(RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE) CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 725 1815, and died on May 12, 1885. His mother, who, before her marriage, was Lydia Ann Van Middlesworth, was a native of New Jersey, born on November 1, 1817. She died on March 21, 1890. The parents of Jacob Spicer Learning were Christopher and Margaret Learning, who came to Ohio from Cape May county, New Jersey, early in the last century. The family is of English origin. The first of the name to arrive in America was a Christopher Learning, who came to Boston in 1670. Later the family moved to Long Island and still later to New Jersey, where it became prominent in provincial history. Christopher Learning, II, the father of Christopher Leaming, who immigrated to Ohio, and grandfather of J. S. Learning, served for twenty years as a member of the provincial assembly. Christopher Learning, III, was much more than an average farmer, and as early as 1825 his son, Jacob, a lad of ten years, was acquiring corn inspiration through the medium of a hoe handle in the Langdon bottoms along the Little Miami river in Hamilton county. The parents of Jacob Spicer Learning's wife were Tunis and Ellen Van Middlesworth, both natives of New Jersey, and of Dutch descent. About 1825 they removed by wagon to Hamilton county, Ohio, purchasing a farm at the edge of Cincinnati. Tunis Van Middlesworth owned a large farm between what is now East Norwood and Oakley, suburbs of Cincinnati. They had ten children. Jacob Spicer Learning attended the district schools and obtained a good education, after which he taught school for a time. He became a great reader and an able writer. At the beginning of his active career he rented a farm and operated a bus line between Madison and Cincinnati. In the spring of 1856, as heretofore noted, he removed to Clinton county and rented a farm from his elder half-brother, Christopher Learning, in Union township. Later he purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres from his brother and still later added to the farm until he owned one hundred and sixty-five acres. Subsequently, he purchased fifty-three acres additional on the edge of Wilmington, and there spent the last years of his life. He was prominent in the politics of his day and generation and served as township trustee for some time. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church. The name of Jacob Spicer Learning will go down in the history of Clinton county as the most noted corn producer in the United States. He soon began shipping seed corn to all parts of the United States. His son, Peter D., and the latter's brother, J. S. Learning, Jr., still continue this industry. In 1884 Jacob S. Learning received a large silver medal as first prize for seed corn awarded at the Paris corn show. In 1900 Peter D. Learning received a fine bronze medal at the Paris Exposition for his seed corn. Peter D. Learning, early in life, learned the principles of the proper selection of seed corn from his father, and has been able to carry on the industry successfully since his father's death. Jacob S. built the second pike ever constructed in Clinton county. In 1869 he contracted for and built three miles of the Martinsville pike and in 1870 he built five miles of the Cuba pike. He was considered a excellent road builder. Jacob and Lydia Ann (Van Middlesworth) Learning had nine children, namely: Tunis, lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where he is a farmer ; Christopher, lives in East Norwood, Ohio, and is also a farmer; Eli, is a resident of Columbus, Ohio, and is a carpenter; Ella, married Thomas M. Babb, and is deceased; Jacob, lives in Denison, Texas, where he is a gardener and truck farmer; Joseph, lives at New Burlington, Ohio; Jennie, lives in Dayton, Ohio; Peter D., was the eighth child; George S., is a resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he is in the dairy business and engaged in truck gardening. Peter D. Learning attended the Burtonville district school and grew up on the farm. After his father moved to Wilmington he worked the farm on the shares and after his father's death he purchased the home place, going heavily into debt, but he has 726 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. paid tile indebtedness off and is now financially independent. He is a genial, businesslike, up-to-date farmer. In 1899 Mr. Learning built his present splendid home. It is an attractive place and one of which he has every reason to be very proud. He set out the pretty trees that decorate the place. He carries on general farming, but still makes a specialty of raising and selling Learning seed corn. On December 2, 1890, Peter D. Learning was married to Emma Skimming, who was born near Burtonville, in Union township, Clinton county, and who is the daughter of Robert and Mary E. Skimming, whose complete family history is contained in the sketch of S. H. Skimming, a brother of Mrs. Learning, presented elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Learning have had two children, Grace Anna and Robert Russell. Mr. and Mrs. Learning are members of the Baptist church of Wilmington. Mr. Learning is a Republican. In a very large measure Peter D. Learning has carried forward the work of his worthy father, whose name was presented "as the first candidate for Ohio Farmers' Hall of Fame." ISAAC R. SUMMERS. Isaac R. Summers, a native of Green township, this county, and a prosperous farmer and stockman, was born on January 28, 1875, a son of John Jackson and Hannah (Hoskins) Summers, natives of Hampshire county, Virginia, and Clinton county, Ohio, respectively, the former born on November 21, 1825, and the latter in October. 1827. Mr. Summers' paternal grandparents were John Wesley and Mary (Parks) Summers, both natives of the Old Dominion state. In 1837 they migrated to Franklin county, Ohio, and eighteen months later removed to Leesburg, in Highland county, where they lived until about 1845, when they removed to Green township, this county. John Wesley Summers died in Henry county, Ohio, while his wife died on the old home farm in Green township. The maternal grandparents of Mr Summers were George and Mary (Hodgson) Hoskins, pioneers of this county, who spent most of their lives here. The late John Jackson Summers was a farmer and carpenter by occupation, and also a minister in the Methodist Protestant church. In the early forties he bought one hundred acres of land in Green township, for twelve hundred dollars. He lived on that farm for about fifteen years, and then traded it for a farm near Wilmington. He never lived on the latter farm, however, trading it for a farm in Green township, consisting of two hundred acres. Later he sold fifty acres of the third farm, and died on that place in April, 1907. His wife had died previously, August 25, 1900. Politically, John J. Summers was a Republican, and took an active interest in local public affairs. John J. Summers and wife were the parents of fourteen children, namely: Wesley, a resident of California; Mary Elizabeth, living at Sedgwick City, Harvey county, Kansas; Samantha, a resident of Wayne township; Caroline, Eliza and Ella, deceased; Ruth, living in Kansas; Lewis and John, deceased; Joseph, a resident of Green township; Ida, of Washington township; Margaret, living in Trumbull county, Ohio; David E., living on the home farm, and Isaac R. Isaac R. Summers was reared on the old home farm in Green township, and received a good education in the common schools of his home neighborhood. Mr. Summers owns one hundred acres of land which he purchased on February 5, 1904, and where he has lived since that date. Not only is he engaged in general farming, but he is an extensive stock breeder, and has specialized in Shorthorn cattle. On June 21, 1894, Isaac R. Summers was married to Sophronia Jarrells, who was born in Wayne township, this county, on May 5, 1877, a daughter of Benjamin and Sally (Massey) Jarrells, natives of Orange county, Virginia, and Highland county, Ohio, respectively. The former came from the Old Dominion state and was married after coming to Ohio. He and his wife settled in Richland township, this county, but later CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 727 moved to Wayne township, where Benjamin Jarrells died on April 12, 1900. His widow is now living at Lee's Creek, this county. To Isaac E. and Sophronia (Jarrells) Summers three children have been born, Lottie, born on March 12, 1897, who died on January 3, 1900; Winnie Ellen, January 23, 1902, and Martha Hannah, November 21, 1904. Mr. Summers is a Republican but has never taken a very active part in, politics, his agricultural interests demanding all his time and attention. He and his wife are earnest and devoted members of the Christian church. JOHN W. MATTHEWS. John W. Matthews, a retired farmer of New, Vienna, this county, a former mayor of New Vienna and at present a justice of the peace in that township, is descended from pioneer stock. He is prominent in the fraternal circles of this county and, more than all else, he and his wife have reared a family of eight children to honorable and useful lives; young men and women who have been well educated and who are already started on successful careers. Three of Mr. Matthews' sons are attorneys in Cincinnati, one is a dentist in that city and still another is a practicing physician at New Vienna. John W. Matthews was born in this county on December 27, 1850, the son of Elijah H. and Ellen (Elliott) Matthews, the former of whom was born in Highland county, Ohio, on October 20, 1826, and the latter, in Clinton county, on November 28, 1832. Elijah H. Matthews died in Clinton county on December 13, 1904, and his wife many years previously, December 9, 1890. Elijah H. Matthews was the son of John and Mary Matthews, the former of whom was a native of North Carolina and the latter of Tennessee. John Matthews was the son of John and Rebecca Matthews; natives of North Carolina, of Scotch descent. They emigrated from North Carolina to Ohio and settled near New Market, in Highland county, in 1807. One year later they located four miles north of Hillsboro, on Clear creek, and there spent the rest of their lives. John Matthews, the father of Elijah H., was born in March, 774, and after his marriage in Highland county, located on his father's farm, where he remained through life. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, seven sons and three daughters, among whom John, Albert G., Christopher, Elijah, Joel, Susan, who married a Mr. Brown, Mrs. Mary Chapman and Mrs. Eliza Jane Hicks, of Kansas, all long since deceased. John Matthews was a prominent man in Highland county. He served as county commissioner two terms and as associate judge of the county for twenty-one years, having been elected three consecutive terms of seven years each. He died in August, 1848, at the age of seventy-four years and his wife in April, 1864, at the age of seventy-four. Elijah H. Matthews was married on January 25, 1849, to Ellen Elliott, daughter of William and Susan Elliott, early settlers of Clinton county, who were married, lived and died in this county. They were the parents of four children, Thomas G., who resides in ,Mercer county, Ohio; William; Ellen; and Eliza Jane, who married Valentine Cox, of Van Wert county. Mr. and Mrs. Elijah H. Matthews had ten children: John W., the subject of this sketch; Susan, who was born on May 29, 1853, and married Levi West, both now deceased; Mary Elizabeth, June 20, 1857, married David Matthews; Sarah E., October 7, 1859, married Lafayette West; Kate G., February 10, 1862, married Abraham Frazier, both now deceased; Rachel Ann, April 13, 1864, married W. B. Steele; Ollie M., June 10, 1869, married William Hardy ; Clara E., December 25, 1870, deceased, and. Oscar L., December 28, 1874, married Lucy Curtis. Until 1850 Elijah H. Matthews resided in Highland county and then moved to Clinton county, locating four miles northeast of Wilmington, where he lived a few years, then moved several times and finally died at New Vienna. He had lived about twenty years near Centerville, where he owned a farm of three hundred acres. When a young man, Elijah H. Matthews and his brother, Christopher, had managed a 728 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. general store in Buford, Highland county. At the time of his death, he owned several hundred acres of land. He was mayor of New Vienna two years, justice of the peace ten years, township trustee, assessor of the third division of Clinton county, and a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. and Mrs. Elijah H. Matthews were members of the Christian church. John W. Matthews was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools. For twenty-four years he was a resident of Wayne township, where he was engaged in farming and contracting, during which time he served as trustee and justice of the peace, having been elected as a Democrat. In 1903 he moved to New Vienna, where he has since lived. Mr. Matthews owns one hundred and forty-six acres of land, one and one-half miles from New Vienna. He was married in 1870 to Olive Pierce, a native of Clinton county and the daughter of Thomas and Eliza J (McFadden) Pierce, both now deceased. Thomas Pierce was a well-known attorney at Wilmington, this county. To this union eight children have been born, Dr. W. T., Emma, Sylvia, Edna, Stanley, Elijah H., John W. and Albert. Dr. W. T. Matthews was born on August 7, 1871, was graduated from the Cincinnati Medical College of Ohio in 1901 and has been in the active practice of medicine since that time. After spending two years at Millidgeville, in Fayette county, he located' at New Vienna, this county. He married Blanche Miller and they have one son, Charles. Emma Matthews, born on September 30, 1872, married J. E. Bernard, of Wilmington, and has six children. Sylvia Matthews, born on June 23, 1874, married Henry Rhonemus, of Wayne township. Edna Matthews, born on June 24, 1877, is the widow of L. C. Driscoll and has two children, Edith and John W. Stanley Matthews, born on December 14, 1878, was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School, while President Taft was dean of the college of law. After graduating with honors he entered upon the practice of his profession in Cincinnati. He married Mary Dunham. Elijah Matthews, born on October 16, 1884, was graduated from the law department of Yale University and is a practicing attorney in Cincinnati. He married Lida Dunham John W. Matthews, born on August 23, 1886, was graduated from the law school of the Cincinnati Young Men's Christian Asociation and is also a practicing attorney in Cincinnati. Albert Matthews, born on September 13, 1889, was graduated from the Ohio Dental College and is a practicing dentist in Cincinnati. Mr. Matthews is a member of the Masonic order, the blue lodge at New Vienna, and a member of the chapter at Hillsboro, Ohio. There is no family in all Clinton county that is better known, perhaps, than the Matthews family and certainly none is more highly respected. JOHN B. McKENZIE, M. D. The life of the distinguished physician and the public-spirited man of affairs presents a striking example of well-defined purpose. Dr. John B. McKenzie, of Oakland, Chester township, Clinton county, Ohio, not only is possessed of well-defined purpose, but also of ability with which he has been able to make that purpose count for the good of his fellow men. Since beginning his practice in Chester township, fifteen years ago, he has acquired a large patronage and a good name, not only in a professional way, but in a private way as well. Endowed with sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order which he has supplemented by rigid professional training and thorough mastery of the technique of medicine, he well deserves the substantial practice which has come to him. As a poultry fancier, Doctor McKenzie is also well known, having won many prizes at different shows held in the Middle West. John B. McKenzie was born on January 18, 1874, at New Antioch, Green township, Clinton county, the son of James and Rebecca (Truitt) McKenzie. His father was born in Green township in 1840 and died in 1876, and his mother was also born in that township. She was the daughter of George W. and Abigail (Applegate) Truitt. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 729 The paternal grandparents of Doctor McKenzie were William and Lucinda (Morton) McKenzie, both natives of Clinton county. He was a farmer in Green township and owned a farm of one hundred and twenty-four acres, to which he devoted his attention. They had six children: Elizabeth Jane, Ellen, James, Charles D., William B. and Mary Emily. James McKenzie was educated in the common schools of Green township and was a young man when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and, after coming back from the war, took up farming in Green township, where he remained the balance of his life. James and Rebecca McKenzie had two children, Frank, who died at the age of two years, and John B., the subject of this sketch. After the father's death, in 1876, his widow married, secondly, Thomas J. Blood, and they now live in New Antioch. James McKenzie was a member of the Christian church. He was a Democrat. John B. McKenzie began his education in the common schools of Union township and later he attended the schools at New Antioch. In 1896 he entered the Starling Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, and was graduated with the class of 1900 Immediately after his graduation, he began his practice in Chester township. Before going to college, however, he had read medicine with Doctor Whisler, of New Antioch, and had driven with him on his practice for one year. He also spent his summer vacations in Doctor Whisler's office. Doctor McKenzie's hospital experience was received in the St. Francis, St. Anthony and Mt. Carmel hospitals at Columbus, Ohio. As a breeder of fancy poultry, Doctor McKenzie is well known, both in Ohio and Indiana, having exhibited fowls at the poultry shows at Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo and Indianapolis. At Cincinnati, Toledo and Indianapolis he has taken several first prizes. Doctor and Mrs. McKenzie have a beautiful country home at Oakland and enjoy all of the comforts of life. On February 28, 1898, John B. McKenzie was married to Hattie L. Armstrong, a daughter of James K. and Amanda (Bowser) Armstrong, the former of whom was born on November 10, 1845, at the Snow Hill house in Green township, and the latter born on November 20, 1840, in Lockland, Ohio. Mr. Armstrong was a farmer in Green township. He and his wife had two children: Ida V., who married Joseph Summers; and Hattie L., the wife of Doctor McKenzie. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong now live in New Antioch. To Doctor and Mrs. McKenzie has been born one daughter, Cleo. A., who is now deceased. She was born on February 3, 1899, and died on November 27, 1901. Dr. John B. McKenzie is a member of the Clinton County and Ohio State Medical societies, a life member of the American Poultry Association and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. ALLEN ALBERT CURTIS. Allen Albert Curtis, now a well-known farmer and stockman in Green township, this county, where he owns a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres, was born on January 28, 1855, in the township where he lives, a son of David and. Martha J. (Truitt) Curtis, both natives of Virginia, the former born in 1827 and the latter in 1837. The paternal grandparents of Mr. Curtis were Christopher and Sarah Curtis, pioneers in Highland county, Ohio, who later moved to Clinton county, where both spent most of their lives, and where both died. Upon coming to Clinton county, they settled on what is now known as the Higgins farm. Mr. Curtis's maternal grandparents were George and Abigail (Applegate) Truitt, the former of whom was a son of William Truitt, a pioneer of Clinton county, who died at the age of about ninety years. George and Abigail (Applegate) Truitt were pioneer farmers in Clinton county, where both spent most of their lives, and where both died, the latter dying in the house where her grandson, Allen Albert Curtis, now lives, in 1906, at the age of eighty-four years. 730 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. The late David Curtis was a farmer by occupation, a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Baptist church. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, of whom Allen Albert is the eldest, the others, in the order of their birth, being as follow: William, Sarah, James E., Jennie, Frank, Lula, George and Lucy. Of these children Sarah. Jennie and Lula are deceased. Lula, who was the wife of Frank Steele, died in March, 1908. Lucy is the wife of Oscar Matthews. David Curtis died in 1898, and his widow is still living. Allen Albert Curtis was reared on his father's farm and was educated in the public schools. For many years he has lived on the farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres which he owns in Green township. On January 2, 1879, Allen Curtis was married to Ollie West, a native of Clinton county, who was, born in Wayne township on March 17, 1861, daughter of Edmond and Jane (Bernard) West, the latter of whom was the daughter of George Washington Bernard, mentioned elsewhere in this work. Edmond West was born in Wayne township, the son of a pioneer farmer of that township. To Mr. and Mrs. Curtis twelve children have been born, Winnie, William, Edna, Harley, Jennie, Howard, Carrie, Jessie, Fred, Mary, Mabel and Stanley, all of whom are living save William. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis are members of the Christian church at Centerville and are regular attendants and active workers in that church. Mr. Curtis votes the Democratic ticket. HON. ELIAS DAKIN HARLAN. On the memorial roll of Clinton county, there is no name more worthy of respectful consideration than that of the late Hon. Elias Dakin Harlan, former member of the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly from this district, and for many years one of the most prominent factors in the agricultural, social and civic life of this county. Honored by the electors of this district by the election for two successive terms as member of the state Legislature, he performed his duties to his district and his state, in that important capacity, in such a manner as to give his name a high place on the roster of Ohio's constructive statesmen and his memory long will be cherished hereabout. One of the leading farmers of the county, he for years was regarded as one of the most intelligent exponents of the modern methods of agriculture in this part of the state, and in 1893 was appointed as a delegate to the national farmers congress held at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in that year, on the recommendation of his warm friend 'and close associate, the Hon. John Sherman. For many years he was chairman of the Clinton county Republican committee and in this position wielded a powerful influence in political affairs throughout this section of Ohio. He was known as an effective organizer and in district and state conventions of his party his counsel and advice were eagerly sought by the leaders of the party in the state, his political labors and influence thus extending to all parts of the state. In the purely local field, he had served his township faithfully and well for years as a justice of the peace, his judgments ever being regarded as just and true by his neighbors, and he had performed equally faithful and effective service as a member of the board of education, his strong interest in the schools giving to this service an unusual value, which the community was not slow to appreciate. Faithful in all the relations of life, an honored veteran of the Civil War, an indefatigable worker and a true and public-spirited citizen, he was a man well worthy of praise and it is but fitting and proper that in this history of the county in which the best efforts of his life were so unselfishly expended there should appear a brief and modest review of his useful career. Elias Dakin Harlan was born on a farm in Adams township, this county, on April 1, 1837, son of Nathaniel and Lydia (Dakin) Harlan, pioneers of this county and leaders in the community life of their neighborhood. Nathaniel Harlan was one of the most influential factors in the development of the Adams township section of the county. A CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 731 large farmer and an intelligent and public-spirited citizen, he for many years exerted a most wholesome influence in that community. In earlier days he was a Whig and was one of the leading anti-slavery men in this county. Upon the organization of the Republican party he threw his influence on the side of that organization and ever after-Ward was regarded as one of the leaders in the Republican party hereabout. His wife, who was one of the daughters of Elias Dakin, a pioneer Quaker and Whig, of this county, was equally vigorous in her efforts in behalf of better things in the community of which she and her husband., were such prominent integral parts and her memory, as well as his, is held in the most grateful remembrance throughout that community, even to this day. They were the parents of six children, three sons and three daughters, namely: Elias D., subject of this sketch; William; Edwin, deceased; Mrs. Harriet Hale; Mary A., deceased, and Mrs. Eva Mullen, of Long Beach, California. Elias Dakin Harlan spent his boyhood days on the parental farm in Chester township, assisting in the cultivation and development of the same, at the same time receiving his elementary education in the district schools of that neighborhood. This he supplemented by a course at Antioch College and at the excellent old school at Yellow Springs, this state, and on September 16, 1861, enlisted in Company B, Fortieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for three years without a furlough, receiving his honorable discharge on September 20, 1864, with the rank of corporal. During this service, Corporal Harlan encountered the dreadful experiences of war in such notable battles as those of Chickamauga, Stone's River and Peach Tree Creek. His regiment was attached to the Army of the Cumberland, under General Rosecrans, and was in the thick of that great army's campaigns, including the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta. He also was engaged in the West Virginia campaign in the early part of the war and, with five others, at the battle of Franklin, barely escaped capture. He and his companions were surrounded and were about to give up their arms, when the Confederates shot and killed two of his comrades. Thinking he would just as soon be shot while running as while standing, Comrade Harlan made a run for it and, by the exercise of extraordinary wit, threw himself in the dooryard of a house in the town of Franklin; as though shot, and his pursuers rode on past, apparently satisfied that they had slain him. In his whole army career, Comrade Harlan proved himself a brave and loyal soldier, and after the war became one of the leaders in the organization of the Grand Army of the Republic in this section of the state. He was one of the organizers of Morris McMillan Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and was elected first post commander of the same, which position he held for two terms, and was three times appointed on the staff of the Ohio department commander. From the days of his earliest manhood, Mr. Harlan gave close attention to political affairs, being a close student of civics and devoutly interested in good government. Casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, his interest in and zeal for the Republican party never wavered and in time he became a powerful factor in the political life of this county, his influence extending far beyond the confines of the county, as noted above, by reason of his long service as chairman of the Clinton county Republican committee. As a justice of the peace and as a member of the board of education, he performed excellent public service of a local character and long before his election to the Legislature was regarded as one of the leading men in the public life of the county. The people of Clinton county, recognizing his ability and his worth, elected him as a representative from this district to the lower house of the seventieth General Assembly of the state of Ohio, his service in that capacity being so well received that he was re-elected, serving his second term in 1893-94. His interest in the advancement of agricultural methods in Ohio was so well known and so pronounced that he was appointed, as noted above, a delegate to the farmers congress at the great world's fair held in Chicago in 1893, in which position he was able to perform signal service in behalf of the country's agricul- 732 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. tural interests. In various other ways, Mr. Harlan had been enabled to perform excellent service on behalf of the public, in all the relations of life being true, until his useful career on earth came to an end on October 22, 1914. On July 4, 1865, Elias Dakin Harlan was united in marriage to Sarah A. Morris, who was born in Chester township, this county, on May 4, 1845, daughter of John and Mary Morris, natives, respectively, of Virginia and Ohio, and who survives him To this union there was no issue. John Morris, a pioneer settler of this county, was born on Neuse river, North Carolina, the son of Isaac and Millicent (Bundy) Morris. Early in life, attracted by the possibilities of pioneering in this section of Ohio, he walked from his home in Virginia to this section, "spying out the land." Before making his definite location in this county, he repeated this trip four times, walking each time. On one of these trips he shot and killed a bear, the skin of which he sold to Governor Trimble for three dollars. John Morris married Mary Stanley, daughter of Robert and Edith (Mason) Stanley, natives of the eastern shore of Maryland, and to this union eight children were born, Isaiah, Lydia, Eliza, Sarah (Mrs. Harlan), Isabelle and Jeremiah (twins), Martha who died in infancy) and Susanna. John Morris died on August 29, 1886. His wife had preceded him to the grave about five years, her death having occurred on August 6, 1881. Mr. Morris was a farmer until 1871, in which year he retired from the farm, and moved to Harveysburg, where his last days were spent. Hon. Elias D. Harlan was a birthright Quaker and his widow is devoted to the affairs of the Methodist church. He was a master Mason and ever took an earnest interest in the affairs of that ancient organization. ELIZABETH SHRIEVES, M. D. Elizabeth Shrieves, M. D., the subject of this sketch, is an Ohioan by adoption, having been born at North Hoosic, New York. Her parents, William Randolph and Esther Ann (Barnett) Shrieves, were born and reared in Rensselaer county, New York, in the vicinity of the battlefields of Bennington, Vermont, the main engagement of that famous battle having been fought on her great-grandfather's farm. In 1872 the Shrieves family moved from New York to Wilmington, this county, and Elizabeth Shrieves received her education in the public schools of that city and in Wilmington College, graduating from the latter in 1884. Following her graduation she taught for one year in the Melvin school and for several years substituted in the public schools and taught one year in the primary grade of the Main street building, which latter position she resigned to enter the Posse Normal School of Gymnastics, at Boston, Massachusetts. While attending the Chautauqua Summer School of Gymnastics, Miss Shrieves came under the influence of Dr. Eliza Mosher, of Brooklyn, and the following fall matriculated with the Laura Memorial Medical College, of Cincinnati, which has since been merged with the Ohio-Miami Medical College. After graduating from this institution with the class of 1899, Doctor Shrieves served as interne in the Presbyterian. hospital at Cincinnati and in March, 1901, began the practice of her profession at Wilmington, this county. To the usual professional training secured at the colleges, Doctor Shrieves has had the added advantage of an interneship in the Woman's hospital, at Chicago; post-graduate work, both in Chicago and in New York, and has had the inestimable advantage of a comprehensive tour of visitation in the better hospitals of Europe and attendance on clinics during a year abroad, spent in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and England. Strong Christian principles, established in childhood and later supplemented by college training and travel, in the case of Doctor Shrieves, has brought to the medical profession a woman of splendid qualities of heart and mind, with a breadth of view and purpose which daily enlarges her usefulness to all who are fortunate enough to come under her influence and care. CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 733 Doctor Shrieves is a member of the American Medical Association, the Ohio State Medical Society and the Clinton County Medical Society; the Greek-letter fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Iota, composed of medical women of America ; is examining physician for the Daughters of America and for the Ladies of the Maccabees, is trustee and treasurer of the Wilmington Carnegie library board and is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Six and Twenty Club and of the Methodist church at Wilmington. In August, 1909, the Shrieves home circle was broken by the death of Doctor Shrieves' mother and on January 1, 1910, the father passed on. In the following fall, Doctor Shrieves and her sister, Miss Emma, closed the home and spent a year abroad. Doctor Shrieves and her sister, Miss Emma, who reside together, own several dwellings and apartments in Wilmington. They have a widowed sister, Mrs. Frances S. Mills, now living in Los Angeles, California, and a brother, Dr. Edwin B. Shrieves, a successful dental surgeon, who is married and lives at Sioux City, Iowa. FRANK HUNNICUTT. Frank Hunnicutt, a well-known business man of Wilmington and an extensive dealer in horses, is a native of Liberty township, this county, born near Port William, April 28, 1872, the son of Wilson and Mary M. (Gallimore) Hunnicutt, both of whom are still living. Wilson Hunnicutt was born on August 18, 1847, in Port William, in Liberty township, this county, and his wife was born on November 8, 1850, in Wilson township. Frank Hunnicutt's paternal grandparents were Thomas and Susanna (Bailey) Hun- nicutt, the former of whom, born on July 10, 1811, in Prince George's county, Virginia, died on April 10, 1876, and the latter, born, on February 9, 1810, died on October 15, 1896. Thomas Hunnlcutt was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Hunnicutt, both of Scotch. Irish descent, who were born in Prince George's county, Virginia. He was a planter and farmer in Virginia and died there on February 15, 1823. His widow lived a few years longer, passing away in 1845. They were members of the Friends church and were ardently opposed to slavery. Susanna Hunnicutt was the daughter of Daniel and Mary (Haworth) Bailey, the former of whom was born in Prince George's county, Virginia, and the latter, in Union township, this county. Daniel Bailey came to Clinton county in 1804, when a young man, and purchased a farm four miles north of Wilmington. He and his wife were stanch Quakers. He died in 1844. Thomas Hunnicutt, grandfather of Frank Hunnicutt, had little chance to obtain an education. He arrived in Clinton county at the age of sixteen years, June 10, 1827, with his mother, brother and sisters and a small colony of settlers, his mother purchasing a farm of one hundred acres in Liberty township. After he was grown, he purchased what was then a swamp, one mile north of his mother's farm and became a wealthy man, owning about one thousand acres of land, in his later years retaining four hundred acres for himself, after giving farms to his elder children. He served as township trustee and was a Republican in politics. He and his wife were active members of the Friends church and he was an elder of the Dover monthly meetings. He was a successful hog breeder and was so well known for his ability that be became a judge at exhibitions and fairs. Wilson Hunnicutt grew up in Liberty township and when a young man purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty-two acres adjoining that of his father. He lived on this farm until 1903 when he retired and moved to Wilmington, where he is living on South street. All of the members of the family are identified with the Friends church. To Wilson Huunnicutt and his wife three children were born, of whom Frank is the eldest, the other two being Nora, who married Dennis Stephens and lives on the old Hunnicutt farm in Liberty township, and Bertha, who married Alton Haworth and lived on a farm in Liberty township until her death in 1912. Frank Hunnicutt attended the public schools of Liberty township and was a pupil 734 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. at the Hunnicutt school house for years. Later he became a student at Wilmington College and upon leaving college, worked on his father's farms for twelve years, at the end of which time he purchased the Starbuck farm of ninety-four acres in Union township, where he lived for four years. After that he lived in Sabina for one year. In 1911 Mr. Hunnicutt located at Wilmington, this county, and three years later, in 1914, built a magnificent new home at the corner of Spring and Locust streets. Since locating at Wilmington he has been engaged in buying and selling horses by the carload. On August 3, 1893, Frank Hunnicutt was married to Lura Turner, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, daughter of John and Margaret Turner, both of whom are living near Lumberton, Ohio, and granddaughter of Eber and Mary Haines. Mr. and Mrs. Hunnicutt have three children: Mary Pauline, born on June 4, 1898, who is a student in the Wilmington high school; Leslie Thomas, January 9, 1901, and Priscilla M., June 15, 1906. Mr. and Sirs. Hunnicutt and their family are members of the Friends church. Mr. Hunnicutt is identified with the Republican party. He is a man of genial personality and one in whom the public is accustomed to confide and upon whom they are accustomed to depend, since his word is known to be as good as his bond. The Hunnicutt family have many friends in Wilmington and it may be truly said that they are popular in that city. WILLIAM I STEWART. Among the prominent and influential citizens of Wilmington, the county seat of Clinton county, perhaps none has a wider acquaintance in that city or throughout the county than William I. Stewart, one of the leading real-estate agents and attorneys of this section of the state, and former mayor of the city of Wilmington. William I. Stewart was born on a farm near the village of Bowersville, in Jefferson township, Greene county, this state, on January 7, 1855, son of Robert and Lucinda (Oxley) Stewart, both natives of the same county, the former born in 1828 and the latter in 1835. Robert Stewart was the son of Christopher Stewart, whose father was a native of Scotland, one of the earliest settlers in Greene county, this state. He learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed at Bowersville until his marriage, at which time he bought a farm in Greene county, on which he lived for some years, at the end of which time, in 1875, he sold that farm and bought a farm in this county, on which he lived until his wife's death, after which he made his home with his several children until the time of his death, in 1908. Robert Stewart was a man of large influence in his community and had served the public very acceptably as township trustee. He was an unusually well-informed man, having been a constant reader of standard books and well versed in history. He was a Republican and gave his intelligent and thoughtful attention to the political affairs of the community, his counsels having much weight in the deliberations of the party managers, both in this county and in Greene county. Mr. Stewart was a man of strong religious feeling, an earnest Methodist, and helped to build. several churches during his long residence at Bowersville. On January 25, 1849, in Bowersville. Robert Stewart was united in marriage to Lucinda Oxley, daughter of the Rev. William Oxley, a well-known Baptist minister of that place, and to this union eight children were born, Nancy Elizabeth, Arminta Jane, Sarah Alice, William I., Charles Oscar, Alfred Franklin, Francis Marion and John M. The mother of these children died in March, 1898, and the father died on December 31, 1908. Both were devoted members of the Methodist church and their children were reared in that faith. William I. Stewart received his early education in the public schools of Bowersville and in the Storey high school. At the age of twenty-one, he began farming "on his own hook," and for three years was thus engaged, cultivating a rented farm, at the CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 735 end of which time he engaged in the mercantile business, operating a country store for about one year. He then returned to the farm, but after one more year of agricultural experience decided to take up the study of law, and with this end in view, moved to Wilmington, where, on Thanksgiving Day, 1886, he began his law studies in the office of Hon. R. E. Doan and pursued these studies with such diligence that in June, 1888, he was admitted to practice at the bar of the Clinton circuit court and at once entered actively upon the practice of his profession in Wilmington, where he ever since has been located, in this time having gained a name as a practitioner which is known far outside the limits of this county. In addition to his general practice as an attorney-atlaw, Mr. Stewart for years has been engaged in the real-estate business and has been quite successful. He owns a pleasant home in Wilmington, besides land in the east end of that town and has laid off lots in the new addition. He is also largely interested in the Geiger-Jones Stock Security Company and takes an active interest in the affairs of the city generally. Mr. Stewart for years has taken an active and intelligent interest in the political affairs of Wilmington and Clinton county. In 1890 he was elected mayor of Wilmington, and in this important capacity performed excellent public service. For fifteen years he has been a justice of the peace and bears a high reputation as a just judge in such matters as come before him for adjudication. In 1882 William I. Stewart was united in marriage to Emma Diffenbaugh, daughter of Adam nd Ann (Gallimore) Diffenbaugh, members of old and honorable families in this county, and to this union one child has been born, M. Pearl, who is living at home. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart have many friends in Wilmington and throughout Clinton county, all of whom hold them in the highest esteem. JOHN L. RANNELLS. When the successful farmer is spoken of, the inclination is to view his success simply from the standpoint of finance and accomplishment; but aside from this, there are many farmers who have accomplished good in a community by improvement, by careful selection and by the study of farm products and improved stock. These men are not 'alone" a success in themselves,' but they are a real benefit to a' community. Of such as these is John L. Rannells, the subject of this sketch. John L. Rannells was born on March 24, 1857, on the farm on which he now lives, in Union township, this county, the son of Thomas G. and Massie Jane (Wiley) Rannells. Thomas G. Rannells was born at Uniontown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on November 9. 1810, and died on September 11, 1886. He was the son of William and Leah (Gaddis) Rannells, both of whom were born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. In 1814 they came by wagon and horseback to Clinton county and located near New Vienna. There they purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of what is now the W. D. Moorman farm, in Union township. Later they bought one hundred acres on the Prairie road in Union township, where they both died. They were members of the Christian church. Massie Jane (Wiley) Rannells was born in 1821 and died in 1890. She was the daughter of Allen and Sarah Wiley. who came from Belmont county, Ohio, about 182'5 and settled on what is now the Conrad farm, on the Prairie road, in Union township, where they died. They were members of the Friends church. Thomas G. Rannells was only four years old when he settled with his parents in Clinton county. He attended the primary schools of that day and was always a faithful as well as a helpful attendant at all old-fashioned "log-rollings" in his neighborhood. After his marriage he bought an eighty-eight-acre tract of land, which is a part of the farm which John L. Rannells now owns, and there he went to housekeeping in a log cabin. In 1849 he built the comfortable brick house in which John L. Rannells now lives and lived there until his death, in 1886. He was a Republican. His 736 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. wife, who was reared a Quaker, joined the Christian church and they became active members. Thomas G. Rannells was a great stock raiser and had the best improved breeds of Shorthorn cattle, Merino sheep and Poland China hogs. He has seven children, six of whom are still living, as follow ; William H., who is in the insurance business and who lives in Wilmington; Sarah E., who married Henry Hilderbrant, and who died in 1907; Mary E., Leah L. and L. Etta, who live in Wilmington; John L., the subject of this sketch, and C. A., whose history will be found elsewhere in this volume. John L. Rannells attended the "Dutch" district school in Union township. During his youth and early manhood he stayed with his father on the farm and helped in the cultivation and management of the same. After his marriage he continued to live on the farm and after his father'- death acquired all the interests of the estate and now has an excellent farm of two hundred and thirty-eight acres. John L. Rannells was married on February 24, 1887, to Leulla Bentley, who was born in Wilson township, this county, on September 21, 1860, the daughter of E. V. and Nancy (Custis) Bentley, retired farming people now living at Wilmington. this county, and to this union the following children have been born: Thomas E., born on January 1, 1888, and who helps his father run the farm, married, Daisy D. Wright and has one child, John Elwood, who was born on April 6, 1915; William Bentley, September 20, 1890, a student of osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, married Mae George, and has one child, Matilda Jane, born on July 18, 1912; and Louise, October 19, 1900, who is attending high school at Wilmington. John L. Rannells as a Republican and he and his wife are active members of the Walnut Street Christian church. Aside from the exemplary farmer and stock raiser that he IS, he was one of the promoters of the Clinton County Mutual Insurance• Association, which has proved a great benefit to the county. He was for years one of the most active workers in that association and was a director in this association for years. JUNIUS A. HENRY. It matters much less where a man comes into the world than how he comes into life, as a living force and what he does and becomes in it. Heredity and environment have much to do in conditioning character and power, and fortunate indeed is the man who has been well born and whose surroundings have made possible his very best development. Junius A. Henry, a successful farmer of Union township, now in the prime of life, is peculiarly blessed not only by heredity, but by environment as well. He comes from a distinguished family of Clinton county and was reared under excellent home influences. Naturally he is a fine specimen of manhood and citizenship, well balanced, well poised, broad-minded and liberal. Junius A. Henry Was born on December 29, 1871, in Greene county, Ohio, and is the son of the late William and Julia (Pidgeon) Henry. The former was born near Harveysburg, in Warren county, Ohio, January 31, 1838, and died on September 10, 1906, while the latter was born on May 7, 1838, in Guilford county, North Carolina, near High Point, and fifteen miles mom Greensboro, and is still living in this county. Of the more remote ancestry of Mr. Henry it may be said that his grandparents on his paternal side were John and Catherine (Stump) Henry, the former of whom was born in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia in 798 and died in 1870, and the latter of whom was born in Frederick county, Virginia, in 1805, and died in 1887. John Henry came from Virginia to Ohio when a young man. His father having been killed when he was a baby he was reared by his aunt. He settled in Warren county and finally owned a- good farm near Harveysburg, but in 1854 sold out and purchased land in Union township, where he lived until his death. He and his wife were devout members of the) Christian church. They had ten children, of whom seven are deceased, as follow : Daniel, lives in Wilmington; William, was the father of Junius A.; Jonas and John are CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 737 deceased: Matilda, married William Fisher, of near Port William; Retta, deceased, married Quincy Harris; Lydia, died unmarried; Frances, married James Fisher, of Wilmington; Reese, died unmarried; and Joshua, who was twice married, is deceased. Mrs. William Henry had a birthright in the Friends church. Fifteen years after their marriage, Mr. Henry joined the church. He was a Democrat early in life and later years voted the Prohibition ticket. On his maternal side, Junius A. Henry is descended from Charles and Catherine (Homey) Pidgeon, his maternal grandparents, the former of whom was born on March 1, 1806, and died on July 26, 1898, and the latter of whom was born on September 23, 1810, and died on December 27, 1886. They were natives of Stokes county, North Carolina. Isaac Pidgeon, the paternal great-great-grandfather of Junius A. Henry, was a strict Quaker, who emigrated from Ireland to Chowan county, North Carolina, about 740, and who, although he lived in America during the Revolutionary War, was not called upon to serve, since he was a member of the Quaker church. His son, Charles Pidgeon, Sr., a blacksmith, mechanic, carpenter and home physician, married Elizabeth Crews on November 11, 789. She was a native of Virginia, and died in the early forties, after giving birth to a family of twelve children. The father died in 1854. Charles Pidgeon, Jr, who grew up in Stokes county, North Carolina, later located in Guilford county, and at the breaking out of the Civil War, being a northern sympathizer, emigrated to Ohio. He had married Catherine Homey on October 8, 1829. They had twelve children: Emily, married John Briggs, and died at the age of thirty-nine; Mary, married Wallace Mack, and they live in Virginia; John, married Caroline Thompson, and is a Quaker minister at Orchard Grove, Ohio ; Hannah, married William Charles, and they are both deceased; Julia A., is the widow of William Henry and the mother of Junius A.; Samuel, is a school teacher and farmer at Jamestown, Ohio; David, is a resident of California; Jeffrey, died in infancy; Charles Addison, a school teacher, died unmarried, at the age of twenty-six; Henry, is a farmer in Union township; Cornelia, married Bruce Sprague, of Union township, and Louisa, married Aden Star-buck. Junius A. Henry is one of three children born to his parents. His elder brother, Charles Addison, was born on January 22, 1870, and is a farmer of Union township. He married Margaret Vandervort. Junius Avery was the second born. William A., born on November 9, 1876, died on September 20, 1909, Junius A. Henry attended the district schools of Clinton county, in Union township, and assisted his father on the home farm until his marriage, after which he located on a part of his father's home farm. Upon his father's death he inherited one hundred and twenty acres of land and in 1911 added sixty acres from the Wade farm adjoining the home farm. In 1909 he bought a residence on West Locust street, Wilmington, which he still owns. For several years he has kept thoroughbred trotting horses of the Wilkes and Electioneer strains. He raises all the cattle and hogs necessary to consume the grain raised on the farm and, in fact, buys grain for his stock. In 1900 Mr. Henry built a comfortable country home, where he and his wife and family now live. On August 10, 1892, Junius A. Henry was married to Augusta Estell Fisher, a native of Green township, Clinton county, and the daughter of James and Eliza Fisher, the former of whom was born on April 30. 1829, in Clinton county, and the latter of whom was born on March 16, 1853, in Tennessee. Of the paternal ancestry of Mrs. Henry, it may be said that her grandparents, David and Hannah Fisher, were natives of Virginia. David and Hannah Fisher had thirteen children: Samuel, John, Andrew J., William, George W., James, Thomas, Eliza Ann, Maria and Elizabeth were ten of these children. The father lived in Clinton county until 1858, when he removed to Illinois and died of cholera in 1863, at the age of (47) 738 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. sixty-seven. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and one of the troops surrendered by General Hull at Detroit. George W. Fisher, an uncle of Mrs. Henry's, after working at various places as a brickmaker, began farming in 1857 and before his death came to own two hundred and thirty-five acres of land. His wife, before her marriage, was Martha Fife, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, August 20, 1828, and who came with her parents, David and Nancy Fife, to Philadelphia, in 1840, and a few years later to Clinton county, Ohio, where her mother died. Her father removed to the state of Illinois and died there. George W. Fisher and Martha Fife were married on February 15, 1850. They had eight children, as follow: Jennie, born on June 21, 1852; David F., July 18, 1854; John, September 11, 1856; George L., November 8, 1858; Thomas, December 29, 1860; Matthew, January 7, 1865, and died on December 29, 1881; Maggie L., April 23, 1869; and James, July 25, 1873. Mr. Fisher was a member of Company K, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Junius Avery Henry are the parents of three children: Eva Catherine, born on January 11, 1893, married Earl West, and they live on the farm owned by Mrs. William Henry, Mrs. West's grandmother ; Ray, March 1, 1894; and Fay, April 20, 1896, are at home. Mr. Henry is a Democrat. He has a birthright membership in the Quaker church at Wilmington. Mrs. Henry is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. They are well-known and highly-respected citizens and farmers of Union township, popular in the community where they reside and where they have a host of friends. HENRY STIERITZ'S SONS. Coming to Clinton county as a German immigrant when twenty-seven years of age, working for the first few years of his life here under conditions that would have proved disheartening to one of less plucky disposition, surmounting obstacles that to others might have seemed well nigh insuperable, Henry Stieritz came to be a man of large substance, well circumstanced and prosperous and at the time of his death left to his sons, Jacob, Godfrey and David. not merely a legacy of world's goods that provided handsomely for their material state, but the far more 'enduring and valuable legacy of a good name, the name of a man who had done well his part in life, who had cherished his family and had walked uprightly before his fellowmen. These three sons well have taken care of the legacy thus left them, not only having increased the considerable land holdings bequeathed them by their father, but have cherished the greater legacy of his good name, and in their own lives have so conducted themselves before men as to leave unsullied the fine trust their father reposed in them. Henry Stieritz was born in the kingdom of Wurttemberg, in southwestern Germany, the son of John Stieritz and wife, peasant farmers, and remained in his native land until he was twenty-seven years of age, at which time he decided to try his fortune in the great land of fuller opportunities across the water. With this end in view he came to America, almost immediately locating in this county, where he engaged to work for a Clark township farmer for two years at the wage rate of eight dollars the month. Desiring to save his earnings in order that he early might accumulate a fund by which to start himself as a farmer in his own right, Henry Stieritz allowed all but a mere pittance of his earnings during this period to remain in the hands of his employer, thinking to draw the whole amount at the end of his service. Just about the time of the termination of his two years of faithful service, his employer failed and he lost almost the whole of his accumulated wages. Not a whit discouraged, however, he started over again and presently found himself able to purchase thirty acres of land. This small tract was situated just over the county line in Highland county, and there Henry Stieritz laid the foundation of his fortune. Industry and Perseverance found their just CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO- 739 reward, and in due time, with the diligent and faithful aid of his growing sons, Mr. Stieritz became the owner of a fine, well-cultivated, farm of three hundred and eighty-one acres on the dividing line between Clinton and Highland counties, one hundred and twenty-five acres of which was situated in the latter county. Upon seeing his way clear to assume the responsibilities of married life, Henry Stieritz was united in marriage to Sophia Trautwein, also a native of Wurttemberg, who came to Clinton county with her parents, Barnhart and Mary (Gates) Trautwein, when she was thirteen years of age, and grew to womanhood on the farm which her father cleared from the forest wilderness in the southern part of Clark township. The Trautweins came to this county about the year 1841, locating on a farm 'of thirty-five acres in the deep woods, where they built a log cabin and proceeded to make a new home. Barnhart Trautwein gradually added to his original tract until he became a quite substantial farmer and was able to give his two sons considerable material aid when they later moved to Illinois to establish homes of their own. He and his wife also were the parents of one other daughter, besides Mrs. Stieritz, who married and remained in Clark township To Henry and Sophia (Trautwein) Stieritz were born three sons, Jacob, Godfrey and David, who grew up side by side and have remained close neighbors all their lives, cultivating and enlarging the home farm and creating valuable and comfortable homes of their own. Henry Stieritz and his wife were faithful adherents of the Lutheran church and their sons were reared in that faith and have not departed therefrom, being valuable supporters of the faith of their fathers in this community. Henry Stieritz died in the year 1883 and his wife died in 1907. Both were highly regarded in the community in which they had risen from humble conditions to positions of influence in their neighborhood and they were sincerely mourned by many friends. Jacob Stieritz, eldest son of Henry and Sophia (Trautwein) Stieritz, was born in Clark township, Clinton county, Ohio, on January 12, 1859, and has continued to live in that neighborhood. Upon the division of his father's estate, he inherited one hundred and twenty-five acres, to which he added a small farm which he previously had acquired adjoining and there be lived until 1908; in which year he bought the well-appointed farm which he now occupies. On this place he has a fine brick residence and the farm buildings are in full keeping with the same, the farm being well equipped for the profitable pursuit of modern agricultural methods. In February, 1894, Jacob Stieritz was united in marriage to Alexenia F. Abernathy, daughter of John Abernathy, of Highland county, this state, and to this union two children have been born, both sons, Harry Lee and Howard Edwin, both of whom are at home, valuable aids to their father in his agricultural pursuits. Godfrey Stieritz, second son of his pioneer parents, was born on June 7, 1863. receiving, as did his brothers, such education as the district schools of Clark township provided in those days, and has always been a farmer. Upon the division of his father's estate he received the home section of the farm and has continued to live in the old home. He is quite successfully engaged in general farming and has made important additions to his original holdings, now being the owner of two hundred and eighteen acres, all of which is in an excellent state of cultivation. David Stieritz; youngest of the three sons of Henry Stieritz, was born on the old home place in Clark township, on July 10, 1869. He received one hundred and twenty-five acres in the division of the home farm and continued to make his home there, having erected a comfortable residence upon the occasion of his marriage and has prospered, he, as well as his brothers, being regarded as among the substantial farmers of Clark township. On May 14, 1900, David Stieritz was united in marriage to Rosa Rost, who was born in Hamilton county, this state, the daughter of Henry Rost, but a resident of Highland county at the time of her marriage. David Stieritz, as well as 740 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. his brothers, takes a warm interest in local affairs and is highly concerned in the advancement of the common good thereabout. He formerly was director of schools in his district, an office which he filled faithfully and well. The Stieritz brothers are excellent citizens, straightforward, industrious and honorable before men and are held in the highest regard throughout that whole community. WELDEN N. McKAY. Welden N. McKay, who belongs to one of the leading families of Clinton county, a family which has every reason to take just pride in its ancestry, is himself an educated and intelligent young farmer of Chester township, who has enjoyed advantages which fall to few men born and reared on the farm. As a matter of fact, he is a practical farmer with the theoretical knowledge of agriculture, since he has made the modern theories of agriculture pay him handsome returns for his pains, and, in addition to this, for the past three years he has been interested in road and bridge building under contract. The founder of the McKay family in Ohio was Moses McKay, the great-grandfather of Welden N. McKay, who, accompanied by his wife and children, about 1814 immigrated from Virginia, by way of Pittsburgh and thence by flat-boat to Cincinnati and finally to Lebanon, this state. Still later they settled at Waynesville and a short time later purchased the large tract of land east of the Little Miami river, but a short distance west of Caesars creek, in what is now Massie township, Warren county. From Warren county the family gradually moved over into Clinton county. Welden N. McKay was born on the farm where he now lives, in Chester township, this county, on November 21, 1874, the son of Robert F. and Mary F. (Nickerson) McKay, the former of whom was born on the same farm on February 9, 1838, and the latter born on July 21, 1843, the daughter of Clark and Martha (Ashbey) Nickerson. Robert F. McKay and Mary F. Nickerson were married on December 28, 1861. Robert F. McKay was the son of Francis and Mary (Collett) McKay, the former of whom was born in January, 1802, the son of Moses McKay, and died on March 26, 1871. He was a native of Frederick county, Virginia, and on October 7, 1830, was married to Mary Collett, daughter of Moses and Rebecca Collett. Various records show that the founder of the McKay family in America was Andrew McKay, who was born in Scotland, the son of Robert McKay. Prior to 766, Andrew McKay, who was a member of the Society of Friends, married Jane Ridgeway and they settled in Frederick county, Virginia. They were the parents of five children. Moses, Enos, Jacob, Margaret and Patience. Moses McKay, who was born on September 7, 766, was united in marriage in 793, according to the discipline of the Friends church, to Abigail Shinn, daughter of George and Rachel (Wright) Shinn, who was born on May 3, 776, in Stafford county, Virginia, to which union were born thirteen children, namely ; Rachel, who was born on January 19, 794; Robert, December 7, 795; Sarah, November 11, 797; George, March 11, 1800; Francis, January 9, 1802; Margaret, January 16, 1804; Jonas, September 9, 1806; Virginia, August 22, 1808; Maria, May 23, 1811; Jonas T., May 10, 1813; Levi D., February 29, 1816; Jacob F., July 3, 1819; and Mary E., July 27, 1822. It was Moses, the father of this family, who settled in Warren county, Ohio. Francis McKay, the grandfather of Welden N., was the fifth child born to his parents. Moses McKay died on January 28, 1828, and his wife in July, of the same year. The Nickerson family, of which Weldon N. McKay's mother, Mary Frances (Nickerson) McKay, is a member, has an even longer record in America than that of the McKays. William Nickerson, the ancestor in America of this remarkable family, with his wife, Anna, four children and the family of his father-in-law, Nicholas Busby, sailed from Norwich, England, on the ship, "Anne," landing in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 20, CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 741 1637. William Nickerson served as representative from Yarmouth, Massachusetts, in 1655, and he and his sons figure largely in colonial records from Yarmouth. William, Nickerson, Jr., married, Nancy Williams and settled in North Chatham. He served as a soldier in King Philip's War and died in 719. His son, Thomas Nickerson, married Mary Bangs, a daughter of Capt. Jonathan and Mary (Mayo) Bangs and,granddaughter of Edward and Lydia (Hicks) Bangs. Edward Bangs came to America from Chichester, England, and had wealth, honor and influence. His descendants intermarried with many of the leading Pilgrim and Puritan families and appear always to have maintained an honorable position and to have been useful citizens in their day and generation. The Bangs coat-of-arms was emblazoned with a Moor's lead. Mary (Bangs) Nickerson was also a lineal descendant of Sir Ellis Hicks, who was knighted by the Black Prince at the battle of Poictiers, September 19, 1356. Ebenezer, son of Thomas and Mary (Bangs) Nickerson, and his wife, Constance, also were residents of Chatham, Massachusetts. Their son, Seth, and his wife, Mary, emigrated from Massachusetts to New York state and were the parents of Joshua Nickerson. Joshua and Abigail (Waring) Nickerson came from Poughkeepsie, New York, to Ohio, in 1804, and settled in Adams township, Clinton county. They had three sons and one daughter. Their son, Clark, married Martha Ashby, a daughter of Silas and Sarah (Collett) Ashby, to which union seven children were born, two daughters, Sarah and Elizabeth Ann, who died at an early age, and James, Joshua, David, Mary Frances, who married Robert F. McKay, and Susanna, the wife of Evan Hadley. Francis McKay was reared on a farm and received the rudiments of an education". On October 7, 1830, he married Mary Collett, who was born on November 7, 1808, and to this union eleven children were born, seven of whom lived to maturity. In the spring of 1832 the family settled in the northern part of what is now Chester township, Clinton county. Francis McKay inherited several hundred acres of land, which was partially cleared. He was a man of industrious habits, sterling integrity and unblemished character. He died on. March 26, 1871. It has been said of him that in his death "Clinton county lost one of her most worthy and respected citizens." Not only was his presence missed by the loved ones of his own family but by the poor and needy, to whom he ever extended a helping hand. His widow lived to a very advanced age. The late Robert F. McKay received his education in the schools of Chester township and was a farmer all his life. In the beginning he had one hundred and fifty acres, to which he added from time to time until he owned four hundred acres of land. He and his wife were good citizens and for many years maintained a hospitable home in this county. They were the parents of four children, namely: Martha M., who married Charles Skimming; Welden N., the subject of this sketch; Sarah M., who married Harley H. Smith, and Susannali M., who married Everett Terrell. Robert F. McKay was a trustee and class leader for many years in the Methodist church. He voted the Republican ticket and was a man of large influence in his community. Due to the careful management of his father, Welden N. McKay received a good start in life. He received his elementary education in the schools of Chester township, supplementing the same by a course in Wilmington College, after which, during 1897, 1898 and 1899, he was a student at Ohio State University, where he took a thorough course in agriculture. Upon completing his studies, he took up farming in Clinton county and now owns ninety-five acres of land in Chester township. He and his mother live together on the home farm and are held in the highest esteem throughout that whole neighborhood. Welden N. McKay has never married. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is now serving as trustee. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. McKay votes the Republican ticket. Such families as those of the McKays are the bone and sinew of the great Hawkeye state, the families to whom is due much of the credit for the present high state of progress in this great commonwealth. 742 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. DAVID F. FISHER. The Fisher family in Clinton county had its origin in the early days of the settlement of this section of the state, its founder, David Fisher, having come here as a "bound boy" with the family of Thomas Thatcher, who emigrated from Virginia and located in this county when there was little hereabout to which the name of civilization might be applied. David Fisher was an orphan and was reared in the home of the Thatchers, who had settled in the Cuba neighborhood, where the "bound boy," grew to useful manhood. He 'married and he and his wife, Hannah, became the parents of thirteen children. David Fisher lived in this county until about the year 1858, when he moved to Illinois, where his death occurred in, 1863, he being then about sixty-seven years of age. David Fisher was a soldier in the War of 1812, and was one of the company of troops surrendered by General Hull, at Detroit, and shared with many others their hatred of Hull for his uncalled-for surrender. George W. Fisher, son of David and Hannah Fisher, was reared amid the primitive conditions which surrounded his father's home in this county and upon reaching manhood was thrown upon his own resources, without means, other than his courage and determination, and was thus compelled to fight his own way through life. He entered upon the trade of brickmaking, which business he followed for fifteen years at Cincinnati, Shelbyville, Indiana ; in this county and in other places, and in the spring of 1857 he engaged in farming, buying seventy-five acres of land in Green township, this county, where he spent the rest of his life. He was successful in his farming operations and gradually increased his holdings until he was in possession of two hundred and thirty-five acres of excellent land surrounding his home, all under fine cultivation, with good buildings and improvements. During the Civil War, George W. Fisher was a member of the Ohio National Guard and, in the spring of 1864, when the services of this body were deemed necessary at the front, he left his plow in the furrow and went to the front, serving under Captain Wilson, in Company K, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment, Ohio National Guard. On February 15, 1850, George W. Fisher was united in marriage to Martha Fife, who was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on August 20, 1828, the daughter of David and Nancy Fife, who came to America in 1840, locating in Philadelphia, a few years later coming to this county. Following the death of his wife here, a few years later, David Fife moved to Illinois, where he spent his last days. George W. Fisher and his wife were the parents of eight children, namely : Jennie, born on June 21, 1852; David F., the immediate subject of this sketch; John W., September 11, 1856; George L., November 8, 1858; Thomas, December 29, 1860; Matthew, January 7, 1865; Maggie L., April 23, 1869, and James, July 25, 1873. David F. Fisher, son of George W. and Martha (Fife) Fisher, was born in Union township, Clinton county, Ohio, on July 18, 1854, and was reared on the farm, receiving his education in the schools at New Antioch, and has been a farmer all his life. .He began as a tenant farmer, but his industry and energy soon gave him a start sufficient to enable him to see his way ahead, and in 1907 he bought his present fine farm of one hundred and three acres in Washington township, where he since has lived, and where he has prospered, as becomes the diligence with which he has applied himself to his extensive farming operations. On January 29, 1879, David F. Fisher was united in marriage to Nora Haynie, who was born at New Antioch, this county, daughter of George S. and Elizabeth Ellen (Rannells) Haynie, both natives of this county, the former of whom was born in Union township and the latter in the village of New Antioch. George S. Haynie was the son of Thomas and Charlotte (Thatcher) Haynie, the former of whom was born in Clinton county, Virginia, and the latter near the village of Cuba, in this county. Thomas Haynie was the son of Charles Haynie, a soldier of the War of 1812, and CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 743 came to this county from Virginia at an early day in the settlement of the county, engaging in mercantile business at West Woodville, later moving his store to Burtonville and still later to New Antioch, in which latter village he and his son, George S., were for many years regarded as among the- leading merchants of the place. Thomas finally sold out his store and retired to a farm which he had bought and there spent the remainder of his life. Thomas Haynie's wife, Charlotte Thatcher, was a daughter of Thomas Thatcher, who was well known as a land agent in this part of Ohio in the early days, he having been a descendant of Col. Peter Thatcher, of Colonial fame, who came from England. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Fisher were Harvey and Elizabeth (Flemming) Rannells, he of Scottish descent, and she a native of Pennsylvania, who came from Pennsylvania to this county about the year 1825, locating on a farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres at the edge of the village of New Antioch, entering the land direct from a government grant. On this homestead they erected a log cabin and created a home, where the remainder of their lives were spent. Harvey Rannells and his wife were among the most influential people of that neighborhood and their memory will long endure in that region. They contributed a portion of their land to the uses of the church and school at New Antioch, the first school and church in that neighborhood having been erected on land that they gave. To David F. and Nora (Haynie) Fisher eight children have been born, namely: Ethel May, Harry Ethelbert, Walter Matthew, Mary Elizabeth, Emmet Hanle, Benjamin Herman Lee, Ernest Evelyn and Dorothy May. Mrs. Fisher is a member of the Christian church and the several members of the family take an active part in the good works of their community, all being held in the very highest esteem thereabout. Mr. Fisher is a Republican and has served as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Republican committee and is a member of the Martinsville Protective Association. He is a great temperance worker, few men in his neighborhood being more active in the anti-liquor fight than he. W. P. RUNK. W. P. Runk, one of the successful farmers of Clark township, this county, where he owns one hundred and twenty-five acres of land, was born on December 14, 1853, in that township, the son of George W. and Rachel (Ratcliff) Runk, natives of Berkeley county, Virginia, and Highland county, Ohio, respectively, the former of whom was born in 1819, son of John and Elizabeth (Miller) Runk, natives of Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively, who were married in Pennsylvania and in 1835 located on the farm now owned by their grandson, W. P. Runk. John Runk first purchased one hundred acres, later sold twenty-five acres, and then added sixty acres to the farm, and both he and his wife spent their last days on the farm. He was a soldier during the War of 1812 and drew a pension for his services in that war. During the Civil War, he was a member of the famous "squirrel hunters" organization, which resisted Morgan's raid. Mr. Runk's maternal grandfather, Jacob Ratcliff, was a native of North Carolina, who came with his parents to Ohio, locating in Highland county. The family was of Quaker descent, and the parents died in Highland county. Jacob Ratcliff was proprietor of a grist-mill at Sharpsville and, later in life, a farmer. His wife, who was a Smith, was a native of Highland county. The late George W. Runk was educated in the subscription schools of the Old Dominion state, and learned the cabinet-maker's trade at Martinsville after coming to this country. He worked at his trade in Dayton, Ohio, but later took up farming in his home community, and still later removed to his home farm. George W. and Rachel (Ratcliff) Runk, who had five children, died on the farm that their son, W. P., now owns. The family were members of the Lutheran church. W. P. Runk was educated in the public schools of Clark township, and owns one 744 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. hundred and twenty-five acres of land in that township, where he has been farming all his life. On March 1, 1885, he was married to Ida Ent, a native of Sligo, Ohio, and the daughter of George and Lydia (Lambright) Ent, both natives of Frederick City, Maryland. Mrs. Runk's paternal grandfather was George Ent, who was a well-known carriage painter and who came to Ohio in 1855. He died in this state while visiting his son, George. His wife, however, died in Maryland. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and the founder of the college at Fredericks City, Maryland. Mrs. Hunk's maternal grandfather, who married a Miss Schell, spent all his life in the state of Maryland. Her father was a student at the college at Fredericks City and lacked but one year of graduating. He became a carriage painter, and, after coming to Ohio, located at Clarksville, where he followed his trade for some time. Later he moved to Sligo, thence to Upper Sandusky, thence to New Vienna and finally settled at Martinsville. He and his wife were the parents of nine children. Three of their sons, William, George and Milton, were soldiers in the Union army during the Civil War. For ten years Mrs. Runk was a teacher in the public schools, she having completed her education in the high school at Martinsville. To W. P. and Ida (Ent) Runk have been born four children, Viola, Leslie, Stella and Blanche. Mr. Runk is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. ROBERT D. WALL. In contemplating the many estimable qualities of the late Robert D. Wall, integrity and industry appear as prominent characteristics. He possessed an integrity which no personal or material consideration could swerve, and an industry which knew no rest while a personal duty remained unperformed. When given a task to accomplish he was accustomed to devote himself to its completion with indefatigable energy, and when the task was done, he threw off all cares to devote himself to the interests of his home and family. His temper was calm and equable, and his manners emphatically those of a gentleman, plain, simple and dignified. He despised sham and pretense of all kinds. His devotion to every duty was intense, while his perception of truth and worth was almost intuitive. Although his life was a busy one, he never allowed the demands of business to interfere with his Christian obligations or with the faithful performance of his church duties. He commanded the respect of all classes by his exemplary life, and his memory will long be cherished by his friends and acquaintances, and especially by the members of his own immediate family. Robert D. Wall was born on February 28, 1839, in Chester township, Clinton county, Ohio, and died on May 30, 1910. He was a son of Mahlon and Mary (Vanderburgh) Wall, the former of whom was born on May 31, 1810, in the Steward cabin, in Chester township, this county, and the latter on March 20, 1818, in the state of New York. Mahlon Wall was the son of John and Mary (Mills) Wall, the former of whom was a native of York county, Pennsylvania, born on September 9, 778, and died on January 5, 1857, and the latter of whom was born on February 10, 777. They were married in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1802 and came to Clinton county in 1809, locating on a farm on Dutch creek, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The farm which Grandfather Wall owned consisted of about one hundred and four acres, which was a wilderness when he purchased it, but in true pioneer fashion he and his wife set about to cultivate and develop their farm. John Wall and wife were the parents of five children, Eli, Anna, Thomas, Mahlon and David. John Wall was a son of Absalom and Margaret Wall, the former of whom was a native of Center county, Pennsylvania, who sold out to the Dutch, and removed to Bedford county, in that state, in an early day. Mahlon Wall was an infant when his parents came to this county in 1811. He was reared on the farm in Chester township and lived there all his life, receiving his education in the primitive schools of his home township. At the time of his death he CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 745 owned. about one hundred. and twenty-seven acres of land. Mahlon and Mary (Vanderburg) Wall were the parents of eight children, Edwin, Robert D., Esther R., Absalom,. Lydia E., Clarence, Rachel and Lucy Alice. Being a member of the Friends church, Mahlon Wall was bitterly opposed to slavery, and in the days before the Civil War assisted in the maintenance of the "underground railway," an institution by which slaves were helped to escape from the Southland to Canada. He was a member of the Whig party. He was also bitterly opposed to the whiskey traffic and was a very active worker in the temperance cause. Robert D. Wall was educated in the common schools of Chester township, and there spent his boyhood and youth. He was twenty-two years old in 1861, when he enlisted for service in the Union army, in Company H, Thirty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Enlisting as a private he was promoted to the rank of corporal on September 24, 1862, and served altogether three years, participating in many of the hardest-fought battles of that terrible struggle. Among the engagements in which he took part were the battles of Iuka, Corinth and Atlanta, besides many others, and his company was detailed to take a train load of prisoners to Philadelphia during the war. During his entire service he was neither wounded nor taken prisoner. He was honorably discharged from the service on August 12, 1864, at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and immediately afterwards returned to his home in Clinton county, where he purchased a small tract of hind and engaged in farming. He owned seventy-one acres of land, on which he made many improvements, erecting all the buildings on the farm. In later years he delighted to attend old soldiers' meetings, taking an active part in the reunions of his old comrades. He made a specialty during his later years of planting and raising fruit trees. On March 13, 1867, Robert D. Wall was married to Ann C. McMillan, who was born on March 14, 1840, a daughter of Josiah and Susannah (Cox) McMillan. Mrs. Wall's father was born on May 10, 798, in York county, Pennsylvania, a son of David and Hannah McMillan, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio when Josiah was seven years old. Mrs. Wall's mother was born on July 12, 1801, the daughter of William and Emma Cox, and was married to Josiah McMillan on September 22, 1824, to which union seven children were born, David, Hannah; Mary, Clarkson; Thomas, Susannah and Ann C. Mrs. Wall's mother died in 1843 and her father married, secondly, in September, 1851, Mary Crew, the daughter of Obadiah Crew. She died on April 9, 1854, and Josiah McMillan was married the third time, in September, 1860, to Rebecca Ann Whinnery, the daughter of Robert and Phoebe Whinnery, to which union two children were born, Joseph, born in 1861, and Jane, 1863. Josiah McMillan was a man of industrious and energetic habits, a member of the Society of Friends. His death occurred in 1879. To Robert D. and Ann C. (McMillan) Wall six children were born, namely: Bayard T., born on January 23, 1868, died on January 12, 1871; Henry, March 2, 1871, married Hannah Johnson, and has two children. Margaret and George; Thomas Leaton, November 5, 1872, lives with his mother on the home farm; Albert J., August 15, 1880, who died on April 26, 1912, and two daughters, who died in infancy. Robert D. Wall was an earnest and devoted member of the Friends church, taking an active and interested part in the affairs of that denomination. He was a Republican in politics early in life. but later identified himself with the Republican party. For fifteen years he was a school director, and during the latter years of his life was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Thomas L. Wall. the third child of Robert D. and Ann C. (McMillan) Wall, who lives at home with his mother, is an intelligent, highly-educated young fanner, who operates the farm of one hundred acres where he and his mother live, and where his mother was born, also the seventy-one acres of the farm his father brought to an excellent state of cultivation. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of breeding and raising Duroc-Jersey hogs, in which he is very suc- 746 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. cessful. He is well prepared for the proper direction of his affairs, having spent three years in Wilmington College, and later two years in a 'business college at Cincinnati, Ohio. Fraternally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He votes the Democratic ticket, and is one of the school directors of Chester township. He is held in high esteem throughout that entire neighborhood and is regarded as a high-minded, industrious and worthy young man. PROF. HUGH J. WRIGHT. Prof. Hugh J. Wright, who is well-known as the principal of the Martinsville high school, a position which he has held for two years, was born on October 10, 1875, in Highland county, Ohio, the son of Elwood and Rebecca (Johnson) Wright, both natives of that county, and both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Wright's father was a farmer and a machinist. Hugh J. Wright was educated in Highland county, where he attended the public schools, and in Wilmington College. For some time he taught in the district schools in the vicinity of Wilmington, and afterwards in Fairfield township, Highland county, where he was principal of a graded school. Afterwards he became principal of the Leesburg public schools, but in 1908 removed to Martinsville, where he entered the lumber and builders' supply business and was thus engaged for three years. He then sold out and accepted the position of superintendent of the Martinsville high school, later becoming principal, under the new law. Professor Wright is well known in Clinton county as one of its leading educators. Not only is he a capable instructor, well-informed and skillful in teaching, but he is possesed of exceptional executive ability, and is particularly well adapted to supervisory educational work. During the years he has been engaged in teaching school, he has also dealt to some extent in real estate. In 1900 Professor Wright was married to Miss Julia Denney, of Highland county, this state, who has borne him two children, Robert Elwood and Rebecca. Being the grandson of Joseph Wright, one of the early ministers in the Friends church, of Clinton county, Professor Wright is himself a member of that church and during the past two years has been superintendent of the Friends Sunday school in Martinsville. He served one term as township clerk of Clark township and is prominent in the fraternal circles of Clinton county, being a member of the Masonic lodge, Knights of Pythias, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Junior Order of United American Mechanics and the Modern Woodmen of America. The Wrights are prominent socially in Martinsville and Clark township and are held in the highest esteem thereabout. DANA C. BOND. Dana C. Bond, whose father was a well-known farmer and local minister in the Christian church and who himself has become a successful farmer in Clinton county, was born in Union township, this county, on December 30, 1861. His father, John E. Bond, was born in Maryland on May 18, 1824, and was married to Elizabeth Custis on October 18, 1846. She was born on August 3, 1825, in Union township, the daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Smith) Custis. John E. Bond was the son of George and Margaret (Matlock) Bond, natives of Maryland, born on May 1, 1802, and the latter, October 12, 1801. They were married in 1824 and came to Clinton county about 1835, locating on a farm in Washington township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of seven children, of whom John E., the eldest, was the father of Dana C. The other children were George W., Elisha T., Sarah J., Margaret C., Martha and William B. The family were members of the Christian church and the father was a Democrat in politics. John E. Bond was educated in the common schools of Washington township and when a young man began farming in Union township, where he spent the rest, of his CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 747 life, owning at the time of his death seven hundred acres of land, being considered one of the most extensive farmers of Clinton county. He was a local minister in the Christian church and for many years served the congregation at Bethel. He was a man of great natural eloquence and was possessed of unusual persuasive powers, his influence on the early religious life of this community having been widely exerted. John E. and Elizabeth (Custis) Bond were the parents of eight children, of whom Dana C., the subject of this sketch, was the sixth. The two eldest, Catherine and Charles E., died early in life, the former at the age of five and the latter at the age of three. The other children were Margaret, Thomas, Stephen, John and Sarah J. Dana C. Bond was educated in the common schools of Union township and, like his father before him, engaged in farming early in life. After farming in Union township for about four years, he moved to Washington township in 1886 and purchased the farm where he now lives, comprising one hundred acres. He is engaged in general farming and stock raising and has made a reasonable success in his vocation. By two marriages, Mr. Bond has had five children. He was first married on September 28, 1881, to Elva Roush, the daughter of William Roush, to which union there were born two children, Harley, who married Pearl Biggs, and has one son, Delbert, and Orval G., who married Catherine Conway, and has two children, Robert and Linnie. Mrs. Elva Bond died on January 28, 1888, and on February 3, 1889, Mr. Bond married, secondly, Luthera Williams, the daughter of John D. Williams, to which second union there have been born three children, Ramona, Hazel and Charles. Mr. and Mrs. Bond are members of the Christian church and he is an elder in the local congregation. Mr. Bond votes the Democratic ticket, as did his father before him. LEO WELTZ. Leo Weltz belongs to that class of men who win life's battles by sheer force of personality and determination rather than by influence of friends or fortune. In whatever he has undertaken he has shown himself to be a man of ability and honor, true to whatever trust has been reposed in him and, as the county clerk of Clinton county, he has played and important part in the public affairs of the community. Mr. Weltz's ancestry is peculiar as regards its nationality, as will be noted in the following lines. Mr. Weitz's father, Leo Weltz, Sr., was born in Prussia, January 27, 1825, the son of Frederick Weltz, who was a professor of botany and eventually in the employ of the German government as geologist. Mr. Weltz's great-grandfather was a native of England and in the eighteenth century was sent to Prussia as a minister to the German court. Leo Weltz, Sr., received his elementary education under the instructions of his father, who himself was a man of high attainments, and attended the colleges of Osterwick and Magdeburg. While taking a special course in botany at the University of Heidelburg, in which he became very proficient, he assisted in laying out the botanical garden there. He made a specialty of landscape gardening and was graduated from the government botanical garden at Berlin. He entered the employ of the government, where he remained for several years and then accepted a position as head gardener to the czar of Russia, Alexander III, a splendid recommendation of his unusual ability. After remaining at the Russian court for three years and nine months, he was recalled to Germany and served five years in the army, fighting during the Revolution of 1847, and because of gallantry and meritorious conduct on the field of battle he received four medals. He was lieutenant of infantry, and one of the medals was given him as recognition of his bravery in capturing a battery of guns. This medal entitled him to a pension, which, however, was never claimed by him. After the conclusion of his military service, Mr. Weltz took charge of the park at Magdeburg and subsequently visited the different botanical gardens of southern Europe. During this period, Mr. Weltz was also a student under Alexander Humboldt, the noted 748 - CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO. explorer and naturalist, and for a period of two or three years served as his examinator. In 1851, Mr. Weitz resigned that situation and came to the United States, locating at Huntington, now in West Virginia, where he remained for about a year. In 1852 he went to Cincinnati and secured employment as a foreman in the nursery of William E. Mears, of Mt. Washington. Three years later, seeing the possibilities of the nursery business, he engaged in this line on his own account at Mt. Washington and met with success. His unusual ability as a landscape gardener being quickly recognized after he came to this country, he was engaged to lay out the grounds at the homes of Gov. Salmon P. Chase, Governor Buchanan, George H. Pendleton and other gentlemen of large estates. In 1857 Mr. Weitz was called to Wilmington, this county, to lay Out Sugar Grove cemetery, and the following year laid out cemeteries at London, Springfield and Martinsville. In 1859 he purchased the land and residence at Wilmington formerly owned by William Adams, who, during anti-slavery times, was so well known throughout this country, and in the fellowing year moved his family there from Mt. Washington. To this tract he added thirty-eight acres, which he devoted to nursery purposes and also bought two hundred and thirty-eight acres on the old Cincinnati pike adjoining Wilmington. At the latter point he instituted a nursery, which business became the largest of its kind in the county and one of the best equipped in the state of Ohio. Mr. Weitz took a deep interest in everything pertaining to agriculture and horticulture and in 1875 was made a member of the state board of agriculture. Five years later he was elected president of the Clinton County Horticultural Association and for five years also served as the president of the farmers institute of Clinton county, serving also as president of the Sugar Grove cemetery commission. In 1882 Mr. Weitz was chosen to lay out the grounds and superintend the erection of the exposition building at the state fair grounds at Columbus. Natural aptitude and special training made him one of the best-eqnipped men in his line in the Middle West, and he was widely recognized as an .authority in anything pertaining to horticulture or landscape gardening. He took a deep interest in public affairs after coming to this country and in 1856 allied himself with the new Repnblican party, stumping the state for John C. Fremont. In religion, he was a Lutheran. He was married on March 27, 1853, to Anna Elizabeth Schwalenberger, a native of Alsace-Lorraine, who, in 1841, accompanied her parents to America. To this union were born seven sons. namely ; Fedor, deceased; Trebor, a nursery dealer; Otto H., a salesman for the Leo Weitz Sons nursery; Fred W., owner of the Leo Weitz Sons nursery at Wilmington; Fremont L., a salesman for the same institution; Leo, Jr.. the subject of this sketch; and Charles W., who died in infancy. The honored father of these children died on December 31, 1890, and their mother died in 1891. Leo Weitz, Jr., was born on July 19, 1866, at Wilmington, and received his education in the public schools there, being graduated from the high school in 1886. Immediately after the completion of his studies, he went to Columbus, Ohio, and was employed in a wholesale dry-goods store for three years. At the end of that period, he engaged in the nursery business with his father until the latter's death, in 1890, after which he engaged in this business alone until 1900, when he was appointed bailiff of the common pleas court of Clinton county. He held this position with credit to himself for nine years, and during the following three years was deputy county clerk under Clerk Lawhead. In 1912 Mr. Weitz was elected county clerk and is still the incumbent in that position. He is discharging his official duties in a manner highly creditable to himself and. to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. Prompt in the discharge of his official duties, affable and courteous to all who have business in his office and a man of unquestionable integrity, he is justly deserving of representation in the annals of his county. Politically, Mr. Weitz is a loyal adherent of the Republican party, in the campaigns CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO - 749 of which he has taken an active part for years and served as precinct committeeman for several years. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Junior Order of United. American Mechanics. Leo Weltz was married in November, 1892, to Sarah L. Miars, who was born in Clinton county, the daughter of David and Eliza Hiars, both of whom are deceased. David Miars was a farmer and blacksmith by vocation and stood high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. To Mr. and Mrs. Weltz have been born two children, Fred, born in 1893, who is now a clerk in the offices of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad Company at Lima, and Ruth, in 1896, who is a graduate of the Wilmington high school. Mr. and Mrs. Weltz move in the best social circles of the community and, because of their genial dispositions and genuine worth, they have endeared themselves to all who know them. Mr. Weltz takes a deep and abiding interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community and county and gives his support to all worthy movements for the advancement of his fellow citizens. GEORGE A. BOBBITT. Among the highly-respected citizens of Washington township and the retired farmers now living in the pleasant village of Cuba is George A. Bobbitt, who owns a magnificent farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres in Washington township. George A. Bobbitt was born in Highland county, Ohio, near Lynchburg, on November 2, 1851, the son of James W. and Margaret (Mann) Bobbitt, the former of whom was a native of Virginia, born near Lynchburg, and the latter a native of Kentucky. Educated in the common schools of Virginia, the late James W. Bobbitt went, when a lad of sixteen years, from Virginia to Cincinnati, helping to drive a large number of horses. He paid his fare back to Virginia by firing on a boat. Subsequently, he brought his mother to Clinton county on horseback. Having learned the carpenter's trade when a young man, he worked at this trade practically all of his life. After his marriage he purchased a farm of about one hundred acres in Highland county, near Lynchburg, where he reared his family, engaging in farming in connection with his trade. He also built a saw-mill in Lynchburg and engaged in custom sawing. Later he became connected with the railroad at Lynchburg as the agent, at which time he began buying and shipping live stock and dealing in coal and lumber and became a very well-known and successful man To James W. and Margaret (Mann) Bobbitt three children were born, namely : Mary C., who married Daniel Sharp, who is now deceased; Henry, who married Mary Brown, and George A., the subject of this sketch. The Bobbitt family were members of the Christian church, and Mr. Bobbitt was a Democrat in politics. George A. Bobbitt was educated in the common schools, receiving a good education in the schools of Lynchburg. Until 1892 he was engaged with his father in various business enterprises to which he had devoted himself. In 1892, however, he moved to a farm near Cuba, in Washington township, Clinton county, and now owns the farm, "Sunny Slope," containing one hundred and seventy-two acres. He was engaged in general farming and stock raising until the fall of 1911, when he retired and moved to Cuba, where he now lives. Mr. Bobbitt has been twice married, his first wife having been Nancy E. Kibby, the daughter of Ephraim and Ruth Kibby, to which union were born seven children, two of whom, William F., the first born, and Charles K., the third, are deceased, both dying early in life. The living children are: Cleo P., who is at home; Clarence, who married Veda J. Mitchell; Winchester; Mary D., who is the wife of Joseph Kelley and has one child, Mary F., and Ruth, who married Frank Burnett and has two children, Margaret and Morine. After the death of Mrs. Nancy E. Bobbitt, Mr. Bobbitt married, secondly,