FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 375 member of the lodge at Washington C. H. He is also a member of Washington Lodge No. 129, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mrs. Culhan two daughters are loyal and devout members of the Catholic Church. JAMES MADISON WILLIS. Agriculture Las always been an honorable vocation. At the present time the agricultural output of the United States is more than equivalent to total output of all other industries combined. The 1910 census reported the total value of all crops in Fayette county, Ohio, to be three million, one hundred and twenty-nine thousand three hundred and thirteen dollars, an amount which far exceeds that of all the other industries of the county. Acccording to the same census there were one thousand eight hundred forty and six farms in this county, of which number one thousand and eighty were operated by their owners, seven hundred and forty-two by tenants and twenty-four by managers. That the farming land is rapidly increasing in value is shown by a comparative statement of the value of farm lands in this county in 1900 and 1910. The last census placed the value of land in this county at eighty-four dollars and ninety-three cents an acre, while in the farmer, it was only forty-six dollars and eighty-three cents an acre, an increase in value which speaks well for the farmers of this county. In fact, the farmer is the only one who can exist independently of every other vocation, for the farmer holds in his grasp the food and clothing supply of the country. The merchant, the hanker, the manufacturer and men in every other industry are dependent absolutely on the farmer's crops. A famine throughout this country would bankrupt the strongest merchant, wreck the largest bank and close the most extensive factory, and land is, as it always has been, the most favorable financial investment. Panics may sweep the manufacturer out of business over night, but the farmer can survive when every other industry fails. lames Madison Willis, one of the largest farmers of Fayette county, Ohio was horn on a farm near Bloomingburg, this county, October 19, 1869. His parents, William R. and Virginia (McDonald) Willis, were natives of this state and were the parents of three children : Elsie, the wife of O. S. Hopkins, of Washington C. H. ; James Madison, and a daughter, Pearl, who died in infancy. William R. Willis was reared in Fayette county and was a lifelong farmer and stockman. He inherited a good farm from his father 376 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. and by good management and strict economy left a good estate and at his death, in 1890, was the owner of eight hundred and fifty acres in Paint township, this county. His widow is still living and is now residing in Washington C. H. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, while he was prominent in the civic life of his community. He held various township offices and was a member of the school board of his township at one time: William R. Willis was the son of James Madison and Emily (Southward) Willis, both natives of Ohio and pioneers in Fayette county. James Madison Willis was a merchant and farmer in Paint township, and was the parent of several children, Mrs. Laura B. Jones, James Woodbridge and several who died while young. Virginia McDonald, the wife of William R. Willis, was the daughter of Thomas and Rebecca McDonald, natives of Virginia and Ohio, respectively, and early settlers in New Holland, Ohio. Thomas McDonald was a wagon-maker and followed this occupation until his death in New Holland at an advanced age. Mr. McDonald and his wife were the parents of three children, Catherine, Robert, and Virginia, the of wife William R. Willis. James Madison Willis was reared on his father's farm in Paint township and after finishing the course in the public schools graduated from the Bloomingburg high school, after which he entered the University of Michigan, but, on account of his father's death in 189o, was compelled to withdraw after completing two years in the university. He then returned home and assumed charge of his father's large farm and has been engaged in farming ever since. For the past ten years he has lived in Washington C. H. but he still has active charge of the farm and takes pride in calling himself a farmer. In addition to the interests which he has in the old home place of eight hundred and fifty acres, he owns four hundred acres of his own adjoining the home farm, which gives him one of the largest farms in the county, and according to the 1910 census there are only fortytucthree farms in the county of more than five hundred acres, four of which are over one thosand acres in extent. Mr. Willis was married June 9, 1892, to Mary C. Keller, the daughter of Daniel T. and Mary Jane (Thistle) Keller, and to this union have been born two daughters, Gretchen and Doris. Mrs. Willis was born in Romney, Virginia, her parents being natives of the same state and now deceased. Mr. Keller and his wife were the parents of five children. Politically, Mr. Willis is a Republican and has always been active in political matters. He was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1900 as FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 377 representative from the joint district of Fayette and Madison counties, and when the state was redistricted he served another term as representative from Fayette county. While in the General Assembly his influence was always cast on the side of good government and his hearty support was given to all measures which he felt would benefit the state in any way. Locally, he has been a member of the school board of Washington C. H. for several years and was on the board of directors when the present high school building was erected. In addition to his farming interests, Mr. Willis is connected with People's Bank of Bloomingsburg and is a director and vice-president of financial institution. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, belonging to the blue lodge, the Royal Arch chapter and the commandery of Knights Templar at Washington C. H. He also holds his membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in his home city. Mrs. Willis is a member of the Presbyterian church, and while he is not an active member of any church yet he lends his influence to all worthy movements which are fostered by the church. As a representative citizen of the county he has been active in every movement looking toward the welfare of his community and in this way has won the high respect and esteem of all who know him. THOMAS S. MADDOX. The Maddox family trace their ancestry back to colonial times and have found that the first member of the family concerning whom definite information has been preserved came to Ohio from Delaware about 1800 and located in Ross county, near the present city of Frankfort. The first member of the family to come to this state was David Maddox, a pioneer Methodist preacher and a native of Sussex county, Delaware, as was his wife, Elizabeth Lingo. They were married in their native state, settled in Ross county, Ohio, about 1800, and lived there the remainder of their lives, both being buried at Clarksburg, in that county. Rev. David Maddox was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving in one of the Ohio regiments. The children born to Rev. David Maddox and wife were Benjamin, Collins, William, Zachariah, Smith, John, Mitchell, Samuel, Mesister, Mary and Polly. David Maddox and wife were the great-grandparents of Thomas S. Maddox, the present prosecuting attorney of Fayette county. The grandfather of Mr. Maddox was Benjamin Maddox, who was a babe in arms when his parents moved from Delaware to Ohio. He was reared to manhood in 378 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. Frankfort, Ohio, and after his marriage to Ann Timmons, a native of Ohio he located about ten miles from Clarksburg, where he farmed until his death in middle life, his wife surviving him many years. Benjamin Maddox a wife were the parents of a large family of children, Robert A., Stewart, Drusilla, William, Edward, Martha, Harriett and Franklin. The widow o; Benjamin Maddox married William Crabbe after the death of her first husband and two children were horn to her second marriage, Mrs. Millie Fost and Mrs. Emma Knowles. Robert A. Maddox, the father of the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Ross county and there reared to manhood. He enlisted for service in the Civil War in Company D, Eighty-ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for about eighteen months. He first enlisted for a short term, and upon the expiration of his first enlistment re-enlisted, serving throughout as a private. After. the close of the war he returned to his home county and followed his trade as a blacksmith until his death November 4, 1902, being in his seventy-third year at the time of his death. His wife died January 26, 1906, at the age of seventy-six. He was married before the war to Martha A. Taylor, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Nessell) Taylor, natives of Pike county, Ohio. To this union were born eleven children, five sons and six daughters, ten of whom lived to maturity. These children in the order of their birth are as follows : William, deceased; Lizzie, deceased, was the wife of Harvey Thrush; Drusilla, who died at the age of nineteen years; Margaret Ann, the wife of Frank Walston, of Williamsport, Ohio; Samuel 0., of Washington C. H.; Mary Belle, the wife of Frank Kelley, of Washington C. H.; Robert Franklin, of New Holland, Ohio; Thomas S., with whom this narrative subsequently deals; James S., of Sabina, Ohio; Nettie O., deceased, who was the wife of George Wright, and Vonnie May, who died in infancy. William Taylor, the father of the wife of Robert A. Maddox, was shoemaker by trade, and he and his wife were early settlers in Fayette county, where they lived to the ripe old ages of seventy-six and ninet\ -seven respectively, and are buried in Coon's cemetery in Jefferson township. William Taylor and wife reared a family of children: William, George, Chester, John, Elizabeth, Allemon, Christina Newman, Mrs. Nancy DeMoss and Martha A., the wife of Robert A. Maddox. Thomas S. Maddox, the present prosecuting attorney of Fayette county, and the son of Robert A. and Martha (Taylor) Maddox, was born in Clarksburg, Ross county, this state, on March 7, 1864. He was reared in Williams- FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 379 port, Pickawav county, this state, and Octa, this county, attending the public schools in both of these places. As a young man he taught school and for eight years was a successful instructor of the youth in Fayette county. During this time he served as a member of the board of county school examiners, serving in this capacity for nine years. During the time he was engaged in teaching he was working on the farm in his summer vacations, and during winter season, while teaching, spent his spare momenta in reading law. Mr. Maddox applied himself so diligently to his legal studies that he was ready for admission to the bar in March, 1894, and at once began the active practice of his profession in Washington C. FL, where he has since lived. As a lawyer he ranks well with those who have been engaged in this profession in Fayette county, a fact which is shown by his election as county prosecuting attorney in 1912. He has been a life-long Republican and in the summer of 1912 his party nominated him for this position, and upon his subsequent election at the November polls he took his office on January 1913. He is showing marked zeal in prosecuting all offenders of the law, and is building up a reputation as a man who is free from all entangling alliances and a man who is thoroughly able to cope with any legal situation which may arise in his office. Mr. Maddox was married July 3, 1889, to Elizabeth Lamb, the daughter of John W. and Alice B. (Hall) Lamb, and to this marriage have been born two sons, Robert Ray and Thomas Emory. Robert Ray is assistant prosecutor under his father and ex-deputy probate clerk. Robert Ray married Ruth Deere and has one daughter, Carrie Elizabeth. The other son, Thomas Emory, is still in school. Mrs. Maddox was born in Holt county, Missouri, and her father was a native of North Carolina, while her mother was born in Kentucky, and after their marriage they becaine early settlers in Clinton county, Ohio. Both have been deceased many years. They were the parents of three children, Monterey, Tina, and Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Maddox. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Maddox were Isaac and Catherine (White) Lamb, natives of North Carolina and early settlers in Clinton county, Ohio; where she died, while the grandfather died in Missouri. Isaac Lamb and wife were the parents of three children, John W., Jehu and Mrs. Maria King. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Maddox were Harvey and Nancy (Van Hook) Hall, natives of Kentucky and' early settlers in Clinton county, this state, where they died. Harvey Hall and wife were the parents of a large family of children : Alice B., Amanda, Margaret, Ann, Tabitha, Monterey, william, Dean, Elias and Elizabeth. 380 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Maddox is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mrs. Maddox is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and, while Mr. Maddox is not actively identified with the church, yet he is interested in all the work of the church and contributes of his means to its support. HARRISON F. BROWN. A man's reputation is the property of the world, for the laws of nature have forbidden isolation. Every human being either submits to the controlling influence of others or wields an influence which touches, controls, guides or misdirects others. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame ,and point the Nu\ along which others may follow with like success. The reputation of Harrison F. Brown, one of the leading citizens and efficient public officials of Fayette county, is such, according to those who know him best, it is believed that a study of his career will be of benefit to the reader, for it has been one not only of honor but of usefulness also. Harrison F. Brown, or Harry, as he is familiarly known among his friends and acquaintances, is the scion of a sterling line of ancestors, who have been closely identified with the history of the Buckeye state in their respective communities. His paternal great-grandfather was Peter Brown, whose wife, Nancy Polk, was related to President James K. Polk. Among their children was Trusten Polk Brown, who was a native of Sussex county, Delaware, as was his wife, Tabitha Wingate Cannon. The latter's parents were Jesse and Margaret Cannon, also natives of Delaware. Trusten and Tabitha Brown were brought to Ohio in their childhood, he when about six years of age, and she when two years younger, the two families settling in Deer Creek township, Pickaway county. There they grew to maturity and were married, and there they spent the rest of their days, he dying at the age of fiftytucsix years and she when sixtytucsix years old. To Trusten and Tabitha Brown were born the following children. : Frank, Wesley, Trusten, Peter W., Sarah, Nancy, Elizabeth, Maria, Tabitha and Solomon Wesley. Solomon W. Brown. was reared in Pickaway county and throughout his active life he applied himself to the vocation of farming. Eventually, about 1867, he came to Fayette county, locating on the Benjamin Harrison farm in Paint township, where he remained until about 1900, when he came to FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 381 Washington C. H. and here he has since resided, enjoying that rest which he so richly earned. He married Mary Elizabeth Harrison, the daughter of Benjamin and Martha (Reeves) Harrison, and to them were born two chil Emma A., the wife of J. T. Morris, of Washington C. H., and Harrison the immediate subject of this sketch. The parents of Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Brown were natives of Ohio and the major portion of their lives were spent in Madison county, where their deaths occurred. Benjamin Harrison was a son of Gen. Batteal Harrison, who was a second cousin of extucPresident Benjamin Harrison and who served with the rank and title of general in the War of 1812. His wife, Elizabeth (Scott) Harrison, was a native of Kentucky. For many years they resided in Fayette county and died here. Benjamin Harrison was a prominent and successful farmer and took a prominent part in the public affairs of his county, serving at one time as county commissioner. His wife, Martha (Reeves) Harrison, was a daughter of Thomas and Mary ( Jackson) Reeves, natives of Madison county, Ohio. To Benjamin and Martha (Reeves) Harrison were born five children, Mary Elizabeth, Batteal, Isabel, Angeline and Winnie S. Gen. Batteal Harrison was a son of Benjamin Harrison, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Harrison F. Brown was, born on the paternal homestead in Paint township, Fayette county, Ohio, on the 4th clay of April, 1873. He was reared amid the health giving surroundings of country life and early imbibed those elements of industry, persistence and independence which have so largely contributed to his later success in life. He first attended the district schools and the high school at Bloomingburg, and then became a student in the National Business University, at Columbus, where he graduated at the age of twenty years, with a good practical knowledge of business methods and practices. During the following two years Mr. Brown was a traveling salesman, but at the end of that period he located on a farm in Paint township, the operation of which he devoted. himself with pronounced success until November, 1909, when he moved to Washington C. H., where he has since resided. The farm of two hundred and sixty acres in Paint township is owned by Mrs. Brown, but Mr. Brown also owns a farm of three hundred and thirty acres in Green township, both tracts being well improved and valuable properties. On the 1st of April, 1913, Mr. Brown entered into a partnership with J. L. Rothrock in the livery business, in which they have met with pronounced success. They carry a large line of vehicles of every description demanded by the local trade and their turn-outs equal any in this locality. They are courteous and careful in their treatment of their custom- 382 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. ers and are numbered among the popular business firms of this city. On May 1, 1914, Mr. Brown purchased his partner's interest and is now the sole owner of the business. Politically, Harry Brown has been a life-long supporter of the Republican party and has long been an active worker in the ranks and prominent in the party councils. In recognition of his sterling qualities of character and his sound business ability, he was nominated and elected to the responsive office of county commissioner, and so satisfactory was his service in that capacity that he was re-elected and is thus now serving his second term. It is the consensus of public opinion that the county never had a more careful or efficient public official than Mr. Brown. Fraternally, he is a member of Leanore Lodge No. 512, Free and Accepted Masons, at Sedalia, Ohio; Fayette Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, at Washington C. H.; Garfield Commandery No. 128, Knights Templar, and is also a member of Washington Lodge No. 129, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mrs. Brown is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. On February 26, 1903, Harry Brown was married to Florence E. Selsor, a native of Paint township, this county, and the daughter of William J. and Electa J. (Morris) Selser, who were early settlers in Fayette county. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been born two children, Mary Elizabeth and William S. William J. Selsor was born in Madison county, Ohio, and his wife in Fayette county. They were the parents of four children, namely: Idell, Edna Dean ( who died at the age of eighteen years), Florence Ethel (Mrs. Brown) and Ercell. Mrs. Brown's paternal grandparents were Fred and Mary (Rankin) Selsor, natives of Virginia, while her maternal grandparents were Samuel and Phoebe (Groves) Morris. Samuel Morris was born in Clermont county, this state, in 1805, and was brought to Fayette county in 1813. Phoebe (Groves) Morris was born in Jackson county, Ohio, coming to Fayette county after her marriage. To this worthy couple were born eight children, Daniel Groves, Samuel Robinson, John Eulon, Electa J., William Warrington, Martin Wolf, Amanda Elizabeth and Elma Eliza. William J. Selsor died in 1909, being survived by his widow, who still resides in Washington C. H. Mr. Brown has demonstrated himself to be a man of good business ability and marked enterprise. As a private citizen he takes a deep and a abiding interest in all phases of the community life affecting the material, educational, social or moral welfare of the people, and his support is always given FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 383 to such movements as are conducive to the greatest public good. Personally, he is a genial and companionable man and enjoys a marked popularity in the community where he resides. PROF. WILLIAM WALTER, DAVIES. Not too often can he repeated the life story of one who has lived so honorable and useful a life and attained to such notable distinction as has he whose name appears at the head of this sketch, one of Ohio's successful and distinguished educators and writers. His character has been one of signal exaltation and purity of purpose. Well disciplined in mind, maintaining a vantage point from which life has presented itself in correct proportions, simple and unostentatious in his self-respecting, tolerant individuality, such a man could not prove other than a. force for good in whatever relation of life he may have been placed. His character is the positive expression of a strong nature and his strength is as the number of his days. His career has been a long, busy and useful one, and his name is revered by all who have had occasion to come into contact with him. His life has been one of consecration to his calling, and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the aiding and betterment of their kind. William W. Davies was horn on the loth day of May, 1848, in Llangybi, Cardiganshire, South Wales, and is the son of David and Mary Davies, both of whom are deceased. In young manhood William Davies came to the United States and, having completed his public school training, he became came a student in Ohio Wesleyan University, where he was graduated in 1872, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and receiving his Master's degree from the same institution in 1875. In 1874 he graduated from Drew Theological Seminary, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Divinity. In 1877 he was given the degree Of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Halle, Prussia, after three years of study in residence, and he also studied in the Faculte Libre, Lausanne, Switzerland, and, the Sorbonne, Paris. In 1878 Doctor Davies was ordained to the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church and during the following two years was pastor of the church at Dover, Ohio; from 1879 to 1883 he was instructor of Hebrew and modern languages in Ohio Wesleyan University ; adjunct professor, 1883-4, and then became professor of Hebrew and German. He devoted himself indefatigably 384 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. to his labors and for many years he has been numbered among the leading, educators of the state which he has honored by his citizenship. Doctor Davies has done considerable original research work and has done Ind" writing. In 1894 he became and is still editor of the department of Archaeology and Biblical Research in the Methodist Review; wrote the Critical Notes in the Sunday School Teachers' Journal, 1895-7; contributor to Modern Languages, Notes, and to various religious journals. He is a member of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, the Victoria Institute, Authors' Club (London), Phi Kappa Psi and Phi Beta Kappa. He is author of the "Universal Bible Encyclopedia," two volumes, 1903 ; "The Codes of Hamurabi and Moses," 1905. Professor Davies has twice been married. On December 2, 1879, he married Mary E. Chase, of Auburn, Maine, whose death occurred on September 2, 1909. On the 27th of June, 1911, he was married to Madeline B. Sharp, widow of the late Morris Sharp, of Washington C. H., and who is referred to at length elsewhere in this work. Professor Davies is a man of genial and kindly impulses, who, because of his splendid ability and high personal character, has won a host of warm personal friends. CHARLES FRANKLIN COFFEY. Holding distinctive prestige among the enterprising and influential citizens of Fayette county, is Charles F. Coffey, present mayor of Washington C. H., whose record, here briefly outlined, is that of a self-made man who, by the exercise of the talents with which nature endowed him, successfully fought his way through life's battles and rose to the position he now occupies as one of the leading men of the community honored by his citizenship. He is a creditable representative of old pioneer families of this locality and the admirable qualities and characteristics of his sturdy ancestors have borne fruit in his own life. Charles F. Coffey was born in Fayette county, Ohio, on the 8th day of May, 1868, and is a son of James R. and Rebecca Jane (Stafford) Coffey who are both natives of Ohio, the father born in Highland county and the mother in Fayette county, both being reared in Fayette county. They were the parents of five children, three of whom lived to maturity, namely: Eliza Jane, deceased, who was the wife of Dennis Blackmore; Charles F., of this review ; Wayman Hampton, deceased, and two who died in infancy. James FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 385 R. Coffy was a laboring man (hiring the first years of his mature life, but, being a man of steady and economical habits, he was able to forge ahead and eventually secured a farm of eighty-one and a half acres in Green township, to the improvement of which he devoted himself, and where he reared his children. He died on March 11, 1913, in the seventy-second year of his age, and his wife passed away on March 2, 1913, aged sixty-six years. They were members of the Methodist Protestant church and their lives were singularly consistent with their religious professions. The paternal grandparents of the subject were John Patterson Coffey Sarah and Coffey, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. In the pioneer period they came to Highland county, Ohio, where they remained for a time and also ran a hotel in Buena Vista in the early days, finally locating in Fayette county. Here they died when well advanced in years and are buried in White Oak cemetery. Their children were as follows : William, Addison, Charles, John, James R., Ruth and Margaret. On the maternal the side, the subject is descended from Wayman Hampton Stafford and Jane (DcDaniel) Stafford, he a native of Virginia and she of Pennsylvania, while both were of English descent. They became pioneer settlers in Fayette county where Mr. Stafford followed the vocation of a miller, one of the most useful occupations during the days of the early settlement of that community. His mill was located on Rattlesnake creek in Green township. Jane Stafford passed away in middle life, but her husband lived to old age. They had two children, Rachel (Wallen) and Rebecca. After the. death of his first wife, Wayman Stafford married Ellen Tutor, to which union were born three sons, Solomon, Charles and Parris. Charles F. Coffey has spent practically his entire life in Fayette county, the years of his young manhood being spent on the paternal homestead in Green township. He received his educational training in the district schools of his home neighborhood and until 1906 applied himself closely to the operation of the home farm, in which he was successful. In the year mentioned, Mr. Coffey went to Columbus, Ohio, and for a year was in the employ of the International Harvester Company. He then came to Washington C. H., and for two years was engaged in the livery business, followed by a like period in the grocery business. He has disposed of his commercial interests, retaining the home farm, though lie still resides in Washington C. H. Politically, Charles F. Coffey has been a life-long supporter of the Democratic party and has always taken an intelligent interest in local public affairs. While residing in his home township he served twelve years as township 386 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. trustee, was supervisor for three or four terms, was a member of the board, of review for two years and served several years as a school director. In 1913 Mr. Coffey was elected mayor of Washington C. H., and is filling the office with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. Fraternally, Mr. Coffey is a member of Temple Lodge No. 227, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a charter member of Amazon Lodge No. 672, Knights of Pythias, but is now a member of Confidence Lodge at Washington C. H. Religiously, Mr. Coffey is a member of the Methodist Protestant church and Mrs. Coffey is affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church. On the loth day of February, 189o, Mr. Coffey was married to Ada L. Clark, who was born in Washington C. H., the daughter of John S. and Catherine (Adams) Clark. Her parents were both born in Ohio, the father in Fayette and the mother in Highland county, and they are now residing in Buena Vista. They are the parents of four children, Harry, Ada L., Fred R. and Zilpha. To Mr. and Mrs. Coffey have been born two children, Lois and Robert. Mr. Coffey is still in the prime of life and has before him many active and useful years. As before stated, he still owns the old home farm, to which he added twenty acres, making a total of one hundred and one a half acres, and also owns an attractive and comfortable residence in Washington C. H. He takes a deep and abiding interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community and gives his support to all worth movements for the advancement of his fellow citizens. Prompt and discreet in the discharge of his official duties, affable and courteous to all who have business with him, and a man of inflexible integrity, he is justly deserving of representation in the annals of his county. JARED F. ADAMS. Success in this life is almost always won by the truly deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it plus a reasonable interest on the investment. The individual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune cannot be called a successful man. On the other hand he that falls heir to a large fortune and increases its value is successful in proportion to the amount which he adds to his original possessions, but the man who starts in the FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 387 world unaided and by sheer force of will, controlled by correct principles, forges ahead and at length reaches a position of honor among his fellow citizens achieves success such as representatives of the two former classes can neither understand nor appreciate. To a considerable extent Jared F. Adams is a creditable representative of the class last named, having started a vouth of fourteen on his own responsibilities. As a school teacher, -as a lawyer and as a business man, he has performed his every duty faith-d well, and is justly classed with the representative citizens of Fayette Jared F. Adams, the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Wright) Adams, was born February 22, 1863, in Frederick county, Virginia. His parents were natives of the same state and reared a family of eight children, seven of whom grew to maturity : Mary, the wife of J. S. Stottlemyre, of Winchester, Virginia; Nimrod, of Frederick county, Virginia; Lana, the wife of Tobias Loy; Ellen, the wife of George W. Catlett; John, who was killed by lightning when a young man; Isaac; Thomas, who died in young manhood, and Jared F., is represented in this narrative. Jared F. Adams was a life-long farmer in Frederick county, Virginia, where his death occurred at the age of sixty. His wife is still living and is now in her one hundredth year. Isaac Adams was the son of David Adams, a farmer of Frederick county, Virginia, and the father of several children, among whom were Hiram, Peter and Isaac. The parents of Isaac Adams' wife were natives also of Virginia, living in the extreme eastern part of the state. The mother of Mrs. Adams died at the age of one hundred and three. Jared F. Adams lived on his father's farm in Virginia until he was fourteen years of age and then came to Ohio and went to work on a farm in Fayette county near Milledgeville. He worked for five years for William A. Creamer, during which time he attended school during the winter season. His first schooling was under the tutelage of Frank M. Allen, the editor of this volume. He also attended the Bloomingburg Normal, which was conducted by Mr. Allen and Dr. A. M. Jones. Upon reaching his majority he started to teach in the district schools of this county, and in 1888 he came to Washington C. H. and taught school in the country near this city. While teaching he took up the study of law in the office of Hidy & Patton, and was finally admitted to the bar October 6, 1894, and has been in the practice of his profession in Washington C. H. for the past twenty years. However, most of his time has been given to the loan and insurance business, in which he has been very successful. He is the attorney for and a stockholder in the Farmers Bank, of Good Hope, and was one of the number to organize the 388 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. bank in that place. He is also a stockholder in the Fayette County Bank, of Washington C. H. Mr. Adams was married October 8, 1891, to Arminta Cline, the daughter of William and Naomi (Glasgow) Cline. Mrs. Adams was born in Jasper township, this county, both of her parents being natives of this state also. Her father, who was a farmer, died in 1910, on April l0th, at the seventy-three, while her mother died in 1907 at the age of sixty-eight. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Adams were George W. and Catherine (Feaggins) Cline, early settlers in this county, where they lived to a ripe of old age. They were the parents of five children : Edward, Mary, Philip, Andrew J. and William S., the father of Mrs. Adams. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Adams were Andrew J. Glasgow and wife, early settlers in Clinton county, this state. Politically, Mr. Adams is a Democrat, but has never had any inclination to become an aspirant for public office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his individual interests. Fraternally, he is a member of Temple Lodge No. 227, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also of Fayette Encampment No. 134. He and his wife are members of the Imperial Rebekah Lodge No. 717. He also holds his membership in the Knights of the Golden Eagle, as well as the Ladies of the Golden Eagle. He is also actively interested in the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of which he is a valued member. ROY T. McCLURE. The true measure of individual success is determined by what one has accomplished. An enumeration of those men who have succeeded in their special vocations in Fayette county and at the same time have impressed their personalities on the community where they resided would not be complete without the mention of Roy Thomas McClure, the cashier of the People's and Drovers' Bank, of Washington C. H. Graduating from the Ohio University, at the age of twenty, his first practical experience in banking was gained in the People's Bank at Bloomingburg, and a short time later he started to work for the People's and Drovers' Bank, of Washington C. H. Such was his ability and so well did he impress the directors of this excellent financial institution that within three years, at the age of twenty-three, he was made cashier of the bank, a position which he is filling with entire credit to himself and satisfaction to the directors of the bank. The success FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 389 which has come to him has been the direct result of his ability and close attention to business. Roy Thomas McClure, the only son of Joseph M. and Anna (Davis) McClure, was born October 6, 1884, in Rarden, Scioto county, Ohio. His father was a native of Highland county, this state, and lived there until his marriage, when he located in Rarden, where he engaged in the mercantile business for several years. He is now engaged in the same business in Bloomingburg, where he has been for many years. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, while both he and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Presbyterian church. They have two children, Roy T. and Eva, who is still living with her parents. Joseph M. McClure is the son of Thomas and Martha (McCague) McClure, natives of Ohio. Thomas McClure was an undertaker at Sinking Springings, in Highland county, this state, where he and his wife died several year ago. They were the parents of four children, George, Robert, Margaret and Joseph M., the father of Roy T. McClure. The parents of Joseph McClure's wife were Thomas and Elizabeth (Ralston) Davis, natives of this state, who lived in Scioto county, and were farmers there all of their days, dying in that county at an advanced age. Thomas Davis and wife were the parents of seven children, Steele, James, Ellis, Sarah, Ross, Mattie, and Anna, the wife of Joseph M. McClure. Roy T. McClure was reared in Bloomingburg from the time he was four years of age. He attended the common and high schools of that place and then entered Ohio University, from which institution he graduated in 1904, being one of the youngest graduates who ever completed the course in that institution. While in college he became a member of the Ohio . Gamma chapter of Phi Delta Theta. His first practical experience in banking was obtained in the People's Bank at Bloomingburg; he later accepted a position in in the People's and Drovers' Bank at Washington C. H. This bank is the oldest in the city, having been organized in 1864, and is now the largest bank in the city. Mr. McClure began at the bottom in this bank and within three years attained the position of cashier, and for the past six years has been been filling this position in a most satisfactory manner. Mr. McClure was married October 2, 1907, to Eva Lucile Feurt, the daughter of William A. and Lydia (Brown) Feurt, and to this union has been born one daughter, Enid Lynette, and one son, Joseph Feurt. Mrs. McClure was horn in Maryville, Missouri, and her parents are now residents of Chicago. Mrs. McClure has one brother, Fred, living. Politically, Mr. McClure is a member of the Republican party, but has 390 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. never been active in political affairs. The nature of his profession is such as to prevent him from being active in the councils of his party, and office holding has never held out any attractions for him. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. McClure is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. JAMES WILLIAM WILLIS. In the death of James W. Willis, in 1906, there was removed another of those prominent business men of Washington C. H., Ohio, who have made their way in life by force of their own merit and industry from small beginnings to great successes, and his memory will long be revered and his influence for good felt in this section of the state, for he belonged to that class of worthy and noble citizens who leave behind them much that is deathless. He was a man of absolute honesty, always on the advance, and managed his extensive business affairs with a skill and prudence which came of accurate knowledge and wide experience. His rise in the world was at the expense of no one, and in his death Washington C. H. and Fayette county sustained a great loss and a wide circle of friends was left to mourn his passing away, for he was universally regarded as one of Washington's most useful and enterprising men of affairs, of which city he had been an active and influential citizen for many years. There flowed in the veins of James W. Willis an admixture of blood of those sturdy races from across the sea which have contributed largely to the progress and advancement of this great country of ours—England and Ireland. From England came his paternal grandfather Willis, who married Eleanor Montgomery. He came to the United States when eighteen years of age and settled at once in Fayette county, Ohio. He acquired farm in Jefferson township and there spent the remainder of his days, there when past eighty, years of age. To him and his wife were born the following children : .Henry, James, Robert, Samuel, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Montgomery, Mrs. Gifford, Mrs. Boyer, Mrs. Fichthorn, Mrs. Thonburg, John. On the maternal side, the subject was descended from Robert Hogue, who,. with his wife, came. from the Emerald isle and also became early settlers in Fayette county, their home being in Jasper township. Their children were John, Robert, William and Belinda. Of the children of these respective families, Samuel Willis and Belinda Hogue, who were both born in Fayette FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 391 county, married, and to them were born ten children, namely : Samantha (Stover), Lucinda, Sallie, Ida, James W., Tillie, Lina, Linda and Jennie. Samuel Willis passed his entire life in Fayette county, following the vocation of farming in Jasper township, where he owned one hundred and ten acres of excellent land. He was a man of splendid character, who enjoyed the respect of all who knew him, and his death occurred there in 1871, when about fifty-one years of age. His wife died in 1881, when sixty-five years of age. They were Methodists in their religious belief and were known for their kindness and benevolence. Mr. Willis was a soldier in the Civil War during the last year of that great struggle. James W. Willis was born in Jasper township on the 4th day of June, 1853, and he remained on the paternal homestead until he had attained his maturity. He had received a good practical education in the district schools, and sometime after attaining his majority he moved to Jamestown and for a short time was engaged in the hotel business. He then went to Milledgeville and built a home, engaging there in the timber and lumber business. Later he engaged in agricultural pursuits, which always had for him a special attraction and in which he was always successful, though at the same time he gave some of his attention to the lumber business. About that same time Mr. Willis and John L. Barnes engaged in the buying and selling of live stock for several years, meeting with very satisfactory results. In 1887, Mr. Willis came to Washington C. H. and engaged first in the butchering business, later adding the handling of live stock, and still later he again embarked in the lumber business and ran a saw mill, which commanded his attention up to the time of his death. It was a testimonial to his versatility of talent and his ready ability to adapt himself to any circumstances or demands upon him. that he could engage in so many different lines of enterprise and handle all of them successfully. In addition to the lines already mentioned, Mr. Willis established and built the present chair factory and engaged quite extensively in the manufacture of chairs and he was the chief actor in the promotion and establishment of the P. Haggerty Shoe Company. He was the owner of the Millwood addition to the city of Washington C. H., which he improved with splendid pavements and sidewalks, so that it became one of the most attractive suburbs of the city. He was a stockholder and director of the Commercial Bank, one of the solid financial institutions of Fayette county. Mr. Willis bought the old D. I. Worthington home and here he lived and dispensed an old-fashioned hospitality that was greatly enjoyed by his large circle of warm and loyal friends. He was a man of genial and kindly impulses, who continually made friends and never sacrificed any. 392 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. Politically, Mr. Willis was a Republican from principle, and took s keen and intelligent interest in public affairs, though too busy a man himself to mix much in political affairs. Fraternally, he was a member of and took a deep interest in the time-honored order of Free and Accepted Masons, in which he took the degrees up to and including those of Knight Templar. Though not a Member of any church, Mr. Willis was an attendant of the Baptist church, to which Mrs. Willis belongs, and he was a firm believer in every movement the object of which was the uplift of the human race. The death. Of Mr. Willis occurred on the 25th day of July, 1906, at the age of fifty-three years. On August 20, 1882, James W. Willis married Carrie Spangler, who was born in Ross county, Ohio, On April 23, 1863, the daughter of Dr. Robert Roy. W. and Margaret (Somerville) Spangler, the former a native of Kentucky and the latter of Ohio. Mrs. Margaret Spangler died in Ross county, Ohio, at the age of forty-one years. She had borne her husband five children, Lucy Jane, John Mosby, Charles Somerville, Carrie Belle and Fred Arthur. Doctor Spangler was a practicing physician in Ross county for about twenty years and in Milledgeville for a like period, thus rounding out an honorable and successful professional career of four decades. His death occurred in 1897, at the age of about sixty-one years, having survived his wife more than thirty years. Mrs. Willis' paternal grandfather, Frederick Arthur Spangler, was a native of Pennsylvania, and his wife, whose maiden name was Lucy Jane Cornelius, was horn in Kentucky. She died in middle life and he at the age of about seventy years. Mrs. Willis' maternal grandfather. John A. Somerville, was born in Scotland. He came to the United States in 1808, settling in Ross county, Ohio, and there married Elizabeth Smith, who was born in Highland county, Ohio. She died when past sixty years of age, and he lived to the remarkable age of ninety-three years. They were the parents of the following children: Jane (Steele), Rebecca (Dill), Mary (Howells) Nancy (Reed), Margaret ( Spangler), Sarah Somerville, and several who died before reaching mature years. To Mr. and Mrs. Willis were born eleven children, namely: Bessie Janet, who is the wife of Ralph 0. Young and the mother of a daughter Jane; Lina Marion, who is doing settlement work in Knoxville, Tennessee; Willard S., who remains at home with his mother, is manager of the Willis Lumber Company, at Washington C. H.; Helen May is the wife of C. G. Beckel, of Dayton, Ohio, and they have a son, Cambridge; Robert Ervin, Charles Somerville, Carrie Eleanor, Richard Rochester and Willis Hegler are at home, and two who died in infancy. FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 393 James W. Willis was in the fullest sense of the word a progressive, virile American citizen, thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of the advanced age in which he lived. He made good use of his opportunities and prospered from year to year, conducting all business matters carefully and systematically, and in all his acts displaying an aptitude for successful management. He did not permit the accumulation of fortune to affect in any way his actions toward those less fortunate than he, and he always had a cheerful word and a helping hand for those in need. He was a most companionable gentleman and all who came within range of his influence were loud in their praise of his splendid qualities. JOSEPH H. HARPER. There are six papers in Washington C. H., Ohio, one of which, the Ohio State Register, dates from the year 1836. The next oldest paper is the Daily Herald, and both these papers are issued by the Herald Publishing Company. There is only one paper in the county outside of Washington C. H. and that is the Citizen, published at Jeffersonville, and in this connection it is interesting to note that there are eleven hundred and eighty-one papers of all kinds published in the state of Ohio, according to the last newspaper directory, more than half of which are weeklies. The vice-president of the Herald Publishing Company is Joseph H. Harper, and he is also one of the editors of the Daily Herald and the Ohio State Register. Mr. Harper is a well trained newspaper man and has been connected with the newspaper business of his city for the past twelve years, and in addition to his connection with these newspapers he is also a lawyer, and has been practicing for more than twenty years in this city. Joseph H. Harper, the son of John J. and Emma ( Jones) Harper, was born August 21. 1870, in Portsmouth, Ohio. His father was the son of Alexander Harper, and was born at Tarlton, Fairfield county, Ohio, and was a prominent lawyer for twenty years in Washington C. H. He practiced law at Portsmouth, Ohio, for a number of years, serving as prosecuting attorney, judge of the common pleas court, and also as judge of the district court. He served as a private in the Civil War and was a distinguished soldier throughout that memorable struggle. In 1886 John J. Harper came to Washington C. H. with his family and practiced law in this city until his death in 1906. His wife died in 1873. Four sons were born to John J. 394 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO Harper and wife : John E., who lives in San Francisco, California; William A., residing in Little, Kentucky; Samuel G., of Portsmouth, Ohio, and Joseph H. Alexander Harper was a native of Virginia, and was an early settler in Fairfield county, Ohio, where he and his wife reared a family of six children, John, William, Samuel, Joseph, Martha and Mary. The maternal grandparents of Joseph H. Harper were residents of Scioto county, Ohio, and Emma, the wife of John J. Harper, was an only child. Joseph H. Harper attended the public schools of Portsmouth, Ohio, where he was born, until he was sixteen years of age, and then, when his parents came to Washington C. H., completed his education in the schools, of this city, graduating from the high school in 1889. He then took up the study of law in his father's office and spent one year in the Cincinnati Law School, graduating from that institution in May, 1892. He was admitted to the practice of his profession in all the courts of Ohio on the day alter his graduation, and for ten years gave all his attention to the practice of his profession in this city. In 1902 he purchased the Ohio State Register and in 1911 became connected with the Herald Publishing Company as its vice-president, and has since been one of the editors of the Daily Herald and the Ohio State Register, which are published by this company. Mr. Harper was married June 22, 1892, to Nina Silcott, the daughter of Arthur E. and Helen (Taylor) Silcott, and to this union two children have been born, Helen 'Taylor, born November 1, 1893, and Howard Stan hope, born February 15, 1899. Mrs. Harper was born January 9, 1871, in Washington C. II., in the same house where she is now living. Her father was a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and her mother of Bainbridge, Ross county, Ohio. Both are now deceased. Mrs. Harper was the only child born to this marriage of her father, who had formerly been married to Lucinda Taylor, the sister of his second wife. By his first marriage, Mr. Silcott had four children, Effie, Charles E., James and Frank. The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Harper were Gerald and Nancy (Pepple) Taylor, early settlers of Ross county, Ohio. They had a family of five children, Mary, Elizabeth, Lucinda, Ellen and James. Mrs. Harper is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, one of her ancestors having fought in that war. Politically, Mr. Harper is a stanch Democrat and has always taken a deep interest in political affairs. He is now at the head of the securities department of the state of Ohio, being appointed to this position by Governor Cox. Mr. Harper is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order o FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 395 Elks. He is a man of wide education and has always been actively interested in everything which pertains to the welfare of his city, giving his unreserved support to all public-spirited measures. DANIEL TAYLOR. Descended from honored ancestry and himself numbered among the leading citizens of Fayette county, Ohio, the subject of this sketch is entitled to specific mention in a work of this character. A residence in this county of many years has but strengthened his hold on the hearts of the people with whom he has been associated and today no one here enjoys a larger circle of warm friends and acquaintances, who esteem him because of his sterling qualities of heart and mind. The history of the loyal sons and representative citizens of Fayette county would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of the man whose name heads this paragraph. When the fierce fire of rebellion was raging throughout the Southland, threatening to destroy the Union, he responded with patriotic fervor to the call for volunteers and throughout the time of his service he proved his loyalty to the government he loved so well. Wherever his lot has been cast, Mr. Taylor has been devoted to the public welfare and in all of his relations his highest ambitions have been to benefit the community and advance his standard of citizenship. The latter years of his busy life he is spending in quiet retirement at his home in Bloomingburg, honored and revered by all. Daniel Taylor was born on October 14, 1833, in Coshocton county, this state, being a son of Richard and Mary ( Scott) Taylor, the former of whom was a native of England. Richard Taylor left England when a young man of eighteen years and finally settled in this state in the then little town of Mingo, near Steubenville. He. was a farmer and met and married his wife after coming to that locality, she being at that time a resident of Steubenville. Mary Scott, whom he chose for his bride, was a native of Maryland, born in that state of Scotch parentage. Mr.. Taylor can readily trace his ancestral line to royal halls across the seas and he has so ordered his own life that no blot nor blemish has been placed by him on the family escutcheon. Richard and Taylor and Mary Scott, his wife, were the parents of a family of eleven children, all of whom, with the exception of the subject and his sister Hannah, have passed into. the great beyond. Catherine, the oldest of family, lies buried in Coshocton county: John is buried near Fort Des 396 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. Moines, Iowa; Emma passed away at her home in Watseka, Illinois; Mary A. is buried in Coshocton; Edith at Cambridge, Illinois; Caleb was living in Iowa at the time of his death, and Henrietta died in. St. Louis, Missouri, David was a soldier in the Thirty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was killed at the battle of Antietam; Hannah lives at Bellingham, Washington, and the youngest of the family was a child which died in earliest infancy. The subject received his earliest schooling in Adams township, Coshocton county, where the family at that time resided, later attending the schools of Guernsey county, where the family lived in later years. He had early received training in the work of the farm home, which was of great value to him in that his father died when he was quite a young man and he assumed the position as head of the family, which he ,retained for thirty-three years He was nineteen years old when he began farming on his own account and he was able to add to his possesisons from time to time until he had a farm it Coshocton county containing one hundred and sixty-four acres. In late years he disposed of his holdings and came to Bloomingburg, where he has lived a retired life for a number of years. Early in life he mastered the carpenter trade and for a number of years did a considerable contracting business in this section. During the struggle between the two factions of our nation in the dark days of the sixties, Mr. Taylor became a member of the Ohio National Guards and was stationed at Cambridge, Guernsey county. On April 27, 1864, he enlisted as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Seventy-second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, re-enlisting on September 20, 1864, in Troop ,B, First Ohio Cavalry, remaining in this connection until the close of the war. The last engagement of any sort in which Mr. Taylor took part was at midnight on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, when the two factions engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle at Columbus, Georgia. General Lee had already surrendered, but neither side was in possession of that information. Among the more important battles in which Mr. Taylor was engaged was the encounter at Ebenezer church, Selma and Montgomery, all in the state of Alabama, and those at Columbus and at the surrender of Macon, Georgia, as well as many minor skirmishes. When a member of the infantry Mr. Taylor served under Col. John Ferguson and while in the cavalry was under Robert Egleson. After the close of the war he returned to Guernsey county, later going to Coshocton and in 1893 came to Fayette county, locating in Bloomingburg, where he has since resided. FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 397 On November 10, 1854, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage with Mary Hogle, daughter of Lansing and Adeline (Stilwell) Hogle. Mrs. Taylor's death occurred in March, 1913. She was a most excellent woman, possessed of many admirable traits of heart and mind. She was an earnest and consistent member of the Baptist church and is buried at Bloomingburg. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor were the parents of five children, namely : Samuel J., who married Mary Babcock, and is the father of six children, Belle, Frank D., Cordell, Edith, Mary and Warren.. Hattie remains at home with the subject. She received her education in the schools of Coshocton county and in an earnest member of the Baptist church, through which she has taken the international Bible students course of training. John H. married Wilhelmina Sibley, who has borne him two children, Neely and Verner. Edward L. married Lizzie Saulders and Bert chose Retta Allen as his wife. He has one child, a little daughter, Helen. Mr. Taylor's fraternal affiliation is with Myron Judy Post, Grand Army of the Republic, at Bloomingburg. Mr. Taylor passed by far the most of his life on the farm and is of the opinion that no life is so independent or conducive to proper living. During his more active years he devoted considerable attention to the raising of sheep, in which he was highly successful. He is now eighty-one years old and is justly proud of the fact that he has never used tobacco in any form and has never had a quarrel with anyone. In all the essential elements of good citizenship, Mr. Taylor has always been an among a men and by his steady life, strict integrity and high regard for the better things of life he has won and retained the warm regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. LUTHER PETERSON HOWELL, M. D. The Howell family came to Ohio from New Jersey, the first members of the family to settle in this state being Mathias Howell and his wife, Elena Cadwallader, both of whom were natives of Burlington' county, New Jersey. They located in Licking county, Ohio, in 1819, and in that county Mathias Howell, who was the grandfather of Dr. L. P. Howell, entered a large tract of land and became one of the most extensive farmers and sheep raisers of that section of the state. Mathias Howell was a man of unusual ability and force of characters a fact which is shown by his being elected to Congress from his district in the fall of 1836. He served one term in Con- 398 - FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO. gress and then returned to his home in Licking county, where he died shortly afterwards, being about seven years of age at the time of his death. His widow later moved to Chicago and made her home with a daughter in that city until her death. Mathias Howell, the first member of the family to settle in Ohio, was the father of a large family of children, many of whom attained to more than local reputation. James, the oldest son, went to Iowa before the war and became United States senator from that state. After the close of the Civil War he was appointed as judge on the southern claims committee and served with distinction in this capacity. The second son removed to San Francisco and became prominently identified with the business interests of that city. The third son located in Bloomington, Illinois, where he became a prosperous banker. The fourth son was Luther J.. the father of Dr. Luther P. Howell. There were also three daughters in the family of Mathias Howell: Mrs. Carrie Varney, of Chicago; Edith Condit, of Champaign, Illinois, and Anna, who died in Washington, D. C. Luther J. Howell, the father of Dr. Luther P. Howell, was born in Licking county, Ohio, near Granville, and was a young man of great prom. ise. He was a close student and was teaching school when he was married. His future was cut short by his death at the early age of twenty-one years, his death occurring shortly after his marriage to Hattie Peterson, the daughter of Martin and Elizabeth (Coyner) Peterson, natives of Ross county, this state. Martin Peterson and wife, the maternal grandparents of Doctor Howell, were natives of Virginia and settled in Ross county, Ohio, in 1803. He was a farmer and owned extensive interests in Ross and Fayette counties. having at one time over six hundred acres of excellent farming land in Fayette county. Both he and his wife died in Ross county at the ages of seventy-two and ninety-two, respectively. Martin Peterson and wife were the parents of eight children: Mrs. Jane Haines, of Bloominghurg, Ohio ;Mrs. Phoebe Junk, of Ross county; Mrs. Hannah Dickey, who died in Bloomingburg, Ohio; Mrs. Martha, Slagle, of Ross county; Mrs. Mrs. Margaret Robbins; Effie, deceased; Albert C., of Frankfort, Ohio, and Hattie, the mother of Doctor Howell. Mrs. Montgomery, the mother of Doctor Howell, is still living and now resides in Dayton. Dr. Luther Peterson Howell, the only son of Luther J. Howell and wife, was born in Ross county, this state, near Frankfort, December 2, 1864, He was reared in Ross county on his father's farm and attended the district schools of his home township and later graduated from the Chillicothe high FAYETTE COUNTY, OHIO - 399 school. From his earliest boyhood he wanted to be a physician and as soon as he graduated from the high school he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Chicago and started in to take the medical course. He did not finish at Chicago, but left there and became a student in the Baltimore Medical College, now a part of the University of Maryland, and graduated from that school. Later he took a post-graduate course in medicine in Johns-Hopkins University, which is recognized as the best medical school in the United States. After graduating he began the active practice of his chosen profession in Washington C. H., and, with the exception of three years, has practiced here for the past twenty-one. years. He was captain in the Volunteer Medical Corps in the Philippines from 1900 to 1903, and saw hard service during his stay in those islands. He returned to Washington C. H. in 1903 from the Philippines and has been engaged in the active practice of his profession ever since, with a success which speaks well for his skilled training and innate ability as a practitioner. Doctor Howell was married June 20, 1894, to Edith Belle Coffman, the daughter of Benjamin F. and Margaret (Straley) Coffman. Mrs. Howell was born in Washington C. H., both of her parents being natives of this county. Her father died in 1892, at the age of forty-three, and her mother is still living in Columbus. Benjamin F. Coffman and wife were the parents of seven children : Cordelia, the wife of B. W. Dawley, of Toledo ; Edith Belle, the wife of Doctor Howell; Clara, the wife of Judge Allen, of Washington C. H. ; Benjamin F., of Columbus ; Margaret, the wife of Carl C. Entrekin. of Columbus ; Howard L., an attorney in Columbus, and Ruth, the wife of John J. Miller, of Columbus. The material grandparents of Mrs. Howell were James A. and Nancy (Hogue) Straley, and were early settlers in Fayette county, Ohio, while the paternal grandparents of Mrs. Howell, Nathan and Sarah (Edwards) Coffman, were of German and English descent, respectively, and early settlers in Fayette county, Ohio. To Nathan Coffman and wife were born the following children : Lewis C., William, Mrs. Charlotte Priddy, James M., Benjamin F.,. Mrs. Mary Belle Parrett, Mrs. Nettie Merchant and Mrs. Hetty Willard, the last two daughters being twins. Politically, Doctor Howell is a member of the Republican party, and he has always taken an intelligent interest in political affairs. He was county coroner, being elected three times in succession. At the present time he is a member of the city council, and is one of the councilmen at large. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and has attained to the degrees of Royal Arch Mason, Royal and Select Master and