500 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the Doctor's grandfather in the former and by his brother, Captain C. G. Matchett, in the latter. The Doctor's parents, Eric, of New York, and Joanna Matchett, of Monmouth county, New Jersey, removed to Ohio about 1820, and in the early '30s came with their family to Darke county, settling at the cross-roads, where later there was a small neighborhood known as Matchett's Corner. The Doctor was here reared and became thoroughly acquainted with the most primitive features of the country and the varied experiences of pioneer life. So familiar was he with the log-cabin period that he remarked to the man in charge of a facsimile pioneer's dwelling at the World's Columbian Exposition, "Why, you have your coonskins hung wrong side out,"—meaning that the pelt should be turned toward the wall, as he had always seen them when cabins were usually decorated with coonskin currency. For two years Dr. Matchett carried the mail from Greenville to Hamilton, riding through a wilderness of swamp and prairie land. He was then only fourteen years old. He was a boy of very studious habits, having great thirst for knowledge, and his earnings were invested in school books, which he studied before an old-fashioned fireplace by the light of the blazing logs. His school advantages were meager, but he mastered the common branches and did some work in the higher, thus advancing along educational lines until he was enabled to teach, being connected with the schools of Darke and Preble counties in that way for several terms. However, the practice' of medicine was the profession which he desired to make his life work, and he early began preparation for that calling under the tutelage of Drs. Jaqua & Lineweaver, of West Alexandria, Preble county. He also attended two courses of lectures in Cleveland and Cincinnati and graduated at the Ohio Medical College. Dr. Matchett was united in marriage to Miss Eleanora, the accomplished daughter of Dr. William Lindsay, of Richmond, Indiana, and granddaughter of Dr. Peter Smith, of the "Miami country," a graduate of Princeton and the author of the first work on Materia Medica ever published west of the Alleghany mountains, and who, said Rafinesque, was among the first to formulate the microbe theory: (Vide "Dr. Smith and his Medical Dispensatory," by John Uri Lloyd, Pharmaceutical Journal, Philadelphia, 1897). Six children were born of this union, but only two are living. Dr. Matchett officiated at the entrance of life of over three thousand of the population in this section of the state.. He was the loved family physician in many a household, and no man in the entire community deserved in higher degree the confidence and respect given him. During the war of the Rebellion, the Doctor served for four years as surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighty-sixth Ohio Regiment and first assistant surgeon of the Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He believed firmly in the policy of arbitrating all national disputes. In consequence, he was clubbed a "copperhead," in 1860, by those who mistook his principles for southern sympathy ; but when the country needed loyal men, he was ready to give his aid and, if need be, his life in defense of the Union. He was a man ahead of his times, regarding arbitration and many other questions; and while he often assisted in breaking the ground for the propagation of some new principle, unpopular at its beginning, he lived to behold many a blossom and fruitage in the GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 501 growth of public opinion. He hid his timidity behind a cloak of reserve and oft-times seemed austere, but his intimate friends recognized his true worth and kindly nature, and, though he led a life apparently self-centered, he was in reality sympathizing with and encompassing in interest men of every station. But principle rather than popularity was the keynote of his character. During President Cleveland's administration Dr. Matchett was the president of the board of pension examiners. He was an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army Post, and ofttimes addressed public gatherings on war topics and experiences. His loyalty was one of his marked characteristics, but he brought to bear on all public questions careful and mature judgment. In politics he was a Jeffersonian Democrat of the strictest school until 1873, when he espoused the cause of political temperance, and with the birth of the Prohibition party allied himself to that body, laboring for the the promulgation of its principles with voice and pen, and as host and helper of any of its votaries until the day of his death. His business life was one of honorable, upright dealing with all, men. A common saying of Dr: Matchett's was : "I want to be on good terms with myself. I want my own self respect." Of him it was often said, "Dr. Matchett's word is as good as his bond." In his life he might be said to exemplify the Shakesperean precept, "This above all, To thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day; Thou canst not then be false to any man." An early love of truth, a high sense of honor and a disposition to defend the right and condemn the wrong, instilled in him by a good, wise mother, in early boyhood, in a quiet country home,. laid the foundation of that in his character which was noble and pronounced. He was .greatly interested in Masonry, to the study of which he devoted much. time, serving for many years as high priest in the Greenville Chapter, and contributing from time to time to the Masonic literature of the state. Dr. Matchett's death occurred on the 28th of August, 1898, as the result of a cerebral hemorrhage, his illness lasting only two weeks. In religious belief he was a Methodist, believing in the Wesleyan doctrine, as evidenced by one of his sayings : "I want always to attend church so garbed that the poorest man there may not suffer by contrast." His life was an uneventful one, the greatest eulogy upon which was pronounced by his pastor, Rev. C. L. Conger, of the Methodist Episcopal church of Greenville, who. said : "There have been but few men in my experience of whom it can be said, `He has kept the faith ; but Dr. Matchett is one of them. He was not the best educated man I have known, but he was the best informed man." He thought of the "beyond" as one eternal progress and he regarded death as only a stepping out of the old house into the new. He was ready for promotion into the higher school "where Christ himself cloth rule" and when death came he welcomed his commencement clay of immortality, feeling that he had endeavored to do his best in the lower grades. HUGH ARMSTRONG. The stock and farming industries of Darke county, Ohio, have for many years had a representative in Hugh Armstrong. of German township, who is well-known as breeder of shorthorn cattle. 502 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Mr. Armstrong was born in Jackson township, Darke county, Ohio, three miles east of Union, City, July 19, 1837. His father, John Armstrong, a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born December 18, 1793, came when a young man to Darke county, Ohio, and so well pleased was he with the locality that he decided to make it his permanent home. Returning to his native state he married the girl of his choice and came back, about 1812, and settled on a tract of government land in Greenville township, to which in due time he secured a title, and on which they made their home for some time. Afterward he sold out and removed. to Greenville, where he engaged in the hotel business. He was an all-around man, figuring prominently in various capacities. By trade he was a brick, mason and he built one of the first brick houses in the town, the one formerly known as the Reily Knox property His hotel, or "tavern" as it was then Called, was one of the first in Greenville. Farm life, however, was his choice, and he again sought a rural home. He entered eighty acres of land in Jackson township, to which he subsequently added eighty acres more, and on this farm he spent the rest of his days and died July 16, 1864, being- about seventy-one years of age at the time of his death. Politically he was first a Whig and later a Republican. He gave some time to the practice of law and was for a number of years, up to the time of his death, a justice of the peace. Also he was at one time the judge of the circuit court of Greenville. He was only reasonably successful in a financial way. Of a generous nature, ever willing to help others, he not infrequently neglected his own business to give a helping hand to others. But he left to his family what was of far more value than money or land,—the heritage of a good name. Judge Armstrong's father was James Armstrong. He was born, reared and married in Scotland, and with his wife emigrated to this country, locating in Pennsylvania, where he passed the rest of his life on a farm and where he died. Judge John Armstrong was married three times. His first wife, whom he married in Pennsylvania as above stated, died shortly after their settlement in Darke county. His second wife was a daughter of Isaac Vale, and by her he had two children. viz. : Martin M., born January 19, 1822, and is now deceased, and Frances. A., born November 23, 1823, is the widow of 'William Douglas and resides with her son, Greer Douglas, in Jackson township, this county. His third wife, the mother of the subject of this sketch, was Jane Elston, a native of New Jerseys born March 24, 1805, who came to Darke county, Ohio, with her parents when she was a small child. The children of this marriage were nine in number, as follows : Thomas, born July 31, 1826 now deceased ; Margaret, born January 15, 1829, also now deceased ; Peter E., born November 21, 1831, is a resident of 'Washington township. Darke county; Sarah, born .January 3 r, 1835, is deceased ; Hugh, the direct subject of this review ; John H., born January 12, 1840. who died while in the service of his country during the civil war ; Elizabeth, born February 14, 1843, is the wife of Cyrus Hart, of Darke county ; Mary J., born February 6. 1846, is the widow of Daniel Dowlar, of Washington township, Darke county; and Hannah C., born April 8, 1849, is the wife of Augustus Stoner, on the old home farm in Jackson township. Hugh Armstrong passed his boyhood GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 503 and early manhood on his father's farm and was there at the time of the civil war. In the spring of 1864 he enlisted in the Union army as a member of the One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for one hundred days' service, and -at the end of that time was honorably discharged. Returning home, he continued work on his father's farm until 1867. That year he purchased eighty acres, cornering with his father's land. Two years later he sold this tract and bought one hundred and twenty-nine acres in Washington township, which was his home nine years and which he then exchanged for a farm in Franklin township. On the last named place he lived two years. In 1881 he sold out and came to his present location in German township. where he has a fine farm of two hundred and five acres, nicely improved and specially fitted for stock purposes. He has one of the finest barns in the county. The residence is just outside the corporate limits of Palestine. Mr. Armstrong was first married, in October, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth J. Van Skaik, who was born April 14, 1839, and died December 20, 1880, leaving four children, namely : Ida J., born March 13, 1870, who is now the wife of W. M. McCartney, a Disciple minister near Worden, Ohio; Eva C., born December 14, 1873, at home; Rettie A., born August 6, 1876, is the wife of Charles Wilt, of Palestine; and George, born September 16, 1879, is a- farmer of Jackson township, this county. Mr. Armstrong's present wife was formerly Miss Carlesta McCabe, who was born July 4, 1865, and who is a daughter of George McCabe, of Palestine, a native of Darke county, Ohio. By this marriage there is one child, Merideth born March 23, 1894. Mr. Armstrong harmonizes with the Republican party and is a member of that popular organization, the G. A. R., holding his membership in Reed Post, No. 572. JAMES A. SNYDER. The subject of this sketch is one of the representative farmers and stock raisers of Mississinawa township, Darke county, Ohio, whose success in life is clue to their own well-directed and energetic efforts. Mr. Snyder is the sixth child and fifth son in a family of eight children—seven sons and one daughter. The father, John K. Snyder, was born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey, February 10, 1811, and was married in Butler county, Ohio, February 10. 1835, to Amy Hidley, who was born in Hunterdon, New Jersey, February 10, 1818, their marriage being celebrated on the anniversary of both their births. The bride's trousseau consisted of a calico dress, and being in very humble circumstances they began their married life in a most primitive manner. In 1838 they removed from Butler county to Mississinawa township, Darke county, where the father died July 28, 1849, leaving his widow with eight small children to care for. On the 13th of December, 1855, she married Hugh McKibben, who died January 8. 1881, and her death occurred February 4, 1888, within six days of her seventieth birthday. After his father's death James A. Snyder and the other children were put Out to earn, their own living. While in his ninth year he left home hurriedly to escape a whipping from his stepfather, who he thought had no right to whip him, and he well remembers. what good time he made in climbing fences and race down the road. He finally 504 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD reached the residence of Mahlon Peters, with .whom, he found a g0od home, living with him without Wages until .fifteen years of age, when he made an agreement to stay until he was twenty-one, Mr. Peters giving him a new suit of clothes and eleven dollars and a quarter per month, but soon after this his employer discontinued farming and Mr. Snyder found employment in the lumber woods, driving two yoke of cattle at thirteen dollars per month and board during the winter. On the last day of December, 1867, Mr. Snyder landed in Iroquois county, Illinois, where he contracted to work for a man who had a hard name, at twenty-five dollars per month as long as they could agree. He remained with him !nine months and they parted good friends. Here Mr. Snyder was in his element, as his employer was a drover and stock dealer, for he had become thoroughly familiar with that business during his boyhood at home. The following year he worked for another farmer in Iroquois county and then decided to return to Ohio. Before going west he had saved one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and while there increased the amount to three hundred. but was> defrauded out of one hundred dollars in a business transaction, leaving him two hundred when he returned to Ohio. Locating in Darke county, he rented his prospective father-in-law's farm in Mississinawa, where he still resides. Mr. Snyder was married, September 16, 1869. to Miss Sarah I. Dutro, a daughter of John M. and Susan (Bechtol) Dutro. The father was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1822, the mother in Berkeley county, West Virginia, 1827, and they were married in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1848. In 1862 they came to Darke county, and in the midst of the forest Mr. Dutro purchased one hundred and three acres of land for which he paid six hundred dollars.. At that time it was all wild and unimproved, but has since been transformed into a fine farm. Mr. Dutro worked at his trade of bricklaying during the summer, while through the winter months he would clear ten acres of land. He died February 17, 1893, honored and respected by all who knew him. His widow is still living and finds a pleasant home With Mr. and Mrs. Snyder. She is still quite active both in body and mind; and household cares and work among the flowers. Of her five children only two reached maturity, Mrs. Snyder being the younger. Oliver T., the only son, is a brick mason, now serving as a foreman for a large firm in Buffalo, New York, and he stands high in business circles. He is married and has three children. Mr. Snyder is now the owner of the old Dutro homestead, comprising two hundred and eighteen acres, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation. As a stock raiser he has been eminently successful, having made the most of his money in that way. He raises cattle, sheep and horses, and also buys cattle, which he fattens for market and then sells. During the first few years of their married life he and his wife toiled hard, early and late, but prosperity has crowned their efforts and they can now take life easy. They have a charming home, their brick residence being surrounded by extensive grounds shaded by a fine variety of fruit and ornamental trees. Fraternally Mr. Snyder is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and politically is an ardent Republican. During the civil war he made an effort to enter the service, but was prevented from enlisting GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 505 by his family on account of his youth. In civil affairs he has rendered his full share of public service; having for a quarter of a century filled some office, including those of school director and supervisor. In 1872 he was elected trustee of Mississinawa township, overcoming the Democratic majority of sixty, his opponent receiving only twenty votes in the caucus and twenty in the election. He most creditably filled that office for ten years, and has faithfully discharged every duty devolving upon him, whether public or private. JOHN RUFUS HILL. German township, Darke county, Ohio, includes among its leading farmers John Rufus Hill, who is a native of this county and is a member of one of its pioneer families. He was born in Harrison township, April 13, 1845, a son of Hugh L. and Elizabeth (Kunkle) Hill. Elizabeth Kunkle was the daughter of John and Susan Kunkle, was born. in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1815, and came with her parents to Darke county in 1818. She was united in marriage with Hugh L. Hill March 16, 1837, and died at her home in Palestine November 25, 1894. J. R. Hill is the fourth in a family of eight children, seven of whom are still living. When he was twelve years of age the family removed from Harrison township to German township, where he grew to manhood on his father's farm, and where he has since lived. The first school he attended was held in log school house in the woods of Harrison township; later he attended district school in German township, and it may be added that the greater portion of his education has been obtained in the broad school of experience. When the civil war broke out he was too young to enter the service of his country, but before the conflict was ended he enlisted and was in active service four months. It was May 2, 1864, at the-age of nineteen, and as a member of Company H, One Hundred and Fifty-second. Ohio Volunteer Infantry, that he entered the Union army. This was a one-hundred-day regiment, under Colonel Putnam. Mr. Hill was on some hard marches, guarding a provision train, and performed faithful service,. after which, September 1, 1864, he was hon orably discharged. Returning home after his army experience, Mr. Hill resumed work on the farm and remained there until after his marriage, in September of the following year, when he located on a farm of his own on the Hollansburg & Palestine pike, three miles south of Palestine. He lived on that farm three-years. Then he sold it and bought the farm on which he has since lived, one hundred and twenty-three acres, in section 15, German. township, all of which is under cultivation, devoted to a diversity of craps. September 11, 1875, Mr. Hill married. Miss Amanda Harding, a native of German township, Darke county, Ohio, and a daughter of James and Polly Harding, early settlers of the township. In the Harding family were six children, of whom Mrs. Hill is the eldest. She received her education in the schools near her home and for a short: time previous to her marriage was engaged in teaching. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have four children—Alba, Ressie, Odlin and James—all at home. On reaching his majority Mr: Hill supported the Republican party and has adhered to it ever since. He has always taken an active interest in public affairs in his lo- 506 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. cality and has served officially in various capacities. He was land assessor in 1890, school director about six years, and at this writing is township treasurer. He is a member of Reed Past, No. 572, G. A. R., and a member. of the Knights of Pythias, Palestine Lodge, No. 652. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members of the Universalist church at Palestine and contribute to its support and all measures calculated to advance the public welfare. An upright citizen, honorable in all his dealings, having at heart the development of the county and giving his support to whatever he believes is intended to advance its best interests, he is entitled to the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens. ADAM C. FRAMPTON. The subject of this .memoir, now deceased, was born in Richland township, Darke county, Ohio, November 5, 1826, the son of Hugh and Mary (Coppess) Frampton, early pioneers of Darke county. Hugh Frampton was the son of Arthur Frampton, and Englishman, and was born in Pennsylvania, from which state he came to Ohio in 1824 and took up his residence in Darke ,county, where he soon afterward met and married Miss Coppess. She was a native of -North Carolina, and when a young woman came with her father, Adam Coppess, to Darke county, Ohio. Hugh and Mary Frampton were the parents of five children, .Adam C. being the eldest. The others were William, Martha, Mary Jane and Ellen. Mr. Frampton was reared on his father's frontier farm, and in his young manhood was engaged in teaching school, teaching during the winter months,, both before .and after his marriage. He was married in 1849. From that time until 1853 he carried on farming, and in 1853, with Mrs. Franipton's brothers, John and Samuel Patterson, he turned his attention to the saw-mill business, in which he was engaged until 1866. That year he removed to a farm in Adams township, where he passed the rest of his life in agricultural pursuits, and where his widow, Mrs. Mary Jane (Patterson) Frampton, still resides. Here he died, March 3o, 1892. He was a Democrat until the breaking out of the Civil war in 1861, when he joined the Republican ranks, to which he ever afterward gave active support. He served as a trustee of Adams township, also filled, acceptably, other local offices,. and ever took a deep interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the locality. The church of his choice was the Christian church, in which he was an active and worthy member for many years. Fraternally he was for twenty-five years identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and 'during that time the records show that he never drew a benefit. He helped to organize the Farmers' Mutual Fire Association in 1877, was elected its secretary at the time of organization, and continued to fill that position up to the time of his death. Mrs. Mary Jane Frampton, nee Patterson, was born in Washington county, Maryland, January 20, 1826, of Irish and German descent. Her father, Robert Patterson, a native of the north of Ireland, born in 1794, came to America at about the age of twenty years and took up his residence in Maryland, where he subsequently married Miss Anna Stahl, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1792, who had moved with her parents to Maryland in her young womanhood. The Stahls were of German origin. After their marriage Robert Patterson and wife located in Washington county, Maryland, where they GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 501 lived until 1833, and that year came to Darke county, Ohio, and settled in Richland township, where he engaged in farming and where he until his death, September 23, 1842. His Wife died January 27, 1855. They were the parents of five children, two daughters and three sons, as follows : John, Esther, Samuel and Michael, all deceased, and Mrs. Frampton, the third born and the only living representative of the family. All had as good educational advantages as the schools of the community afforded and all spent some time in teaching. The eldest son, John, was a great student and an author of some note. He wrote "Conflict in Nature and Life," "Reforms : Their Difficulties and Possibilities," and a number of other works. Mrs. Frampton is the mother of five children, one son and four daughters, namely : Robert P., born August 17, 1850, married Emma Herberger in December, 1883, and died April 8, 1898. Currie F., born October 8, 1854, married, May 27, 1873, William H. Burns, a farmer of Adams township, and they have seven children—Earl F., Harry D., Rossella, Mary, Adam C., Catherine and Minnie and one—Stella—deceased. Minnie, born October 17, 1857, resides with her mother. Rossella, born April 16, 1861, died March 3, 1878. Lillian F., born June 20, 1863, married, June 7, 1883, W. B. Marshall, a farmer and teacher, and they have three children living—Hugh Robert P.. and Clement H.—and twins—Maud and Minnie—that died in infancy. W. B. Marshall, who was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, May 22, 1862, and came to Darke county, settled in Adams township, in 1873. His father came to Ohio from Rockingham county, Virginia. He (the father) enlisted in the Seventy-first Ohio Volunteers and was killed at. Shiloh, in April, 1862. His mother's people came from Ireland. The subject of this sketch is a member of Gettysburg Lodge, I. O. O. F., a Republican in politics and has taught in the country schools continuously since 1883. JOHN W. LARIMER. In the origination and evolution of surnames there have been many transitions and. corruptions, and this is true of the honored patronymic borne by the subject of this. sketch, the name being a corruption of the old orthography, Lorimore, Which as designating a worthy Scottish race has been known in the annals of Scottish history from the earliest days, the name being familiar in both the highlands and lowlands of bonnie Scotland and having been borne by many brave men and many women of most genteel breeding. In the United States are found various corruptions of this illustrious and patriarchal name, which appears so frequently in Scotch song and story. In Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, the beautiful productions of Sir Walter Scott, the names of Lord and Lady Lorimore appear, and of this line our subject is clearly a representative. Two of his ancestors adopted the present orthography, which has Obtained for the past century. Mr. Larimer is a native of Perry county, Chio, having been born near Lexington, on the 24th of June, 1846, the fifth in order of birth of two sons and four daughters; of Isaac and Margaret (Ray) Larimer. Five of the children are yet living, namely : Maw tilda, wife of John Rodahefer. a prosperous farmer of Fairfield county. Ohio; Samuel R. was a soldier in the civil war and 508 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. for the past twelve years has been a guard .at the Iowa state prison, at Anamosa; Rebecca, wife of William Rowles, a farmer of Fairfield county, Ohio ; Mary E., who is the wife of George Seitz, a carpenter and contractor of Effingham, Illinois, and a brother of Professor Enoch Seitz, of Greenville, Ohio, one of the most profound and eminent mathematicians in the world ; and John. W., who is the immediate subject of this review. The father was born about the year 1808, and his death occurred in 1874. He was a. man of great decision of character, strong intellectuality and vigorous thought, having a fine command of language and being a forcible and ready public speaker in an impromptu way. His fountain of knowledge was not fed so much by definite scholastic training as by self-application and careful study of the best literature and of the problems and questions of the day. As may be imagined he had clearly defined political convictions, which he always had the courage to maintain. He was a Democrat and was a strong advocate of abolition, though .at variance with the majority of his party in the crucial period culminating in the war of the Rebellion. He was held in high estimation by the people of Perry county, which he represented with signal efficiency 'in the state legislature, being also district member from Perry, Hocking and Fairfield counties. He advocated strenuously the cause of abolition during the Lincoln-Douglas campaign and was a great admirer of the martyr president. The public-school system was then in its infancy and he was one of the foremost advocates of its expansion and careful maintenance. In religion his faith was that of the Presbyterian church. His father, who also bore the name of Isaac Larimer, was a soldier in the war of 1812, entering the service as a private and being mustered out with the rank of captain. He held this office at the time of his capture by the enemy when General Hull made his ignominious surrender, and he was the only officer in his regiment who was allowed to retain his side arms. When the British officer approached and demanded his sword and revolver Grandfather Larimer raised his sword in the air and said "When I took this sword I resolved to free my country or die in the attempt". The officer smiled and passed on,' and the subject of this review has his grandfather's sword in his possession to-day—a souvenir to him of priceless worth. Isaac Larimer, the father of our subject, came to Darke county in 1865 and purchased land in Greenville township, southeast of Greenville, and there he made his home until .his death. His wife, who was likewise a native of Ohio, died in November, 1873, at the age of sixty years. She was also a member of the Presbyterian church, in whose work she took a zealous interest. John W. Larimer passed his youthful days in Perry and Fairfield counties, assisting in the work of the farm and attending the district schools. He had entered a select school or academy, for the purpose of continuing his studies, but at this time the nation was menaced by armed rebellion and the young man showed his loyalty and patriotic ardor by entering the Union service, putting aside all personal consideration to go forth in defense of his country. On the 23d of February, 1864, at Bremen, Fairfield county, he enlisted as a member of Company B, Seventeenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Captain J. T. Weakley. The regiment was ordered to report at Chattanooga, GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 509 Tennessee, and arriving there, the first night he slept on the battle ground of Mission Ridge, and at dawn of the next clay .Mr. Larimer was awakened by comrade, who said, "Wake up, comrade, and see whom you have been sleeping with ;" and as he looked around to where his head had rested he saw a half-buried human hand protruding from the ground the gruesome sight sending a shudder through his, system ! He was in the command of General "Pap" Thomas and participated in every battle and skirmish in which his regiment took part, among the most prominent engagements being Resaca and the siege of Atlanta. He was present at all the battles in the Atlanta campaign, including the engagements at Kenesaw Mountain and Jonesboro, Georgia; and he participated also in the battles of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Bentonville and Raleigh, North Carolina, after accompanying General Sherman on his famous march to the sea. He experienced many of the hardships of the soldier's life. At Savannah, Georgia, where the boys were suffering from hunger and foraging was the one topic of conversation, they were called upon to again take up the long and weary march through the Carolinas to Richmond and thence on to Washington, the aim of certain officers being to see who could reach the capital first, no matter at what suffering and sacrifice to the poor fellows in the ranks. The engagement at Bentonville, North Carolina, was the last of the war, and the Federal army encamped near Jonesboro, where the news of Lee's surrender was learned by the second division in town, who hailed the intelligence by firing their guns and other demonstrations. The division in which Mr. Larimer was assigned was encamped about, five miles distant, and when. the firing in the town was heard it was thought another attack was being made by the Confederates and the division made ready to take part in the affray. On reaching the out picket line the news of the surrender was communicated and the boys began to fire their guns, whereupon General Baird, commanding, exclaimed : "Stop that at once ! If the other fellows have made d—d fools of themselves, don't you !" The regiment finally marched onward to Washington, where it participated in the grand review, one of the most imposing military pageants of modern times. Mr. Larimer served his country faithfully and bravely for eighteen months, within which time he was never absent from his regiment, never in the guard house or hospital and always ready to perform the duties assigned him. Receiving his honorable discharge, he returned to his home to resume the vocations of peace. On the 12th of November, 1872, Mr. Larimer was united in marriage to Miss Margaret C. Mowen, and to them one son and four daughters were born, the son, Isaac Wright, having died at the age of nine years. The daughters are as follows : Pearl, who was educated in the public schools, and is a member of the Reformed church and of the Aid Society ; Ethel, who has also received good educational advantages, and has shown marked musical talent ; Sara has attended the public schools in her native county and also the graded schools at Effingham, Illinois, being an earnest student; and Virgie is the youngest of the family. Mrs. Larimer was born in Darke county, January 18, 1847, a daughter of David and Sarah (Hartle) Mowen. She has one sister and one brother—Urilla, the widow of George Creager, a contractor and builder, 510 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. is a resident of Columbus, Ohio; and Franklin, who resides in Dayton, this state, being a successful carpenter and .builder. Mrs. Larimer has been reared and educated in this county and is a woman of high character and ideals, presiding with. grace and dignity over her pleasant home. At the beginning of their married life our subject and his wife rented land in Greenville township, where they remained about a year, when they took up their abode on the old homestead of Mrs. Larimer's father, the same comprising two hundred acres, where our subject associated himself with his brother-in-law in renting the place for one year, after which he decided to purchase eighty acres pf the homestead, assuming an indebtedness of one thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars. By industry and good management, and aided by the efforts and counsel of his devoted wife, Mr. Larimer has not only met all financial obligations but has also made many fine improvements upon his homestead, erecting a beautiful brick residence in 1879. All the barns and other outbuildings have been built by our subject and 2,500 rods of tiling have been put in.. In addition to the home place Mr. and Mrs. Larimer have purchased another farm of seventy-three acres, which is likewise free from encumbrance. Their success has been notable and has been worthily achieved and in the community no family enjoys a more marked popularity and esteem. Mrs. Larimer has in her possession the original deed of the farm, executed August 14, 1834, and signed by President Andrew Jackson. Mr. Larimer has always given his support to the Republican party and its principles, casting his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He was a delegate to the state convention of his party in 1.896, and has also been a delegate to county and district conventions at various times. In 1890 he was census enumerator for Richland township and also served in that capacity for the census. of 1900. Fraternally he is identified with Lodge No. 742, I. O. O. F., at Greenville, in which he has passed all the chairs; and also with Jobes Post, G. A. R., at Greenville, thus keeping alive his interest in his old comrades in arms, whose ranks are so rapidly being decimated by the ravages of time. HARRISON A. KEPNER. It is always of interest to study the history of a self-made man, to examine into the secret of his success and to determine the qualities which have led to his prosperity. It is this understanding of the methods which have been followed and which have. "led on to fortune" that have made biography, as Carlyle expresses it, "the most universally profitable and the most universally pleasant of all studies." Mr. Kepner, after long and honorable connection with business affairs, is now living retired, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned. For many years he was identified with the business interests of Arcanum, and his activity proved an important element in the commercial prosperity and progress of the community. Harrison Augustus Kepner is, a representative of one of the old families of Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Jacob Kepner, was born near Port Royal in Juniata county, and was twice married. He first wedded a Miss Gross and after her death married Sarah, Eliza Dupes, who survived him for some years. He died upon his farm in Pennsylvania about 1848. By his first marriage he had three children : John ; Catherine, GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 511 who became the wife of David Suloff and died in Patterson, Pennsylvania; and Jacob. The children of the second marriage were Elizabeth, who married Samuel Aughey and died in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, in February, 1900; Henry, who married Catherine .Rice. and died at Sandy Hill, Perry county, Pennsylvania; Sarah, who married Samuel Rice and died in Port Royal, Pennsylvania, where her husband also departed this life; Christina, a resident of the Keystone state, who married Jacob Hertzler, but is now the widow of George Heikes; Benjamin, who wedded Margaret Frankhauser and died in July, 1900; Polly, who became the wife of George Boyer and died in May, 1900; and Samuel, who died in July, 1900. He married Barbara Kohler and after her death wedded Carrie Dukeman, who also is now deceased. Jacob Kepner, Jr., the father of our subject, was born on the old homestead in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and received a common-school education. In his native county he was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Knawel, who was born near McAllisterville, Juniata county, in 1808. Some time after his marriage he located between Millerstown and Newport, in Perry county, Pennsylvania, and thence removed across the river to the Mitchell farm. Subsequently he purchased one hundred acres of land near Milford, Perry county, and there engaged in farming for a number of years. Upon that farm his wife died in 1880. Some time afterward he visited his son, Harrison, in Ohio, and upon his return wedded Mary Reisinger, of. Ickesburg, Perry county. He spent his last years in Milford, in retirement from active labor, and died June 16, 1888. He was a stanch Democrat in politics, and in his religious views was a Lutheran. Of his eleven children, Wilhelmina, the eldest, died in infancy ; Edward died at the age of eighteen years : William T., who married a Miss Mayer, and after her death wedded Mary Clark, of New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, and died at his home in Lima, Ohio, in December, 1899; Harrison A. is the next in order of birth; Margaret became the wife of James Hostetter and died in Juniata county, Pennsylvania; Martha died in childhood ; Catherine is the wife of Howard Andrews, of Newport, Pennsylvania; John is a resident of Greenville, Ohio; Theodore makes his home in Lima, Ohio; Samuel died at the age of ten years; and Lloyd L. is also deceased. Harrison A. Kepner, whose name introduces this review, was born May 14, 1836, in the old stone house which was the home of his parents at the time they resided in Perry county, Pennsylvania, between Newport and Millerstown. He was reared to manhood on his father's .farm near Milford, acquired a good practical education in the public schools and at the age of sixteen began teaching in the Thompson Lock school. During the summer he attended the high school at Markleville and completed his education-. in the Port Royal Academy. He taught the Thompson Lock school for one term and then accepted a position as teacher in the Gilfillen school at Pfout's valley, in Perry county, where he received forty-five dollars per month,—a much larger salary than it was customary to pay at that tithe, but his ability to teach both English and German gained for him the larger compensation. He afterward continued his educational labors near Loysville, Perry county, and at Center, Juniata county. Having acquired some capital as the re- 512 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. suit of his energy and economy, Mr. Kepner traveled west and visited Chicago, Iowa City and other points. He then went to the home of his uncle, Joseph Roush, in Lima, Ohio, where he was employed in a saw-mill for a few months. During those years, through practical experience, he had gained a good knowledge of the carpenter's trade, which he subsequently followed in Darke county through the summer months for a number of years, while in the winter season he engaged in teaching for eight years. It was in the spring of 1859 that he located in Neave township, Darke county, where he owned and operated a farm for three years. In 1867 he removed. to Arcanum, where he engaged in hardware business with marked success for seventeen years. He also assisted in organizing the First National Bank .of Arcanum and served as its vice-president until October 10, 1898, when he resigned, since which time he has lived retired, enjoying a well earned rest. He is a director and vice-president of the Troy Wagon Works, located at Troy, Ohio, and was one of the original incorporators. In Neave township, on the 4th of September, 1859, Mr. Kepner was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Brumbaugh, a daughter of George Brumbaugh. She died in 1893, and on the 20th of February, 1895, Mr. Kepner wedded Miss Josephine Ivester, of Arcanum, who died in 1896, leaving one child, Helen Beatrice. There were three :children born of the first marriage, but Willamina Alverda died in infancy. Clara C. is now the wife of Nathan W. Bloom, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Harry V. was graduated in the Arcanum high school and later entered Delaware College, in which he was graduated with the class of 1890. He afterward engaged in teaching for two terms in the high school at Sidney, Ohio, was the principal of the high school at Pueblo, Colorado, for two terms, and resigned the latter position to become a teacher in the high school at Deliver, where he is at present located ; he married Miss May Fritz, of Holmes county, Ohio ; and Bertha, who died in 1891, at the age of fourteen years. Mr. Kepner, of this review, has always been a loyal and devoted American citizen, true to the best interests of the nation and unfaltering in support of its policy and its institutions. During the civil war, when one dollar in gold was worth two dollars and seventy-five cents in paper money, he converted one hundred dollars into greenbacks and also the amount he had received on his farm, having received payment for the property in gold. During these turbulent times he never lost faith in the government or its ability to redeem its pledges.. In early life he took an active part "in political affairs and during the campaign of 1856 supported Buchanan, delivering many campaign addresses through Perry county. He has always been a stanch Democrat. For several years he served as mayor of Arcanum, was a justice of the peace in Neave township for six years, and in Arcanum was elected to the same office in 1869, serving twenty-four years. In the early '70s he became identified with the Masonic fraternity, has attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is one of the active and exemplary membrs of the craft in this locality. He attended the triennial conclave at New Orleans in 1877; Chicago in 1880; San Francisco in 1883; St. Louis in 1886; Washington, D. C., in 1889; Denver in 1892; Boston in 1895, and Pittsburg in 1898. At the last named place he met with an accident. While attempting to board a street car or just after GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 513 he had stepped on, he was thrown violently to the pavement and suffered severe injuries, from which he has never recovered. Mr. Kepner has a beautiful home in Arcanum, which was built in 1887 and is of red brick. Amid pleasant surroundings he is spending his days quietly, enjoying a rest which he has truly earned. Through an active business career, as the results of capable management and straightforward dealing, he acquired a handsome competence, which supplies him with all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life. His record has ever been honorable and worthy of emulation, and he belongs to that class of straight forward, industrious and highly respected citizens who constitute the best portion of the community. GEORGE W. HILL. A representative of one of the old families of Darke county, Ohio, and a leading figure in the business enterprise of the little town of Glen Karn, is found in the subject of this sketch, George W. Hill, the proprietor .of Glen Karn Hotel. Mr. Hill was born in Harrison township, Darke county, Ohio, November 2, 1852, the seventh of the family of nine children of Hugh L. and Elizabeth (Kunkle) Hill. Hugh L. Hill has passed eighty-three continuous years in this county, he having been brought to Harrison township when he was two years old. When his son, George W., was two years old the family removed from Harrison to German township, and on a farm in this township the subject of our sketch was reared. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits for a number of years. He then turned his attention to the merchandising business, which he followed for about five years. In 1895 he built the Glen Karn Hotel, which he has since conducted, and in connection with which he is also running a grocery and livery and feed business. November 7, 1877, Mr. Hill married Miss Ella Thomas. Mrs. Hill. is a native of German township, and a daughter of S. S. and Caroline (Berry) Thomas, the former a native of Greene county, Ohio, and the latter of Jay county, Indiana. She was the second born in their family of ten children, six of whom are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are the parents of six children, namely : Caroline, the wife of Harry H. T. Jones, a farmer of this county, and they have one daughter, Emel ; Lulu May, who died at the age of three months; Herschel Thomas and Grace W., at home; and two died in infancy. Mrs. Hill is the postmistress at Glen Karn, and is assisted in the duties of the office by her husband. Both are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hollansburg, in which he is a deacon and an active worker. Politically he gives his support to the Republican party. FREDERICK COPPESS. While great credit is justly due to those who have aided in the progress and magnificent development of these latter days, it was upon the pioneers that the greater responsibility was placed ; theirs the greater obstacles to overcome ; theirs to lay the foundations and to initiate the Work whose results have been cumulative and have conserved the material prosperity of our nation. One of the honored pioneers of historic old Darke county is he whose name forms the caption of this article, and it is with much satisfaction that we direct attention to his career in this con- 514 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. nection. Mr. Coppess, who can well recall the period when our beautiful and prosperous county was almost a wilderness, has the distinction of being a native son of the county and of being a representative of a pioneer of pioneers. He was .born in Richland township on the 27th of June, 1830, being the second in order of birth of the ten children—five sons and five daughters—of Peter and Mary (Hartle) Coppess. Of the children only three are living at the present time, the following brief record being consistently entered relative to the family : Hiram, who was a soldier in the civil war, is now deceased ; Catharine, the widow of D. W. Kersner, is a resident of Dawn, this county, her husband having likewise served ir, the war of the Rebellion; Frederick, the next in order of birth, is the direct subject of this review; Benton, a resident of the city of Chicago, ranks among the oldest railroad engineers in the Union, his record in this line having been one of much importance and interest, as he has incidentally had intrusted to him many thousands of dollars' worth of property and the safeguarding of many lives, having been employed on the Baltimore & Ohio, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and other leading railway lines, and being still in the ,harness, as a valued engineer of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ; he is married and is comfortably placed in life, being a man of broad experience and knowledge and one who has ever been faithful to the responsible duties committed to him. Peter Coppess was born in 1801, in North Carolina, and his death occurred in 1879. He was reared upon the farm and received his educational training in the common schools of the place and period. When be was about ten years of age his father, Adam Coppess, and his uncle, Peter Coppess, came through from their southern home to Cincinnati, where the two brothers separated, Adam coming to Greene county and locating not far from the present city of Xenia, where he remained two years, within which time the Indian war of 1812 broke out and the settlers were forced to take refuge in the block houses which were erected for protection from the hostile red men. The father of our subject could well remember the incidents of the Indian war and the troubles and privations endured by the hardy pioneers of the Buckeye state. He was about fourteen years of age when his father came to Darke county, which was then a practical wilderness, with here and there the rude cabin of the pioneer of the frontier, and the present attractive city of Greenville, which now has a population of about eight thousand, was then marked by a fort and was known as Fort Greenville, a place of refuge for the settlers when menaced by the crafty Indians, who were far more numerous than white men throughout this section. Here the family located on a farm in Richland township, the same being a heavily timbered tract, and when danger threatened from the Indians they took refuge in old Fort Briar, which was located on 'Stillwater creek, in the eastern part of the township. When a little girl the mother of our subject was on one occasion sitting on a stone in the middle of the creek, when an Indian approached in his canoe and, paddling close to her, gave her a wild duck. She was much frightened but her fears were dispelled by the friendly action of the dusky son of the forest. In her childhood she was often detailed to operate the old "horse fiddle," whose doleful groans were supposed to be efficacious in frightening the crows and squirrels from the GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 515 little corn patch, which was jealously guarded against the inroads of these pests. Father Coppess killed many deer in this locality in the early days, and our subject himself can recall that in his boyhood bears were still plentiful in this section, and on one occasion he narrowly escaped attack front a savage old she bear, having fortunately found refuge in the home of a neighbor. Father Coppess was one of those sturdy pioneers who gave of brain and brawn to the opening of the wilderness to cultivation, and to such must ever be given a tribute of respect and honor for the efforts which led to the magnificent results which the present generations are permitted to enjoy. Peter Coppess was a Democrat of the true Jacksonian type, was firm in his convictions and was always ready to defend the principles which he advocated. Though he had received but limited educational advantages, he was a man of much intellectual vigor and mature judgment, being always ready to give his support to measures looking to the public good and being a stanch friend of the cause of popular education. His wife, who was a native of Pennsylvania, was a member of the Christian church and was a woman of gentle and winning character and many noble attributes. Her memory is enshrined in the hearts of all who knew her, for her life was filled with kindly words and deeds. Frederick Coppess, whose name introduces this sketch, has spent almost three-fourths of a century in this, his native county, and here he is held in the highest esteem as an influential citizen and a worthy representative of our best pioneer stock. He received his education in the primitive district schools of the early days, his third teacher being John Bidwell, who afterward was for half a century a resident of California and was nominated for president by the Prohibition party ; and his first school days were passed in the little log school house, with its puncheon floor and slab seats and benches, light being admitted through the opening made by leaving a portion of a log out of the north end of the building, while in the winter the cheery fireplace, with its great back-log, made the little room comparatively comfortable for the little band of students. To avoid the winter blasts the window mentioned was covered with greased paper, which served in lieu of glass. In the discipline of the school the birch or hazel switch was brought into frequent requisition—in harmony with the old aphorism : "Spare the' rod and spoil the child." Mr. Coppess gives a graphic and interesting account of these good old days when the "young idea" was gaining the seeds of knowledge, and the recounting brings into sharp contrast the superior advantages enjoyed by the youth of to-day. The amusements provided by the pioneers included the apple-parings, corn-huskings, taffy-pulls and spelling bees, and the homely gatherings were animated by a true social spirit which made each person feel that he was among friends who were close to him in sympathy and personal interest. Mr. Coppess has known through personal experience what hard work is and he has the greatest respect for the dignity of honest toil. He began as a wage-earner at the early age of sixteen, his daily stipend ranging from twenty-five to fifty cents, and many a day has he assisted in garnering the grain with the old-fashioned four-fingered cradle, and he can recall that the labor was one which was a test of endurance and strength and one in which he was able 516 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. to make a record for himself. The transition in this line, as in all other phases of industrial and social life, seems almost incredible when we consider that the memory of a living man covers the entire period from the old pioneer days to the present end of the century period. Mr. Coppess has been twice married, his first wife dying without issue. On May 25, 1890, he was united in marriage to Mrs. Ella (Hartle) Shields, and they are the parents of two sons—Forrest Benton, a bright and ambitious youth, now attending the public schools; and Frederick H., the youngster, who lends brightness and cheer to the home circle. Mrs. Coppess is a daughter of Solomon and Sarah Ann E. (Warvel) Hartle, who were the parents of two sons and two daughters, all of whom are still residents of Darke county, The father was a soldier in the civil war, being a member of Company E, Forty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he did valiant service at the front, having been taken prisoner and having experienced the horrors of the prison pens of Libby and Andersonville, his death taking place in the former, where his life was sacrificed on the altar of his country. He was a native of Darke county, and was numbered among the pioneers of this section of the state. He was not an ultra-partisan in his political views, and in religion was a member of the Christian church, as was also his wife. By trade he was a blacksmith. Mrs. Coppess was born in Darke county, February 14, 1854, and here received her education in the public schools. Her first husband was William V. Shields, and of this union one daughter was born, Josie Ellen, wife of John Hoobler, who is an energetic and prosperous young. farmer of the county. They have two daughters, Dora O. and Lottie. Mr. Coppess first purchase of land comprised sixty acres, with no improvements. He set himself vigorously to the work of clearing and improving his farm, and his long years of steady and indefatigable industry have brought their reward, and he now has one of the fine farms of this favored section of the great Buckeye state. He has cleared all of his land, has put in about one thousand rods of tiling and has erected excellent buildings, including a commodious and attractive residence. He now owns one hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land, and upon this is no financial incumbrance of any sort, a fact which shows what may be accomplished through diligence and wisely directed industry. Mr. Coppess has been successful in life and has richly merited this success. In all the relations of life he has been honorable and upright, and his character has gained and retained to him the confidence and high regard of those among whom he has lived and labored to such goodly ends. His first presidential vote was cast for Franklin Pierce, but in later years he has given his support to the princi¬ples and policies of the Republican party. But he has always been guided by his own judgment, not being bound by partisan ties, and always supporting the men who in his judgment stood for the principles that would benefit the country at large. He is well informed in regard to the political history of the country, and his personal recollections touch many of the critical and interesting phases. In the early days Mr. Coppess held distinction among the pioneers by reason of his prowess as a rail-splitter, and his record in the line is one to which he reverts with GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 517 peculiar satisfaction. He has endured the hardships and deprivations incidental to frontier life, has had his quota of disappointments, but he has maintained an unflinching courage and has shown that true manhood which invariably makes for success and honor. He was chosen a trustee of Richland township at the time of Lincoln's second election, and the war caused great dissatisfaction in this section, but he was firm in upholding the cause of abolition, casting his vote at the time for Salmon P. Chase as governor of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Coppess are consistent members of the Christian church at Beamville, and he was a member of the building committee at the time the church edifice was erected, contributing liberally of his time and means to the work. He aided financially in the building of three churches in his locality, being ever ready to encourage good works and being broad and charitable in his views. Mrs. Coppess is a woman of gentle refinement and true courtesy, presiding with grace and dignity over the home and having the love and esteem of a wide circle of friends. In this compilation, which is to leave a perpetual record of those who have lived and wrought to goodly ends in this beautiful section of the Buckeye state, it is with singular .propriety that recognition be given to Mr. and Mrs. Coppess, as among our representative people, and as coming from the worthy pioneer stock which so honored and advanced the county of Darke. JOHN S. COPPESS. The sturdy pioneers of Darke county are those to whom the fullest mead of honor is to be attributed, since they came here in the early days and wrested from the hand of nature the treasures which she had in store, developing the sylvan wilds into rich and productive farms and opening up the highway along which progress should later march in majesty and power. The subject of this review is one who has figured as a pioneer of historic old Darke county, which is one of the finest agricultural sections of the state, and in this specific genealogical work touching the county his name and deeds and ancestral record should find a conspicuous place. Mr. Coppess is a native son of the county in which he has lived and labored to such goodly ends, the date of his birth having been October 25, 1830. and the place being Richland township, which has been his home during all the long intervening years. He was the sixth of the twelve children of Devault and Mary (Smith) Coppess, there having been seven sons and five daughters, of whom only four are now namely : Adam a retired farmer and a carpenter and joiner by trade, now resides in Union City, being a widower and having one child ; John S., is the immediate subject of this sketch; Catherine is the wife of Adam Brewer, a farmer of Adams township, this county ; and Chipman. a farmer by occupation, is a resident of Union City, Indiana. The lineage of the family in the agnatic line traces back do pure German origin and the name has been long identified with the annals of American history. Devault Coppess was born in North Carolina January 25, 1795, and his death occurred in 1870. When he was a mere lad his parents emigrated from their southern home to the wilds of Greene county, Ohio, locating near the present city of Xenia, where they remained until he was a young man of about twenty-two years, when the family removed to Darke county, this sec- 518 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. tion of the state having at the time more Indian inhabitants than white settlers. The father of our subject purchased from the government a tract of land in Richland township, and the original deed is still in the possession of the Coppess family. Our subject has in his keeping a deed of one-quarter of a section of land (section 9, Richland township, then known as township 10), executed September 20, 1825, and signed by President John Quincy Adams. The first habitation erected by Devault Coppess was the typical log cabin of the pioneer settler, the primitive edifice having been so frequently 'described as to render it unnecessary to give further details in this connection. Deer, bears and other wild game abounded, while the wolves menaced the live stock of the settlers and made the night resound with their uncanny howls. The father of our subject helped to build the first church and the first school house in the township, and was known as a leader among the early settlers, being a man of strong mentality and .sterling integrity. In politics he was a stanch Jacksonian Democrat, ever loyal to the principles of his party. His death occurred in 1870, and he passed to his reward in the fullness of years and good works. The mother of John S. Coppess was born in Montgomery county, this state January 29, 1799, and her death occurred in May, 1874. She and her husband were kind and benevolent people, full of sympathy for the afflicted and ever ready to extend tangible aid to those in need or distress. They are at rest in the Coppess cemetery, located on the farm of our subject, and there beautiful monuments stand sacred to the memory of these noble pioneers. It may well be stated at this point that our subject has in his keeping the family records, -which were written by one of his old teachers, who utilized a quill pen and wrote in the fine copper plate hand so much in vogue a half-century or more since. John S. Coppess has been reared and educated in this his native county, and his life has been an honor to an honored name and to the county as well. Having a natural predilection for mechanical pursuits he became a carpenter and joiner by trade and worked at the same for a number of years, though the greater part of his life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, to which he was reared. He received his education in the common schools and can well recall the fact that his first school days were passed in one of the typical log school houses so often described in this and numberless other publications. His first teacher was named John Curtis, while Mrs. Coppess' rudimentary instruction was received from one Washington McKee. Our subject was able to attend school from ten to thirty days in the year, and this minute scholastic discipline was as much as the average boy of the place and period received, for their services were in constant requisition in the work of clearing and improving the pioneer farms. Mr.. Coppess is endowed with an alert and vigorous mentality, however, and has made good use of the "spare moments" in his life, so that he is a well in formed man and has broadened his intellectuality to the utmost through personal application and the reading of good literature. He remained with his parents until he had attained his majority, and by hard work and economy had saved three hundred dollars, having earned this amount, by splitting rails at thirty-five cents per hundred and doing other work at the rate of fifty cents a day, Mr. Coppess has been thrice married, his GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 519 first union having been with Miss Susannah Studabaker, who bore him a son and daughter, both of whom are deceased. For his second wife he chose Miss Rebecca Hitts, to whom he was married December 13, 1857, and four sons and three daughters blessed this union, while four are yet living. Henry, who is a resident of Stelvidio, is .a prosperous and active business man, having become associated with his father in the grain business about the year. 1890. He owns one-half interest in the enterprise conducted by his father and himself. He was reared on the farm and educated in the common schools; in politics he is a Democrat. He married Miss Lucy Bowman and they have a pleasant and attractive home. Harmon C., a successful farmer of Brown township is married and has three children; Vallandingham is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Randolph county, Indiana, and is also a very successful breeder of live stock. Ida became the wife of Milton Boyer and they reside on the homestead of her father and have five children. The mother of the above was summoned into eternal rest in 1873. She was a model wife and mother and her loss was deeply mourned by a wide circle of admiring friends. On the 12th of October, 1873, Mr. Coppess wedded Mrs. Mahala (Brewer) Smith, widow of Alvin Smith. to whom she bore one son. She was born in Richland township, on Christmas day, 1829, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Coppess) Brewer, who were the parents of ten children, only one of whom is deceased. Mrs. Coppess and her husband were classmates in the old pioneer school and were reared in the same township, her parents having been pioneers of the township. Her father was born in Pennsylvania and her .mother in North Carolina. Andrew Smith, the son of Mrs. Coppess by her first marriage, is a prosperous young farmer of Adams township. He married Miss Etta Rynard and they have six children. Our subject's first purchase of land was in Brown township and comprised forty acres partially improved, his finances rendering it necessary to assume an indebtedness for a part of the purchase price.. At the expiration of two years he sold this. place and purchased seventy-five acres on section 6. Richland township, subsequently adding fifteen acres to the farm, and here he remained a number of years. In 1861 he purchased forty acres more and paid for it, and finally traded ninety acres for the ninety acres which was the nucleus of his present estate, to which additions have been made until its area is one hundred and eighty-eight acres, in Brown and Richland townships. He has an attractive and commodious brick residence and excellent outbuildings, and all these permanent improvements were made by him. The entire estate is free from financial incumbrance, and as one of the fine places of the county is a credit to its owner, who has achieved a worthy success through his own efforts. He has been fair and upright in all his dealings and enjoys the confidence and high regard of all who know him, being classed among the representative citizens of the county. In 1899 he removed from his farm to the pleasant village of Stelvideo. where he has since maintained his home, having partially retired from active work, though maintaining a personal supervision of his various interests. He is a gentleman of seventy years, and has been an eye witness of the development of Darke county from a sylvan 'wilderness to its present status as one of the most attractive and opulent sections of the Buckeye state. As a boy. he remembers the present thriving city 520 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of Greenville as a mere hamlet, with five or six stores or shops, while not a railroad or turnpike then traversed the county, day fine roads, excellent railroad facilities, prosperous and beautiful villages, fine farms, the best of schools and other evidence of modern progress are to be seen on every hand, and the result must seem indeed marvelous to the memory which can link the present to the pioneer days. Mr, Coppess is a stanch supporter of the Democratic principles and policies, having cast his first vote for Franklin Pierce. His grandfather, Adam Coppess, was a soldier in the war of 1812, Officially our subject has been called upon to serve in positions of public trust and responsibility, having been trustee of Richland township for ten or twelve years, and having been a member of the board of directors of the county infirmary for three years, For many years he has been a director of the school district, taking advanced views in the matter of popular education, while in religious faith Mr, and Mrs. Coppess are zealous members of the Christian church at Stelvideo. He is interested in all Christian work, being charitable in his yews, and has aided financially in the erection of six different churches in this part of the county, His life has been characterized by kindness and helpfulness, and in his declining years, as the shadows lengthen in the golden west, he rests secure in the esteem of all who know him. His estimable wife has been his coadjutor in all good works and they will both be held in lasting honor and given a prominent place in the true record of Darke county. JOB M. SHAFER, The sturdy pioneer of Ohio is the important personage who should be accorded marked homage and credit. The pioneers have blazed the way to civilization and have made the wilderness blossom as the rose. They came to the primeval forests of the Buckeye state in the early days and have felled the stately monarchs of the forest, cleared away the brush and broken the  virgin soil. They have eventually erected the beautiful modern homes and developed the broad acres of waving grain, while their efforts have brought to the state the vast network of railroads, which are always in the vanguard of progress, Darke county has been honored in the personnel of her pioneers, and here the improvements have been of that advanced order that places the county among the foremost in the state, Here are the finest of villages, the most carefully cultivated farmsteads, and the most excellent roads, over one thousand miles of stone turnpike having graced the face of the county, affording facilities for intermediate transportation that can not be excelled. All these improvements are due to such men as he whose name initiates this review. Mr. Shafer is a native of the picturesque Keystone state, having been born in Bedford. county, Pennsylvania, within six miles of Hancock, Maryland, the section being now known as Fulton county. He was born September 4, 1830, being the third in order of birth of the two sons and three daughters. of John and Dorothy (Mann) Shafer, and being now the only survivor of -the family. John Shafer, father of our subject, was a: native of Pennsylvania, but resided in Virginia about eight years. He was born July 17, 1802, and his death occurred January 4,. 1882, He was reared to the vocation of a farmer, was industrious in his habits and was animated by the deepest integrity in all the relations of life and left the invaluable heritage of an honored name. The Shafer GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 521 lineage is of pure German extraction. The father of our subject emigrated direct from Pennsylvania to Darke county, and the long journey, five hundred miles, was made by the family in. a three-horse wagon, the vehicle being one provided with the long, scoop-shaped boxes so common in the early days. This trip was made across the wilds of Ohio, the smaller streams being forded, while the entire outfit was ferried across the Ohio river at Wheeling, whence the family continued their way to their destination in Richland township, this county. The first land located by Father Shafer was one hundred and sixty acres on section 27, and the subject of this review has the original deed of this land, the same having been executed April 12, 1819, over the signature of President James Monroe. The deed is one of the oldest which the biographer has found in Darke county, and it is in an excellent state of preservation. The first habitation of the Shafer family was the primitive log cabin, the building being one and one-half stories in height, the old-fashioned fireplace, with huge brick chimney, supplying heat for the dwelling, whose roof was made of clapboards. This modest little domicile stood on the site of the present attractive residence of our subject. The primeval forest surrounded the humble home, the family having settled on the banks o f the Stillwater, while old Fort Briar stood about five hundred rods southwest of the present home of Mr. Shafer. He can remember some of the old palisades of the fort, which the settlers had erected as a refuge in times of Indian attacks. Mr. Shafer was a pioneer of pioneers. There was not a church building in Richland township and only two or three log school houses when the family took up their abode there. The father was a stanch Democrat in politics and was a great admirer of "Old Hickory," as General Andrew Jackson was known. He-and his wife were members of the Christian church, the latter having been born in the same locality as her husband, on the l0th of February, 1804, while her death occurred April 11, 1865. Mr. Shafer, of this sketch, has one of the oldest family bibles in Darke county, there being entries dating as far back as 1761, thirty-eight years before the death of General Washington. Job M. Shafer was but a lad of seven years when he became a resident of Darke county, and here he has been an honored citizen for the long period of sixty-two years. He began his education in the old-fashioned subscription schools, which were held in the primitive log school houses so familiar to the pioneers of this section and so frequently described in this and other publications. The reminiscences of the early days are full of interest and as related by Mr. Shafer are sure to bring out the striking contrasts between the pioneer epoch and the present era of progress and substantial prosperity. Mr. Shafer remained on the home place with his father until he had attained the age of fifty years, and these years were marked by peace. and contentment. In the meanwhile, on the 20th of March, 1851, he married Miss Elizabeth Brandon, and three sons and three daughters were born to them, all being alive at the present time, namely : Dennis, who is a resident of Celina, Ohio, was formerly a school teacher, but is now a salesman having a wife and three children : Maggie A. is the wife of Cyrus White, a farmer of Brown township this county, and they have two children ; John C., a farmer of Richland township, is. married and has two children ; Allen W., who resides on the old homestead, is mar- 522 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. ried and has two children,—Minnie and Job Ernest; Mary is the wife of E. H. Miller, formerly a teacher but now engaged in agricultural pursuits, and they have two sons, —Webb B. mid Dennis Raymond ; and Bertha is the wife of V. N. Fackler, the owner of the city laundry at Versailles, Ohio, and they have one son and one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Shafer gave their children excellent educational advantages, being fully appreciative of the value of such discipline. A matter well worthy of mention in connection with the family is that the same now includes twenty-six individuals— our subject and his children and grandchildren,—and there has been but one death in the family from the time of the marriage of Mr. and 'Mrs. Shafer until March 31, 1900, when the good wife and mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Shafer, passed to the home beyond this life, her remains being laid to rest in Green Lawn cemetery at Versailles. This is certainly an exceptional record. Mrs. Shafer was born in Wayne township, this county, on the l0th of October, 1831, being one of the thirteen children born to James R. and Anna (Hole) Brandon. Of this large family the only survivor at the present time is Mrs. Shafer's sister, Maria, now the widow of John Teeter. Mr. and Mrs. Shafer traveled life's journey together hand in hand and sharing alike the joys and the sorrows which come to all, for half a century. Their lives together were indeed golden in kindness, sympathy and -good works. Mr. Shafer can well remember the time when there was not a mile of railroad in Darke county, not even a mile of pike road. He recalls the intense excitement which pre-Nailed when the first railroad entered the -city of Greenville, which was then but a :small hamlet. Thither he used-to go to mar ket on horseback, carrying a crock of butter in one end of a sack thrown across the saddle and balanced by a stone in the other end and with a basket of eggs on his arm, which produce was in due time borne over the six intervening miles to find sale or exchange in the little market town. All the modern improvements which are now to be seen in the county have been made within the memory of our subject, and he has seen plenty of deer on his own premises, as well as wild turkeys and other game. Mr. Shafer has always been a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, having cast his first presidential vote for Buchanan. He has served for many years as trustee of his township, and also as justice of the peace. being deeply interested in all that concerns the welfare of the community where he has lived and labored for so many years. He and his family are members of the Christian church at Beamsville and he was an important factor in securing the erection of the present attractive church edifice. He has aided financially in the building of nine different churches,— a fact that attests his liberality and his interest in all that makes for the betterment of his fellow men. Mr. Shafer is one of the honored pioneers of the county and his long identification with the history of this section entitles him to specific mention in this work, while his life has been one of such signal worthiness and so devoted to all that represents the deeper and truer values, that this record cannot but offer both lesson and incentive, even when the genial shadows lengthen in the west to indicate the declining of the sun of the pioneer's life. Mr. and Mrs. Shafer were favored in retaining their family circle unbroken until the sad event of March 31, 1900, occurred, already mentioned. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 523 WILLIAM RUNKLE. It is seldom that men who lack spirit attain to positions of public trust, for the public is a discriminating factor and its judgment is usually accurate, and therefore when one gains the confidence of his fellow men and. is honored with public office it is an indication that he is worthy of the trust reposed in him. Such is certainly the case with William Runkle, who is now serving as the sheriff of Darke county. The law abiding citizens regard him as a bulwark of safety, and those who are .not amenable to the rules which govern society have reason to regard him with fear. He was born in Harrison township, Darke county, August 28, 1858, upon his father's farm, and is the eldest son of Jerry and Isabella (Hindsley) Runkle. His father, who is still living, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 15th of August, 1835, and during his early boyhood came with his parents to Darke county, where he was left an orphan at the age of nine years. He was then bound out to work on a farm, forced to begin the battle of life unaided at that tender age. He lived in Butler township from 1844 until 1855, at which time, with the capital which he had acquired through his own well directed efforts, his enterprise and economy, he purchased a farm of forty acres in Harrison township, upon which he located and made his home until January I, 188o, when he .removed to Greenville. In the spring of 1879 he had received the nomination for sheriff upon the Democratic ticket and was elected in October of that year by a majority of six hundred and seventy-five. He then removed to the city in order to be more closely in touch with the seat of justice. ant filled the office in an ac, ceptable manner. In 1857. he was married to Miss Isabella Hindsley, a daughter of W. H. and Anna (Butt) Hindsley, pioneer settlers of Darke county. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Runkle occurred in Harrison township and has been blessed with four. children : William, Joseph E., Frances and Edith I. The father is now serving as deputy sheriff. William Runkle, whose name introduces. this review, was reared in the usual manner of farmer lads and was sent to the district school for three months during the winter season. Throughout the remainder of the year he assisted his father in the cultivation of the fields and meadows and in the other work of farm improvements. When his. father was .elected sheriff William Runkle was appointed his deputy and served accept-. ably in that capacity for four years. Later he filled the position of deputy sheriff under. John Welker and at the close of his term he joined his father, who was engaged in the construction and repairing of pikes in. Mercer and Darke counties. They followed that business for two years, after which Mr. Runkle, of this review, engaged in baling hay and straw in connection with farming, following that pursuit until 1897, when he was nominated by the Democracy for the office of sheriff of Darke county. The election returns showed that he was the success-. ful candidate and he took charge of the office. on the 1st of January, 1898. In the fall of 1899 he was re-elected, his term expiring in 1901, at which time he will have filled the position for four years in addition to six years' service as deputy. He has been a competent officer, against whom no complaint has been made, and throughout the community in which he resides he is held in high regard for his fidelity as a citizen. and his worth as a man. 524 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD: E. W. OTWELL. E. W. Otwell is the editor and proprietor of the Greenville Journal and has gained prestige as a leading representative of the newspaper interests of western Ohio. For forty years he has been connected with this paper and has placed it upon a par with the .best journals published in this section of the country. Probably no man in all the community exerts a greater influence on public thought and opinion than the wide-awake journalist whose paper finds its way into many homes, carrying his views upon maters of public importance to its many readers, his forceful, logical and convincing writings becoming a potent element in gaining support for the measures which he advocates, or in augmenting opposition to those to which he does not give his sanction. It is a widely recognized fact that Mr. Otwell has through the columns of his paper done much for the progress and development of Darke county and his life record has thus become an integral part of the history of this community. A native of North Carolina, he was born in 1831, and the following year was taken by his parents to Richmond, Indiana. Remaining there a short time, they went to Williamsburg,Wayne county, Indiana, where they remained eight years, and in 1840 came to Darke county, locating at a small place which was afterward called Otwell's Mills. There the father Curtis Otwell, operated a gristmill and als0 continued in the practice of medicine, having graduated at the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, in the class of 1846-7. In 1847 he removed to Preble county and one year later came to Greenville, where he continued the practice of medicine until September, 1881, when he re moved to Independence, Kansas, his death occurring there on the 19th of January, 1894, in the eighty-eighth year of his age. His wife, whose maiden name was Eunice Wilson, died in December, 1881, soon after their removal to the Sunflower state. E. W. Otwell, whose name introduces this record, spent the greater part of his youth at Otwell's Mills, where he acquired his early education, that was later supplemented by study in the schools of Greenville and in the Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. He left the latter institution on account of ill health, but subsequently engaged in teaching for some years in the district schools of Preble and Darke counties. While engaged iii teaching he pursued the study of law and was admitted to the bar in Greenville in 1858. He then began practicing at the county seat of Preble county and at the same time continued the publication of the Greenville Journal. In 1878 he formed a law partnership with William Allen, a prominent attorney, and the connection was maintained until 1881. The Greenville Journal, of which he is the proprietor, was established in 1832 and is the oldest paper of Darke county. From the time of its establishment until 1860 it passed through many hands, but in the latter year was purchased by E. W. Otwell and James M. Craig, who took possession on the 14th of March, 1860. Business was carried on under the firm name of E. W. Otwell & Company. When they came into possession of the paper the list of subscribers did not exceed one hundred and fifty, but under the new management numerous additional subscriptions were received and the paper rapidly extended its influence. On the 14th of December, 1865. a change occurred in the ownership, E. W: Otwell buy- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 525 ing Mr. Craig's interest and becoming sole owner, editor and publisher. He has since been the proprietor of the paper, which, in 1873 was enlarged to a nine-column folio, making it at the time the largest newspaper published in Darke county. He continued his active connection therewith until 1878, when his son, E. C. Otwell, took charge of the paper as the managing and local editor, E. W. Otwell still continuing owner and editor thereof. On the 19th of November, 1857, Mr. Otwell was married to Miss Lucinda Hartzell, of Darke county, Ohio, a native of Greenville and a daughter of John Hartzell. There were four children born of this union, two sons and two daughters : E. C., who is the managing and local editor of the Greenville Journal; Lula May and William Grant, now deceased; and Onellia B., at home. The family is widely and favorably known in Greenville, enjoying the hospitality of many of the best homes in the city. In 1861 Mr. Otwell was appointed the postmaster of Greenville by President Lincoln and held the position for four years. Socially he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Probably no man in the community is more widely known or more highly esteemed than the popular. and respected editor of the Greenville Journal. HARVEY LONGENECKER. Whitney, Stephenson, Morse and Edison and other great inventors have been the most valuable factors in insuring The marvelous growth and development which give basis to our magnificent commercial activities of to-day. The utility of their inventions is such that the curtailing of manual labor has almost revolutionized the methods and being of the commercial world. Mr. Longenecker of this review, is an inventor of useful and practical instruments which will be indispensible in the bank, the counting room, the office of the accountant and in the schools and commercial colleges and all places where accounts are kept. He invented the "Duplex" penholder and the "Special Duplex," which may cause his name to be a household word in the time to. come. Mr. Longenecker is a product of Darke county, having been born March 6, 1863, one of the three sons constituting the family of John and Elizabeth (Beam) Longenecker. The eldest of the sons is Frank, who is associated with his brother. Harvey, in the manufacture of the penholders and who is, likewise, of a mechanical turn of mind. He received a good common-school education, is married, is a Democrat in politics and is a member of the Knights of Pythias. Individual reference is made to him on another page of this work, and to this we refer the reader who would trace the family history in detail. Harvey, the immediate subject of this review, was the second in order of birth, and Theodore, the youngest, is a resident of Briceton, Paulding county, Ohio, where he is prominently concerned in business as a carpenter and joiner, being a practical workman and also having distinctive musical ability. John Longenecker, the father of our subject, is a native of the state of Pennsylvania and is still living, venerable in years. He emigrated to Darke county about 1842. He was always a mechanic, as was his father before him, and his active life was devoted to his trade, that 0f a carpenter and builder. In his political views he is a stanch Democrat. Elizabeth B. Longenecker, the mother 526 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of our subject, is a native of Ohio, and she is sixty-four years of age at the time of this writing. The parents are members of the German Baptist church in Adams township and are among the old and honored residents of the county. Harvey Longenecker, of this review has been reared in Darke county, and he has followed. in his father's footsteps, in that he is a natural mechanic, his talent in this line being instinctive. He has devoted much of his time to the art of architecture, and in the county are many specimens which give evidence of his skill and taste as an architect and builder. He has given particular attention to the building of mantels and staircases, in which lines the most artistic conceptions have been skillfully wrought out by him, his strength as a designer being equalled by that as a practical workman. The young man has found demand for his work in this line not only throughout Darke county but also in the city of Cincinnati. He is well known in Richland and adjoining townships by reason of his ingenious skill, and it was while he was engaged in his drafting that there came to him the essential idea Of his present important invention, to which reference has been made. The idea was evolved within the year 1899 and within three days after the conception had come to him Mr. Longenecker had made a perfect penholder after the design he had formulated in his mind. It will be interesting to briefly recapitulate the story of this invention, which isc destined to be one of the greatest practical value. One day Mr. Longenecker was in conversation with Hon. Henry McCoy, ex-clerk of the United States treasury at Cincinnati, the gentleman finally bringing up the matter of inventing a penholder of the sort, and he said : "Longenecker, if you could devise a penholder holding ink for black and red work on the books in the accountant's office, without changing penhold ers, you could have a fortune." Mr. Longenecker replied : "I think it can be accomplished," and through his efforts the result has, indeed, been attained. The invention is a perfect and signal success and is an article for which there will be a constant demand on the market. Our subject and his brother, Frank, are the sole manufacturers of this useful article, and the demand already tests the capacity of their manufactory. The work of manufacturing was inaugurated within the last year, and a patent has now been secured on the Spiral Duplex Holder, which is a positive improvement upon the original design. it will be but a short time before the article is known and used throughout the length and breadth of our country. The holders are now manufactured at Beamsville and all correspondence in regard thereto should be addressed to Longenecker Brothers. Beamsville, Darke county, Ohio, where it will receive prompt attention. Mr. Longenecker was engaged in work at his trade until 1895, when he entered upon the general merchandise business in Beamsville, where a complete and select stock is carried, including all lines customarily found in a village store of the sort. By fair and courteous treatment of his patrons he has built up an excellent business and he is known as an alert and enterprising young business man, and one worthy of the most implicit confidence. January 27, 1884, Mr. Longenecker married Miss Laura Belle York, and of this union have been born two sons and three daughters, four of the number surviving: Nellie is a student in the Beamsville public school and has shown marked musical talent; GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 527 Nola E. and Jennie E. are also in school; and Otto E. is the youngest in the home circle. Mrs. Longenecker was born Otto- ber 25, 1860, being- the daughter of Squire and Mary (Gilbert) York. She received her education in the common schools and both she and her husband are consistent member, of the Christian church at Beamsville. Mrs. Longenecker's father is deceased, but her mother is still living, as are also two brothers and two sisters, all of whom are residents of the county. Her grandfather, Judge York, was one of the first three judges in Darke county, the family being of English extraction, while the Longenecker family is of pure German origin. Four brothers of the name came from Germany about the opening of the sixteenth century, and from them have sprung the various branches of the family in the Union. Our subject has always exercised his franchise in support of the. Democratic party, having cast his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland. He held official preferment from the time he was twenty-two years of age until the last year, having served as constable and justice of the peace, his aim in all the relations of life being to do credit to himself and to the honored name which he bears. He served with much efficiency as postmaster of Beamsville for a period of six years, having been the incumbent during the Cleveland administration. GEORGE A. KATZENBERGER. George A. Katzenberger, the only son of Charles L. Katzenberger, a Merchant in Greenville, was born December 11, 1867. His mother, Elizabeth nee Ashman, was a daughter of the pioneer, Peter Ashman, and departed this life in 1868, being followed a few years later by her only daughter, Mary. Our subject's early life was spent in Greenville, his rearing having been given in charge of Mrs. Rosina Rehfuss. He attended the public schools in Greenville, completing the preparatory high-school course in May, 1884. In July of the same year he began a course in Nelson's Business College, at .Cincinnati, Completing the same, he accepted the position of head bookkeeper for the firm of Gilmore & Company, bankers of Cincinnati, and from July, 1885, to January 1, 1886, was the business manager .for said firm, owing to the absence abroad of its principal, Virgil Gilmore. At the close of this time the continued illness of Mr. Gilmore made the dissolution of the firm a necessity, and our subject entered the service of the Cincinnati News Company in the capacity of bookkeeper. In the fall of 1886, desiring to pursue a course in science, he resigned his position and entered the Ann Arbor high school, at which he graduated in June, 1888, three weeks after his class at Greenville. After reading law in the office of Hon. John Reiley Knox he began a course in the law department of the University of Michigan and received the degree of LL. B. in June, r 890, being subsequently admitted to the bars of. Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. During his collegiate term he was honored by being admitted to the leading fraternity of Phi Delta Phi, a Greek-letter secret society, founded in the law department in 1869 by Judge Thomas M. Cooley, a very eminent jurist, subsequently the chairman of the inter-state commerce commission. During his college career he was actively interested in various organizations, namely : The Shakespeare 523 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Club, Hobart Guild, Choral Union, Knowlton Nine and others ; was also an associate, editor of the Michigan Argonaut and a correspondent in Michigan for the Columbia Law Times. In July, 1890, he for the second time accompanied his father to the old country, where he spent a year and a half, chiefly in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany. Arriving in Bremen in August, he enjoyed a Rhine tour, and was at Bingen and Ruedesheim, their famous "Laetitia Deorum." Soon thereafter he visited the castles and palaces of the late King Ludwig II, of Bavaria, and attended the Passion Play at Oberammergau. In October he entered the far famed University of Heidelberg and spent two most enjoyable semesters, being a member of various musical, duelling and social organizations. Here, while attending the ice. tures on Grecian and modern, philosophy, by His Excellency, Kuno Fischer, he improved his knowledge of the German language, and, collaterally, acquainted himself with the literature of the land of his ancestors. Rather than spend several years more enjoying a dolce-far-niente life, he preferred to return to his "own, his native land" ("than which none other," he said) and enter upon the duties of his profession. He therefore, with his indulgent father, made a tour through Switzerland to Milan and the northern lakes of Italy and then returned to this country in November, 1891. In December of the same year he chose Chicago as the seat of his future endeavors and hung out his shingle opposite the court house. Moderate success soon was his and his standing in his profession was one worthy of his years. During the Columbian year he was the secretary of one of the educational committees of the World's Congress Auxiliary and served during 1891-4 as an assistant attorney of the bureau of, justice. At a national convention of his college fraternity in 1893 he was elected the secretary and treasurer of the governing council, to which position he has been re-elected four times at successive conventions in Washington, Chicago and Ann Arbor, Michigan. During his administration nine additional chapters of the order have been placed in the leading law schools of this country and Canada, and in his capacity as secretary he compiled a catalogue of the members, gathering data covering five hundred and seventy-five pages. After the death of his uncle. G. Anthony Katzenberger, he returned to Greenville, where he has since resided with his father, whom he has collaterally been assisting in his business. In the autumn of 1897 he made a fair race for representative on the Republican ticket in a county overwhelmingly Democratic. As the treasurer of the vestry of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal church, one of a board of directors and secretary of a building association, a councilor of the American Institute of Civics and as an interested member 0f the Masons and Odd Fellows, he enjoys being of some service to his fellow men. For diversion and employment of spare time he indulges in collecting curios, coins and postage stamps as well as in writing for the press, more particularly for The Brief, a magazine published in New York city and of which he is one of the five editors. In June, 1899, he married Miss Grace Miesse, a young lady of solid merit and varied accomplishments. A son, Charles Hirundo, completes a happy household. GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 529 DANIEL J. HARTZELL. The better class of citizens of the state or the nation are those to whom must be given the basic credit in considering the progress and material prosperity of such state or nation, and, as the history of the nation is best told in the lives of the best citizens, so is found justification for the careful compilation of works of this nature. Daniel J. Hartzell, the subject of this brief sketch, is a scion of one of the prominent pioneer families of Richland township, which was one of the first settled townships of historic Darke county. He was born on his father's homestead and this homestead still continues to be his place of abode, the date of his nativity being December 8, 1856. He is the sixth in order of birth of the ten children—three sons and seven daughters—of Daniel and Mary (Warvel) Hartzell. Of the children six are living, namely : Hannah M. is the wife of M. F. Myers, a prominent attorney of Greenville, Ohio, and she was reared and educated in Darke county, where for some time she was a successful teacher; Charlotte A. is the wife of G. M. Skinner, a telegraph operator at Royal Center, Indiana; Daniel J. is the immediate subject of this review; Maggie E. is the wife of B. N. York, a representative of the prominent pioneer family of this township and himself a prosperous and influential agriculturist here; John H., a prominent farmer of Pikeville, Ohio, married a Miss York ; Rosa M., the youngest of the children, is the wife of G. M. Hench, a telegraph operator at Logansport, Indiana. Daniel Hartzell, the father of our subject, was born near the historic battle field of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the 21st of February, 1819, and his death occurred March 27, 1896. He was reared to agricultural pursuits, but upon attaining maturity learned the trades of cabinetmaker and carpenter and joiner, to which lines of work he gave his attention, meeting with a due measure of success. His educational discipline was secured in the old-time subscription schools and his advantages in this regard were necessarily limited. He started out in life for himself as a poor boy and from the foot of the ladder worked his way upward to success and to a position of honor among men. As the name indicates, he was of German extraction, and being imbued with the indomitable spirit and energy of that sturdy race, he soon established for himself a reputation as a man who aimed to lay firm foundation for the future. At the age of nineteen he started for the wilderness of what was then considered the far west, his destination being Darke county, whither he came to join his brother, Philip. He eventually returned to Pennsylvania and soon thereafter, in company with his mother and stepfather, again set out on the weary journey to Ohio, and it is a matter of record that he actually walked the entire distance from Pennsylvania to Gettysburg, Darke county, with the exception of three miles. This statement indicates the sturdy character of our honored pioneers. After locating in the primitive home in the western wilds he went to work with vigor, at first being employed by others at such work as he could secure. It is recalled that the first distinctive work he ever did in Darke county was to split one hundred rails before breakfast. He was an energetic young man and soon. accumulated a tract of one hundred and thirty-seven acres in the forests of Richland township, which was at that time a practically unbroken wilderness, wild game 530 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. of all sorts being seen in abundance. At one time when he was working at plowing corn on his brother's farm, east of Greenville, he saw three or four deer playing around him in a circle, Securing his trusty gun, he concealed himself behind a tree until the animals were so near that he was discussing with himself which one to select for his fire, when he was severely attacked with "buck fever," or "buck ague," or, as the modern vernacular would have it, was so "rattled" that he did not secure a shot at any of the deer, greatly to his chagrin, Politically Mr, Hartzell was a stanch Democrat of the Jackson type, and he was a valued representative citizen of the township, which he served effectively and with much wisdom in official capacities, having been trustee several terms and having been a zealous advocate and supporter of the public schools. He and his wife were faithful members of the German Reformed church and he was a liberal contributor to the erection of the present church edifice at Pikeville, Ohio. The mother of our subject is a native of Montgomery county, Ohio, where she was born in the year 1830, and is still living at Pikeville. Though venerable in years she still retains her mental and physical faculties to an exceptional degree, and she is held in the deepest love and veneration in the community where she has lived and labored to such goodly ends. Her gentle character has ever prompted her to unostentatious works of charity and kindness, and her example and teachings are cherished and held sacred in the church of which she has so long been a devoted and zealous member. Daniel J. Hartzell, the subject of this. sketch, is a native of Richland township, as has been previously noted, and in this county he has been reared and educated and has taken his place as a worthy representative of an honored name. He was afforded the advantages of the common schools and was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm, remaining with his parents until he attained his majority, having thereafter continued to work for his father at the rate of ten dollars per month, so that he has a full appreciation of the values of honest toil-. He chose for his helpmeet along life's journey Miss Amanda Weikert, their marriage being solemnized February 4, 1879. Of this union four sons have been born and three of the number are living, namely : Earl E., born May 6, 1882, who has completed the eight grades in the public schools and passed the Boxwell examination, which admits the successful candidate to any of the high schools in the county, is a studious youth and his trends of thought and natural inclinations seem to lead to the professional life; Ward C., born October 16, 1884, who is the practical agriculturist of the three bright and promising boys, is perfectly at home on the estate and takes an interest in all phases of its work ; he is in the eighth grade of the public schools.; Charlie R., born February 18, 1894, is the youngest of the home circle. Mrs. Hartzell was born near the. great battle field of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of June, 1859, being the second in a family of twelve children—five sons and seven daughters—born to Jacob and Matilda (Slyder) Weikert. Of this large family of children nine still survive and of these we give a brief record as follows: Henry I. is engaged in the tent and awning business at St. Paul, Minnesota ; John D. is a farmer at Bowdle, South Dakota; Emma E. is the wife of Charles Sebring, of Darke county. Ohio; Daisy L. is the wife of George Reeves, GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 531 of St. Paul, Minnesota ; Lilly M. is the wife of Eugene Cowell. of Bangor, South Dakota; Rosa M. resides with her parents near Madison, Indiana, as do also Eva Pearl and Charles D. Jacob Weikert is a native of Pennsylvania, where he continued to reside until he reached maturity. He was present at the great battle of Gettysburg, and though not a soldier rendered effective service in caring for the wounded and assisting in the burial of the dead. He had to forsake his home, as it was on the site of this ever memorable conflict, and he was compelled to take what few effects could be picked up and to place these in the wagon and with his family make his way out in the midst of the incessant firing, which was at so close range that leaves and twigs from the trees were clipped off by the leaden hail and fell into their wagon, where they were found after a place of comparative safety had been reached. This is an incident that will not be recorded again in this narrative of those concerned in the history of Darke county. Though but a child of six years, Mrs. Hartzell has a faint recollection of this terrible struggle. The family came on through to Montgomery county, Ohio, and there Mrs. Hartzell's maternal grandmother is yet living, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. Mrs. Hartzell has been her husband's counselor in all his business transactions and her aid and.. advice have always been timely and valuable: When they began their married life, according to Mr. Hartzell's statement to the biographer, his wordly possessions were practically summed up in a horse and buggy. He secured the endorsement of his father in purchasing the requisite supplies for carrying on his farm and he earned every dollar with which to liquidate his in debtedness. He began farming on shares and eventually he and his wife bought out the interests of the other heirs to the estate, and it is with a feeling of pride that they can look back over the rough road they have traveled, the obstacles Overcome in order to accumulate their beautiful property, which is a just reward for their earnest efforts. Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell have been peculiarly successful in life, and the success has been most worthily achieved, as in all the relations of life they have been characterized by that honor and integrity which are more to be desired than gold. As Mr. Hartzell is a native of Darke county he has had the privilege of witnessing its growth and development from a veritable wilderness to one of the most prosperous and attractive sections of the entire state, improved with fine pike roads, substantial and attractive residences of modern architecture and all other elements which bespeak substantial prosperity. The beautiful town of Greenville, which now has a population of about eight thousand, is far different from what it was when his father located in the county, for at that time the stockades of old Fort Greenville were still standing. Mr. Hartzell is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, his first presidential vote having been cast for General Hancock. He has maintained a lively interest in the work of his party and his personal popularity has led to his being chosen for positions of marked preferment. He has been a delegate to various senatorial, congressional and county conventions and he was the incumbent of the important office of trustee of Richland township in 1896, and was reelected to the office in 1899, his administration having reflected great credit upon him and the township which he represents. He 532 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. has served for about six years as director of the public schools, both he and his wife being" zealous advocates of the best possible educational advantages for the youth of our land. They are members of the German Reformed church at Pikeville and he is an elder in the same. The estate of our subject comprises eighty-five acres, lying one-half mile east of Pikeville and five miles from Greenville. The soil is a rich loam and is admirably adapted to the cultivation of corn, wheat, oats and tobacco,—the last mentioned in particular. In 1899 Mr: Hartzell realized ninety dollars per acre from two acres of tobacco. This farm was purchased by his father in 1849 and has remained in the hands of the family for more than half a century. Mr. and Mrs. Hartzell are well known for their many admirable traits of character and for this reason, as well as for that of their being representatives of honored pioneer families, we are pleased to accord them this slight recognition in the genealogical record of Darke county. LEWIS MANSFIELD. The gentleman whose name introduces this sketch and who resides on section 31, German township, Darke county, Ohio, is one of the representative farmers of his locality. The facts regarding his life and family history are as follows : Lewis Mansfield was born in Preble county, Ohio, November 3, 1833, son of one of the pioneers of that county., His father, Joseph Mansfield, was a native of Kentucky, was born in 1811 and came with his parents to Preble county, Ohio, in 1819, when he was about eight years old and who was reared and married there. About a year after his marriage, with his wife and babe, he came to Darke county and they established their home on a farm in Harrison township, where he carried on agricultural pursuits the rest of his life and where he died at the age of forty-two years. William Mansfield, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Delaware, from which state, when a young man, he emigrated to Kentucky, where he married, and whence he subsequently came up into Ohio, as above recorded. He was of English descent. The mother of Lewis Mansfield was, before her marriage, Miss Nancy Bowles. She was a native of North Carolina, born in February, 1810, and came to Preble county, Ohio, in her girlhood, where, as already stated, she was married. She died at the age of fifty-two years. The Bowles also were of English origin. Stephen Bowles, the father of Mrs. Mansfield, was born in North Carolina and was the son of a Revolutionary soldier. Joseph and Nancy Mansfield were the parents of two children, one dying when three weeks old, the: other being Lewis. Lewis Mansfield was brought to Darke county in his infancy and was reared on his father's farm in Harrison township, receiving his education in a log school house near his home. He remained on the homestead until after the death of his father. Early in the winter of 1859 he married and immediately afterward removed to the farm upon which he has since resided, and which he had purchased previous to his marriage. This farm comprises one hundred and twenty acres, all of which is cleared and under cultivation except twenty acres, the work of clearing and improving it having all been clone under his supervision. Here for over forty years he has carried on general farm- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 583 ing and has been -fairly successful in his operations. Mr. Mansfield's mother lived with him until her death, which occurred in 1862. Mr. Mansfield was married December 1, 1859, to Miss Lucretia Lanie, born in Preble county, Ohio, August 12, 1835, and which was her home until the time of her marriage. They are the parents of five children, namely : Eliza, the wife of C. Jones, a farmer residing near Madison, Ohio, and they have one son, Paul; Albert, who married Mary McClure, of German township, Darke county, and has one son, Lewis O. ; Ella, at home; Minnie, the wife of Charles Harland, of Richmond, Indiana, they having one daughter, Lucretia; and one that died in infancy. Mr. Mansfield casts his franchise with the Democratic party. He is not a member of any church nor .does. he have any lodge affiliations. His religious creed is embodied in the golden rule. This he has tried to follow, and in so doing he has won the confidence and respect of his fellow men. D. W. K. MARTIN. D. W. K. Martin, the well-known editor and proprietor of the Versailles Policy, published at Versailles, Ohio, is a native of Darke county, born in Adams township; June 2, 1849, and is a son of John B. and Rachel (Kreider) Martin, natives of Montgomery county, this state, the former born December, 1820, the latter in 1822. On leaving- Montgomery county, at the age of nineteen years, the father came to this county and settled in Adams township, where he followed his chosen occupation—that of farming—throughout life, dying in his seventy-sixth year. He was of German descent and a member of the Dunkard .church.. He was three times married, his first wife being Barbara Bigler, by whom he had one daughter. His second wife was the mother of our subject, who also was of German descent and died in 1872. By this union there were nine children, all of whom grew to manhood or womanhood, all married and all are still living, with one exception. For his third wife the father married Catherine Sword, by whom he had two children, both of whom are living. The subject of this sketch is the second child of the second marriage. He was reared in his native township, and acquired a good practical education in the district schools, remaining at home until twenty years of age. At the age of nineteen he commenced teaching school and successfully followed that profession for twenty-one years, three years of which time he was superintendent of the schools at Fort Recovery, Ohio. He taught for two years in Versailles, for one year in Bradford, and the remainder of the time in country schools. He became interested in the newspaper business in 1889, when he purchased the Versailles Policy, which he has since so successfully carried on. When he took possession of the office it was supplied with an old Washington hand press, but he has added an engine and Campbell press and also job presses, and now has a well equipped office. He conducts the paper in the interests of the Democratic party, and has made it one of the best and most popular journals of Darke county. In 1870 Mr. Martin was united in marriage with Miss Lydia A. Apple, a native of Wayne township, Darke county, and a daughter of George and Catherine (Rhodes) Apple. To them have been born nine children, namely : Minnie A., Cora D., Ira J. and Estella M. (twins), Laura V., Marion A., Grace E., George J. and Clissie C. 534 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, SAMUEL V. HARTMAN. Samuel V, Hartman is one of the youngest representatives of the legal fraternity in Greenville. He was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, on July 19, 1864, and is a son of C. B. and Catherine (O'Donnell) Hartman. The father was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylania in 1816, and the mother was a native of Limerick, Ireland, whence she emigrated to the United States with her parents at the age of thirteen years. After their marriage they removed to Ohio, locating in the vicinity of Dayton, and the father engaged in teaching school for some years. He was also the school examiner of Montgomery county for a number of years. In 1866 he removed with his family to Darke county, locating in Neave township, where he engaged in farming. He is still living, in Hill Grove, Darke county, and is a well preserved and energetic man, his years resting lightly. upon him. Samuel V. Hartman, whose name introduces this record, spent his youth upon the farm in Neave township and pursued his education in the public schools of Fort Jefferson until sixteen 'years of age, when he attended the high school in Greenville, taught by Professor J. T. Martz. Later Mr. Hartman successfully engaged in teaching for two years in Woodington and New Weston, and later, to still further perfect his own education, he entered the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, where he prosecuted his studies for one year. Leaving school he read law with Judge J. M. Bickel and Judge J: I. Allread, both of Greenville, and under their able preceptor age was well fitted for his chosen calling. On the 4th of March, 1890, he was admitted to the Darke county bar and was soon after ward elected prosecuting attorney, filling that position for two terms of three years each. On the expiration of that period, he retired from office and has since engaged in practice in the different courts, local, state and federal. The care with which he prepares his cases enables him to arrive at the strong points in his case, and these he presents forcefully and logically to court and jury, thereby winning many notable forensic contests. Socially he is connected with the order of Knights of Pythias. RILEY M. BRANDON. All honor is due the pioneers of any section, for they blazed the way for the march of progress and laid broad and deep the foundation of the magnificent prosperity which forms the superstructure reared in later days, but with facilities which were denied to them in their sterner and more self-abnegating labors. In this favored section of the Buckeye state, now grilled with railroads and with fine pike roads, none of these improvements were in evidence when the subject of this sketch first opened his eyes to the light of day, as a native of the county, but here the pioneer settlers still disputed dominion with the crafty red men and the beasts of the forest. He has borne his part in the work of development and improvement, and is worthy of definite consideration in this publication. Mr, Brandon was born in Darke county, March 18, 1849, being the second in order of birth of the eight sons and two daughters of Alex B, and Anna (Shafer) Brandon. Of the ten children eight are living, namely : Riley M., the immediate subject of this sketch; Dora B., wife of Nathaniel P. Kershner, a farmer of Brown township; Eugene, GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 535 a farmer of York township; Aaron C., a prominent lawyer of Greenville; Frank, a farmer of Jefferson county, Indiana; Noah, a salesman in a wholesale grocery at Dayton, Ohio;.. and Arthur, who is a graduate of the Ohio Medical College and is a well known physician and surgeon of Ansonia, this county; Bertha B. is the wife of Clifford Thomas, of Chicago, and is the youngest of the family. Alex Brandon was born in Darke county, in 1820, and died in April, 1882. His progenitors came from the Old Dominion state of Virginia to Darke county, the agnatic line being of English or Scotch origin and having long been identified with the annals of American history. Grandfather Brandon was a volunteer in the war of 1812, but the conflict terminated before he had been called into action. Alex Brandon passed most of his life in Darke county, having resided for a few years in Miami county. He became a member of the Republican party upon its organization and was a zealous advocate of its principles. He and his wife were devout .members of the Christian church at Beamsville, and he was one of the pillars of the organization, being one of its charter members and having aided very materially in the erection of the first church building.. His life was ordered upon a high plane of integrity and he was held in uniform respect and confidence as a man of sterling worth. The mother of our subject was born in Pennsylvania, in 1826, and her death occurred December 17, 1881, she and her hus- band being laid to rest. in the cemetery at Versailles, where a fine monument has been erected to their memory. She was a woman of gentle refinement and true Christian grace, and her influence upon the character of her children was marked and is held by them in deepest reverence. Riley M. Brandon, whose name introduces this review, has passed his entire life in Darke county, and Richland township has been his home for the greater portion of this period. His initial educational discipline was secured in the district schools and supplemented by a course in a select school at Versailles, where he so advanced himself in his studies as to be eligible as a teacher, devoting himself to this vocation for a short time. Mr. Brandon has been twice married, his first union having been with Miss Jane Siegmund, who bore him one daughter, Irene May, Who is the wife of Charles York, a farmer of Richland township, and they have a little daughter, May Ethel. Mrs. Brandon was summoned into eternal rest March 21, 1874, and on the 7th. of October, 1877, our subject married Miss Sarah. J. Davidson. Two sons, and two daughters grace this union—Edwin A., who is associated with his father in carrying on the work of the old homestead ; Hattie B., who passed the Boxwell examination with a general percentage of severity, when she was but thirteen years of age, and who is thereby entitled to admission to any high school in the county ; Charles D., who is at present in school ; and Hazel May, a bright and interesting little maiden, now attending to her school work. Mrs. Brandon was born in Darke county, June 28, 1853, a daughter of Edwin R.. and Rebecca J. (Warvell) Davidson, who were the parents of two sons and three daughters, only one of whom is deceased; Mrs. Brandon is the eldest; William H. is a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Robert is a farmer of York township, Darke county; May is 536 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the wife of John Beery; of Springfield, this state. The father of Mrs. Brandon is deceased, his birth having taken place in Clinton county, Ohio, and it is a matter of record that his grandfather ate dinner with the Indians near the site of the village of Beamsville, pronouncing the corn bread which they prepared to have been the best he had ever eaten. The parents of Mrs. Brandon were both devoted members of the Christian church. The mother was born in Virginia, and was a maiden of twelve years when the family came to Ohio, her birth having occurred May 4, 1833. She is still living, making her home with her youngest son, in Richland township, and retaining her mental faculties unimpaired. Mrs. Brandon has endeared herself to a large circle of acquaintances, through her gentle refinement and consideration of the feelings of others, and she has proved a true helpmeet to her husband. Our subject purchased at the start a farm of ninety acres, being compelled to assume an indebtedness for a considerable portion of the purchase price, but his capable management and energy have made him one of the independent and influential farmers of the county, where he is held in the highest esteem. He has witnessed the remarkable development of Darke county from the condition of a wilderness to its present era of prosperity and fine improvement, and his estate lies contiguous to the site of old Fort Briar, which was an important place in the early days. He has in his possession the original deed for the quarter-section 34, township 11, range 3, the document having been executed December 6, 1823, and bearing the signature of President Monroe. This deed is retained as a valuable historical relic. Mr. Brandon renders allegiance to the Democratic party, having cast his first vote for General Grant, and for ten years he gave active support to the cause of prohibition. His aim has been to support men and. measures rather than to render supine allegiance to party dictates. He has been a delegate to the convention of the Prohibition. party at various times and has been a zealous worker for all that makes for the betterment of his fellow men. He is a stanch friend of popular education and was strongly in favor of the establishment of the township high school, but this measure was defeated. He was a member of the school board for five years. He and his wife are members of the Christian church at Beamsville, and he has lent effective and timely aid to the cause of religion. The family is one of the representative families of the county, and we are gratified to be able to. present this brief review at this time FRANKLIN WISE. In this work there is much interest attaching to the records, both personal and genealogical, of those wh0 stand representative of the worthy pioneer element in the history of Darke county, and who are exponents of the progress and prosperity which mark the later years. To the gentleman. whose name heads this record we must accord an honorable place among the leading citizens of the county, and no publication having to do with the annals of this historic section could legitimately omit such specific reference to his genealogical record and individual accomplishment. Mr. Wise was born on the old homestead in Richland township, the land comprised in GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 537 the same having been entered by his grandfather, John Wise, the entry having been made August 14, 1834, and executed over the signature of President Andrew Jackson, this being one of the oldest deeds of the township and being cherished as an heirloom by the Wise family. In the days to come it will be valuable as a relic of the pioneer days. Mr. Wise was born January 12, 1853, being the sixth in order of birth of the seven sons and two daughters born to Daniel and Catharine (Longenecker) Wise, and one of the eight who are living at the present time, namely : Benjamin L., a farmer of Patterson township, served for three years as a Union soldier in the war of the rebellion; Iarena is the wife of Tobias Overholser, a farmer of Allen township ; Samuel A. is a farmer of Eaton county, Michigan; John M. is a farmer of Mississinawa township, Darke county ; Franklin is the immediate subject of this review; Clara A. is the wife of John Cable, a farmer of Wayne township ; Harvey is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Ionia county, Michigan; and Daniel C., the youngest, is a farmer of Adams township, Darke county. Daniel Wise, father of our subject, was born in the old Keystone state, being of the old Pennsylvania German stock. The date of his nativity was July 2, 1816, and he died September 18, 1869. It is presumed that he was about eighteen years of age when. he became a resident of Ohio, and he was reared Under the conditions prevalent at that time, receiving such meager educational advantages as were afforded in the early subscription schools, which, like other farmer boys, he was permitted to attend for a brief time each year. He was early inured to the hardships of frontier life, growing, to be a strong and sturdy man physically and one of marked mental vigor. Politically he was an old-line Whig until the birth of the Republican party, when he transferred his allegiance to the new party, which more clearly expressed his views in its code of principles and policies. He and his wife were members of the German Baptist church. Franklin Wise, subject of this review, is a thorough Ohioan, having been born and reared in Darke county, and he has unmistakably embraced the dominating principles of his parents as to thrift and honor. He has been reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and has incidentally carried on a successful enterprise in the manufacture of brooms. He received a good common-school education, which has been supplemented by personal application and practical experience in the affairs of life. Mr. Wise worked for wages until he reached his majority, after which he prepared to establish his household goods upon a firm foundation. April 29, 1886, he was married to Miss Ruth A. Craig, who has borne him two daughters—Ethel and Hazel—who are very bright and interesting little maidens. Mrs. Wise is a native of Darke county, having been born November 10, 1860, a daughter of David and Malinda (Baird) Craig, who became the parents of six sons and five daughters, nine of whom are yet living and all these are residents of Darke county except Lieu Elmer, who is now an express agent at Tiffin, Ohio. David Craig was born, in New Jersey, February 5, 1814, and died January 5, 1884.. He was three years. of age when his parents moved to Warren county, Ohio, and in 185.7 he became a resident of Darke county, becoming a farmer by occupation. Mrs.. 538 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Wise's great-grandfather in the agnatic line came from Scotland, the name Craig being of the pure Scotch origin. MaHilda (Baird) Craig, mother of Mrs. Wise, was born in Warren county, Ohio, September 16, 1825, and her death occurred July 21, 1898. She and her husband were members of the Presbyterian church at Greenville and were very zealous in their religious work. They owned a fine farm two and one-half miles east of Greenville. Mrs. Wise was educated in the common schools, and she is of that genial and candid nature which will ever insure warm and lasting friendships. She has been a true helpmeet to her husband and they are known and honored far and wide throughout the section where they have passed their lives. They began their domestic life on the old homestead of our subject's parents, renting the land at the start, and finally Mr. Wise undertook to purchase the estate, a work which he accomplished within six years, with the aid of his devoted wife, and in addition to this he also cared tenderly for his widowed mother until her death. The estate comprises one hundred and forty-nine acres and this is kept in a fine state of repair and cultivation. In politics Mr. Wise is a Republican, having cast his first presidential vote for Hayes. Socially he is a member of Lodge No. 605, I. O. O. F., at Ansonia, and also of Stelvideo Grange, .No: 295, with which Mrs: Wise is also identified. He is the treasurer of the grange and Mrs. Wise is overseer. In religious adherency Mr. and Mrs. Wise maintain the faith of the Christian Scientists, having made a careful study of the wonderful developments and comforting promises to be noted in this line of religious thought. They are among the representative people of Richland township and are well worthy of this slight tribute in the genealogical and biographical history of the county. JAPHETH BYRD. It is unmistakably true that upon the young, progressive men of the day the greatest responsibility rests. The gentleman whose name initiates this review is one who enjoys the confidence and respect of all who constitute the better class of citizens in Richland township, Darke county, and as a representative young man of the township. it is consistent that a review of his life and genealogy be incorporated in this connection. Mr. Byrd is a native son of the Old Dominion state, having been born in Rockingham county, Virginia, on the 16th of February, 1861, being the second in order of the three sons born to Isaac and Mary (Gaines) Byrd. The brothers of our subject are Rev. Rudolph Byrd, clergyman of the United Brethren church and a resident of Chewsville, Maryland ; and Isaac D., who is a successful agriculturist in Rockingham county, Virginia. The father was born in Rockingham county, and his father was a soldier in the war of 1812. The family is of English extraction and has been long identified with the annals of American history. One Colonel Byrd located near the famed old city of Richmond, Virginia, at a very early day, and from him the line of descent to the subject of this sketch is directly traced. The father was a carpenter by trade and was in active service in the war of the Rebellion, supporting the cause in whose justice he firmly believed. He was a stanch Democrat GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 539 in politics. His death occurred September 3, 1864. His wife, Mary (Gaines) Byrd, was likewise a native. of Virginia, and in that state she is still living, venerable in years and loved by all who have felt the influence of her gentle life. Japheth was a mere child at the time of his father's death, and as the family were left in moderate circumstances he was thrown upon his own resources at an early age. His first employment netted him the modest sum of three dollars per month and upon this basis he managed to clothe himself and pursue his preliminary educational work. His independent. spirit was thus manifested at an early age, and by this he has always been animated, being essentially progressive and active. At the age of eighteen Mr. Byrd determined to seek his fortune in the west, and he accordingly came to Ohio, coming to Montgomery county about 1880, where he remained one year, after which he located Darke county, which has ever since been his home and field of endeavor. He came here without influential friends or financial reinforcement, began working [or wages and step by step won his way to a success which is gratifying to note—a success honorably achieved through energy,• economy and indefatigable application. On the 14th of April, 1884, Mr. Byrd was united in marriage to Miss Dora B: 'McFarland, and to them one son and three daughters have been born•-- Bessie F., Josephine, George and Mary—all being bright and attractive children, showing marked interest and proficiency in their educational work. Mrs. Byrd was born in Darke county, upon the old homestead where she and her husband now reside, the date of her nativity having been September 2S, 1866, and she being the youngest of the nine children born to James and Rachel ( John) McFarland. Of the children eight are. still living, namely : William, who is a resident of Dawn, this county; Newton, a resident of Greenville; Ellen, wife of Charles Beedle, of Miami county; Albert, of Greenville; Thomas, who resides at Dawn; Clark, of North Star, Ohio; Madison, who. resides at Dawn, and Mrs. Byrd, who is the youngest. James McFarland was born in Greene county, Ohio, on the 8th of May, 1822, and his death occurred March 25, 1893. He was a blacksmith by trade, and was a very successful business man, having become the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of fine farming land in Richland township. He secured a common school education in his youth, and lived an honest and noble life, which gives the richest of heritage to his children and children's children, who venerate his name and memory. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat, and as one of the leading men of the township he was called to positions of public trust, having served as trustee, land appraiser and in other offices of responsibility. He and his wife were zealous and devoted members of the Christian church, and he aided materially in the erection of the church edifice at Beamsville, and also contributed liberally to the building of the Methodist church at Dawn. He was liberal and benevolent, charitable and kindly in his judgment of others, and was always ready to lend his aid and influence in any good work. Fraternally he was a charter member of the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons at Versailles, and his funeral obsequies were conducted according to the impressive rites of this noble fraternity. In his death the community mourned the loss of one of its most honored and valued citizens. 540 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. Mrs. Rachel McFarland, mother of Mrs. Byrd, was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, on the 25th of November, 1823, and her death occurred March 17, 1895. She was a kind, Christian mother, and her teachings and admonitions will be held in deep reverence by her children as long as memory remains with them. Mrs. Byrd has been reared and educated in Darke county, having received the advantages of our excellent public schools. She is of that sunny nature which brightens all with which it comes in contact, and she presides with grace and dignity over her happy home, being to her husband a true helpmeet and aiding him with her sympathy and advice in all the temporal matters which come up for consideration, their mutual sympathy and confidence making their married life one of ideal nature. When they began life together Mr. Byrd was employed as a wage earner. at Dawn, this county ; later they leased land and there carried on farming, and finally, about the year 1892, they purchased the old homestead of Mr. McFarland, assuming an indebtedness for a portion of the purchase price. They went to work earnestly, and the success which has justly attended their efforts is shown in the fact that they now own the old homestead and an additional twenty-three acres, entirely free from encumbrance, this being one of the finest farms in this section of the state. Mr. Byrd is a Democrat in his political proclivities, his first presidential vote having been cast for Grover Cleveland. Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Christian church at Beamsville, and they have always contributed liberally to its work and its collateral charities and benevolences. They are cordial and genial in their attitude, having that intrinsic refinement which begets deep and lasting friendships, and their popularity in the community stands in evidence of their sterling worth of character. FINLEY R. REED. Finley R. Reed is -a retired farmer living at Versailles. He was born in Wayne township, Darke county, June 17, 1828. The family name is one long and actively identified with the history of the Buckeye state. William Reed was a native of county Tyrone, Ireland, and When a young man came to America, reaching this country while it was still a province of Great Britain. At the time of the Revolutionary war he joined the Colonial army and served under Washington. In Pennsylvania he was married, afterward removed to Kentucky and thence came to Ohio, where he died at the advanced age of ninety-three years. His son, Allen Reed, the father of our subject was born in Pennsylvania, in 1782, and by his parents was taken to Kentucky when five years of age. They located at Miller's Station and became well acquainted with Daniel Boone, the noted pioneer of that state. Allen Reed was married in Kentucky, and there engaged in the manufacture of salt. In an early day, however, he removed to Clinton county, Ohio, where he followed the same pursuit and also conducted a distillery. He removed from Clinton to Darke county, and during the war of 1812 served under General William Henry Harrison, with the rank of lieutenant. He afterward became the captain of the first company of the Second Battalion and Third Regiment. In 1815 he was the captain of the first company of the added battalion of the Second Brigade of the First Division of GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 541 the militia of Ohio, and in 1823 was elected the captain of the Second Company of the Second Regiment, Second Brigade and Tenth Division of the militia of the state of Ohio, being sworn in by Governor Swishe, a justice of the peace. He was thus the first captain of the militia in the northern part of Darke county. In military affairs and in business circles he was a very prominent man of the time. He served as a justice of the peace, and was a recognized leader in the Whig party until its dissolution, when he became a stanch Republican. In early life he was reared in the Presbyterian faith, but afterward became a member of the New Light. church. He made farming his life work, and his well-directed labors enabled him to secure a comfortable home. He married Margaret McGriff, who was born in Kentucky and died when our subject was about two and a half years old. The McGruff family was prominent in Ohio. Among them were twin brothers, Richard and John, who were born in Darke county, in 1804. The former lived to be ninety-five years of age, and the latter is still living at the age of ninety-seven. After the death of his first wife Allen Reed wedded Mrs. Jerome, but they had no children. By the first marriage, however, there were sixteen children, and with the exception of the eldest and the youngest, all reached mature years. These were: William, who died at the age of two years; John, who .died at the age of fifty; Richard, who died when more than sixty years of age; Isaac, who died at the age of sixty-four; James, at the age of seventy-three; Sarah, who is the widow of Alexan- der Wilson, of Versailles; Margaret, who died at the age of eighty, and was the wife of James Greer, an early settler of Topeka, Kansas; Elizabeth, who became the wife of O. S. Brandon and died at Jefferson, Wisconsin; Allen, who was born July 18, 1818, and is now living retired in Topeka, Kansas; Thomas, who was a minister of the United Brethren church and died in Fulton county, Indiana; Matilda, who died at the age of thirteen years; Amberson, who died at the age of sixteen; William, who was a pioneer physician in Jefferson City, Wisconsin, having begun practice there about. 1850, and for eleven consecutive winters was a member of the senate of that state, and for fourteen years the medical examiner of the charities and reforms of the state; Huldah, wife of Solomon Young, of Union City, Indiana; Finley R., our subject; and one child who died in infancy. Finley R. Reed, the fifteenth in the family, was reared in Wayne township, within sight of the town of Versailles, the farm being now within the corporation limits. He obtained but primitive educational privileges, for there was no school-house near until after he was married. He hauled the timber for the first school-house in Versailles, and saw the county when it was in its pioneer condition. He is the only man known to be living that saw the old horse-mill that ground the meal that was used in making mush in the early days. He remained with his father until his marriage, which occurred in October; 1832, Alice Brandon becoming his wife. She was born in Wayne township, May 19, 1830, a daughter of James and Susannah (Sark) Brandon. The father was a native of Virginia and was reared in Kentucky, in which state the mother was born. They were.. married there and became the parents of seven children, Mrs. Reed being the fifth in order of birth, and the only surviving one. She was reared in Wayne township and attended the 542 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. same school of which her husband was a student. After their marriage Mr. Reed located on section 19, Wayne township, where he followed general farming until 1865, when •he purchased a farm on section 23, of the same township. He then took up his abode on that place and continued to operate his land until 'g00, when he sold the property and took up his abode in Versailles, where he is now living retired. On the 2d of May, 1864, he joined the boys in blue of Company F, One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Infantry, with which he served four months, holding the rank of second lieutenant. He was honorably discharged on the 2d of September. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been born eleven children, of whom ten are living : Martha, the wife of Isaac Hitz, who is living in Kansas, and by whom she has eight children; Juanita A., at home; Susanna, the wife of Albertus Firestone, of Kansas, by whom she has three children; Margaret, the widow of Lewis Dobe, of Marseilles, and the mother of seven children; Maria, the wife of Charles Mier, of Piqua, Ohio, by whom she has two children; Sarah, the wife of Ed. Garris, of Union City, Indiana; A. Lincoln, who is married and resides southwest of Topeka, Kansas, with his wife and five children; Andrew J., of Versailles, who is married and has two children; Georgie at home; James A., who died at the age of two years; and Nellie, the wife of Lawrence Bachman, of Ansonia, by whom she has one child. In his political views Mr. Reed is a stalwart Republican. He belongs to the Grand Army Post at Versailles, and has been a member of the Masonic fraternity since 1862. He holds membership in the Chris tian church, was for many years one of its trustees and still holds a number of offices therein. He is to-day one of the most honored and widely known of the pioneer settlers of Darke county, and has witnessed its development from the time when the greater part of its land was in its primitive condition. His life has ever commended him to the confidence and respect of those with whom he has been brought in contact and his record is in many ways well worthy of emulation. COLONEL DAVID PUTMAN. As one of the representative and prominent citizens of Darke county Colonel Putman well deserves representation in this volume. He was born at Fort Black, now called New Madison, on the 4th of August, 1821, and his present residence is Palestine, in German township. His father, Ernestus Putman, was a native of New York, born October 27, 1776. There he was reared, remaining at home until fourteen years of age, when he was apprenticed to learn the gunsmith and whitesmith trades. He served for a term of seven years, and on the expiration of that period went to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he accepted a position as foreman in the stocking department of the government armory. For two years he served in that capacity. In the meantime he returned to his native place and was married. With two companions he made his way over the mountains to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. These men were accompanied by their young wives, and on reaching Pittsburg they constructed a flat-boat, on which they made their way down the Ohio river. This was in 1809. Where the city of Madison now stands they effected a landing. Gen- GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 543 eral Harrison was at that time governor of the Northwest Territory and was employed in surveying the town. These three men each took a lot and erected a log cabin, which was the foundation of the city of Madison. On the 11th of February, 1811, his first child was born in the town. His name was Aaron. He died in California in .1897. Soon after the birth of this son the mother died. Ernestus Putman established a gunsmith shop in Madison and as soon as his child was old enough so that he could care for. it he went to Harper's Ferry. He there entered the government employ, again serving in the same capacity throughout the war of .1812. At Shepherdstown, Virginia, he was married, on the 24th of March, 1814, to Miss Elizabeth Gray, a lady of Scotch-Irish descent and a daughter of David and Jane (Pollock) Gray, who came to the new world from the Emerald Isle. They lived in county Tyrone, but in 1802 crossed the Atlantic, Lnding in Baltimore, Maryland, whence they made their way to Boonsboro. Four years later they took up their abode in Fredericktown, Virginia. Mrs. Putman was born in Ireland and was a maiden of twelve summers when she came with her parents to America. Her eldest-brother, Thomas, was a sea captain and lost his life at sea about 1818. The next child was Nancy, who became the wife of Thomas Carson, and was married in Baltimore. Mrs. Putman was the third of the family and is followed by Sarah, who became the wife of John Kinnear, by whom she bad a family of ten children. John M., the next of the family, settled in Eaton, Preble county, Ohio, and became a prominent man of the town. He engaged in merchandising and was a recognized leader in political affairs, being elected to the legislature on the Whig ticket. He died in 1853. There was also one child, Mary, who was born soon after the arrival of the parents in Baltimore, Maryland. She became the wife of William Watt, and they had four children, two sons and two daughters, all of whom are yet living. After the marriage of the parents of our subject Ernestus Putman went direct to Washington city, where he opened a gunsmith's shop and took the contract for executing all of the iron work for the White House. His business assumed very extensive proportions and he ,furnished employment to a large number of machinists. While residing in Washington city two children Were added to the family : Jane Gray, who was born in 1816, and John G., born June 11, 1818. Mr. Putman remained in Washington city until 1819, when with his wife and children he came direct to what is now New Madison, in Darke county, Ohio, the journey being made with a one-horse wagon. Here he entered land, securing a portion of the tract upon which the town of New Madison now stands. He conducted not only the first store in the village but also the first in the southern part of the county. Not long after his arrival the third child, Elizabeth S., was added to the family" She was born in 1819, and became the wife of Dr. Rufus Gillpatrick, who went to Kansas in 1854 and was killed during the Civil war. He was one of the conductors of the underground railroad, and his strong sympathy for the Union cause and his opposition to slavery led to his death. David Putman, the next of the family, was born August 4, 1821 ; Mary I., born. in 1824, became the wife of Dr. Charles Jaquay, and is now deceased ; Ernestus born in 1826. married Sarah J. Deem, and afterward died in Colorado ; Thomas C., borne in 1828, is deceased; James, born in 544 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. December, 1830, has also passed away ; Nancy C., born in 1833, is the wife of Dr. James G. Blunt, who became a major-general in the war. He went to Kansas and became an active fa for in support of the Union cause at the time of the trouble in that state. Prior to 1856 he was prominent in political affairs in Darke county, and was an adherent of the newly organized Republican party. giving his support to Fremont. He died from the effect of a sunstroke, in Washington city Ernestus Putman continued in business in New Madison from 1819 until 1842 and was instrumental in promoting the progress and upbuilding of the town. He laid out the town in 1831, and was one of the oldest merchants of the county. He served as the first postmaster and withheld his co-operation from no movement which he believed would prove of public good. In politics he was a stanch Whig in early life and on the dissolution of that party became a Republican, supporting Lincoln in 1860 and again in 1864. He was in his eighty-ninth year when Lincoln was elected a second time. He held membership in the Presbyterian church at New Madison, and all the expenses of that organization in building the church, with the exception of eighty dollars, were paid by the Putman family. He was widely and favorably known in Darke county as one of its honored pioneers and he lived to the ripe old age of eighty-nine years, respected by all who knew him. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity for sixty-seven years. His wife passed away in February, 1864, at the age of seventy-seven. Colonel Putman of this review is the fourth child and second son in their family. and he and his sister are now its only representatives living. He was reared in New Madison and obtained all his school privileges before he was thirteen years of age. He pursued his studies in a subscription school, conducted in a log building, and at the age of fourteen he went into his father's mill. This was one of the first in the county and was built at Weaver Station. He was there employed for two years, after which he returned home to New Madison, and for a short time remained in his father's store. On Christmas day of 1836, in company with thirteen companions, he started for Texas, walking to Cincinnati. This company was under command of Colonel George D. Hendricks. It proceeded by steamer to. New Orleans and thence to the capital of Texas, where they remained until the 24th of March. The company separated there and Colonel Putman, together with William Maroney, started on foot from Columbia, securing a passport from the secretary of state. They walked four hundred and thirteen miles ultimately reaching the town of Nachatocha, near Alexandria. They returned. home by way of New Orleans, where Colonel Putman, who had been intrusted by his father with a cargo of produce, which he had sold, leaving the money until his return, invested it in coffee, sugar and molasses, which was his first commercial transaction. The venture proved a success. He made his way to New Madison and continued in the store until he was twenty-four years of age, and in the meantime spent about a year in Hamilton, where he gained a practical knowledge of business transactions and of the value of merchandise. He was twenty-one years of age when his father retired from business, and the Colonel then entered into partnership with his brother John, in the spring of 1842. On the 15th of November, 1842, he Was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Mills, who was born two miles from New Madison, on GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 545 the 17th of January, 1822, and was a daughter of Colonel Mark T. Mills and a granddaughter of General James Mills, who belonged to a prominent family of the county that was established in Ohio at an early epoch in its history, coming here in 1816 and settling on land two miles north of New Madison. He was a native of New Jersey, and emigrated to Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, in 1800. He was one of the first settlers in the county and was colonel of the First Ohio Militia, Third Detachment, in the war of 182. He left Hamilton, Ohio, February 5, 1813, in command of the First Ohio Militia, and marched to Dayton ; from there to Piqua, Loramie, St. Mary's, and finally, on the 7th of April, was ordered to Fort Meigs, where his regiment remained on guard duty till discharged from service. We find the following entry in his regimental book : "Colonel Mills with a portion of his command, having honorably served out the period for which they were called into the service of their country, are hereby discharged and permitted to return to their respective homes. Events not within the control of the present commander-in-chief of this army or of our government have rendered it necessary that the militia of the western states should compose a considerable portion of the northwest army. Ohio stands conspicuous for the great zeal and promptness with which her citizens have yielded the comforts of private life for the toils and privations of the camp. In the return of this detachment of Ohio troops to their families and homes, it is due to Ohio and her sons to record their honorable service. To Colonel Mills and his staff, and his respective commissioned and non-commissioned officers and privates, whose term of service has expired, and to whose promptness in the discharge of every duty he has been an eye witness, the commanding general gives his sincere thanks. "By command of Gen. Greene Clay." Colonel J. Mills served in both branches of the Ohio legislature. He died of cholera in 1833, at Fort Jefferson; and is buried on the land he first settled. His wife was a physician of much note in the early history of this county. Colonel Mark T. Mills, .son of the former, was one of the early sheriffs of this county, and while serving his second term was elected a member of the legislature. He was continued a member of that body for four or five years by the suffrage of the, people. He was married to Miss Lydia Burdge March 29, 1821, and died in March, 1843, his wife surviving him until March, 1886. Colonel Putman remained in business in New Madison until June, 1845, when he sold out to his brother John and came to Pales- tine. Here he engaged in general merchandising Until 1848, when he traded his stock of goods for a farm in Sugar Valley, Preble county, Ohio. There he followed agricultural pursuits for two years, when he returned to Palestine and accepted a position as general traveling agent for the New York Mutual Insurance Company. He was for two years connected with that line of business, traveling over New York and Ohio. Again he took up his abode in Palestine and was engaged in the hotel business for a year, when he opened a stock of groceries, successfully conducting his store until the T0th of October) 1861. At that date Mr. Putman was commissioned second lieutenant, and on the 17th of December had raised a full company and W. elected captain. He was mustered into service as a member of the Sixty-ninth Ohio Regiment, and remained at Columbus until 646 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. the 19th of February, 1862. There they guarded rebel prisoners at Camn Chase until the 19th of April, when they started for Nashville. Captain Putman did duty with the regiment in all its engagements until June 20, 1863, when he was discharged on account of disability and returned to his home. As soon as able, however, he began the organization of the Twenty-eighth Regiment of the Ohio National Guards, and when it was formed was elected colonel. On the 2d of May, 1864, this. regiment was ordered out for one hundred days' service and went direct to Camp Dennison. Two companies from Clark county were added to the eight companies of the regiment., making a full command, which was mustered. into the United States service as the One Hundred and Fifty-second Ohio Infantry. They were ordered to New Creek, Virginia, and thence to Martinsburg. They left there on the 4th of June, with a supply train of two hundred and forty-nine wagons, and orders to reach General Hunter, who was then in the neighborhood of Staunton, Virginia. They were joined by five companies of the One Hundred and Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Second Maryland, one company of the Fifteenth New York Cavalry and a section of Lowery's Battery, all, under command of Colonel Putman. They were annoyed each day by small bands of the enemy and lost the captain and five men of the New York Cavalry. They overtook the rear of Hunter's army on the l0th, at Midway, and the main body of the army next day at Lexington. Here under Hunter's command the famous mills and military institutions. of Lexington were destroyed by fire. At the latter was found a life-size statue of George Washington erected in 1788, which was turned over to Colonel Putman with special instructions to deliver it to the governor of West Virginia, at Wheeling. These instructions were faithfully executed. On the 17th of June General Hunter turned over his prisoners, his sick and wounded and one hundred and fifty wagons to the command of Colonel Putman and for ten days they were on the retreat, arriving at Beverley on the 27th of June, and at Cumberland, Maryland, on the 2d of Jury. They there remained until the 25th of August, were next at Camp Dennison, and on the 2d of September they Were honorably discharged, and upon the return home the regiment was transferred back to the state service as the Twenty-eighth Ohio National Guard, so commissioned until the close of the war. On his return home Colonel Putman began the study of law under the direction of Judge A. R. Calderwood, at Greenville, .and was admitted to the bar in 1866. He immediately began practice and gave his attention to bounty pensions. In 1870 he was elected Justice of the peace to serve for three years and has been a notary public for forty-seven years. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, with which he has been identified since its organization. He was the first commander of Reed Post, No. 572, and is the present commander. He also belongs to the Masonic fraternity. In politics he is a Republican, has been active in support of the party since its formation in 1854, and was a delegate to the state convention at Columbus, in 1856. In 1897 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 24th of January, after a long and happy married life of fifty-four years, two months and nine days. They had celebrated their golden wedding in the house where the first wedding party had been held and one hundred and GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 547 seven guests were invited to the dinner. The photographs from which the portraits that appear in this work were made were taken on their fiftieth anniversary. Almost eighty years Colonel Putnam has resided in Darke county. He is probably the oldest native resident within its borders, and has been a witness to its wonderful growth and development, has aided in its progress and has withheld his support from no movement or measure which he believed would prove of public good. In all life's relations he has been true and faithful, in public office has been fair and impartial, in business strictly .honorable and in social life has been a trusted friend and esteemed neighbor. He certainly deserves mention among the honored pioneers of Darke county. ADDISON J.. WOODS. Among the highly respected and well-known citizens of German township, Darke county, Ohio, is Addison J. Woods, who has spent nearly the whole of his life on his farm. Moses Woods, the father of Addison J., Was one of the pioneers of Darke county, where he spent a long and useful life, actively identified with the affairs of his locality. He was of Virginia birth, born June 26, 1793, and when, a young man, as early as 1814, came out to what was then called the Western Reserve, stopping first at Cincinnati. Then he came north to Darke county and became a resident of Harrison township. He taught the first school in that township. at Yankeetown, in 1819, in a log school house, with paper windows, and for several years taught in winter farmed in summer. He also worked some at house building. Politically he was a Democrat, took an active interest in the campaigns and in 1839 was elected county commissioner of Darke county, receiving as compensation for his services. the sum of fifteen dollars per year. In 1832 he moved to the farm on which the subject of this sketch now lives, and there Moses Woods lived until 1856, when he moved to Hollansburg. In 1858 he moved to Palestine, where he passed the rest of his life and died, being about eighty-three years of age at the time of his death. The mother of Addison J. Woods was before marriage Miss Hannah Moore, the date of their marriage being June 27, 1822. She was born March 26, 1794, in Pennsylvania, a daughter of Matthew Moore, a native of Ireland. He served seven years in the Revolutionary war. Mr. Woods has in his possession a cone-shaped bottle which his grandfather Moore carried with him during his service in the army. Mrs. Woods outlived her worthy husband several years, passing away May 24, 1891, her age at death being ninety-eight years. They were the parents of six children that reached adult age, and .three of that number are now living, namely : Addison J., Lewis and their sister, Mrs. Caroline McGrew. Addison Woods was the fourth in his father's family, born in Harrison township June 20, 1830, and was eighteen months old at the time they settled in German township, on the farm where he was reared and where he has ever since resided. This farm comprises one hundred and sixty acres, is located on section 29. and is devoted to stockraising and the usual crops of the vicinity. Mr. Woods was married, February 28, 1856, to Miss Hannah Steele, who was born in Butler county Ohio, March 18, 1830, and reared in Darke county. She died July 1, 1889. The children of this union were four 548 - GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. in number, as follows : Alice, born May 14, 1857, now the wife of Theodore Gist, who is engaged in the real-estate business in Indianapolis, Indiana : they have one son, Addison, born March 9, 1879. Lillie, born December 27, 1870, who died in infancy; William, born January 29, 1874, who also died in infancy; Caldwell, born September 16, 1863, on the home farm with his father, married Ella Chenoweth, a native of this county and a daughter of Wesley Chenoweth, 0f Hollansburg.   In his political affiliations Mr. Woods is Democratic. His father was a member` of the Christian church, but he has never identified himself with any church, nor is he a member of any secret societies. He has always been known as an honorable, upright citizen, and is justly entitled to the esteem in which he is held by all who know him.   A. L. EIKENBERRY.   The records of the lives of our forefathers are of interest to modern citizens not alone for their historical value, but also for the inspiration and example they afford. Yet we need not look to the past ; although surroundings may differ, the essential con-. ditions of human life are ever the same and man can learn from those around him if he will heed the obvious lessons contained in their history. Turning to the life record of A. L. Eikenberry, studying carefully the plans and methods he has followed, he will learn of splendid business and executive ability. He is a man of keen perception, of great sagacity and unbounded enterprise, and in addition is an excellent manager. He is today the senior partner of the firm of Eikenberry & Christopher, the proprietors of the Mozart department store at Greenville, Ohio.   A native of Darke county, he was born in the vicinity of Palestine, April 11, 1857, and is a son of Dr. R. L. Eikenberry, whose birth occurred. in Preble county, Ohio, in 1837. The paternal grandfather, David Eikenberry, was a native of Virginia, and became one of the early settlers of the Buckeye state. He married Miss Hannah Cloyd, a representative of one of the pioneer families of Ohio. Dr.. Eikenberry was reared to manhood under the parental roof, prepared for professional life and for many years was engaged in the practice of medicine in Preble county and western Ohio.. He also practiced in Indiana for several years. In 1850 he married Catherine Geyer, a native of Preble county and a daughter of George Geyer, who was born in Pennsylvania. To this union four children were born : Oscar B., of Eaton, Ohio; William H., of Greenville ; Albert L., of this review, and Ida M., the wife of D.O. Christopher, of. Greenville.   A. L. Eikenberry, whose name introduces this record, spent his early boyhood days in Randolph county, Indiana, to which place his parents removed during his early boyhood. He acquired the rudiments of a common school education in the schools near his home, and completed his literary course in a select school. He then started out to make his own way in the world, and entered upon his business career in the capacity of clerk in a store in West Alexandria, Preble county, belonging to his brother, O. B. Eikenberry. There he remained in the capacity of salesman for eight years, at the end of which time he and David O. Christopher purchased the interest in his brother's store, which was then conducted under the firm name of Eikenberry & Christopher. This relationship Was maintained for five years.   GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 549   on the expiration of which time they sold their interest, removing to Greenville in 1894, where they built a fine brick block, which was totally destroyed by fire June 16, 1895. They immediately built in its place a large and substantial brick block, 66x165 feet, and three stories in height, which is known as the Mozart store. The three floors and basement are all occupied by their goods, thus securing to them thirty thousand square feet of floor space. Their trade has steadily increased and they have constantly enlarged their facilities in order to meet the growing demand. They now employ from twenty-five To thirty-five persons, and not only enjoy a large local patronage but also ship their goods into all the counties in this part of the state. The stock is varied and well selected, including- everything found in a first-class department store.   In 1885 occurred the marriage of Mr. Eikenberry to Miss Alice Black, of West Alexandria, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph Black. She was born and reared in Preble county, and by her marriage has become the mother of five children, three daughters and two sons, namely: Joseph, Harley, Lorine, Juneita and Heldred. The family occupy an elegant residence, which is celebrated for its hospitality. The members of the household occupy a very enviable position in social circles, and have many friends in the community. Mr. Eikenberry belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and as a citizen is public-spirited and progressive, withholding his support from no measure or movement which he believes will prove of public good.   He is very practical in his business methods, systematical and methodical, and at all times is perfectly reliable in his business transactions. For some years he has de voted his entire time, and concentrated all his energies, to the supervision of the active details of his business, and his has been the will to resolve, the understanding to direct and the hand to execute all of the various transactions. His worth as a man and citizen is widely acknowledged and he has contributed in a large measure to the commercial prosperity of Greenville.   ISAAC F. DEARDOFF.   The subject of this genealogical record is so well known throughout Darke county that he needs no introduction to the readers of this volume. He is the efficient township trustee of 'Brown township, having held this important office for the past two years. As the name implies, Mr. Deardoff is of pure German extraction in the agnatic line, and individually he gives full indication of those sterling traits which have made the Teutonic race such a power in the economies of the world. He is a native 0f Warren county, Ohio, having been born in the vicinity of Franklin, July 17, 1837, being the fourth in order of birth of the four sons and one daughter of John and Sarah (Rush) Deardoff, and being now the only survivor of the family, though all of the children lived to attain maturity. It is presumed that the father was born in New Jersey, the date of his nativity being August 23, 1804, and he died October 6, 1861. He accompanied his parents on the long and monotonous overland trip to the wilds of the western frontier, their destination being Warren county, where the Indians were far more in evidence than the white settlers, who were just beginning to open up the way for civilization. The only pathway through the forest was the Indian trail indicated by blazed trees,