where he is a fruit grower ; Mary E., who married Frank Hare, and lives on a farm in Jefferson township ; E. Bert, who lives on his father's place, in Green township; James S., who is a farmer in Trumbull county, Ohio; and Nettie, who married Samuel Traum, a minister in the Christian church at Meadville, Pennsylvania. Lorin A. Vandervort was educated in the public schools of Green township,, assisting his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years old, at which time he was married. After his marriage he lived on his father-in-law's farm in Union township for ten years, and, in 1892, purchased one hundred acres of land from the Catherine Glass farm. Since that time he has added fifty-one acres, the farm now consisting of one hundred and fifty-one acres altogether. The house in which Mr. and Mrs. Vandervort live was built in 1891. On December 29, 1882, Lorin A. Vandervort was married to Alice C. Wilson, a native of Union township, daughter of James and Mary (Custis) Wilson, both, of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Vandervort have had two children, Lloyd and Augusta. Lloyd, who was born in September, 1883, died on April- 25, 1899. Augusta, who was born in October, 1890, married M. R. Snyder and lives on the James Wilson homestead in Union township. Mr. and Mrs. Vandervort belong to the Walnut Street Christian church in Wilmington, where Mr. Vandervort has served as a deacon. Mr. Vandervort is a Republican. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 435 JOHN STEPHENS. A celebrated moralist once remarked that "there has scarcely passed a life of which a judicious and faithful narrative would not have been useful." There can be no doubt of the truth of this opinion when expressed by one of the greatest and best of men and it is particularly fitting to present the salient facts in the life of the late John Stephens, of Union township, Clinton county, Ohio. He was an industrious and successful farmer, an enterprising and public-spirited citizen, who, as a consequence of his industry, perseverance, temperance and integrity, rose to a position of prominence among the hundreds of eminent farmers of this county. During his long and useful life he was highly esteemed in the locality where he resided. John Stephens was born on March 31, 1846, near Waynesville, Ohio, and died on May 2, 1914. He was the son of Obadiah and Susannah (Ireland) Stephens. Obadiah Stephens was a well-known farmer and stock raiser of Clinton county, who was born in Morris county, New Jersey, April 22, 1813. He was the son of Ebenezer and Maria (Phoenix) Stephens, natives of New Jersey and of English and German descent. His maternal grandfather was a soldier in the War of the Revolution and his father in the War of 1812. Ebenezer Stephens was a millwright by trade and also a farmer. His son was a farmer and later a distiller. At the time of his death, he owned about four hundred and fifty acres in Clinton county. Obadiah Stephens came to Clinton county in 1847. On April 13, 1837, he was married in Warren county to Susanna Ireland. She was a native of Frederick county, Virginia, the daughter of Francis and Sarah (Curl) Ireland, the former of whom was a farmer by occupation and who located in Warren connty in 1815, on a farm of sixty acres, where he lived until his death in November, 1817, and the latter of whom was also a native of the Old Dominion Francis and Sarah (Curl) Ireland had six children: Thomas J., Lucinda, Susannah, John C., Artimesia and James M. Obadiah and Susannah Stephens were the parents of four children: Ann, Eliza, Emmeline, Francis I., and John, the subject of this sketch. Obadiah Stephens was a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a Democrat. His paternal grandmother, who was a native of Wales and who lived to be ninety-seven years old, left one hundred and forty-four descendants at her death, including in all five generations. Some years before his death, Obadiah Stephens built a large frame house which still stands. Of the children born to him and his wife, Ann Eliza married Henry Lewis and they are both deceased; Emmeline is a resident of Wilmington, Ohio, and lives on Rhombach avenue; Francis I., who was born on June 30, 1842, married Sarah Gallaher and died on September 12, 1912. He was a farmer. The father of these children died in October, 1897, at the age of seventy-three and the mother, March 9, 1895, at the age of seventy-one. John Stephens received the rudiments of an education in the public schools of Union township at Burtonville. He lived with his father and mother until his marriage, and in 1876 his father built another house for his son on the same farm and near the public highway. There he lived and assisted in the operations of the farm until his parents' deaths. Afterwards he moved into the large old homestead where he lived until his death. At the death of his father and mother, he received as his inheritance the homestead farm in partnership with his unmarried sister, Emmeline. Mrs. John Stephens still lives on the farm and continues its management. Altogether the farm now comprises two hundred and thirty-one acres of land. On March 2, 1876, John Stephens was married to Alwilda McKenzie, who was born in Henry county, Iowa, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Morton) McKenzie, both of whom were natives of Clinton county, born near New Antioch, the former of whom died in 1866 at the age of thirty-three and the latter of whom is still living at the age of seventy-seven. Soon after their marriage William and Elizabeth McKenzie moved to 436 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Iowa, where they took up a claim. Later Mr. McKenzie kept a hotel in Nebraska City, where he died in 1866. His widow and children returned to Clinton county, Ohio, and she afterwards married Eli Carson. They now live near Martinsville in Clinton county. To the marriage of William and Elizabeth McKenzie there were born five children, of whom Mrs. Stephens was the eldest. The others are: Perry, who lives at Martinsville, Ohio, where he is a carpenter; Stanley, who is a farmer and lives near New Vienna ; Geneva, who married Samuel Skimming, a farmer living in Wilmington; and Keith, who died young. Eli and Elizabeth Carson were the parents of three children: Stella, who married Benson Wert; Bert, who lives at Dayton, Ohio; and Carey, who is a resident of Logan, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. John Stephens had no children but they reared one child, Lola Clevenger, although she was not legally adopted. She married Matthew Ewbanks, a farmer of Union township. Mr. Stephens was a Democrat but one who never aspired to office and one who was never especially active in political matters. He was a man of quiet and unassuming manners, modest in his claim to greatness but gentle and kind to his wife and to those with whom he was most closely associated. He was a good man and a good citizen. ELDORADO BRIGGS, M. D. Dr. Eldorado Briggs is entitled to classification among those whose names add distinction to the medical profession, not only in Wilmington, this county, although that city is his headquarters, but throughout a locality comprising a much larger area. As an able and skillful practitioner, Doctor Briggs is worthy of due consideration in a publication such as the present one, in which one of the functions is to record the chief events in the lives of those who have been especially useful to their community. It has been largely through his own efforts that the subject of this brief review has risen to a position of prominence and popularity in the medical profession, as well as in business circles of the city in which he lives. Eldorado Briggs was born on a farm near Wilmington, this county, on October 6, 1853, son of Capt. Samuel and Catherine (Clevenger) Briggs, the former of whom was a native of New Jersey. and the latter, of Ohio. When Abel Briggs, paternal grandfather of Dr. Eldorado Briggs first came to Ohio, he settled in Warren county, and later finding the county of Clinton more to his liking, in 1828 he moved his family here, where he spent the rest of his life. Dr. Eldorado Briggs was the third of five children, born to his parents, the others being Alonzo, Romeo, Abel and Sarah, the only survivors now being Prof. Abel Briggs, of Wilmington, and Doctor Briggs. Capt. Samuel Briggs died on the old home farm in this county, when the subject of this sketch was seventeen years of age. His widow continued to make a home for her children and survived until 1910. The early life of Eldorado Briggs was not widely different from that of other farmer boys. He finished his common-school education at Martinsville, Ohio, and began teaching school in 1874, continuing thus engaged for four years, at the end of which time he began the medical studies which were to make of him a prominent physician. In 1879 he entered the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati and was graduated from that institution in 1881. He then practiced medicine for the seven years at Cuba, this county, at the end of which time, he took a post-graduate course at the Polyclinic school in New York City. Upon returning from the East, he began to practice in Columbus, Ohio, but remained there only a year when he settled permanently in Wilmington, and engaged in the general practice of his profession. Doctor Briggs has been twice married. His first wife was Eva Cast of this county, to whom he was married in 1885. In 1903, Mrs. Briggs passed away. The following year he married Carrie Elder, and since that time their home is one of the most attractive and popular centers of social life in the city. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 437 Professionally, Doctor Briggs is a man of more than local reputation, his association with many important organizations professional and otherwise, being the result of his personality as a man, and his success as a physician. As an indication of the latter, especially might be mentioned the fact that he is local medical examiner for Clinton county with the Industrial Commission of Ohio ; he is also surgeon for the Pennsylvania railroad and United States Examining Surgeon for pensions; is medical examiner for many insurance companies ; he is a fellow of the American Medical Association, and a member of the Ohio State Medical Association, and the Clinton County Medical Society. Besides those activities directly concerned with the medical profession, Doctor Briggs has been and is connected with several of the largest business enterprises of the city. He is a director of the Citizens' Bank, and also a director of the Champion Bridge Company, as well as a member of the Commercial Club. Notwithstanding all of the above pursnits which go to make up a busy life, the' doctor finds time to look after his farm in Vernon township of this county. During his residence in Cuba, Ohio, Doctor Briggs participated actively in politics, and was from 1885 until 1889 postmaster of that town, under a Democratic administration, this being the party with which he has always cast his vote. Doctor Briggs is a member of the Presbyterian church and has been liberal in both time and means in building up the strength of his church of which he is at present a trustee. Doctor Briggs is also a prominent member of the Masonic lodge, in which he takes a very deep interest. As the lives of many physicians have shown, much of their success is due to the kindly and sympathetic co-operation of their wives, and it would be difficult indeed to close the present sketch without acknowledging the service which Mrs. Briggs has rendered not only to her husband in his practice, but to the community, by her interest in his work and her practical helpfulness. In this respect, the physician's wife no less than the preacher's, is called upon to make personal sacrifices, and she too merits grateful recognition. It is quite evident from the facts here set forth, that both Doctor and Mrs. Briggs are usefnl as well as conspicuous members of the social group called a city, in which they have for some years made their home. They belong to that class of citizenship, which by its adherence to high ideals, and a strict sense of obligation, contribute largely to the prosperity and the good of the body politic, and their influence is thus very strongly felt by a very large circle of friends and associates. SAMUEL HORACE HODGIN. The final causes which determine the fortunes of individual men and the destinies of states are often the same. They are usually remote and obscure; their influence is wholly unexpected until exposed by result. When they inspire men to the exercise of courage, self-denial and industry, call into play the higher moral elements and lead men to risk all upon conviction, such causes lead to the turning of great states, great peoples and great movements. The country is the greatest which produces the greatest and most manly men. The intrinsic safety depends not so much upon measures and methods as upon that true manhood from whose deep sources all that is precious and permanent in life must at last proceed. Pursuing each his personal good by exalted means, they work this out as a logical result, having wrought on the lines of .the greatest good. What Samuel Horace Hodgin, president of Wilmington College, is doing for his fellowmen and the community in general, might be told in words, but in its far-reaching influence his work cannot be measured by any finite gauge of value. A well-educated, symmetrically developed man, his work as an educator has brought him prominently before the public, and today he stands in the front ranks of educators in the Middle West. Because of his earnest life, high attainments, well-rounded character and large 438 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. influence, he is eminently entitled to specific mention in a work of the province of the one at hand. He is too well known to the people of Ohio to need any introduction through this history, and is by nature averse to any notice savoring of adulation, but in the belief that honor should be accorded to whom honor is due, the following lines are devoted to a brief review of his career. Samuel Horace Hodgin was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, on September 11; 1872, his home being near the famous old battle-ground of Guilford court house, where on March 15, 1781, Cornwallis was outgeneraled and forced to abandon the Carolinas. The subject's parents were David and Martha (Blair) Hodgin, both natives of North Carolina, the father of Guilford county, and the mother of Randolph county. David Hodgin came of good old Whig stock and was in religious belief, an ardent Quaker, as were the generations before him. The progenitor of the family in this country, Robert Hodgin, was a Quaker preacher, who in 1657, came from England to America and located in Pennsylvania. Samuel Hodgin's father was a man of splendid qualities, a gentleman farmer and schoolmaster. During the war between the states, he gave splendid service as collector for the eastern district, and later was a member of the North Carolina state Legislature. A leading citizen of his county, he exerted large influence and was held in high repute. David Hodgin died in 1898, and the mother of Samuel Hodgin is still living in North Carolina. Her great-grandmother was a first cousin of Lord Cornwallis, who commanded the British forces in America during the War for Independence. To David and Martha (Blair) Hodgin were born thirteen children, of whom eleven are now living. Samuel H. Hodgin received the ground work of his education in a log school house, known as the Concord school in Guilford county, North Carolina. His father was the master of the school and to his training and discipline the subject gives a large share of credit for his mental training. Mr. Hodgin entered Guilford College, where he was graduated in 1895, following which he taught in the same college for two years. He went to Haverford College, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in 1898. and then returned to Guilford College as head of the department of English literature and history. He entered Harvard University in September, 1901, where he was graduated in 1902. During the following year, he was superintendent of the city schools of Oxford, North Carolina, and then accepted the position of head master of Oakwood Seminary, over which he presided for two years. This is the educational institution of the Society of Friends in New York state, and is counted among the best schools in that section of the country. In the autumn of 1905, he returned to Guilford College as head of the department of English language and literature. In 1912 he was offered and accepted the presidency of Wilmington College anti at once entered upon his official duties. What he has done here is a matter of record. As president of Wilmington College, Mr. Hodgin has earned the commendation of all who are well acquainted with the splendid work he has done. From a purely business standpoint, he has exhibited ability of the highest order, and during, the few years in which he has been at the head of the college, the finances of the institution have been so handled and the policy of the school so wisely formulated and carried out that never in its history has it been in better condition to carry on the great work before it than it is today. It was under Mr. Hodgin's direction and largely through the stimulus of his own personal effort that the reorganization of management of the college was effected. When he came to the presidency, the college was under the control of two different boards —one a board of trustees of nine members, and the other, a board of managers of eighteen members, all appointed by the quarterly meetings. Mr. Hodgin secured a change in the charter of the college so that it is now under the management of a board of trustees of nine members, and the affairs of the institution are managed with more ease and con- CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 439 fidence and with less cause for friction. Along with this improvement in the management of the institution has come a substantial increase in the attendance, the student body having increased about fifty per cent during Mr. Hodgin's administration. The growth of Wilmington College since Mr. Hodgin became president is the highest testimonial that could possibly be paid to his ability and foresight as an executive and to his eminent , standing as a broad-minded, scholarly and enterprising educator. He has always stood for the highest grade of work in the class room, exercises the greatest care over the buildings and grounds, looks after the comfort and welfare of the students, and, being proud of the college and jealous of its good name and honorable reputation, it is easily understood why he enjoys such great popularity with all, connected with the institution. He has proved himself equal to every emergency in which he has been placed and to every position with which honored, and, as a ripe scholar and gentleman of cultivated taste and high ideals, fills a large place in the public view and enjoys to a marked degree the esteem and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. Samuel H. Hodgin was married in August, 1906, to Olive L. Jenkins, of Richmond, Indiana, the daughter of Amasa and Mary Ann Jenkins, and to this union have been born two children, Olive Marian, born in 1909, and Samuel H., Jr., born in 1913. Mr. Hodgin is a member of the Friends church; and takes a deep interest in spiritual matters. He is keenly alive to the interests of the locality with which he is identified and, as a member of the Commercial Club, exerts a marked influence among the business men with whom he is associated. He is a man of fine and forceful personality—the best type of young manhood. Genial and companionable and a splendid conversationalist, he is a welcome guest in any circle which he chooses to enter, for he carries with him the spirit of optimism and good cheer, while his life is a constant source of inspiration to those who come under his influence. PERRY M. CHAMPLIN. One of the enterprising and highly-respected farmers of Clinton county, who has succeeded in his chosen vocation, largely as the consequence of his own courage, persistency and good management, is Perry M. Champlin, who owns a farm of two hundred and thirty-one acres in Washington township. He is a man who believes in taking a part in public affairs but he has never permitted outside interests and influences to interfere with his success as a farmer. Perry M. Champlin was born on August 28, 1866, on the old home farm in Washington township, the son of Edward M. and Sarah (Bates) Champlin, the former of whom was born on December 8, 1836, and the latter of whom was born on August 30, 1841. Edward M. Champlin, the son of Joshua and Hannah E. Champlin, was reared on a farm and lived there until seventeen years of age. Joshua Champlin was a retired sea captain and settled in Washington township, Clinton county. He bought one hundred seventy-nine and three-quarters acres of land in 1830 and remained here the balance of his life. Beginning at the age of seventeen, Edward M. Champlin served an apprenticeship of three years learning the printer's trade in the office of the Cincinnati Commercial, at the end of which period, he engaged in the retail grocery business with his brother, John M., at Cincinnati, where they lived for four years. At the end of that time, they returned to Clinton county, where, after living a year, an additional year was spent in the west. Upon returning to Clinton county, Edward M. Champlin enlisted on September 15, 1861, in Company F, Seventeenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving under General Thomas. He participated in the battles of Wild Cat, Somerset, the siege of Corinth, Perryville, Hoover's Gap, Stone's River, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. Still later he enlisted as a veteran under Sherman and was engaged at Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Jonesboro and Atlanta. He participated in the famous march from Atlanta to the sea and was discharged with worthy honors at Camp Chase, Ohio, July 440 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. 17, 1865. On July 25, 1864, he was appointed first lieutenant and was finally promoted to adjutant, with which rank he was discharged. At the end of the war, he returned home and engaged in farming. Edward M. Champlin was married to Sarah E. Bates, October 5, 1865. She was a native of Warren county and died on February 20, 1873. To this union were born four children: Perry M., the subject of this sketch; Minnie A.; and George and Edward B., both deceased. Mr. Champlin was married, secondly, June 18, 1874, to Mary E. Ireland, the daughter of John C. Ireland, of Wilmington. She was born in Warren. county, October 20, 1842; and bore her husband two children, Emma B. and Lena. Edward M. Champlin was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was a Republican and served two terms as township trustee. Perry M. Champlin, whose paternal grandparents were Joshua and Hannah E. Champlin, natives of Rhode Island, was educated in the common schools of Washington township and, when a young man, began farming on his father's farm. This vocation he has followed ever since. He owns two hundred and thirty-one acres of land in Washington township. Perry M. Champlin was married to Florence E. Purdy, who was born in 1870 and died on October 2, 1910. To this union were born four children: Edward L. (deceased), who married Iva Sprinkle and had one child, Frances; May, who married George Irvin; Orval, who died young; and Burdette. On August 27, 1911, Mr. Champlin was married, secondly, to Elizabeth Armbrewster, who was born on Angust 14, 1872, in Highland county, Ohio, the daughter of Dominic and Hannah Mary (McLaughlin) Armbrewster. No children have been born to this second marriage. As a Republican, Mr. Champlin has served in various minor capacities, especially as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. ALFRED J. WILLIAMS. In the wonderful progress humanity has been making along so many scientific lines in recent years, no more significant step has been taken in any direction than that which marks the improvement in the methods of caring for the physical ailments of mankind. All "schools- of medicine have been effected by the irresistible demand of humanity for something that will actually touch at the roots of disease and provide correctives for the manifold bodily snfferings of humanity. In all of these "schools" there no doubt has been marked advance, due to this insistent demand, but in the field so rapidly being filled by the progressive school of osteopathy, there has been an advance in the last few years that has been remarkable and which is being taken note of by thoughtful persons everywhere. Among the practicing osteopathic physicians of Ohio, there is none who enjoys a better repntation for keeping abreast of all the latest knowledge which the unceasing research of science daily is bringing to light relating to the treatment of humanity's ailments, than Dr. Alfred J. Williams, who since March, 1900, has been very successfully engaged in practice at Wilmington, this county, where he has well-equipped offices. During the time Doctor Williams has been located in Wilmington he has made many warm friends, not only in the county seat, but in all parts of Clinton county, where the practice of his profession has called him. He undoubtedly has succeeded in proving to even the most doubting ones, who, not very many years ago; were inclined to look askance at the claims set up by the osteopathic school of treating human ills, the actual and unmistakable benefits growing out of the methods of this school of practice. Alfred J. Williams was born in Gallia county, Ohio, on January 7, 1853, son of William and Lucinda (Allison) Williams, the former of whom was born in Greenbriar county, Virginia, and the latter of whom was born in Gallia county, this state. CLINTON. COUNTY, OHIO - 441 William Williams was the son of William and Mary (Watts) Williams, the former of whom was a Virginian, a native of Fairfax county, Virginia and later moved to Greenbrier county, and the latter of whom was born in Maryland, who emigrated from Virginia to Ohio when William, Jr., was eight years of age, settling in Gallia county. The elder William Williams was a soldier in the Continental army during the War of Independence, serving for a period of eighteen months in that historic struggle, for which service he never received a penny in payment. He was an earnest Methodist and lived to he seventy-eight years of age. The younger William Williams, father of the immediate subject of this biographical narrative, was reared on the paternal farm in Gallia county and became a personage of much prominence in his community, being a man of large influence therein. He was one of the leaders of the Republican party in that neighborhood after the formation of that party and served his community ably as a justice of the peace for many years. He was united in marriage to Lucinda Allison, danghter of John and Rebecca (Carter) Allison, natives of Ohio, and pioneer farmers of Gallia county, the former of whom was a soldier in the American army during the War of 1812, and to this union were born seven children, namely: John H., deceased; James K., deceased; William Harvey, deceased; David Y., a prominent fruit grower living at Redlands, California ; Dr. Alfred J., the subject of this sketch; Salathiel W., a well-known physician, living in Gallia county, Ohio, and Rebecca Harriet, deceased. Alfred J. Williams received his preliminary education in the public schools of his native county, which he supplemented by a course in the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, after which for two years he taught school in Gallia county, at the end of which time he moved to Livonia, Putnam connty, Missouri, where for four years he was engaged in teaching. During this term of service he made many friends in that section and was elected clerk of Putnam county on the Republican ticket, giving such excellent service in that office that he was re-elected for a second term, serving eight years in that capacity, after which, for five years, he served as deputy clerk in the office of his successor. His mind then turning in the direction of further professional occupation, he entered the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missonri; following a course of instruction at this institution, he practiced for one year at Wellsville, Missouri. and in 1900 came to this county, locating at Wilmington, where he ever since has been successfully engaged in the practice of his chosen profession. On April 9. 1876, Dr. Alfred J. Williams was united in marriage to Eliza E. Minear, who was born in Schuyler county, Missouri. daughter of the Rev. Alpheus and Margaret J. (Brown) Minear, the former of whom was a minister of the United Brethren church, and both of whom are now dead. To this union five children have been born, as follow: Dr. William E., a practicing osteopathic, physician, of Massilon, Ohio; Dove, who married J. A. Campbell and lives at Akron, Ohio; Lucille, who married G. A. Steen and also lives at Akron; Dale, who married Z. Underwood and died at the age of twenty-three years, and Clete, who remains with her parents. Doctor and Mrs. Williams are members of the Methodist church and their children were retired in this faith, to which they also gave their active adherence. Doctor Williams is a Mason and is a member of the American Osteopathic Association and the Ohio Osteopathic Society, in the deliberations of both of which organizations he takes an active part. Doctor Williams is entitled to all the commendation which has been bestowed upon him by the people of Wilmington and surrounding country, since taking up his residence in Clinton county's capital. He has made a fine reputation in the practice of his chosen profession, and his earnestness and painstaking efforts to apply the practical proofs of the osteopath's principles, are doing very much to make that school of treatment really popular in the community in which his influence is being so widely manifested. 442 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. ALLEN M. WEST The great state of Ohio has been honored by the careers of its professional men, its industrial managers, its commercial magnates and especially by its farmers and stockmen. In every section are to be found men born to leadership, men who have dominated because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character. It is always profitable to present the salient facts in the lives of such men, seek out their ancestral origin, weigh their motives and examine their achievements. These reflections are suggested by the career of Allen M. West, farmer, stockman and public-spirited man of affairs, of Cuba, Clinton county, Ohio. No citizen in this part of Clinton county has achieved a more honorable position or occupied a more conspicuous place in public affairs than Allen M. West. He owns and operates a large farm of three hundred acres near Cuba and is perhaps the largest individual live stock dealer in Clinton county, but he has always taken a commendable interest in public affairs, especially in educational development and to him, perhaps more than to any other man, is due the splendid school system which now prevails at Cuba. He is related collaterally to the great Benjamin West, the artist who gained lasting fame, not only for himself and the West family, but for his native land. Allen M. West was born on October 1, 1869, in Washington township, near Cuba, and is the son of Allen L. and Martha J. (Maxfield) West, the former of whom was a native of Clark township, Clinton county, and the latter of whom was a native of Clermont county and the daughter of James Maxfield. The paternal grandparents were James and Elizabeth West. About the year 1716 John W. West, who had married Sarah Pearson, came from England and settled in Pitts county, Pennsylvania, where they reared a family of seven children: Joseph, Mary, William, Sarah, Samuel, Rachel and Benjamin. Benjamin, the youngest child in this family, was an artist, whose work came to be well-known on two continents. Joseph, the eldest child in the family, married Jane Owen, the daughter of John Owen. To them were born nine children: Isaac, Facy, Owen, John, Sarah, Joseph, Hannah, George and Benjamin. About 1750 Owen West, the third child of this family, was 'born. He married Elizabeth Martin and moved to Virginia from, Pennsylvania and later from Virginia to Clinton county. Ohio. Owen and Elizabeth (Martin) West had thirteen children: Nancy, Jane, William, Mary, Susan, Owen, Thomas, James, Plyton, Elizabeth, Emily, Rebecca and John. Of this family, James, the eighth child, whose wife was Elizabeth West, was the father of Allen L. West and the grandfather of Allen NI. The great-grandfather, Owen West and his wife, Elizabeth (Martin) West, came to Ohio from Virginia and located in the valley of the east fork of the Little Miami river, where they purchased nineteen hundred acres of government land all in Clinton county and nearly all in Clark township, where he and his wife died. James West was a farmer, who remained on the old estate and added to his inheritance until he owned one thousand acres of the original nineteen hundred. He and his wife died on the old home estate. For nine years he was a justice of the peace in Clinton county. Allen L. West was educated in the common schools of Clark township and when a young man began farming in the township of his birth. About 1865 he moved to Washington township, where he farmed the remainder of his life, owning, at the time of his death, three hundred acres of land in that township. He was an extensive stock breeder. To Allen L. and Martha. J. (Maxfield) West were born nine children, of whom Allen M., the subject of this sketch, was the seventh. The other children were Silas B., Susannah, Elizabeth, James, George, Jennie, Martha H. and Mary J. The parents were members of the Methodist church and Allen L. West was a trustee in the church for many years. He was a brother of Col. Owen West, farmer, manufacturer, inventor and soldier, of Clark township, and a distinguished citizen of this county. Born and reared in Washington township near Cuba, Allen M. West was educated CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 443 in the schools of Cuba, Ohio. When a young man, he began farming in Washington township. After farming here for fifteen years or until September, 1903, he moved to Cuba, where he has since lived. Mr. West owns two farms near Cuba, comprising three hundred acres, and oversees them personally. For the last fifteen years he has dealt in hay, grain and live stock and is probably the most extensive individual stock buyer in the whole county. On December 25, 1890, Allen M. West was married to Rhoda S. Biggs, the daughter of George and Ruth (Wright) Biggs. She was born on June 4, 1865. George Biggs, the son of William B. and Rhoda Biggs, was born in Washington township, December 23, 1824, and reared on a farm. After 1847 he was engaged in lumbering and, at this time, built the first steam saw-mill in Washington township, at Cuba. He was married in January, 1849, to Ruth Wright, the daughter of Daniel and Teresa Wright, and they had seven children, three of whom died early in life. At the time of his death, Mr. Biggs owned a farm of one hundred and five acres in Clinton county. Mr. and Mrs. Allen M. West are the parents of five children : Hazel May, who is now a teacher of music and art in the Wilmington high school and is a graduate of Miami University; Mabel Edna, who is a student at Miami University ; Ruth. Ellen, Alma Martha and Allen Biggs, all of whom are at home. Mr. and Mrs. West and family are members of the Christian church. Mr. West is a Democrat and for sixteen years he has been a member of the school board. He is possessed with a natural interest in education and deserves much credit for the high standard of the schools in this community.. Mr. West was township clerk for twelve years. ALFRED S. PENQUITE. Alfred S. Penquite is a thrifty farmer of Washington township, Clinton county, and a man not only of strong character but of pleasing personality and who is exceedingly popular with the people of this township. Born on February 8, 1867, in Marion township, Clinton county, Ohio, Alfred S. Pen-quite is the son of Alexander and Susannah (Vandoren) Penquite. The father was born in Clarksville in Warren county and the mother also was born near Clarksville. She was the daughter of William and Athlina Vandoren. The paternal grandfather of Alfred S., William Penquite, was a sea captain along the Atlantic coast and was lost at sea. His children were William, John, Alexander, Nancy and Elizabeth. Alexander Penquite received a good education in the schools of Warren county and farmed in that county until about 1865, when he moved to Clinton county and located in Washington township. He remained in that township only one year, however, when he moved to Marion township in Clinton county. There he spent the remainder of his life on a farm of one hundred acres which he owned. Alexander and Susannah Penquite had four children, of whom Alfred S., the subject of this sketch, was the youngest. The three elder children were: Louisa, who married J. H. Pennington; Amanda, who became the wife of J. E. Mitchell; and Lucian, who married Lizzie Hallstead. The father's family were members of the Free-will Baptist church. He was a Republican in politics. Educated in the common schools of Marion township, Alfred S. Penquite began farming in that township In 1892 he moved to Washington township, where he rented the farm which he purchased in 1897, and which consists of one hundred acres. He is a general farmer and stock raiser, but his standing as a citizen consists not so much in his success as a farmer as in his natural powers of leadership, his wide information and his cordial relations with his neighbors. In 1892 Alfred S. Penquite was married to Jennie M. Mitchell, the daughter of G. R. and Mary (Clevenger) Mitchell. Mr. and Mrs. Penquite have no children. Mr. Penquite 444 - CLINTON. COUNTY; OHIO. is a Republican and served a term of six years as trustee of Washington township, a very important office and one which he filled with credit to himself and to the community he served. Mr. Penquite is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. and Mrs. Penquite enjoy the comforts of a modern home and pleasant surroundings. CHARLES W. SEWELL. Among the younger farmers of Washington township, Clinton county, Ohio, who are making rapid strides in farming, in Charles W. Sewell, who belongs to one of the oldest of the old families of Clinton county and who is one of the most active citizens and farmers of Washington township. His paternal great-grandfather was, for several years, judge of the Clinton county court and built the first grist and saw-mill in the county as well as the first stone house. The Sewells are from Virginia originally, the first emigrant having been Charles W. Sewell's great-grandfather, Judge Aaron Sewell, who came about 1798 to Lebanon and two years later, accompanied by many other members of the family, to Vernon township, Clinton county. Charles W. Sewell is a native of Vernon township, born on April 28, 1872, the son of Amos T. and Amanda N. (Flora) Sewell, the former of whom, was a native of Vernon township and the latter of whom was born near Martinsville. He was educated in the common schools of Vernon township and began farming, when a young man, in his native township. Amos T. enlisted in the Union army in 1861, and served until the close of the Civil War in the Eleventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, participating in many battles, especially the battle of Gettysburg. Shortly after the war, he began farming in Vernon township on the farm which Charles W., subject, now owns. In 1914, he moved to Clarksville, where he now lives retired. By his marriage to Amanda N. Flora, there were born three children : Rose, Charles W. and Amanda, the latter of whom is deceased. The mother of these children died in 1874 and later Amos T. Sewell was married to Patience Green. To them were born ten children: Gladys, Mary, Roy, Cyrus, Carrie, Edwin, Cecil, Frederick, Irene and Mabel. Amos T. Sewell is a Democrat in politics and a well-known and prominent citizen of this county. The paternal grandfather, Aaron R. Sewell, a native of Clinton county, Ohio, was one of five children born to his parents, Aaron and Catherine Sewell. The others were Ezra, David, Elizabeth and Mary. Aaron R. Sewell was a justice of the peace at Clarksville for many years and he also served early in the history of the county as county commissioner for several years. He was a miller, farmer and surveyor and in his early days also taught school. His first wife was Lydia Stansbury, the daughter of Recompense and Catherine Stansbury, the former of whom was one of the old settlers of Clarksville, Vernon township. By this marriage there were four children : John G., Mary E., Cyrus L. and Amos T. Mrs. Lydia Sewell died and after her death, Aaron R. Sewell married Mary M. Lazenby, who bore him six children : Celestia Ella, who died at the age of fourteen; Ruth Caroline, Oscar L., Edgar Newton, Elmer A. and Florence M. The old Sewell mill was located on the East Fort on what is known today as the David Pond place and, for many years, was a landmark in this section of Clinton county. Charles W. Sewell was educated in the common schools of Vernon township and, early in life, began farming in this township. In 1898 he rented a farm in Washington township of ninety-seven acres, where he now lives. About 1908 he purchased a half interest in the farm. He now owns two hundred and fifty acres which of itself speaks volumes with regard to his enterprise and thrift. He is a stock dealer and does a large business in buying and selling hogs, cattle, horses and sheep. On March 10, 1907, Charles W. Sewell was married to Vinnia Wisbey, the daughter of Louis and Agnes (Clark) Wisbey. Louis Wisbey was a well-known citizen for more than a half century in the city of Cincinnati. His father was a hero of the War of 1812 and his grandfather was a valiant and courageous soldier in the Revolutionary War. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 445 In 1841 Louis Wisbey became a volunteer fireman in the Cincinnati fire department and rose by virtue of sheer merit to chief of the fire department in 1884 and filled this office for many years. As a matter of fact, he filled every office in the fire department of Cincinnati with the exception of that of secretary. He served, thirty-eight years continuously in some capacity or other. He died on April 23, 1902, one of the best beloved and most widely known citizens of the Queen City. To Mr. and Mrs. Sewell have been born two children, Charles R. and Louis J. The former was born in January, 1898, and the latter in December, 1903. Mr. Sewell is a justice of the peace and was road superintendent of Clinton county for fifteen years. He was the chief road officer in his township for three years and for nine years served on the school board. He was treasurer of the board for six years. Mr. Sewell is an ardent Democrat. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Cuba, and the Knights of Pythias at Clarksville, Ohio. AMOS W. LIEURANCE. Amos W. Lieurance, a retired farmer of Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, was born on January 25, 1840, the son of Alexander and Sallie Ann (Morris) Lieurance, the former of whom was born in Ashe county, North Carolina, June 16, 1816, and the latter of whom was born on February 10, 1807, in North Carolina. Alexander Lieurance was the son of Peter, Jr., and Hannah (Philips) Lieurance, the former of whom was a native of Ashe county, North Carolina, born on January 9, 1795, and the latter of whom was born on November 4, 1794. They were married in North Carolina and came to Clinton county, Ohio, with their one son, Alexander, who was then six months old, in November, 1816, making the entire trip on horseback. They settled near Cuba and in 1824 Peter Lieurance, Jr., bought one hundred acres of land. He died on November 9, 1829, and his wife died on January 15, 1873. Alexander Lieurance took the responsibility of clearing the farm and became a farmer and stock raiser. By his earnest and untiring industry he accumulated considerable property. Besides the home farm, he owned one hundred and eighty-seven acres elsewhere in Washington township, which he cleared and improved. He was a well-known stock breeder and made a specialty of raising Poland China hogs. On June 16, 1836, Alexander Lieurance married Mrs. Sarah A. Morris, widow of William Morris and the daughter of Eldridge and Sallie (Burnett) Bales. She had two children by her former marriage, John and Avery P. By her marriage to Mr. Lieurance, six children were born, of whom only three, Amos W., Wyatt H. and Jemima F., are living. The deceased children are Peter, Emma and Ann Jemima F. married Riley Pond, Emma married J. M. Whinnery, Ann was the wife of Rev. Edward McHugh. Peter died at the age of eleven years. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Lieurance were devoted members of the Baptist church. Mr. Lieurance voted the Republican ticket. He died in June, 1898, and his wife died on October 26, of the same year. Amos W. Lieurance followed farming from the time of his young manhood until about twelve years ago, when he retired. His son-in-law now manages the home place. In 1862 Mr. Lieurance purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty acres and, after clearing seventy acres, sold it. In 1869 he bought a farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres, upon which he paid five thousand dollars and for which he gave his note for ten thousand dollars. During his active life, he dealt extensively in hogs and horses and was accustomed to sell from fifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred dollars worth of hogs every year, as long ago as 1863. He paid sixty dollars for two Poland China pigs and in 1865 he sold two hogs for one hundred and sixty dollars. One weighed eight hundred and the other weighed eight hundred and five pounds. On October 16, 1862, Amos W. Lieurance was married to Ann Baker, the daughter of William and Sarah Baker, a native of Washington township, born on December 24, 1840. 446 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. and Mrs. Lieurance have been the parents of four children, namely: Chloe I., who was born on September 18, 1863; Frank W., March 29, 1866; Olive Estella, January 28, 1874 ; and Silas W., December 23, 1864, died on September 23, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Lieurance are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Lieurance is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. He is a Republican. On March 25, 1893, Olive Estella Lieurance married James A. Graham, who was born in Vernon township, Clinton county, Ohio, in 1875, the son of Samuel and Margaret A. (Hunter) Graham, natives of Westboro and Martinsville, respectively. The paternal grandfather of Mr. Graham was Jonathan Graham and his maternal grandfather was James Hunter, who married Harriet A. Neal. Samuel Graham was educated in the public schools of Vernon township, where he owned one hundred and forty-four acres of land. He was a member of the "squirrel hunters" during the Civil War. The Grahams were originally members of the Friends church but James A. Graham is not a member of this church. Among the children born to Samuel and Margaret A. Graham were: Mary and Martha, twins; Charles, who died at the age of nineteen; Alice, deceased; B. Frank, of Herman, Illinois; James A.; and William R., who lives on the old home place. James A. Graham was educated in Vernon township and has always followed farming. Mr. Graham now manages his father-in-law's farm of one hundred and seventy-four acres. He is an extensive breeder of hogs and horses, specializing in draft horses and Duroc-Jersey hogs. Mr. and Mrs. Graham are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Graham is a member of the Martinsville Lodge, No. 391. Free and Accepted Masons. One of the remarkable members of the Lieurance family, of whom mention may be made was Peter Lieurance, not, however, the Peter Lieurance heretofore mentioned. He was a man of great physical power and lived to be one hundred and four years old. At one time he owned a farm in Washington township, upon which was located one of the early pnblic cemeteries. Peter Lieurance died in the state of Illinois. REZIN J. LAZENBY. The Lazenby family is one of the fine old families of Washington township and was established in Clinton county by Joshua Lazenby, a native of the Old Dominion state. It was his father who served in the Revolutionary War and it is his musket which has been handed down from generation to generation and is still in possession of the family, Rezin J. Lazenby, a representative of the third generation of the family in this county, is not, only descended on his paternal side from a soldier in the Revolutionary. War, but his father, Rezin Lazenby, Sr., was a soldier in the Mexican War. For several generations, the family have been farmers, and very successful ones. Rezin J. Lazenby, Jr., a native of Washington township, Clinton county, Ohio, was born on September 11, 1856. His father, Rezin Lazenby, Sr., was a native of Highland, county, Ohio, born on January 22, 1817. He was married on October 12, 1843, to Jerusha Kibby, who was born on April 3, 1823, and who was the daughter of Ephraim and Nancy, (Vandervort) Kibby. The paternal grandparents of Rezin J. Lazenby, Jr., Joshua and Ruth (Guthrie) Lazenby, moved from Highland county, Ohio, to Washington township, Clinton county, in 1818. Joshua Lazenby was born on September 11, 1775, in Virginia, and died on January 13, 1867. His father, Robert Lazenby, served as a teamster in the Revolutionary War, and the old flint-lock musket, which he carried, is still owned by the family Joshua Lazenby's wife was born in 1781 in Maryland and died on February 13, 1868. They moved from Virginia to Highland county, Ohio, in 1817 and in 1818 to Clinton county. Here they lived on a farm the remainder of their lives and owned, at the time of their death, five hundred acres of land in this county. Joshua and Ruth Lazenby had nine children, of whom Rezin, Sr., the father of Rezin J., was the seventh. The names of the CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 447 children in the order of their births are: Henry, Robert, John C., Benjamin I., Penelope, Christopher, Rezin, Polly Margery and Joshua, Jr. The family were members of the Baptist church. Educated in the common schools of Washington township, Clinton county, Rezin Lazenby, Sr., engaged in farming early in life and followed this occupation all of his life, owning, at the time, of his death, four hundred acres of land. He and his wife had five children: John E., who was a soldier in the Seventy-eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War and died with measles while serving in the army; Henry, who died in infancy; Virginia A.; Laura L., and Rezin, Jr. The father of these children was a Republican in politics and a prominent and influential member of the Christian church, in which he served for a long period as trustee. Born and reared in Clinton county, Rezin J. Lazenby received a good education in the public schools of Washington township and took up farming early in life. At the present time he owns two hundred and ten acres, comprising a splendid farm in Washington township. Rezin J. Lazenby was married on November 15', 1877, to Laurabel Z. Smith, the daughter of John and Jane E. Smith, of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Lazenby are the parents of three children, Alta May, Ethel J. and Herman N. Alta May died after becoming a young woman. Herman N. married Olive Moore and lives on a part of Mr. Lazenby's farm. Ethel J. lives at home. Mr. and Mrs. Lazenby are members of the Christian church and he is a deacon and trustee in this church. He is a Republican. LEWIS P. WHINERY. Lewis P. Whinery, a native of Clark township, Clinton county, and a farmer by occupation, was born on the farm where he lives, March 1, 1854. He is a son of John V. and Nancy (Shields) Whinery, the latter of whom was a daughter of George and Ann (McDaniel) Shields. George Shields was a native of Virginia, and he and his wife were the parents of six children, Ann, Jane, Nancy, Harriett, Rebecca and John. Mr. Whinery's maternal grandparents, George Shields and wife, came to Clinton county, Ohio, from the Old Dominion among the first families to settle here and located near Clarksville. They owned land near that village, but subsequently removed to the farm now owned by Lewis P. Whinery, their grandson, near Morrisville. George Shields was the owner of over five hundred acres of land, all of which was covered with virgin forest. Much of this land he cleared, and upon this farm he lived until his death. John V. Whinery, the father of Lewis P. Whinery, was married three times, the subject of this review being a son by the third marriage. He was a school teacher, merchant and farmer, and at one time conducted a general store in Morrisville. He died on the farm where his son, Lewis P., now lives. He was a director of the Clinton county infirmary, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. By his third marriage there were three children. Lewis P. Whinery received his elementary education in the common schools of Clinton connty, Ohio, and also attended the high school at Martinsville, under the preceptor-ship of Prof. Thomas J. Moon. After finishing school he took up farming or the old home place and has always lived there. He owns eighty-five acres of land \n Clark township. On February 22, 1883, Mr. Whinery was married to Clora Peale, a native of Highland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Alexander Peale. To this union has been born one daughter, Verna. Mr. Whinery and his daughter are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, while Mrs. Whinery is identified with the Christian church. Mr. Whinery is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at Martinsville, Ohio. 448 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. WILLIAM KELLEY HALE, M. D. "Blessed is the man who has found his work." So says the sage. When this can be aptly applied to the life of a physician, it is eloquent of meaning, perhaps more so than of any other professional man. It may well be doubted whether any other profession affords more opportunity for genuine service to humanity than does the daily life of the doctor, and yet, so accustomed have we become to his unselfish ministry that it is taken as a matter of course. It is with grateful recognition of such service that the biographer includes in the history of Clinton county a brief record of the life of Dr. William Kelley Hale, who stands high in his profession. Doctor Hale spent his boyhood on a farm in Vernon township, having been born on June 30, 1884, and is, therefore, a native of this county. Although one of the youngest of Clinton county's professional men, Doctor Hale is one of its most successful and best equipped physicians and surgeons. He has been absorbed in the stndy of materia medica ever since his introduction to the science and is making a brilliant success in its practical application, as well as in the science of surgery. The subject of this sketch is the son of Frank E. and Ann (Kelley) Hale, both of whom are natives of this county, the father being a well-known farmer, and locally. famous as a fox-hunter. Among the early pioneers from North Carolina to this county in 1803 was Jacob Hale, the son of the progenitor of the family in America. The parental grandfather of our subject was William Hale, also an early settler in the county. As evidence of his prominence, as well as of his popularity, it may be stated that he was an extensive landowner and at one time was county commissioner. Possessed of an active mind, he was a successful farmer and trader. This interesting man is now living in Wilmington at the age of eighty. Doctor Hale has a brother named Layton Hale, who is a well-known farmer and a skilled mechanician. Dr. William Kelley Hale began his education in the local schools, graduating from the Wilmington high school in 1904. Four years later he graduated with honors from the medical department of the St. Louis University. In order to further perfect himself in his profession, after the regular college course, he spent one year practicing in the St. Louis Obstetric Dispensary, and another year in the city hospital, of the same city. Returning to his native locality, Doctor Hale began his professional life in Wilmington, specializing in general surgery, in which he has become eminently skillful, his repute in this science being more than local. He maintains a private hospital, finely equipped with all the modern apparatus required by science, and so successful has he become that patients come for treatment from many parts of the state. Doctor Hale, whose well-trained mind has always been attracted to science, proposes to make a life study of research work. His laboratory is equipped with special mechanical apparatus that enables him to delve into the mysteries of organic function and to work out original ideas. He is also a student of biology, a science closely allied to the study of medicine. He has a remarkable collection of moths and butterflies, which he has arranged with originality and care. Each specimen is preserved upon an individual glass plate, and the whole collection housed in a closed cabinet especially constructed for the purpose. Doctor Hale also possesses a rare and interesting collection of snails. Doctor Hale's beautiful home is one of the interesting landmarks of the city, and his equally attractive garage was erected by the hands of its owner during his leisure moments. Doctor Hale has a wife of unusual helpfulness in his important work of healing the sick. Mrs. Hale was formerly the assistant superintendent of nurses at the St. Louis city hospital. Before her marriage Mrs. Hale was Dessa C. Raydure, of Conneaut Lake, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Hale's knowledge of medical subjects, as well as her ready sympathy and womanly nature, has made her an invaluable aid to her busy husband, and it is only fair to say that some, at least, of his success is due to this fact. Doctor CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 449 Hale is a member of the Christian church and his wife is attached to the Dutch Reformed church. Doctor Hale is a member of the Medical Association of the state of Ohio, of the Clinton County Medical Society and of the St. Louis City Hospital Alumni Association, and a fellow of the American Medical Association of Chicago, in all of which organizations he is held in high regard and esteem. The greatness of the physician consists in his proper blending of sympathy and skill, for it is certain that both are necessary. A doctor without sympathy is like a rose without perfume. It is thus in the uniting of heart and brain in his daily work that the social ministry of the physician consists. To this high type does Doctor Hale belong. LEVI H. CUSTIS. Everyone who lives in a state and enjoys its protection, must contribute through his work, directly or indirectly, to further the objects of the state as a community for the purposes of justice and civilization. Levi H. Custis, of Richland township, Clinton county, Ohio, who is a kind and generous citizen now living retired, worthily fulfilled his obligations and duties, not only to the members of his family, but to the state as well. He is one of those men of honorable and humane impulses who have had so much to do with the agricultural development of Clinton county. Levi H. Curtis was born in Union township, Clinton county, December 26, 1845, and is the son of Douglas W. and Penniah (Gustin) Custis, the former of whom was born in Scioto county, Ohio, December 20, 1811, and the latter of whom was the daughter of Elkany Gustin. They were married on November 19, 1835, and after their marriage, settled on land now owned by Alfred Sprague and daughter. Mrs. Douglas W. Custis died on September 27, 1881. Seven children were born to Douglas W. and Penniah Custis: William, Isaiah, Anna M., Hannah J , Levi, Rhoda and Mary M. Of these children, Isaiah enlisted in 1862 in Captain Giffin's company of the Seventy-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and, after serving a short time, became disabled and was discharged. Douglas W. Custis was a member of the Protestant Methodist church as was also his wife. Douglas W. Custis was the son of William and Elizabeth (Savage) Custis, who settled in Scioto county, Ohio, shortly before 1811. William. Custis was twice married. By his first marriage to Elizabeth Savage, there were five children: Sallie, John, William, Harriet and Douglas W. The mother of these children died in 1812 and he married again, by which marriage there were three children : Nancy, Margaret and Littleton, who came to Clinton county with their mother. William Custis died in Scioto county about 1828 and Mrs. Custis,, his second wife, died in 1863, at the age of ninety-seven years. During the Civil War, William Custis was what was called a "squirrel hunter." The late Donglas W. Custis was educated in the common schools, and throughout his life was engaged in farming. He came to Clinton county on horseback and settled in Richland township on one hundred and eighteen acres. He was a •man of honorable and humane impulses, a member of the Methodist Protestant church and of strong domestic inclination. He passed away in 1897. Of the children born to Douglas and Penniah Custis, William, who was born on September 8, 1836, married Susan Drake and they had eight children, Charles, Franklin, Ida B., Anna, Lulu, Grace, James and Levi Dorcy. Isaiah was born on November 2, 1838, and married Eliza J. Acher and had two children, Oscar W. and Etta ; Myra, March 18, 1840, married James Thompson and had four children, Sadie, Elva, Ora and Cora ; Hannah, July 21, 1843, married A. J. Wilson and has no children; Rhoda, October 23, 1848, died young; Mary, who was born on February 13, 1851, married Thomas L. Huffman and had three children living, Lawrence, Leo and Mamie. Mary is dead. (29)