700 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ject and his wife has been blessed with two sons: Samuel, who was born in 1878 and was married, in January, 1899, to Miss Mary Keef, who died December 16, 1900, leaving a baby girl that died six weeks later. Samuel Willer is employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Grover, who was born in 1884, is also in the service of the same road. Whatever success Mr. Wisler has achieved in life is due to his own efforts and has resulted from persistency of purpose and fidelity to the trusts reposed in him. HUGH L. FERGUSON. American citizens of Irish descent are often found in the ranks of the leaders in business and professional life. This reflection applies with full force to the family of Ferguson of which Dr. Hugh L. Ferguson, of Westerville, Franklin county, Ohio, is a representative. Doctor Ferguson was born in Hopewell township, Perry county, Ohio, March 13, 1835, and Daniel Ferguson, his father, was a native of the same township. Daniel Ferguson was a successful farmer and dealer in tobacco and stock until eight year before his death, when he moved to Galesburg, Kansas, where he died at the age of seventy-five years; He was a Whig and later a Republican, was a Mason and for several years a local preacher in the Baptist church. He was a son of Joseph Ferguson, a native of Pennsylvania, who was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was married in the Keystone state and was an early settler in Ohio, where he died at the age of about sixty-two years. His father, the great-grandfather of Hugh. L. Ferguson, was a Presbyterian from the north of Ireland, who sought in the United States larger liberties and better opportunities for advancement than were afforded him in his native land. Mr. Ferguson's mother was Louisana Holmes, a daughter of John and Chloe (O'Neal) Holmes, and a. native of Virginia, who was brought to Perry county, Ohio, when a girl by her parents'. Her father was born in Virginia also, and was of English extraction. Ile lived to be four score and ten years old. Mrs. Ferguson, who was a devout Baptist, died in Kansas, aged about eighty-three years. Daniel and Louisana (Holmes) Ferguson had nine children, of whom Hugh L. was the second born. Doctor Ferguson spent his 'boyhood on his father's farm and was educated in the common school, the high. school, Dennison University and in Ohio University at Athens. At the age of twenty years he began teaching in a district school, being thus employed for ten years, reading medicine meanwhile under the preceptorship of Dr. W. C. Lewis, of Rushville. Perry county, Ohio. He was graduated from. the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery in 1869, but had been practicing medicine successfully in Perry county since January, 1866. In the spring of 1871 he went to Stoutsville, Fairfield county, Ohio, and entered upon a satisfactory career there, which continued until 1888, when, in order to better educate his children, he removed to Westerville; where he has since continued his medical practice. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 701 His medical studies were broken in upon by the Civil war, and July 31, 1862, he turned his back on the school-room and his medical studies and enfisted in Company H, Ninetieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served, in the Army of the Cumberland, until the close of the war, when he was mustered out of service, his regiment having been in the Fourth Corps, First Brigade and First Division. He entered the service as first duty sergeant of Company H; in the spring of 1863 he was promoted to orderly sergeant; in 1864 to first lieutenant; and at Rome, Georgia, he was transferred to Company F. He participated in every battle in which his regiment engaged, including those at Murfreesboro, Stone River, Chickamauga, Resaca, Jonesboro, Franklin and Nashville. At the close. of the war he resumed the study of medicine. After his graduation he practiced for a short time in partnership with his preceptor. In 1860 Doctor Ferguson married Susan Hitchcock, a native of Perry county, Ohio:, and a daughter of John F. and Rosannah Hitchcock, and they have had five children : Minerva D., who married A. W. Grove, of Pickaway county, Ohio; Maggie, now deceased ; Frank Reese, of Chicago, Illinois, a railway mail clerk, whose route is between Chicago and' Grafton, Virginia; Rosannah, who married George Balthaser, of Westerville; and Charles D., a grocer at Plain City, Ohio. Doctor Ferguson is a Republican in politics, has been an active member of the city council and is now filling the office of mayor. He was received as an entered apprentice, passed the fellow craft degree and was raised to the sublime degree of master mason in Blendon Lodge, N. 339, F. & A. M., of Westerville, Ohio. He is a member of James Rice Post, No. so, Grand Army of the Republic and is its. surgeon and one of its past commanders.. Doctor and Mrs. Ferguson are active and helpful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. ALPHEUS D. MYERS. Many of the men employed in the different railway companies whose trains enter Columbus are residents of the capital city and among this number is Mr. Myers, conductor on the Pennsylvania road, whose home is at No. 159 North Seventeenth street. He was born June 23, 1852, on a farm in Licking county, Ohio. His father, David Myers, passed away in 1865, and the mother's death occurred in 1860, both departing this life at their old home in Licking county. The former was born in Virginia and became a resident of the Buckeye state at an early day. In his family were two daughters : Jennie, wife of A. D. Mount, now a retired business man living in Cheny, Washington; and Maria, wife of M. J. Parkinson, a resident of Springfield, Missouri. Alpheus D. Myers, the subject of this sketch, spent the first thirteen years of his life upon his father's farm, working in the 'fields and meadows until after crops were harvested in the autumn, when he entered the public schools, there to pursue his studies. Between the ages of fifteen and seven- 702 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. teen years he engaged in driving a hack. In 1869 he began working on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, running from Columbus to Zanesville, under Conductor Armentrout. After nine months' service he was placed in charge of the train, although only eighteen years of age at the time, his run being between Columbus and Bellaire. He continued in that position for six years and then left the company. In 1876 he accepted a position on the Pennsylvania road as brakeman, but after a few months left that service and traveled through the southwestern part of the United States and down into old Mexico. In 1877 he returned and resumed work on the Pennsylvan road. He was promoted to conductor in the same year, and has been in the service of the same company continuously since that time. On the 27th of April, 1884, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Myers and Miss Carrie Rogan, the wedding ceremony being performed by the Rev. Anderson, of Columbus. Her father, William Rogers, came to the United States from Ireland when a young man, and he died before Mrs. Myers. was old enough to retain any recollection of him. Her mother was born in Warren county, Ohio; and her father was the owner of a grist-mill on Tods Fork in that county. Since the death of her first husband th mother of Mrs. Myers has again married and is now Mrs. Helen Shields. She lives with her daughter in Columbus. Alonzo Rogan, a brother of Mrs. Myers, is a carriage trimmer of this city. Alice, her sister, married Judson Outcalt, and has been a widow for ten years. She has a young lady daughter, Edna, and they, too, reside in Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Myers have but one child, Lora, who was born July 2, 1887. She is in the sevent grade at school and has marked ability as an artist, as several pictures on the walls of her home attest. Mr. Myers has been a member of the Knights of Pythias. fraternity since attaining his majority. As the result of his industry and energy he has acquired a comfortable competence, and is now enabled to surround his family with all of the comforts of a modern home. CHARLES H. KECK. One of the most reliable engineers on the Pennsylvania line, running on the limited express between Columbus and Indianapolis, was born February 25, 1854, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, Charles Keck, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1818, and in an early day removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he died, in 1870. He had five brothers : George, William, Adam, Leonidas and Samuel, all of whom have passed away with the exception of Adam. One of' the number, William Keck, served in the Civil war for four years, being with the Army of the Potomac. He was with his regiment in many important engagements, yet he was- never wounded. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Mary Keck, is still living in the old home in Cincinnati with her daughter, Mrs: Elizabeth Davis. In addition to Charles H. the members of their family were as follows : Mrs. Unity Robinson, a widow, Mrs. Mary Davis, George and Samuel, all residents of Cincinnati. Samuel Keck has CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 703 been in the service of the Pennsylvania road for a number of years and is now a Pullman conductor, while George is an electrician. On the 4th of September, 1877, Charles H. Keck entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in the capacity of fireman, and thus served until the 9th of July, 1883, when he was made engineer and has since occupied that position. For the past five years he has been on a passenger train and until three years ago was on the run between Cincinnati and Springfield, Ohio. Since that time he has been on the limited express between Columbus and Indianapolis. In 1884 he became a member of Division No. 480, B. L. E., of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has always been true to the trust reposed in him, manifesting particular care in the discharge of his duty, and, realizing fully the responsibility which devolved upon him, he has carried forward his work in a.manner that he has avoided accidents and gained the highest commendation from those whom he served, which praise he well deserves. JOSEPH FOOR. Joseph Poor, who has one of the best improved farms in the county, his home being in Plain township, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, July 6, 1848. His parents were William and Mary (Ward) Foor. His father was born in Pennsylvania, in 1816, and when only two or three years of age was brought by his parents to Ohio, settling in Fairfield county, where he was reared and married. For twenty years he engaged in farming there upon rented land and for some time, in addition to his farming operations, he conducted a shingle factory. Late in the '5os he purchased a small farm of fifty acres in Bloom township and afterward added to it a tract of fifteen acres, upon which he lived up to the time of his death. In politics he was a Democrat; and in religious connection was a Methodist for a number of years, but in later life he became associated with the Evangelical church, which erected a house of worship upon his place, and there he worshiped until his decease. He passed away August 19, 1895, and his wife, who was born November 12, 1817, died on the 6th of March, 1876. Her father was a well known business man in Circleville, Ohio, at an early day. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Foor were born twelve children, and of that number the following are yet living: Irvin; Elizabeth, the wife of Israel Gayman; Sarah, wife of Charles Brown; Joseph ; Calista, wife of David Brownback ; Catherine, wife of Wesley Lecrone; Mary F., wife of Theodore B. Moss; and Clara, wife of David Keiser. In his parents' home Joseph Foor spent the days of his childhood, and his education was obtained in the. common schools. As a companion and helpmate on the journey of life he chose Miss Mary E. Notestine, their marriage being celebrated on the 14th of January, 1872. The lady is a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, and a daughter of William Notestine, who was born in Pennsylvania. Of the six children who graced their union, three 704 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. still survive, namely : Charles E., a resident farmer of Plain township; Jesse .W., at home; and Layton E., who is' a member of the United States navy. After his marriage Mr. Foor operated a farm for two years and then removed to Piqua, Ohio, where he rented a farm for two years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Fairfield county, carrying on farming just within the boundary line that separates Franklin from Fairfield county. After his mother's death he returned to the old homestead and rented the property for five years. In 1882 he purchased his present farm of ninety-five acres in Plain township, and has made his home thereon continuously since. He has good buildings for the shelter of grain and stock, a comfortable residence, well kept fences and richly cultivated. fields, and has made his farm one of the best improved and desirable properties in the county. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and religiously is connected with the liberal branch of the United Brethren church. In all life's relations he has been true to duty and to the right, and his career is one which has gained for him the confidence and good will of all with whom he has been associated. CHARLES A. POGUE. In the railroad service of the Pennsylvania line Charles Allen Pogue is employed as a conductor. He makes his home at No. 443 Denmead street, in Columbus, and is numbered among Ohio's native sons, for his birth occurred in Caddis, Harrison county, January 3, 1859. His father, James Pogue, had two brothers, William and John. The paternal grandfather was a tailor and worked at his trade in Caddis, Ohio, where he died many years ago. His wife was a member of the Bancroft family of Pennsylvania and was a Quaker in religious belief James Pogue, the father of our subject, conducted a cigar factory in Caddis and there died in the year 1864. His wife, Mrs. Sarah A. Dratton, is yet living at Caddis. They had but one son, Charles A., of this review, but their family numbers three daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Marshall, who is now living in Woodbury, New Jersey; Mrs. Anna Browning, a resident of Fort Calhoun, of Washington county, Nebraska; and Mrs. Mary Martin, who is living in East Liverpool, Ohio. Charles A. Pogue was only five years of age at the time of his father's death. His mother afterward married again, and when in his thirteenth rear our subject began carrying the mail for his stepfather from Caddis to Cambridge, Ohio, being thus employed until he had attained his eighteenth year. The most important event which occurred in .his life during that period was his attendance at the Centennial Exposition, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1876. After carrying the mail he worked upon a farm in New Jersey for a year and then returned to his home, where he remained until 1880. In the winter of 1880-1 he began work on the railroad as an employe of the: Baltimore & Ohio line, running out of Newark, New Jersey, as a brakeman. In the spring of 1881 he returned home, remaining until June of the same CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 705 year, when he secured a position as brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, being in that service until July, 1882. Subsequently he worked on the Columbus & Toledo division of the Hocking Railroad for four months. His next service was at Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, where he remained until 1885, when he returned to his home in Caddis, Ohio. On the 27th of August, 1885, he began braking for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and on the 1st of January, 1889, he was promoted to conductor, since serving in that way on the run from Columbus to Dennison, Ohio. Mr. .Pogue was married, August 27, 1883, when Miss Addie Tice, of Columbus, became his wife. Her parents, John and Maria E. Tice, are living in the capital city. Her . father served as a member of the Seventy-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil war and her mother had four brothers in the Federal army, namely : William, Jacob, Saul and Nelson Conine. The last named was wounded and died during the war from the effects of his injuries. Mr. Pogue, of this review, has a nephew, Charles Marshall, who is now serving his country in the Philippines, as a member of the Eleventh Regiment of United States Volunteer Infantry. For the past ten years Mr. and Mrs. Pogue have resided in Columbus and have formed wide acquaintance and gained many friends. Their children are : Samuel who was born May 17, 1886; Charles Earl, born March 14, 1889; and Lawrence C., born October 23, 1897. Mr. Pogue exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, although political office has no attraction for him. He has many admirable qualities which have gained for him high regard, and his worth as a citizen and individual as well as in the line of his chosen occupation is widely acknowledged. FRANK ARMSTRONG. Frank Armstrong, a reliable and popular conductor on the Pennsylvania Railroad, is numbered: among the residents of the capital city, his home being at No. 562 Hamilton avenue. He was born January 22, 1862, near Gallipolis, Ohio, and is of Irish lineage. His father, Robert Armstrong, was born on the Emerald Isle in 1830, and when a young man came to this country. In 1852 he married Miss Angeline Sharp and their children are as follows : John F., who is engaged in farming in Delaware county, Ohio; Joseph William, who resides in Washington, Ohio; Ida, now the wife of Brent Hornbeck, a conductor on the Norfolk & Western Railroad, living in Columbus; Andrew F., who died July 1, 1897, at his home in Delaware county; and James Henry, who died in Columbus October 30, 1894. Mr. Armstrong, of this review, began his railroad career in September, 1885, as a brakeman on the Pennsylvania line. In January, 1890, his faithfulness was rewarded by his promotion to the position of conductor, and he has since served in that capacity, losing not a single day. He is always found at his post of duty and is trustworthy to the greatest degree in matters 706 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. of the most unimportant details. He enjoys the unqualified confidence of those whom he serves and well merits the good opinion of his superiors in the railroad service. On the 28th of July, 1891, occurred the marriage of Mr. Armstrong and Miss Annie Miester, of Columbus, in which city they have made their home since their marriage. Her father, Jacob Miester, died August 6, 1877, but her mother, Mrs. Louisa Miester, is still living at the old home in Newark, Ohio. Their children are : Mrs. Mary McPherson, of Columbus; Mrs. Elizabeth O'Connor, of Cincinnati ; Mrs. Catherine Ewers, of Columbus; Mrs. Emma Reese, of Newark, Ohio ; and Edward, who makes his home in Evansville, Indiana. Mr. Armstrong is a charter member of Division No. 278, O. R. C., of Dennison, Ohio, and has been a member of Excelsior Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Columbus, since 1890. He also belongs to Buckeye Camp, I. O. O. F. Although his life has been quietly passed, like the history of every man who: is faithful to his duty, to himself, to his neighbors, to his country and to his employers, it contains many lessons that are well worthy of emulation. HARRISON E. STRAIN. The story of personal experiences, struggles and successes which it is the intention of the writer now to narrate has its beginning early in the history of Ohio, when the ancestors of Harrison E. Strain, of Columbus, who were of Welsh descent, came to Highland county. The time was so early that Indians roamed over the state and several men of the Strain family lost their lives in Indian warfare. Both of Mr. Strain's grandfathers served in the war of 1812 and his grandmother's brothers were killed by Indians and one of his uncles and one of his aunts were captured in childhood by the savages, who adopted them into their tribe. The parents of the subject of this sketch were William and. Jane Strain. His father died at Marion, Indiana, in October, 1867, aged forty-nine years, and his mother died at Xenia, Ohio, in 1878. William Strain was a contractor and builder who operated quite extensively in Greene county, Ohio, and who in 1861, when Harrison E. was eight years old, erected buildings on the Reid farm in that county. Mr. Strain was at the farm with his father. and saw Whitelaw Reid bid his mother good-bye at his departure from his old home for New York city to accept a position on the editorial staff of the New York Tribune. Mr. Reid was then about twenty-four years old and Mr. Strain says that he had black hair which hung down on his shoulders, and wore clothing patched but clean, being to all appearances a typical green young man from the country: William and Jane Strain had a good sized family of children, the following information concerning whom deserves a place in this record: Martha married E. Wike, at Xenia, .Ohio, by whom she has five children: Walter, Harry, Donald, William and Frank. Eliza married Angus Brady, by whom CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 707 she had one child who died in infancy, and died about a year after her marriage. Agnes married Ira Kelly and: has six children : Lyda Bell, Chase, Helen, Linnia, Frank and Park. They make their home in Indiana. David F., enlisted three times for service in the Civil war, married and has five children : Chester, Minnie, Lillie, Maud and Frank. He is now engaged in fruit farming at Grand Junction, Colorado. John and Jane died in infancy. Frank Strain died at the age of eighteen years. Flora married Park Wright, by whom she had four children : Jennings, Letha, Flossie and Mary, and died in Indiana in September, 1883. Charles L. Strain was an engineer and conductor for about ten years. He was married, in 1886, to Miss Jessie Kent, who bore him a son, Kenneth, January 12, 1888, and died in July, 1891. Mr. Strain enlisted for service in the Spanish-American war in an Arkansas regiment, in 1898, but got no nearer the seat of war than Chattanooga, Tennessee. He enlisted again, in January, 1899, in the Eighteenth Regiment, United States regular army, which was sent to the Philippine islands May 29, 1899, and is still stationed there at Iloilo. He was wounded by the explosion of the magazine of his own gun, which was struck by a bullet from the enemy, but otherwise his health has been excellent. Harrison E. Strain was born at Xenia, Ohio, June 13, 1853, and was married, at that place, May 14, 1878, to Miss Rosa John, daughter of Joseph and Mary John. Mrs. Strain is of Welsh descent and her father was born at Troy, Ohio, November 16, 1827, and her mother near Dayton, Ohio, November 20, 1827. Her mother's brothers, Samuel and Peter Benham, fought for the Union for four years as members of the Seventy-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Joseph Benham, another of her uncles, served one hundred days in the Civil war. Joseph and Mary (Benham) John are living at Xenia, Ohio, where Mr. John is prominently identified with real-estate interests. David John, Mrs. Strain's brother, was married, June 25, 1875, to Miss Jennie Lamb, and has sons named Edgar, Lester, Ray, Ralph and Lawrence, and lives at Xenia. Sarah John, Mrs. Strain's sister, was married, about 1867, to Jacob Ridenour, of Xenia, and has children named Haskin, William, Minnie, Frank and Clarence. Harrison E. and Rosa ( John) Strain have had five children : Charles E., born March 6, 1879; Eltha M., born July 11, 1882, and died April 23, 1894; Edna, born November 10, 1886 ; Gertrude, born August 23, 1891; Luella, born April 3, 1894. Their eldest son, Charles. E. Strain, is a graduate of the Columbus high school and of Parsons Business College, and is employed in the Hocking Valley shops at Columbus. He was married, July 4, 1900, to Miss Martha Burke. Mr. Strain ran away from his home at Xenia during the Civil war and came to Columbus with the idea of enlisting as a soldier, but his extreme youth was so apparent that his offer of himself received little favor, and after he had remained around Camp Chase three days and around Camp Dennison about a week his father made a raid on him, captured him and took him back home. His railroad career began in 1872 and was interrupted in 1873 by a 708 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. strike on the Miami road. In 1878 he secured employment on the Dayton Narrow Gauge Road, in which he continued four years and five months. June 28, 1879, he was promoted from fireman to engineer. March 2, IS82, he went on the Santa Fe Railroad as engineer, remaining four months, Then; returning to Ohio, he was an engineer on the old Scioto Valley Road from August 18, 1882, to August r, 1898, running from Columbus to Kenova, Wayne county, West Virginia, four years of the time as a freight engineer and after that as a passenger engineer. During his career as a railroad man Mr. Strain has been in several exciting and disastrous railroad accidents, but has never received any serious personal injury. In a wreck on the Dayton Narrow Gauge line in 1879, when he was running between Dayton and Chillicothe, Ohio, his engine and fourteen cars ran off the track at a switch and went down the bank, but no one was hurt. In the freight service on the Scioto Valley Road in the winter of 1884 his train collided with another ad one man was killed and several were injured. At Valley Crossing, August I, 1898, a locomotive which he Was running through a switch yard, with trains of cars on either side, blew up without injuring anyone in the slightest degree, though there were three men on the engine which exploded and others in dangerous proximity to it. For about a year after his marriage Mr. Strain lived at Xenia, Ohio. From there he removed to Dayton, where he remained four years. After that he lived at Portsmouth, Ohio, a year and a half. From Portsmouth he came to Columbus in 1884 and he has since lived at No. 561 East Second avenue. Politically he is a Republican and all members of his family belong to that party. RICHARD, W. JOHNSON. Richard W. Johnson is one of the reliable and trustworthy engineers in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He resides in Columbus, his home being at No. 374 Denmead avenue, and he is a native of Ohio, his birth having taken place in Champaign county in 1861. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have been born but one child, Harold, whose birth occurred December 20, 1898. The family resided in Dennison, this state, until March, 1900, when they became residents of this city. Mr. Johnson's railway service dates from the 18th of December, 1889, when he began on the Panhandle Railroad as fireman. His fidelity to duty and his close application to his work won him promotion in January. 1893, when he was made engineer, in which capacity he has since served. He had some remarkable experiences in the railway service when a young man, but has never sustained any serious injuries. He has held membership with the orders of Locomotive Firemen and Locomotive Engineers. In his political views he is a Republican and keeps well informed on the questions of the day, but has neither time nor inclination for public office. His parents Joseph and Loretta Johnson, were both natives of Champlain county and are CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 709 still residing there. The other members of the. family .are Fred, who is a train dispatcher at St. Louis, Missouri ; and Jennie, a widow residing at the old home in Champlain county. The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public schools. No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of life in his youth. He was married, June 7, 1894, to Miss Lilly Laver, who. was born in Cincinnati, but their marriage was celebrated in the capital city. Her father was a native of Mansfield, Ohio, and her mother of Germany. He resides in Alliance, Ohio, but her death occurred in Columbus August, 6, 1893. JAMES STINEMETZ. James Stinemetz, of Columbus, is numbered. among the native sons of Ohio, his birth having occurred in Mt. Vernon on the 15th of July, 1865. His paternal grandparents were pioneer residents of Mt. Vernon, where they died many years ago. Natives of Germany, they crossed the Atlantic to the new world and took up their abode in that city. The parents of our subject were John and Caroline Stinemetz, who still reside in Mt. Vernon, of which place the father is a native. He is a carpenter and contractor and for a number of, years, has been prominently connected with the building interests there. In his family are the following named : Bence, who is married and resides at Mount Vernon, Ohio, has for eleven years been an engineer. on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad, and in 1888 he lost one of his feet through a railroad accident ; Albert and Lawrence are also living in Mt. Vernon, and the former follows the molder's trade, while the latter is an engineer by occupation ; and Lewhanna is the wife of James Monahan, an engineer on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad, now residing in Zanesville, Ohio. At the. time of the Civil war the father of this family donned the blue, offered his services to the government and went to the south in defense of the Union. James Stinemetz spent the days of his youth in his father's home, and in 1882, when seventeen years of age, became connected with railroad work as a brakeman on a freight train on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus line. Later he was offered and accepted a position as conductor on the Pittsburg & Western Railroad, serving in that capacity from. 1885 to 1887. In the latter year he became a fireman on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad, running from Columbus to Hudson, Ohio, and in 1890 he was promoted to engineer, in which position he has since remained. He is known as one of the popular and reliable engineers on the road and has never sustained any personal injuries except in 1883, when he met with a serious accident the breaking of his collar bone, which necessitated a rest of two, weeks. He is always found at his post of .duty and is most faithful and careful in his work. In January, 1895, occurred the marriage of Mr. Stinemetz and Miss. 710 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Nina Worley, the wedding being celebrated in Mount Vernon. The lady is a daughter of John and Ruth Worley, both of whom are residents of Mount Vernon, and whose family number four children, namely: Mrs. Stinemetz; Dora, who died in 1898; and Patrick and Woods, both of whom are residents of Mount Vernon. Mr. Worley was also a Union soldier during the Civil war, going to the front with an Ohio regiment. Unto Mr. Mrs. Stinemetz have been born two interesting children : Carl, whose birth occurred February 16, 1896; and Ruth, born January 22, 1898. The parents hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and take an active interest in its work and upbuilding. Mr. Stinemetz also belongs to Division No. 34of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, of Columbus, and in his political affiliations he is a Republican, believing firmly in the principles of the party. WILLIAM TURPIE. William Turpie is one of the most prominent and well-known reprresentatives of real-estate interests in the city of Columbus, and a man of splendid executive and business ability and discriminating judgment, having control and management of extensive and important affairs. His father was born in the Emerald isle about the year 1810, and on coming to America located in White county, Indiana, in 1852. He had in the meantime acquired a good education in the schools of his native country, being thus well fitted for the practical duties of life. When he took up his residence in the Hoosier state he purchased an extensive tract of land and began farming. He had married in 1840, the lady of his choice being Miss Bridget Finn, and unto them were born two children : James H. and William, both natives of Ireland, whence they came with their parents to the new world in early boyhood. Our subject was born in 1848. In consequence of a serious accident which happened to his younger brother, disabling him from performing manual labor in life, William Turpie conceded to his brother the opportunities for acquiring an education, while he remained upon the farm and assisted in its work. James was sent to Stockwell College, at Colfax, Indiana, where he completed his literary course and subsequently studied law in the office of David Turpie, who for many years was a United States senator from Indiana. William Turpie in his early manhood married Miss Mary Frances McCray, of White county. This was in March, 1868. They became the parents of two children, the elder being Viola J., who was born April 4, 1869, 1and became the wife of Charles Swartz, of Columbus, where they now reside. The son, James H. Turpie; was born April 5, 1871, and matriculated in the Ohio State University, in which institution he was graduated. Upon attaining his majority he removed to Nebraska, settling near North Platte, where he now resides, being extensively engaged his stock raising. Mrs. Turpie died on the, 29th of April, 1891, and for his second wife Mr. Turpie chose Mabel W. Williams, a daughter of Enoch Williams, of Paulding, Ohio, who CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 711 for many years was engaged in the real-estate business in that place, but is now living retired. By the second marriage there are also two children : Studert M., who was born in 1893 ; and Clyde W., born in 1900. For ten years Mr. Turpie was an extensive stock raiser of northern Indiana, annually feeding a large number of beef cattle for the Chicago and eastern markets. Later he became interested in real estate and conducted important transactions in the handling of property. In 1885 he took up his abode in Columbus, where he is now residing. He has engineered a great many real estate deals, some of great magnitude, involving the transfer of thousands of dollars. In the 'capacity of agent for the sale and exchange of property owned by capitalists it may be safely said that few men in the state of Ohio have in the same length of time negotiated a greater number of realty transactions than William Turpie. Deprived in early life of the opportunities of acquiring more than a common-school education, he has by his energy, pluck and perseverance achieved a success. far greater than many other men whose advantages in early life have greatly surpassed his own. He belonged to that class of resolute youths who by sheer force of character advance steadily on the highway of prosperity. His resolute purpose would not permit him to be discouraged by obstacless and difficulties in his path, and with courage and determination he has made his way continually upward to a position of affluence. EDWARD L. PHELAN. Edward L. Phelan was born September 7, 1858, in Franklin county, Ohio, and is now a well known teacher of Columbus. His father, Martin Phelan, was born in Ireland in 1814, and died in Columbus in 1890. His wife was also a native of the Green Isle of Erin and is now living in Columbus in her sixty-ninth year. Their eldest son, Michael Phelan, was born in 1856, and the other members of the family are: Edward L. ; William ; and Joseph, a resident of this city. Under the parental roof the subject of this review spent the days of his boyhood, and the public schools afforded him his educational privileges. He began railroading in 1876, when eighteen years of age, and was thus employed until 1890, being successively brakeman and freight and passenger conductor. He filled that last named position for eleven years, a most capable and efficient employe of the road, his uniform courtesy and obliging manner winning him faor with the traveling public, while his fidelity to duty won him the confidence of the corporation which he served. . On his retirement from that service in 1890 he was appointed deputy under Sheriff James Ross and as his term in that position expired he was made bailiff of the county, an office created by 'the legislature of the state for only five counties in Ohio. Mr. Phelan occupied that position and his prompt and faithful discharge of his duties has won him the confidence of all law-abiding citizens. Mr. Phelan was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Monroe, of Colum- 712 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. bus. Her father died during her early girlhood, but her mother is still living and is now in her seventy-first year. Unto our subject and his wife were born eight children, namely : Mary, Edward, William, Annie, Frank, Walter, Robert and Raymond: Mr. Phelan and his family are members of the Catholic church and take quite an active part in all local movements in Columbus, and he has been a delegate to many of the national conventions In manner he is pleasant, genial and jovial and has many friends in Columbus especially in the executive department of the city service. FREDERICK WATERMAN. Frederick Waterman,. now deceased, represented a family whose name figures conspicuously in connection with the history of Franklin county. He was a son of Joseph Waterman, one of the honored pioneers of this section of the state, and the old family homestead is a landmark in Columbus. Mr. Waterman, of this review, was born in Franklinton in 1832, and his occupation through life was farming. He carried on agricultural pursuits in a most practical and progressive manner, and his labors brought to him an excellent return. In early life Frederick Waterman was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Anderson. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Waterman were born nine children of whom three are yet living, namely ; Emma, Mary and George L. The family continued to reside upon the farm until 1897, when, putting aside the more arduous duties of a business career, Frederick Waterman retired to private life and with his living children took up his abode in Columbus, at No. 54 South Grubbs street. His wife had died while on the farm, in 1890, at the age of fifty-seven years. Mr. Waterman was an active and influential member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and the Order of Red Men, and. his .son is also connected with the same organization. His death occurred in 1899, and thus passed away one who had long been an active factor in agricultural circles in Franklin county. His business record as well as his private career was above reproach, and he left to his children the priceless heritage of an untarnished name. The family have always been Episcopalians, and the present representatives are of that faith. JOSEPH W. JONES. As citizen, soldier, farmer, stock dealer and public official, the known citizen of Columbus, Ohio, whose name is above has commended himself to his fellow citizens of all. classes and of all shades of political belief. He was born on a farm in Athens county, Ohio, March 8, 1836, a son of David and Sarah (Dixon) Jones. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania. His grandfather in the paternal line was James Dixon, who came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1832, and located on a farm in Athens county, where he died in 1846. His wife died in the seventy-eighth year of her age. Mr. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 713 Jones' father was also an early settler in Athens county, and there Mr. Jones was reared to manhood and educated in district and select schools. He remained on the home farm until his twentieth year and by the time the Civil war began he had made an encouraging start in life. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Sixty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Colonel John Sprague. The regiment was sent to. the front and the first engagement in which Mr. Jones participated was the memorable fight at New Madrid. After that he took part in the fighting at Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, Farmington, Corinth and Iuka Springs and in a number of less important engagements in November, 1864, he was promoted to be second sergeant of his company and he served in that rank until honorably discharged. in 1865. He made a three-years record as a soldier which does him great credit and should be preserved by his descendants as a precious heirloom. Returning to his home in Athens county, Mr. Jones engaged actively in farming and dealing in live stock. After a few years he gradually drifted into the real-estate business, buying and selling farms on his own account, and in time he became one of the prosperous farmers in his township. His judgment in the practical affairs of life came to be respected and he was several times elected to the office of justice of the peace by the citizens of Gloucester, Ohio. In 1898 he was appointed United States pension agent at Columbus for a term of four years by President McKinley. He took up his residence in the capital city of Ohio in August of the same year and has. since devoted himself conscientiously and unreservedly to the performance of the duties of his office, with such success that any pension agent in the United States might be proud of his record. As a Republican Mr. Jones has always been active. and influential and his counsel has been sought by other party leaders in local, county and state politics. He keeps alive the associations of the Civil war by membership in W. P. Johnson Post, No 340, Grand Army of the Republic and he is a member of Bishop Lodge, No. 470, A. F. & A. M., of Bishopville, Morgan county, Ohio. Mr. Jones was married, December 8, 1864, to Miss Martha E. Anderson, daughter of George S. Anderson, of Hocking county, Ohio, who died January 10, 1881, after having borne him seven children, named as follows : Sara E., Ella S., James S., Joseph E., Elmer L., Alice B., and Silas H., who died January 10, 1881. Mr: Jones' present wife was Miss Louisa Wyatt, daughter of Jacob L. Wyatt, of Gloucester, Ohio, who has borne him three children, as follows : Louise F., David W. and Dana. JOSEPH C. THOMPSON. Among those whose lives in former years have constituted an integral part of the history of Franklin county and contributed in large measure to, its substantial growth was Joseph C. Thompson, now deceased. He was a native of Maryland, born near Baltimore. The family is of Scotch-Irish lineage and was founded in the new world during the colonial epoch in our, 45 714 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. country's history Alexander Thompson, the father of our subject, was alsi a native of Maryland, and when the colonies, no longer content to wear the yoke of British oppression, resolved to sever all allegiance to the mother country, he joined the army and commanded a company during the seven years' struggle which resulted in winning liberty and independence for the American nation. He also had two brothers, John and William, who were numbered among the heroes of the Revolutionary war.. The former was a colonel in the United States troops and commanded his regiment through the greater portion of the war. The family owned a manor in Maryland. The birth of our subject occurred at the family home in 1788, and when about twelve or fifteen years of age, being of a venturesome disposition, he went to sea on board a boat belonging to his uncle, Mr. Chaplain, the vessel sailing to the West Indies and along the Atlantic coast. Subsequently he was employed in the United States Arms Manufactory at Harpers Ferry. In 1818 Joseph C. Thompson left the capital city with his uncle, Colonel John Thompson, and made an overland journey to Ohio, taking up his abode on the Scioto river. He remained there only a short time, however, going thence to Cleveland, but later he returned and took up his abode in Columbus, where he followed his trade of blacksmithing and gunsmithing. While at Harpers Ferry he had served his. country in the war of 1812, enlisting in a company which was there formed and with which he remained until hostilities had ceased. He was taken prisoner at the Stone Mills, in Canada, and participated in the siege of Baltimore. After locating in Columbus Joseph C. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Guy, and they became the parents of two children, Alexander and John, both of whom have now passed away. The mother also died, and for his second wife Mr. Thompson chose Eliza Smith, a daughter of Joseph Smith. This marriage was blessed with five children, namely: Joseph C., Samuel, James G., Catherine, who became the wife of J. O. Andrews, and William. Of this family three have passed away; James is yet a resident of Perry township, Franklin county, and Samuel is living in Columbus. Mr. Thompson, the father, continued to reside in Columbus until 1830, there following the blacksmith's trade. In that year, however, he removed to Perry township, taking up his abode north of Dublin, on the Scioto river where he established a shop, following his chosen vocation until advanced age compelled his retirement from business life. At one time he resided for a brief period in Detroit, Michigan, where he engaged with the government in the manufacture of tomahawks and knives, which were used in making compromises with the Indians. He was an industrious and energetic and was actively associated with business affairs in Franklin county at an early day. He was a member of the Episcopal church, and his wife held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. Both were earnest and consistent Christian people, their lives exemplifying their belief in the principles taught by the lowly Nazarene. Mr. Thompson was also a representative of the Masonic order belonging to Eastern Star Lodge, No. 4, F. & A. M., CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 715 of Worthington. He died in 1862, and his wife, who was born in 1797, passed away in 1876, at a ripe old age. Through the period of pioneer development in Franklin county they were identified with its history, and Mr. Thompson in a quiet and unassuming way aided in the work of public progress and improvement, so that his name was deeply engraved on the roll of the honored early settlers. JAMES G. THOMPSON. James G. Thompson is a worthy representative of one of the pioneer families of Franklin county, and throughout his entire life he has resided within its borders, his birth having occurred on the old homestead in Perry township, February 3, 1833. There he was reared to manhood, experiencing the usual hardships and trials as well as the pleasures incident to frontier life. His education was acquired in the primitive schools of that day, and when old enough to enter upon an independent business career he began farming, which he has made his life occupation. He now owns one hundred and seventy-five acres of valuable land, well improved and highly cultivated. His farm is one of the best in the township and indicates his careful supervision and earnest effort. In early manhood Mr. Thompson was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Friend, a daughter of John and. Mary (Beard) Friend, pioneers of Ohio. The wedding of our subject was celebrated May 22, 1859. Her father, John Friend, was a native of Virginia, born in 1801, and on taking his abode in Ohio located in Hocking county, where he resided until 1839, when he came to Franklin county. In Zanesville, this state, he was joined ub wedlock to Mary Beard, who was born in Franklinton, Ohio, in 1803, her parents taking up their abode in that place in the same year. Her father participated in the Indian wars, and was also in the war of 1812. With his family he resided in Franklinton for, many years, there rearing his children, numbering two sons and seven daughters. His wife engaged in gathering roots on the tract now included within the state-house grounds in Columbus. The most far sighted at that time could not have. dreamed of the wonderful changes which would occur, founding and building the capital city and transforming Franklin into one of the most populous counties of this great commonwealth. John Friend was a comb-maker by trade and also a potter. For several years he carried the mails for the stage companies. He resided at various points in Ohio, but at length permanently located in Franklin county, following farming in Perry township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Friend were born eight daughters, all of whom are yet living, namely : Emily, wife of John Isenberg; Mary Jane, wife of Richard. Davis; Caroline, who. married John Zachariah; Margaret, wife of J. G. Thompson; Betsy, who wedded Mack Sells; Nancy, wife of Charles Sells; Catherine, widow of J. C. Thompson; and Hannah, wife of William Bacon. The father of this family died in 1879, and his wife, surviving him about three years, passed away in 1882. 716 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson has been blessed with seven children, of whom five still survive, namely : Robert, a prominent citizen of Columbus; Emily, wife of William E. Brown ; Thurman, who is assistant superintendent of the workhouse at Columbus ; Susie, wife of Herinan Ealey and William, who is living in Columbus. After the marriage of the parents they located upon a tract of land in Perry township, where they have since resided. This property was purchased by Mr. Thompson's father in early pioneer days, and has been the home of our subject and his wife from the time when they started on life's journey together. Mr. Thompson has been identified with numerous public offices, having been called to office on several occasions without solicitation on his part. He has always evinced a deep interest in educational matters, and at intervals through many years has served as a member of the school board, filling that position at the present time. In 1880 he was appointed by the United States government to take the census of Perry township. This appointment came to him as a compliment, inasmuch as he is a Democrat and. was given the office over a Republican opponent in a Republican district. Mr. Thompson holds membership in New England Lodge, No. 4, F. & A. M., of Worthington, having attained the master degree. Both he and his wife have lived upright lives, in harmony with the golden rule, and. wherever they are known have commanded the respect and confidence of those with whom they have been associated. Mr. Thompson has been a worthy successor of his father in the work of promot ing the development and. upbuilding of his county, in which he has ever man fested a deep .and abiding interest. He is unostentatious in manner, but his sterling worth shines forth from his quiet disposition and makes him one of the valued and reliable citizens of his native county. MRS. HANNAH M. LEONARD. Mrs, Hannah M. Leonard, a resident of Columbus, was born in England, in the year 1821, and came to Delaware, Ohio, in company with her sister, Mrs. Margaret Wallace, nee Brentnal. There, in 1840, she gave her hand in marriage to Thomas Roberts, and they began their domestic life in Columbus. Mr. Roberts was a printer by trade, and with the exception of five years spent in the west they resided in Columbus up to 'the time of his death, which occurred in 1847.. They were the parents of four children, three of whom died in early childhood, and George E. is now married and resides upon his farm in Franklin county. After the death of her first husband Mrs. Roberts was again married, becoming the wife of Theodore Leonard in 1856. The wedding was celebrated in Columbus, and has been blessed with two daughters and two sons. The eldest, Mrs. Rose Byrne, is the wife. of N. G. Byrne, a prominent lawyer of the capitol city, while Josepha is the wife of Theodore Watterson, who is engaged in the insurance business in Columbus, and by whom she has one child, Hannah, who was born in 1896. Mrs. Leonard's surviving son, Robert CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 717 J. Leonard, is a resident,of this. city. Mrs. Leonard makes her home at No. 1465 Franklin avenue. She has been a resident of Columbus for sixty years, and has therefore been .a witness of much of its growth and development. She has a wide acquaintance among the best .class of people here, and enjoys the high regard of many friends. SAMUEL A. DAVIS. The subject of this personal narative is one of the most successful and progressive agriculturists of Norwich township, and owns and operates one of the best farms within its borders. Here he has spent his entire life, his birth having occurred upon his present farm October 8, 1853. He is a worthy representative of one of the honored pioneer families of Franklin county, being a grandson of Samuel and Elizabeth (Smith) Davis. His father, Asa Davis, was their eldest child. Both parents of our subject are now deceased. Mr. Davis was reared to agricultural pursuits, and attended the district schools until he attained his majority, his first teachers being Miss Betsey Smith and a Miss Turner. During his youth he assisted his father in the arduous task of clearing the home farm, and also cleared fifty acres of land for himself. industrious, energetic and progressive, he has steadily prospered in his farming operations, and the thrifty appearance of his places shows conclusively that he thoroughly understands the occupation which he has chosen as a life work. In 1884 Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Miss Amanda Cook, a daughter of Seth Cook, of Cardington. They began their domestic life on the Davis homestead, where they have since continued to reside. Their present magnificent residence was erected in 1899, and is the abode of hospitality and good cheer. Mr. Davis has just returned from a trip abroad, having spent some time in visiting the Paris Exposition and other points of interest in Europe. The Republican party has always found in him a stanch supporter of its principles, but he has never been a politician in the sense of office-seeking. He was reared in the Presbyterian church, and is highly respected by all who know him. CHARLES LINDNER. Columbus. Ohio, one of the most important railroad centers in the state, is the place of residence of many efficient and popular railroad men, among whom none is more prominent in his special field than Charles Lindner, of No. 450 East Second .avenue. Mr. Lindner is of German ancestry, and has inherited all those sterling German qualities which make people of his blood successful in whatever walk of life they may choose. His grandfather left his native land and sought better opportunities for progress and prosperity in this country at a comparatively early day. 718 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Mr. Lindner's father, Andrew Lindner, died at his home in Portsmouth, Ohio, in .188i, and his widow is still living there with her son Fred. Charles Lindner was born at Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1866, and was married in 1889 to Miss Mary Flanagan, a native of Wheelersburg, Scioto county, Ohio, where her father died and where her mother is still living. Mrs. Lindner has two brothers, James and Richard Flanagan, living at Wheelersburg, and another brother, Thomas, living in Colorado. Her sister, Miss Sarah Flanagan, lives with her mother. The Flanagans are descended from an old Irish family, which for many generations has produced men and women of the highest respectability. Mr. and Mrs. Lindner have a daughter named Martha. The family are members of the Catholic church, and Mr. Lindner is a Democrat of influence in his party, but is not an office-seeker. It was as a fireman that Mr. Lindner began railroading in 1889. After three years service with that company he entered the service of the Norfolk & Western Railway Company, which, after he had served six years as fireman, advanced him to the position of engineer, which he still holds. He has been so successful as an engineer that he stands high in the estimation of his employers, and his experience has been remarkable in that during his entire career as a railroad man he has never lost a day's work on account of sickness or sustained a personal injury. He became a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers at Columbus in 1893, and has since devoted himself zealously to the advancement of all interests of the order He possesses many genial qualities which enable him to make and retain friends, and his personal popularity in all circles in which he moves is everywhere recognized. He is helpful to his church and to many public interes and is regarded as a useful and progressive citizen. While active and influential politically, he has never been an office-seeker, and he has persistently refused such offices as have been tendered him. JOHN M. SHOCKER. John M. Shocker was born on the 9th of August, 1851, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is now living in Ohio's capital city. His father, Henry Shocker, is also a native of the Keystone state, born in 1815, and in an early day he came to Ohio, his death occurring in Alliance, this state, in 1860, while his wife passed away in Crestline, Ohio, in 1884, at the age of fifty-nine. His brothers and sisters were Joseph, William, Margaret and Emeline. In addition to the subject of this sketch the members of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Shocker are : Henry, a machinist, who was born in 1845, and is now living in Philadelphia; Thomas, of Mansfield, Ohio, Who was born in 1849, and. is a fireman in the Pennsylvania roundhouse at that place; Samuel, who was born in 1847; and died in 1875; William, who was born in 1854, and died in 1870; and Mary, wife of C. Jackson, a resident of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and is employed as an engineer on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad. Of this family Harry and   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 719 Thomas both served in the Civil war, aiding in defense of the Union as. members of the Tenth. Iowa Cavalry. In taking up the personal history of John M. Shocker we present to our readers the life record 'of one who is widely and favorably known among the train men and also to others in different walks of life. He acquired his. early education in the public schools, and when seventeen years of age began working on the railroad, in the employ of the Pennsylvania company, as. brakeman, remaining with. that corporation until 1873. He then accepted a similar position with the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus . Railroad, and two years thereafter he was made conductor, running upon a local freight for three years. He was next made passenger conductor, and has held that position continuously since. He has never lost any time, and is always found at his post of duty, capably discharging the duties which devolve upon him. He has never received any personal injuries, and has a clean and enviable record. On the 18th of January, 1872, Mr. Shocker was joined in wedlock to Miss Margaret Hoover, of Crestline, Ohio. Her parents are both now deceased, her father, General Hoover, having passed away in 1887, while his wife died in 1884. Unto our subject and his wife have been born seven children : James, who was born September 14, 1873, and is now a fireman on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad; William B., born September 19, 1875; Eliza May, born February 2, 1877; Jennie P., born February 7, 1879; Lena P., born June 7, 1881; Margaret, born April 24, 1895; and John C. All of the children are living at home. The family hold membership in the Disciple church of Columbus, and the members of the household enjoy the warm regard of a large circle of friends. In his political views Mr. Shocker is a Republican, but has never sought or desired office, although he keeps well informed on the issues of the day. JOHN W. McCANN. John Wesley McCann, deceased, was for many years a prominent farmer of Norwich township, and one of its most highly esteemed citizens. On the paternal side he traced his ancestry back to Ireland, his grandfather, Robert McCann, being a native of the Emerald isle, who came to America when a young man and located near Chillicothe, Ohio, where he followed farming until his death. He married. a lady of German descent. John McCann, father of our subject, was born near Chillicothe, and also became a farmer. In early manhood he wedded Elizabeth Golden, a native of Virginia, who came to Ohio with her parents when only seven years old, and could relate many interesting incidents of pioneer days. Early one morning in winter she heard a deer bleating on the ice, and running to see what was the matter she found that the deer had fallen on the ice and broken its leg. She procured a butcher knife and dispatched it without much loss of time. After his marriage the father of our subject located near Lebanon, 720 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Ohio, and about 1821 brought his family to Norwich township, this county, locating on a farm south of Hilliard, now owned by Mathias Schatz. He was one of the earliest settlers of that section. Having cancer of the stomach and there being no physician in his neighborhood, he at length moved to Darby's Plains, Madison county, where he could be under the doctor's care. Becoming better, he determined to return home, but on the way back was forced to stop at the home of Isaac Fuller, where. he died a short time after. ward. His widow survived him some years, and subsequently became the wife of Andrew Noteman. After the latter's death she made her home with our subject, where she died at the age of seventy years. Both parents of our subject were earnest and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the latter efficiently served as justice of the peace for many years. In their family were the following children : Thomas G.,. who died in son county, Ohio; Eliza M., who married Benjamin Carter, and died at Waverly, Ohio; Robert, who died at Plain City; George W., who died in Norwich township ; John W., our subject; Andrew J., who died in Dublin, this county; Nancy Jane, wife of Aurelius Hager, of Plain City; Syms, who died in Brown township, this county; and Mary Martha, who married Alfred S. Golden, and died in Iowa. The subject of this review was born in a log house in Norwich township, as he said, "in 1822, when the squirrels tried what they could do." There he grew to manhood. His education was obtained under adverse circumstances, as at first he had to go a long distance, the nearest schoolhouse being in Brown township. Among his teachers was David Thomas. He was only twelve years old when his father died, after which he made his hom with his mother until she married again and left the home farm, leaving it to her eldest son, with whom our subject lived for some time. On the 23d of October, 1840, in Norwich township, Mr. McCann married Miss Jane Geddes, who was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Harriet (Smiley) Geddes. Her father was born in the same county, February 21, 1776, and spent his entire life there, dying in the house where he was born in 1826. For his first wife he married Mary Ann Smith, by whom he had six children, four reaching years of maturity. Of the two children born of his second marriage Mrs. McCann is the older. James S. came to Ohio with his parents, and when a young man went to Dayton, where he learned the carpenter's trade with John Thomas. He then went to northern Indiana, married Sarah Martindale, and is still living in Stark county, that state. After the death of James Geddes his widow married John G. Laird, who brought the family to Ohio in 1838, and in 1855 moved to Illinois, locating six miles from Monmouth where he made his home for many years. There his. wife died in 1871, an he afterward went to Iowa, making his home near Lenox until his death His remains were taken back to Illinois and buried by the side of his wife at Kirkwood. Mrs. McCann's paternal grandparents were Paul and Margaret Geddes. The former was a native of Ireland, and on his emigration CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 721 to America taught school for a time in Virginia, and later located permanently in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where he died when well advanced in years. Matthew Laird went to Africa as a missionary in 1833. Harriet Myer was to accompany him, and although they had never met, their friends thought they had better marry, which they did. Mrs. McCann lost her father when only two years and a half old, after which she was taken by her grandfather and lived with him until four years of age. She then joined her mother, who was teaching school in Mifflinsburg, Pennsylvania, and later lived at intervals with her grandparents and mother, who had marrled again, attending school in Mifflinburg, Louisburg and other places, in Pennsylvania. In 1838,, at the age :of fourteen, she came with the family to Norwich township, Franklin county, Ohio, and continued her education under the direction of her step-father and others until sixteen years of age. She then taught one term of school in what was known as the Bowser district in Brown township. It was the first school in the district and was conducted in an old log cabin. As there were only five scholars there, Mrs. McCann brought her brother and two sisters with her, making eight in all. To Mr. and Mrs. McCann were born the following children : James Harvey, who died in infancy ; Eunice, at home ; George Milton, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; James William, who died at the age of forty-two years ; David S. and Charles M., both at home; Thomas Syms, a resident of Norwich township ; Laura Jane, wife of David Breese; Ada Sophia and Ida Maria, twins, the former of whom died at the age of twenty-eight years, the latter in infancy; Frank G., a resident of Indianapolis; and Clara B., at home. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. McCann went to housekeeping on a varm of forty acres, in a log cabin, eighteen by twenty feet, with a stick chimney and old-fashioned fireplace. To the improvement and cultivation of his farm Mr. McCann at once turned his attention, and, meeting with success in his labors, he later purchased thirty-seven acres in one tract and fifty acres in another. He was an energetic, enterprising business man, and became a very prosperous farmer. Politically he was first a Whig and later a Republican, and was called upon to fill several township offices. Prior to his marrage he united with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was ever afterward an active and consistent member, and died in that faith, February 18, 1897, honored and respected by all who knew him. His estimable wife still survives him. She is a lady of great intelligence and remarkable memory, and has a large circle o friends and acquaintances, who have for her the highest regard. MRS. SUSANNAH MULL. Mrs. Susannah Mull has a wide acquaintance in Columbus, being a representative of one of the old and prominent families of the city. She is a daughter of William and Margaret Fleming. Her father was born in 722 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 1807, and was married in 1831 to Margaret Feirzell, in Franklinton. Her birth occurred in Virginia in 1809, her parents being Edward and Susanna Feirzell, both of whom were natives of the Old Dominion and owned a large Virginian plantation near Fairfax Court House. The surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Fleming are : Mrs. Susannah Mull, Frank, Andrew J., and Maria, who are residents of Columbus. Those that have passed away are Mrs. Sarah Ann Barber, Samuel, Mrs. Elizabeth P. Mull, Edward, Fanny, Martha and Leonard. Mrs. Maria Fleming resided with her mother until the latter's death, which occurred in January, 1901, at her home at No. 36 North Fifth street, Columbus, and though in. her ninety-second year at the time of her demise, she retained her mental faculties unimpaired to the last. Susannah Fleming spent her girlhood days in her parents' home, and on the loth of July, 1863, she gave her hand in marriage to John H. Mull, the wedding being celebrated at her home in this city. Her husband was born in Columbus June 30, 1835. He has a brother and sister, Frederick and Mrs. Perkins, both of whom are residing in the capital city. The former lost his wife in 1881. She died leaving one child, Ida, who is now living with her aunt, Mrs. Susannah Mull. Frederick Mull has long been in the railway service, and through an extended period was an engineer on the Panhandle road, but after his brother's death he refused to serve longer in that capacity, and has since been in the yard service in Columbus. John Mull entered the railroad service as an employe of the Columbus & Xenia Company, in 1853, when only eighteen years of age. He became a fireman, and before he was twenty-two years of age was made engineer. In 1859 he became an engineer on the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road, and two years later entered the employ of the Panhandle Railroad on the Piqua & Indianapolis division. For twenty-seven years he was in continuous service with that road in one capacity, being the oldest engineer on the western division of the line. In all his railway service he never missed a day and no complaint was ever uttered or filed against him. He possessed the rare gift to awaken within fifteen minutes of the time necessary to report for duty, and for this he never required the assistance of an alarm clock, nor had he to depend upon any of his family to call him. There seemed to be an intuitive perception which enabled him to awaken at the right time. His last run was made in 189o. 'On the 3oth of July of that year, while making the return trip from Bradford Junction, he left his engine on a side track at nine thirty in the morning and proceeded to the telegraph office for others. Upon his return he was blinded by the steam which was being blown off from his engine, and was struck by an east-bound fast passenger train, being thrown a distance of ten feet and instantly killed. His remains were brought back to his home, No. 271 North Twentieth street, Columbus, and were interred in Greenlawn cemetery. The engineer on the locomotive which caused his death was an old friend, George Beckwith, who for years had served as fireman under Mr. 'Mull. The latter was one of the best known CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 723 engineers in the railway service, always reliable, prompt and trustworthy, and he enjoyed the confidence of his superiors in an unusual degree. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mull located first in Franklinton, and several years before the Civil war they went to Richmond, Indiana, where they remained for a year. On the expiration of that period they returned to Columbus, establishing their home at No. 51 Chestnut street, where they remained until July, 1889, when Mr. Mull purchased the property at No. 271 North Twentieth street, where his widow is still living. They ad two sons, who are now in the railway service: David, who for seventeen rs has been an engineer on the Panhandle road, and is now married and resides on Monroe avenue; and John, who is also an engineer for the same company. He is married, and makes his home at No. 428 Hamilton avenue. Another son, Arthur, who is in the service of the Adams Express Company, is married and has one child, Arthur, who was born June 6, 1895. The dates of birth of the three sons are : David, born February 15, 1865; John, born September 23, 1867; and Arthur, born August 25, 1869. The name of Mull has long figured prominently and honorably in connection with railway service, and in the capital. city the family is widely known, the sterling characteristics of its members winning for them the confidence and friendship of all with whom they are associated. CHRISTIAN OFFENBARGER. Among the self-made men of Norwich township who as farmers have attained success through their own unaided efforts is Christian Offenbarger, who was born in the province of Baden, Germany, November 21, 1864. His paternal grandfather, John Offenbarger, spent his entire life there, atrending school until fourteen years of age, and later following the stone mason's trade, with the exception of. the three years spent in the German army. He died in old age prior to the birth of our subject. Lawrence Offenbarger, the father of Christian, was born in Baden, April 24, 1811 and was a student in the schools of that province until he attained his fourteenth year. At the age of twenty-one he entered the German army, and during the three years of his service participated in the revolution of 1848. He wedded Miss Mary Zandt, who was born in Baden June 6, 1814, a daughter of Charles Zandt. The father died in his native place in 1882, and in 1893 the mother came to the United States to make her home. with her son Albert in Canton, Ohio, where her death occurred four years later. In their family were the following children : George and William, both residents of Canton; Albert, who came to America in 1880, and also lives in that city; Charles, a resident of Canton; Jacob, of Norwich township, this county; Christian, our subject; and Henry, of Columbus. As soon as he had attained sufficient age Christian Offenbarger entered the schools of his native land, where he pursued his studies until fourteen, an dthen worked as a farm hand at thirty dollars per year. In 1884 he and 724 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. his brother George emigrated to America, sailing from Bremen on the steamer Weilland, which landed them safely. in New York after a voyage of nine and a half days, during which they encountered a severe storm which lasted two days. His brother Albert had sent the money to pay the passage of our subject, and he joined him at Canton, where he spent two weeks before coming to Alden, this county, where he worked for a stone mason one year, He was cheated out of his wages, and at the end of a year did not have as much as he had at starting. In the fall of 1885 he commenced work for Richard Jones of Brown township, receiving only his board in compensation for his labors, but he was out of money and had to accept any occupation which he could find. The following winter was a very severe one. In the spring Mr. Offenbarger found employment with John Renner; and remained with him twelve years. Managing to save some of his wages, he purchased thirteen acres of his present farm in Norwich township, and has since been able to add to it sixteen acres, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation, and which he successfully operates. In that township Mr. Offenbarger was married, in 1897, to Miss Bertha Switzer. They attend the German Lutheran church; he affiliates with the Democratic party, and has most capably filled the office of supervisor of his township. He is strictly a self-made man, and deserves great credit for the success that he has already achieved in life, while undoubtedly a prosperous future yet awaits him, for he possesses the necessary qualifications to success, being industrious, enterprising and economical. REUBEN TAYLOR Reuben Taylor, a passenger engineer on the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad, residing at No. 226 North Twentieth street, Columbus, was born in England, on the 29th of February, 1860. His parents came to this country from England in r863, locating in Hudson, Ohio, where the father died about the year 188o, when seventy years of age. His wife survived him, and passed away in Columbus on the 30th of January, 1899, at the age of seventy-seven years. Their children were : Reuben; James, who is in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company; ___________ wife of Andrew Rellick, a passenger conductor residing in Columbus; Mrs. Fannie Aur, who resides in Lorain, Ohio, and whose. husband is also a railroad conductor ; and Mrs. Mary Guritney, who resides in Akron, Ohio, where her husband carries on business as a mechanic. Reuben Taylor spent the days of his childhood and youth in Hudson, Ohio, and in Franklin county, and his education was obtained in the public schools. In 1877, when seventeen years of age, he entered the railway service of the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus road in the capacity of brakeman and after one year he secured a position as fireman, continuing. in the service of that company until 1881, when he was made an engineer. For nineteen years he has filled that position, and has one of the best records of any engin- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 725 cer on the road. With a full realization of the responsibility which devolves upon him, he exercises extreme care and good judgment in the discharge of his duties, and is most trustworthy and faithful. He is a member of Division No. 34, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. On the 27th of May, 1882, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Miss Mary Higgins, of Akron, Ohio. Her father, James Higgins, was a native of England, and on the Emerald isle was married, his wife, Mrs. Mary Higgins, being a native of that country, where her birth occurred in 1832. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world, they located at Niagara Falls, in Canada, whence they emigrated to the United States. The father. died in 1886, at the age of sixty-five years, but the mother is still living and makes her home in Akron, Ohio. Two of their children were born ere their emigration to America, namely : Elizabeth, who became the wife of Richard Lewis, and resides in Akron, Ohio; and John, who died in Cleveland, Ohio, in September, 1900. The first one born in this country was Bridget, whose birth occurred at Niagara Falls, and who is now the wife of Philip McLane. The next of the family was Thomas, who died at Rootstown, Ohio, in 1897. Sarah, who was born in Freedom, Ohio, is now the wife of Burtis Hildrebiddle ; and Belle is a young lady living in Cleveland. The marriage of Mr. and . Mrs. Taylor has been blessed with three children : William, born March 18, 1883; Charles, born June 3, 1885; and Nona Belle, born October 15, 1894. The family are members of the Catholic church, being communicants of St.. John's cathedral of Columbus. In his political affiliations Mr. Taylor is a Republican. Starting out in life for himself at an early age, whatever success he has achieved is tile entirely to his own efforts, and for it he deserves great credit. EUGENE E. DUTOIT. Eugene E. Dutoit was born at the family residence at the corner of Main and Front streets in Columbus June 21, 1850, and is of French lineage. His grandfather, Eugene Dutoit, Sr., in whose honor our subject was named, was born in France in 1780, and on emigrating to America made his way across the country to Ohio, locating upon a farm in what was then the suburb of Dayton. He was a man of affluent circumstances, making judicious investments in realty and had large property interests in Dayton and in other portions of the country. He engaged in dealing in real state and in looking after his investments. He died at his home in Dayton, in 1864, at the age of eighty-four years, and his wife passed away two years later, when also eighty-four years of age. Philip Dutoit, their son and the father of our subject, was born in France March 11, 1818, and when a young boy accompanied his parents to the new world. In early manhood he came to Columbus, about the year 1835, and here he worked at the trade of blacksmithing, following that business for many years. In 1848 he was engaged in the business, of wagon-making on 726 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Cherry street, near High street, and made the first wagons that went overland to California from this place. On the 6th of October, 1839, in Columbus, he married Miss Phoebe M. Pope, who was born in the capital city March 4, 1823. His death occurred at the family home at the corner of Main and Front streets on the 20th of October, 1855, and his widow afterward became the wife of Arthur Haney, their marriage being celebrated in Columbus April 6, 1857. By her first marriage she had the following children: Alfred, who was born February 18, 1841, and died on the 21st of the same month; Charles L., born January 30, 1842, and is yet living in Columbus; Mary L., who was born July 7, 1844, and died December 19, 1851; Auriel, who was born November 29, 1846; Eugene E., the subject of this review: Philip H., born October 1, 1851, and died June 29, 1853; and Ida C., who was born February 10, 1854, and died June 10, 1855. By her second marriage Mrs. Haney had three children: William C.,. who was born February 15, 1858; Arthur G., who was born March 27, 1861; and Catherine A., who was born October 11, 1863, and died August 11, 1869. The mother passed away at her home in Columbus January 11, 1879. Mr. Dutoit, of this review, acquired his education in the public schools of his native city, and in the year 1867 he enlisted in Company B, of the Thirtieth United States Regulars, then stationed at Columbus, and his regiment did duty in guarding and protecting the Union Pacific Railroad, which was being constructed through Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah, and had a number of skirmishes with the Indians. In 1870 Mr. Dutoit left the service and returned to his home in this. city, after three years absence. In 1872 he entered the employ of the Piqua Railroad Company as brakeman, serving in that capacity for four years, after which he spent seven years with the Norfolk, Western & Hocking Valley Railroad, first as brakeman and afterward as conductor. While serving in the former capacity, in 1880, he had then ends of the fingers on his left hand cut off, while coupling cars, but he soon resumed work and was later made conductor, serving in that position until his retirement from the service of the railroads. During the past five years he has been in the employ of the Columbus Street Railway Company as motorman and is one of the most trustworthy men on the road. On the 7th of August, 1870, Mr. Dutoit was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Fleming, at the latter's home in Columbus. Her father, James Fleming, was born in 1835, and passed away in April, 1879. Their living children are: Mrs. Dutoit; Mrs. Sarah Romosier and Mrs. Julia Kohn, both of Columbus; and Isaac, who was born and yet lives in this city. Those who have passed away are Franklin, David, Elizabeth and Mrs. Mary Dutoit. Unto our subject and his wife have been born eight children: William F., who was born May 12, 1871, and is a conductor on the Ohio Central Railroad; Edward L., who was born May io, 1873, and died August 13, 1893 ; Albert E., who was born August 15, 1875, is now a conductor on the Hocking Valley Railroad; Franklin, who was born February 18, 1877, and is a brakeman in the service of the same railroad; Charles P., who was born CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 727 January 27, 1883, and died June 12, 1884; Elmer E., born January 26, 1885, is a student in the high school; Stewart, born June 26, 1887, is also attending school and Eugene E., born June 15, 1889, died May 2, 1890. A grandson, Harry Fleming, who was born April 22, 1877, is also living with Mr. and Mrs. Dutoit. Our subject is a charter member of Beaver Tribe of the Red Men, Live Oak Lodge, No. 1. For twelve years he has also held membership relations with Hollingsworth Lodge, No. 100, of the Order of Railway Conductors. The greater part of his life has been passed in his native city and he has here a wide acquaintance, being particularly well known in railroad circles. NATHAN W. DULIN. From an early age Nathan William Dulin has been dependent entirely upon his own resources, and his life record illustrates what may be accomplished through determined purpose and earnest effort. He was born July 7, 1839, on the old family homestead in Washington township, Franklin county, but at an early age was left an orphan. His grandfather, Lewis Dulin, was a native of Virginia, and about 1810, with his wife and children, he came to Ohio, making the journey on horseback. He located in Chillicothe, and about 1850 removed to Delaware county, where he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Lucinda Latham, until his death. His wife also died at the home of their daughter. Lawson Dulin, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia in 1800, and during his early boyhood accompanied his parents to the Buckeye state. He was married near Chillicothe, his wife being a native of Ohio. They located in Washington township, Franklin county, on a farm of one hundred and sixteen acres; which has since been divided into four farms, the present owners being Travey Latham, Hiram Judson, Mr. Shyer and Seymour Latham. The father of our subject died on his farm in 1845, and his wife passed away in 1852. Their children were: Lucy, who died at the age of twenty years; Nancy, wife of William Michaels, of Muncie, Indiana; Catherine, deceased ; Ann, who became the wife of David Latham, and died in Washington township; Sarah, deceased; Susan, wife of William Wilcox, her death having occurred in Union county, Ohio; Nathan W.; and Asa, who was a member of the Forty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in Tennessee in 1862, during his service. Nathan W. Dulin was only thirteen years of age when he was left an orphan. He went to live with Lewis Hard, of Sharon township, and though he was not sent to school, he was taught to spell by an invalid daughter of Mr. Hard. He had gone to school for a limited period between his fourth and fifth years, but his educational privileges were very limited. After leaving Mr. Hard he lived with different farmers for a year, and then went to live with Alonzo Hard, a son of Lewis Hard, with whom he remained 728 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. until fifteen years of age. Subsequently he was employed as a farm hand until his enlistment in the Civil war. In 1861 he joined Company C, ____ Regiment, but did not serve out his time. In 1862 he became a private of Company B, Eighty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was on duty a part, of the time at Camp Chase, and took prisoners to Vicksburg from that point. On the expiration of his term of service he was discharged at the state house in Columbus, returning then to Washington township, where for a short time he again worked as a farmhand, but in 1864 he once more joined the Union army, becoming a member of Company F, Eighty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he remained until the cessation of hostilities. Mr. Dulin was married in 1865 to Miss Harriet Latham, of Washington township, a daughter of Moses Latham, and later he purchased twenty-five acres of land, on which they lived for two years, after which they spent a short time on her father's farm. Subsequently Mr. Dulin sold his property, and after renting land for two years purchased a home in Washington township, and conducted a small store at Sandy's School-house for seventeen years He then remained at Hilliard for a few months, after which he purchased his present farm of forty acres. He has made many changes on the place, adding improvements, repairing buildings and placing the land under a high; state of cultivation. Unto Mr, and Mrs. Dulin have been born seven children: Alonzo, who died in childhood; Franklin, deceased ; Estella, who has engaged in teaching school for four years; Susan, deceased; Lewis, of Columbus; Emma, a school teacher; and Beatrice, at home. Mr. Dulin and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal church. He votes with the Republican party, and is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, as well as an industrious and energetic business man. CHARLES AUBERT. The men of prominence in Ohio who trace their lineage to France are much smaller in number than those of English and German ancestry, but Ohio has no citizens who are more able and progressive than those of French extraction. This is true of Frenchmen and men of French descent in business life and in the professions. The grandfather of Charles Auhert was named Claudius Postian Aubert. He was a drummer boy in Napoleon's vast army that crossed the Niemen in 1812 toward Moscow to commence war with Russia because the Czar opened his ports to British goods, and was with Napoleon's army in that decisive combat—the battle of Waterloo—on the 18th of June, 1815, against the English and Prusssians under Wellington and Blucher. He came with his family to Ohio in the pioneer days of this part of the country. Charles Aubert, the father of Charles Aubert, of Columbus, was then about eight years old. Claudius Postian Aubert located on land in Hamilton township, Franklin county, and remained there until his death. After his father's death Charles Aubert, Sr., made a successful start in life CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 729 for himself and in due time acquired a large and valuable farm, now known as the Aubert farm, arid considerable capital in money, and devoted much. attention to real-estate and money loans. He married Miss Elizabeth Reiselt, a native of Germany, who became a prominent farmer in Hamilton township. His son, Claudius P. Aubert, a brother of the subject of this sketch, was graduated at the Ohio Normal University in 1887 and is the principal of the public schools at,, Port Townsend, Washington. Charles Aubert, whose name forms the caption of this sketch, was born in Hamilton township, Franklin county, September 20, 1866. He received his primary education in the public schools and was graduated at the Ohio Normal University in 1887. After that he taught in the public schools of Franklin county until 1895 and also occupied the chair of Latin in the Ohio. Medical University at Columbus from; 1892 to. 1895. He read law meanwhile under the direction of Donaldson & Tussing, a prominent law firm of Columbus. He was admitted to the bar in 1895 and immediately entered upon the [ractice of his profession, in which he has been increasingly successful. Not only has he become popular as a lawyer but also as an .active worker in the cause of the Democracy, and he has been several times tendered nomination for offices of responsibility, but has declined it in order to. give his undivided attention to his professional work. His work as an educator is one of which any teacher might well be proud, and during the period of his work in the schools he was not only prominent in county institutes but became well known in state and national educational bodies, in whose state conventions he took a prominent part. He was married, in 1897, to Miss Marie Renner, a daughter of John Steven Renner, a prominent farther and extensive land-owner of Franklin township. WILLIAM HART. Among the prosperous and successful agriculturists of Norwich township, Franklin county, Ohio, is numbered William Hart, who was born here on the 9th of September, 1861, and having lost his parents when only three months old he was taken to the home of Moses Hart, by whom he was reared, remaining with him Until reaching manhood: He obtained a good practical education in the public schools, Which he attended until twenty-one years of age and during his youth aided his foster father in clearing, and cultivating the home farm, thus becoming thoroughly familiar with the occupation which he has chosen as a life work. On the 18th of November, 1885, in Norwich township, Mr. Hart was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Weeks, a daughter of John and Margaret (Hart) Weeks, and a granddaughter of Moses Hart. By this union were born six children : Stella J., William F., Margaret B., Ruth M., Jacob and Grace Edna, all at home. After his marriage Mr. Hart located upon his 'present farm of two hundred and seventy-five acres, which he has converted into one of the best 46 730 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY, farms of the locality, being supplied with all the conveniences and accessories of a model farm of the twentieth century. Besides his valuable property he owns ten acres of the old Hart homestead, and is successfully engaged in general farming. He is an honored member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges at Hilliard, and is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles. In the spring of 1897 he was elected trustee of Norwich township, and is now serving his second term, having been re-elected in the spring of 1900. He is a wide-awake, energetic and progressive business man, and his success in life has been worthily achieved. GEORGE PORSCHET. The subject of this sketch, one of the most industrious and enterprising agriculturists of Norwich township, now owns' and operates the old homestead formerly belonging. to his paternal grandfather, Martin Porschet, a native of Germany. In that country the latter was married to Katy Haine, and there their only child, the father of our subject, was born. The grandfather served some time in the German army and received his discharge in i800. In 184o he came to the United States, accompanied by his little family, and landed in New York. After spending a short time in Union county, Ohio, with George Haine, a brother of his wife, he came to Franklin county and purchased thirty acres of woodland in Norwich township, which he at once commenced to clear and improve, erecting thereon a log cabin. For many years he was engaged in the arduous. task of transforming the wild land into rich and fertile fields, and died upon that place in 1866. His wife ,survived him until 1885, when she departed this life when past the age of seventy years. Mr. Porschet, the father of our subject, was a mere boy when brought by his parents to the new world, and in . Norwich township grew to manhood. In early life he learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed in connection with farming. In Norwich townshjp he married Miss Lena Arnold, also a native of Germany. She came to the United States alone when a young lady. After his marriage Mr. Porschet located on the home farm, and in 1880 added forty acres to the original purchase. He died August 24, 1900, and his wife passed away in 1885. They were active members of the German Lutheran church, and God-fearing, consistent Christians. In politics the father was a Democrat. Their children were: Powell, a resident of La Rue, Marion county, Ohio; John, of this county Michael, of Union county; George, our subject; Dora, wife of Frederick Koener, of Prairie township, this county; Eva, wife of Henry Coleman, of Union county. .Fred, who died in January,. 1898; Henry, of Union county; Barbara, wife of George Roush, of Marysville, Ohio ; and Charles, of Union county. George Porschet, of this review, was born December 26, 1864, on the present farm, and was there reared to agricultural pursuits, while attending the district schools from the age of six to sixteen years through the winter CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 731 months only. On the 28th of August, 1886, in Norwich township, he was united in marriage with Miss Caroline Pusecker, who was, born in Prairie township, this county, in 1870, a 'daughter of Charles and Margaret Pusecker. By this union' were born six children,' as follows : Louis C., born March 7, 1887; William F., September 18, 1888 ; Carrie Marguerite, June 12, 1890; Charles, May 30, 1897 ; Alma, August 23, 1894 ; and George E., June 19, 1899. All are living with exception of Charles', who died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Porschet located! in Franklin township, this county, but at the. end of six months returned to Norwich township. For three years he worked in the stone quarries, and on retiring from that business rented a farm; which he operated until 1894, when he located on the old homestead. Here he has since successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. He is a communicant of the Lutheran church and a supporter of the Democratic party. For four, years he has filled the office of school director, and takes a deep interest in any enterprise calculated to advance the moral, educational or material welfare of his township and county. JOHN HARPER. John Harper is the conductor on the Pennsylvania fast trains Nos. 20 and 5, running between Columbus and Indianapolis. He maintains his residence at the former city, his home being at No. 198 Cleveland avenue. He was born in Springfield, Ohio, in 1854, and is a representative of one of the old families of Pennsylvania. His father, George Harper, was born at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1820, and when a young man came to Ohio, entering the railway service in this state soon after the construction of the first road here. He long served' as passenger conductor, resigning the position only when age incapacitated him for further service in, that connection. He died in Cleveland in the year 1898. His wife died in the same city August 4, 1899, at the age of eighty-six years. They were the parents of the following named : George, who was baggage master for many years, died in 1874; Lorenzo, who is a passenger conductor on the Wisconsin Central Railroad, living at Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and is now fifty-eight yeas of age; Henry, who follows farming near Chillicothe, Ohio; and a sister, who is living in Cleveland. She was married twenty-three years ago. John H., of this sketch, began his railway service April 4, 1864, as a water boy on a work. train on the old Indiana Central, which is now the Indianapolis division of the Pennsylvania line. He afterward became car inspector on his father's train, his father being one of the first conductors in this part of the country. His duties were extremely varied. He had to pack the boxes, keep a lookout for hot boxes, keep the car windows clean, see that the wood box was filled in winter and sweep and dust. Having served his time as car inspector Mr. Harper became a switchman in the Columbus yards. After two years' service there he was promoted to freight brakeman and was afterward passenger brakeman. In order "to learn the 732 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. road" he was made a freight conductor and served in that capacity for even years, after which he was made baggagemaster, being in that position for three years. In 1884 he was promoted as passenger conductor and has since filled that position, covering a period of sixteen consecutive years. As a reward for his ability, .discretion and carefulness. he was given the most desirable run on the road, and, is to-day recognized as one of the most reliable and efficient men in the service. It is a conservative statement to say that he has never had an accident, never neglected a duty, never forgot an order: He gives his attention wholly to the discharge of the tasks that devolve upon him and his unfailing courtesy and obliging manner have made him a favorite. During his thirty-six years of railway service he has seen wonderful changes in the methods of transportation. He recollects that in the early days all trains were run by a time card, certain stations being designated as meeting points. At these meeting points passenger trains waited fifteen minutes and freight trains thirty minutes, and thus a passenger train, if on time, could start out on its route and, it was the business of the other trains to keep out of the way. If both trains were more than fifteen minutes late at meeting stations then both forfeited their rights and they had to feel their way along. When they came to a curve, and there were a good many curves in those days; each train would have to stop and send out a flagman to see if the track was clear on the other side of the curve. Mr. Harper has done such service many a time. It thus required many hours to make a journey over the road and the conductor was a greater man than all of the stockholders, directors and officers combined. It would seem a very ridiculous idea for any of the fast express trains of to-day to come to a complete stand still every time they approached' a curve. Mr. Harper was united in marriage, May 18, 1882, in Columbus, to Miss Anna McGowan, whose mother is: now a resident of St. Joseph, Missouri. but her father has been dead for a quarter of a century. Four children grace the union of Mr. Harper and his wife : Susie May, born in 1884; Margaret, born in 1885; John, born in 1887; and Martha, in 1895. Since his early boyhood days Mr. Harper has been a resident of Columbus and he has here a very wide acquaintance, while his many sterling traits of character have gained for him a large number of friends. JUSTIN R. COCHRAN Justin R. Cochran, a conductor on the Pennsylvania Railroad, running from Columbus to Pittsburg, was born September 3, 1858, at Summerdean, Augusta county, Virginia. His father, Calvin S. Cochran, was born in the Old Dominion, and when the Civil war was inaugurated he enlisted in thr Confederate service, participating in the battles of the Army of Virginia in 1861-2 and 3. At the battle of Chancellorsville, on the 3d of May, 1863, he was wounded and died from the effects of. his injuries on the 6th of June His wife, Mrs. Susan Cochran, died at the old Virginia home October CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 733 1865. There were . but two sons in the family, James W., born at the oldin Virginia, November 15, 1861, came to Ohio in 1885 and married Miss Susan Summers, ofWellston, Ohio, on the 14th of March, 1888. They are now residents of Columbus and Mr. Cochran is holding a responsible position as foreman with an extensive contractor and builder. Justin R. Cochran has been connected with the railroad service for twenty-four years. He began railroading on the Chesapeake & Ohio in West Virginia in. 1876, and for six months. acted as wiper in the roundhouse, for he was thought too young to be allowed to become a brakeman. However, he was, soon given such a position on a freight train and for three years served in that capacity and was then made a freight conductor. He ran a train for four years and then voluntarily left the company; going with the Elizabeth, Lexington & Big Sandy division. Subsequently he came to Columbus in 1883, and has since been in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He was a brakeman on the road until 1889, when he was made conductor and is now running on the Pittsburg division between Columbus and Pittsburg. Mr. Cochran was married, February 7, 1887, in this city, to Miss Ellen S. White, a daughter of Thomas and Savilla White. Her father was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, and now resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, while her mother was born in Stark county, Ohio, and was of German lineage. She died on the 3oth of October, 1885. In their family, in addition to Mrs. Cochran, are the following named : William A., who was born February 5, 1852, but is now in the government postal service, is married and resides in Crestline, Ohio; Oliver, born March 2, 1854, is married and resides in Anderson, Indiana; George T., who was born November 24, 1865, is a polisher and resides in Cleveland, Ohio ; Laura D. is the wife of Joseph Dickson, of Crestline; and Mary E. completes the family and makes her home in Columbus. Mr. and Mrs. Cochran have one child, Ray Eugene, who was born November 8, 1888, and is now in the eighth grade of the grammar schools of the city, displaying special aptitude in his school work. Mr. Cochran has been a member of Magnolia Lodge, No. 20, F. & A. M, since the 19th of February, 1895. His life has been a busy, useful and honorable one, and he is one of the most reliable and popular conductors on the Pennsylvania line. His residence is at No. 485 Lexington avenue and he has many friends in his adopted city. JOHN HART. This prominent citizen of Norwich township, Franklin 'county, Ohio, is of old Virginia stock, and some of his ancestors fought for American liberty in the Revolutionary war. Moses Hart, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia and was reared a farmer. He married Elizabeth Hight and in 1818 came to Ohio, bringing his wife and six children, and locating in Sullivant's bottoms, Franklin township, not far from the present 734 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. site of the asylum which is so conspicuous a landmark in that part of the county. The journey was made with a wagon and four horses and one mule. In 1820 Mr. Hart bought six hundred acres. of land in Norwich township, for a part of which he paid one dollar and a quarter an acre and for the remainder a dollar and a half an acre. When. they moved from Sullivant's bottoms to Norwich it required five days to cut their way though the forest. Mr. Hart and his boys built a small log cabin, in which the family was domiciled until a better residence was erected several years later, and gave themselves with might and main to clearing the land and developing. a farm. Later Mr. Hart sold part of the land to Ephraim Fisher, and at his death four hundred acres were divided equally among his four boys. He died on his farm in Norwich township, September 8, 1841, aged seventy-seven years, and his wife died September 22, 1847, aged eighty-four years, five months and twenty-three days. They had children named as follows : Joseph, who died in Iowa in 1851; Moses, father of John Hart, of Norwich township; Valentine, who died in childhood in the year 1826; Betsey, who married Henry Krider and died near Chillicothe, Ohio; Mary, who died unmarried; and John, who died in Norwich township in 1858. Moses Hart, son of Moses Hart, Sr., and father of John Hart, was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia, in .1791, and was married there to Sarah Margaret Nicely, who was born in Alleghany county, Virginia, in April, 1802, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Circle) Nicely, both of whom were born in the Old Dominion. He came to Franklin county with his father, from whom he bought fifty acres of land, upon which he began the work of improvement, and there erected a log house. For some years he returned every spring to Virginia, sometimes on horseback, oftener on foot, and worked there during the summer, coming back to Ohio in the fall. He was a natural sportsman and in his early days here shot much game. He served in Captain Davidson's command in the war of 1812. There were plenty of maple trees on his land and he made much maple sugar. He raised hogs also and sold them at a cent and a half a pound, using the money. to buy salt, kettles and other necessary supplies for his farm and family. The children of Moses and Sarah Margaret (Nicely) Hart were : Jacob, who died in Norwich township in 1897; Moses V., of Hilliard ; Martha, who married Edward Brown and lives in Columbus ; John, who is the immediate subject of this sketch ; Mary, who married Joseph Thackeray and after his death Jackson Flynn and is now living widowed at Hilliard ; Margaret C., who married John Weeks, who died in Putnam county, Ohio ; Joseph, who lives in Columbus, Ohio; Sarah R., who is Mrs. William Walton ; and Amanda, who is Mrs. Ferdinand Grace. John Hart was born on the old Hart homestead in Norwich township, Franklin county, Ohio, June 18, 1832, and was reared to farm life with limited educational advantages. His first teacher was Mr, Versell. He was only a child when he took up farm work and he helped to clear part of his CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 735 present farm, which now consists of one hundred and three acres. He owns another farm of eighteen acres, in his landed possessions, making a total of one hundred and twenty-one acres. He is a Master Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics he is a consistent Democrat in general elections, while in local elections he votes for the men whom lie believes will best fill the offices. He was married in Alleghany county, Virginia, December 22; 1891, to Miss Sarah Margaret Nicely. ISAAC P. HEDRICK. Among those whose long connection with railroad service plainly indicates their worth to the company and their fidelity and ability in the discharge of their duties is numbered Isaac P. Hedrick, who is now a conductor on the Pennsylvania roads and: makes his home in Columbus, his residence being at No. 793 Summit street. He was born in South Charleston, Clark county, Ohio, July 5, 1859, and his early education was acquired in. the public schools. His father, Isaac H. Hedrick, was a native of the same county and was born in the year 1805. He lived to a ripe old age and passed away on the 19th of January, 1892. He was twice married and was the father of twelve sons and three daughters. He and nine of his sons were in the Union army during the Civil war, a record that can scarcely be paralleled in any family history. He lost his first wife and afterward married her sister and the latter is still living, having attained the age of eighty-seven years on the 26th of March, 1900. In their family were the following : Charles W., who enlisted in 1863, when only sixteen years of age, held the rank of corporal and was killed at Stone river, in December, 1863. Joshua T., who was a member of the One Hundred and Eighty-eighth Ohio Infantry, was wounded in the service and died in 1867 from the effects of his injuries, when only nineteen years of age. Eliza Alice became the wife of William O, Warrington, and is now living in South Charleston, Ohio; Isaac P. was the fourth child. Adam M. died in 188o, at the age of twenty-five years. Jacob M. was married and resides in Illinois, at the age of forty-two years. Mary K. died at the age of four years. William Henry was wounded and. died- at Manassas, his remains being interred in the Soldiers Home cemetery at Washington. Seven of the brothers enlisted in 1861 at President Lincoln's first call. John M. Hedrick joined the army as a private and was promoted. to the rank of a captain. This is certainly an exceptional and wonderful record of patriotism for one family. Isaac P. Hedrick learned telegraphy in his youth and was employed as an operator in early life. On the 27th of March, 1873, he began breaking on the Cincinnati division of the, Panhandle road and after four years' service he was promoted to the position of baggage master. A second promotion nude him yardmaster and after three years and eight months' service in that capacity he was made freight conductor and later passenger conductor, which position he now holds. During the entire time he has been on the same 736 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. division of the road. When breaking in 1877 he lost the thumb on his right hand and also his index finger of the same hand has ever since been stiff from the injury. While serving as yardmaster he lost the end of the third finger on the right hand. During his service as passenger conductor he has been in no wrecks or collisions and has always been found at his post of duty. On the 23d of November, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of Isaac P. Hedrick and Miss Laura Smith, of Springfield, Ohio. They had resided in the same neighborhood in Clark county from early childhood until their marriage. Mrs. Hedrick's father died when she was a year old and her mother passed away on Christmas day, 1895, at the age of seventy-five years. There were seven daughters in the family, all of whom reached womanhood with the exception of one who died in infancy. During the past five years Mr. and Mrs. Hedrick have resided in Columbus. Their family numbers five children : Smith E., born in 1877, was; married February To, 1899, to Miss Goldie Brooks, of Springfield, Ohio, where they now reside, and he is a molder in the employ of Warder, Bushnell & Glessner. Foster, born in 1880, enlisted when seventeen years of age, in Columbus, as a. member of Company H, of the Nineteenth United States Infantry, at the breaking out of the Spanish-American war, and went with his regiment to the front, participating in the battles of El Caney, San Juan and Santiago. After peace was declared he was made a corporal and is now in the Philippines. Mabel, born in 1882, died when four years of age. Louis, born in 1884, is a bright and intelligent young man now in the second year of high school. General Sherman, born in 1889, is also a student in school. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his political views Mr. Hedrick is a stalwart Republican. He became a member of the Masonic order when twenty-one years of age and has long been identified with Palestine Commandery, No. 33, of Springfield, Ohio. He is a worthy Knight Templar and in his life exemplifies the beneficent spirit of the fraternity. JOSEPH CONNOR. Industry, frugality and perseverance have brought success to many a man in Franklin county, Ohio, and elsewhere, but there is no man in Norwich township who has made his way in life more worthily than has the prominent young farmer whose name is mentioned above. Joseph Connor is a grandson of Richard Connor, who was born and married in Ireland and who came to the United States in 1851, after the death of his wife, and found a home with his daughter at Troy, New York, where he died in 1854. His son, Joseph Connor, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in county: Tipperary, Ireland, in 1816. He received a limited education and entered upon the battle of life .in his native land, determined to succeed. He came to the United States in 1847. young and without capital except the capacity for honest hard work, and was employed for two years by the United State government in blasting stone at West Point, New York. During that time, CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 737 the thumb and two fingers of his right hand were blown off while he was engaged in the hazardous work mentioned. He came to Columbus in 1849 and was employed. as a section hand on the line of the old "Sheepskin" railroad, now a portion of the Baltimore & Ohio system. In 186o he was put in charge of the Hilliard section, of which he was boss until 1867. Meantime, he had bought eighteen acres of land a mile east of Hilliard, on which he made his home in 1865 and to which he gave his undivided attention in 1867. From the date last mentioned until his retirement, Mr. Connor devoted himself to farming. In 1869 le sold his eighteen-acre farm and bought a farm of one hundred acres, two miles east of Hilliard, where he lived until the spring of 1893, when he retired from active life and removed to Plain City, Madison county, Ohio, where he died July 31, 1895. A man of the highest character and of winning personal qualities, his. death. was deeply regretted by all who had known him. He was married at Columbus, Ohio, to Miss Bridget Kerwan, who was born in county Tipperary, Ireland, January 1, 1830, a daughter of Philip Kerwan, who was born and died in Ireland. Mrs. Connor died at Plain City, Ohio, May 30, 1895. Mr. and Mrs. Connor were devout members of the Catholic church and Mr. Connor .was an unswerving Democrat. They had children as follows: William, who is living in Missouri; Mary, who resides in Plain City, Ohio ; Philip, of Plain City, Ohio; Joseph; Anna, Who is dead; Thomas, Who has a home with his brother Joseph; and Hannah, who is dead. Joseph Connor was born at Hilliard, Franklin county, Ohio, June 20, 1862. He grew to manhood in Norwich township and attended the public schools near his home and at Hilliard and was reared to farm work. In 1896 he married Missy Jessie Glover, a daughter of Clark Glover, of Norwich township, Franklin county, Ohio. Joseph and Jessie (Glover) Connor have two cjildren, William Thomas Connor and Ann Bridget. For a time he rented his father's farm, in which he now owns a one-third interest. He has made a success of general farming and has become one of the leading men of his township. A prominent Democrat, he has never sought office, but has been school director. He is a popular Knight of Pythias and he and his family are members of the Catholic church. CAPTAIN THOMAS B. HAMILL. Deeds of bravery and valor have been the theme of story and song from the earliest ages. Ere the invention of printing the minstrels went from house to house chanting songs of love and war. Tales of heroism formed a part of the teaching of the young in Greece, in Persia, in Rome and in all the centers of the older civilization, and nothing will so quickly arouse a spirit of pariotism and awaken the admiration of the American people as the story of one who risks life on the battlefield and faces the cannon's mouth in de- 738 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. fense of a principle and who defends the flag of his nation at the risk of his own life. Fortunate is the man who has back of him an ancestry honorable and distinguished, and happy is he if his lines of life are cast in harmony therewith. Captain Hamill of this review is certainly a worthy scion of his race. When the yoke of oppression became intolerable to the colonists and the Declaration of Independence declared that residents of America would no longer acknowledge allegiance to the English crown, his great-grandfather joined the colonial army and with the rank of colonel fought to establish the republic. His grandfather, Thomas B. Hamill, was a loyal defender of his native land during the war of 1812. He was a native of the north but died in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1847, being engaged in the sugar refining business in that state. His wife passed away in Newport, Kentucky, in 1885. Thomas S. Hamill, the father of our subject, was born June 11, 1847, and after arriving at years of maturity he was married. His wife, Mrs. Anna E. Hamill, was born January 19, 1849. At the time of the Civil war he responded to his country's call for aid and enlisted in 1863 in the Fourth Ohio Cavalry, and afterward served with Company H, One Hundred and Eighty-third Ohio Infantry. He was only sixteen years of age at the time of his enlistment, but the Union numbered him among its loyal and devoted defenders. He is now engaged in the manufacture of paints on an extensive scale in Columbus, being associated in this business with his son, whose name introduces this review. His children are : Mary C., wife of Thomas H. Bush, a well known horticulturist of Michigan; Emma, who is at home; Martha, who is now a student in the high school ; and Thomas B., of this review. Captain Hamill was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 13, 1873. He spent the greater part of his boyhood in Newport, Kentucky, where he remained until eighteen years of age. There he acquired his education and from 1882 until 1892 he was employed as a salesman in the dry goods house of the John Schillet Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He afterward joined his father in business and they are now at the head of one of the leading industrial concerns of the city, engaged in the manufacture of paint on an extensive scale. Their business has constantly grown both in volume and importance, and the house enjoys an enviable reputation in trade circles for reliability and with forward dealing, as well as for the excellent quality of the goods sent out. With the blood of Revolutionary ancestors flowing in his veins,and with the illustrious example of his grandfather and father before him, it is not strange that Captain Hamill early became interested in military aftairs. In 1885 when only twelve years of age he became a member of a boys' company attached as auxiliary to Post No. 1, G. A. R., of Newport. This company attended the state and national encampments of the Grand Army of the Republic at Portland, Maine, in 1885, at San Francisco, California, in 1886, at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1887, and at Columbus, Ohio, in 1888. On the 20th of October, 1893, Mr. Hamill enlisted as a private in the Fourteenth Regiment of the Ohio National Guards, and was commissioned a sergeant of the regi- CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 739 mental drum corps. On November 19, 1897, he was made sergeant of Company B, and on the 27th of December of the same year he became second lieutenant of that company. On the 9th of May, 1898, after President McKinley had issued his call for volunteers, he served with the army in Cuba. His company was mustered into the United States service for the war with Spain, and on the 15th of that month he left home, proceeding to Camp Thomas, where he remained until the 22d of July, when they left for Newport News, arriving at that place on the 26th. They reached Port Royal and on the 3rd of August landed at Orroyo, Porto Rico. Two days later they were engaged in a skirmish with the 'Spaniards at Guayamo, Porto Rico. On the loth of September Captain Hamill was detached and sent with his company to Bievieques island, where they raised the stars and stripes on. the 21st of September, remaining there for five days. Thence they proceeded to San Juan, where they remained until the close of the war. Leaving Porto Rico on the 29th of October, they arrived in New York on the 4th of November, 1898, and the following day passed in review before the President at Washington. On the 6th of November they reached Columbus where they were royally received amidst great rejoicing, the ladies of the city giving them a banquet. The regiment was then placed on waiting orders and mustered out of service on the 29th of January, 1899. Captain Hamill was elected first lieutenant of Company B on June 21, 1899, and on the, 28th of July, 1900, with his company he was called out for service in the street-car strike, and on the 15th of August of the same year he was elected and commissioned captain of his company, and was with his command at Akron, Ohio, from the 23rd to the 27th. of August. He is widely and favorably known in military circles. He is thoroughly conversant with military tactics and discipline and enjoys. the highest regard of the men whom he commands. With his company he participated in the Dewey celebration at New York city, in October, 1899, and the well disciplined forces. of his regiment made an excellent showing for the Ohio National Guards. In business circles the Captain is also popular and widely known, and he has those qualities of worth which in social life and in every land and clime command respect and confidence. HENRY DOMINY. Seldom can one find a person who has reached the advanced age of Mr. Dominy, that is yet actively connected with business affairs, but although eighty-seven years of age is still interested in farming. Such a record sould put to shame many a man of much younger years, who grown weary of the trials and struggles of life would relegate to others the burdens which he should bear. Mr. Dominy was born in Darby township, Madison county, Ohio, November 16, 1813. His grandfather, Henry Dominy, removed from Long Island to Plattsburg, New York, and spent his remaining days in the Empire state, 740 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Jeremiah Dominy, the father of our subject, was born on Long Island, and became a New York farmer. He married Abigail Norton, who was born in New York, and in 1812, the year of their marriage, they started for Ohio by wagon, arriving in Worthington, ranklin county, in the late fall. They resided with the family of Mr. Buell ntil Mr. Dominy could erect a home on the farm which he had purchased n Madison township. Mr. Norton, the maternal grandfather of our subject, also came to Ohio at the same time and purchased three hundred acres of and in what is now Darby township, Madison county, although the counties had not then been organized. Jeremiah Dominy settled on his fifty acres of land in Darby township. He had no tools, not even an ax, and only five dollars in money. He built a cabin of round logs, 18x20 feet, in one end of which was a fire place, the smoke finding egress through a mud and sticl chimney. The room was used for all purposes. Greased paper pasted ver apertures in the wall served as a window. The land on which Columbus now -stands could then have been purchased for two dollars and a half per acre. Mr. Dominy made shoes for his neighbors and followed coopering for a time, thus adding to his income. As his financial resources increased, he extended the boundaries of his farm by additional purchase until he owned twelve hundred acres, being numbered among the most prosperous agriculturist of his community. He made all of the plows used in this section of the te, being able to do anything in a mechanical line, owing to his splendid ability in that direction. For a short time he served in the war of 1812. He was long township tax collector, for twenty years served as justice of the peace and was one of the influential men of his community. In politics he was an old line Whig and he was reared in the Presbyterian church. His death occurred on the old home farm. The mother of our subject died about 1827 and he afterward married Tamson Canby. He became the father of twenty children. Those of the first marriage were : Dulanna, who. died at the age of fourteen; James, who died in 1812 ; Henry ; Betsy, wife of Eli Douglas; Almon and Alvin, twins; Ezra; Nancy, wife of Willis Twiford; John, of Nebraska; Abigail, who died in -childhood; and Silas. The children of the second marriage were Phoebe wife of Dana Bigelow ; Martha, wife of Harvey James ; Melissa, wife of Lemuel Marshall ; Jasper, deceased; and four who died in childhood. Henry Dominy of this review was reared on the frontier where there were many wild animals and where conditions existed that can scarcely be realized by the people of to-day. The land was in its primitive condition, forests uncut and fields undeveloped. In his boyhood he aided in clearing and improving the home farm. When fourteen years of age he would travel thirty miles to mill in all kinds of weather. There were no schools for many years. Occasionally when the people of the neighborhood would raise money, a teacher would be employed and school would be held in some abandoned log shanty. The first school he attended was in a log corn crib, his teacher being Aaron Martin, a man of good. education for those times. CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 741 The school buildings were seated with slab benches while the writing desks made by placing a board on pins driven into the wall. Mr. Dominy rem fined at home until his marriage, which occurred December 13, 1834, Miss Harriet Barlow becoming his wife. She was born, in Greene county, Ohio, 1818, a daughter of Edwin and Polly (Barnes) Barlow. Her father was born in Connecticut, and her mother in New York, in which state both liv d at the time of their marriage. Afterward they emigrated to Ohio, lo ting in Greene county. Mr. Dominy after his marriage took up his abode in Madison county, where he live until 1864, when he sold his farm there and purthased two. hundred and wenty acres in Norwich and Washington townships, Franklin county. Later he bought one hundred and twenty acres additional in Washington township. He has since actively engaged in farming, and although he as passed the eighty-seventh milestone on life's journey, he yet superintends the manage men of his property. The following children came to bless. th home: Abigail, d eased ; Edmond, who died in Washington township in 1888; Polly, wife of Henry Wright; Jeremiah; Amanda, wife of Luther Mathias; Ezra; orace, of California; Harriet E., who died in childhood; and William H., who was born in Canaan township, Madison county, Ohio, September 26, 1859. He was a boy when his parents removed to Washington township, Franklin county, was educated' in the district schools, and reared on the farm . On the 12th of April, 1883, he wedded Mary E. Neff daughter of Augustus and Sarah Ann Neff. He then located on his father's farm, whe he has since made his home. His wife died March 2, 1893, leaving dren, Sarah Ann, Lucy Austin and Harriet F. Mr. Dominy this review was also called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who had tr eled life's journey by his side for sixty-two years, two months and fourt days when called to her final rest in March, 1897. She. was a devout Christian woman and for a half century Mr. Dominy has been an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has read the Bible through over twelve times and quotes the scriptures readily. In early life he was a Whig and in 1840 voted for William Henry Harrison. During that campaign he and forty others rode to Urbana on horse back to hear Harrison speak. He once voted for Henry Clay, and since the organization of the Repulican party he has been one of its stalwart supporters. He has an excellent memory and is a good conversationalist and can relate many interesting incidents of his life on the wild western frontier. WILLIAM A. WESTERVELT. The progressive and prosperous young physician of Columbus, Ohio, whose name heads this sketch is a representative of the Westervelt family in America which was founded by Lubbert von Westervelt, who came from Holland about 1662, and to whom our subject is able to trace his genealogy in an unbroken line. Lubbert was accompanied by a brother whose name 742 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. cannot now be recalled. Further interesting material concerning this family will be found in biographical sketches of other Westervelts in this volume.   Dr. Westervelt is a son of the Rev. Howard Bailey Westervelt, of Mifflinville, Ohio, and was born at Columbus, in 1870. He received a good English education at Portsmouth, Scioto county, Ohio, and was graduated at the Ohio University at Athens in 1891. In 1894 he was graduated in medicine and surgery at the Medical College of Indiana, where he was a student and instructor of chemistry from 1891 to 1893. He devoted much of his time during 1894 to dispensary work at Indianapolis; and immediately after his graduation that year began, the practice of his profession at Williams. port, Ohio, where he had a successful career until 1896, when he located at Columbus. He was an assistant surgeon in the Ohio National Guard, with the rank of captain from 1896 to 1899, and in 1898 was appointed major and surgeon of the Tenth Ohio Regiment, with which he was actively connected until March. 22, 1899, when the regiment was mustered out of the United States volunteer service, having been on duty most of that time with the Second Army Corps at Camp Meade, Pennsylvania, and at Camp McKenzie, Georgia, a part of the time as acting brigade surgeon of the First Brigade. Since 1899 he has been in general practice at Columbus and has met with satisfactory success.   In politics Dr. Westervelt is a Republican. He and his father and three of his brothers are members of the Greek letter society of their college. In religious. connection he is a Methodist. He married Miss Myra M. Wells, a daughter of the late Mark T. Wells, of Columbus, and has one son.     JEREMIAH DOMINY.   A representative of the farming interests of Franklin county, Jeremiah Dominy belongs to one of the oldest families of Ohio, his people having come to this state in 1812. He was born in Canaan township, Madison county, Ohio, October 17, 1841, and is a son of Henry Dominy, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. He spent the first twenty-three years of his life in the county of his nativity and in the spring of 1864 accompanied his parents on their removal to Washington township, Franklin county. He pursued his education in the common schools during the winter months, and in the summer season worked on the farm until after the inauguration of the Civil war, when he enlisted September 21, 1861, at Camp Chase as a private of Company K, First Ohio Cavalry, under command of Captain Forshee and Colonel Smith. He participated in the battles of Stone River, Perryville and Cortland, Alabama, and at the last named, on the 25th of July, 1862, all of the company, with the exception of sixteen, were captured, Mr. Dominy, however, being fortunate enough to escape. They were .fighting almost daily from Manchester, Tennessee, to Shiloh and were on the skirmish line or scouting almost day and night. In June, 1862, Mr. Dominy participated in the siege of Corinth. Owing to disability he was discharged at Luverne, Tennessee, Febru-   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 743   ary 27, 1863, and then returned to his home, but it was some time before he had overed sufficiently to resume business.   On the 16th of November, 1864, Mr. Dominy was united in marriage in Canaan township to Miss Eleanor Sager, daughter of John Sager. Their children are as follows: Newton J., born July. I., 1872, on the homestead farm, pursued his education in the district schools, was for two years. a student in the Hilliard high. school, and then entered the Ohio Medical College, where he studied two years. He graduated in pharmacy. in 1896 and has been clerking in a drug store for three years. In politics he is a Republican, holds to the belief of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married December 15. 1897, to Anna May Mitchell, and they had one child, Llewellyn, now deceased. Carl S. Dominy the younger son, was born August 29, 1874, and after attending the district schools, spent two years in the high school at Hilliard and one year in. the high school at Dublin. He, too, favors the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a Republican in his political affiliations. Throughout his active business career Jeremiah Dominy has followed farming. At the time of his marriage he located on his present farm of eighty-one acres in Washington township, Franklin county, and as the. result of his well directed efforts, he is now the possessor of a comfortable competence. he was formerly a member of John A. Spellman Post,. G. A. R., of Hilliard, but is not identified with it now. Of the Republican party he is a stalwart supporter, unchangeable in his advocacy of its principles, and he is as true and loyal to his duties of citizenship to-day as when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields.   EMANUEL WHITAKER, M. D.   Eight years have passed since Dr. Whitaker became a representative of the medical fraternity of Columbus. The ranks of the profession are constantly recruited from the farms, and he is among the number who left rural surroundings to become identified with the practice of medicine. He was born upon a farm in Logan county, Ohio, March 6, 1839, and represents one of the honored pioneer families of the Buckeye state. The Whitakers are of English origin and when members of the family left that country for the new world they took up their abode in New Jersey. Demond Whitaker, the grandfather of our subject, was the first of the name to come to Ohio, making a settlement in Clark county, in the year 1811. He brought with him his family, including Joseph Whitaker, the father of our subject, who was born in New Jersey, in 1791. At the age of twenty he became a resident of Clark county, where he followed the 'occupation of farming until his removal to Logan county. There he carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Lydia Rudisell, also passed away in the same county. Her father, Henry Rudisell, was descended from a German family and was a soldier in the war Of the Revolution, after which he was granted a pension until his death in recognition of the aid which he   744 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   rendered the colonies. He was under the immediate command of Washington, and at the battle of Brandywine was captured and held prisoner by theBritish in New York city.   Dr. Whitaker of this review spent his youth in Logan county, where he attended the public schools and also pursued his studies in a select school. Later he entered Hillsdale College, at Hillsdale, Michigan, where he continued his education for two years, teaching during the intervals in Ohio. Attracted to the science of medicine, he began reading under the direction of Dr. S. N. James, of East Liberty, Ohio, and eventually entered Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, in which institution he was graduated with the class of 1868. Beginning practice in Logan county, he there continued for two years, and in 1893 he came. to Columbus, where he has since resided Long connection with the profession and a broad and varied experience well qualified him for the work which he undertook in this city, and he was not long in demonstrating his skill and trustworthiness in the line of his chosen work.   At the time of the Civil war Dr. Whitaker manifested his loyalty to his country by donning the blue as one of the defenders of the Union. He served from 1862 until 1865 in the Fourteenth Ohio Battery and took part in a number. of engagements, including the battle of Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Atlanta, ending in the surrender of. the city, the battle of Jonesboro, and of Nashville and the celebrated campaign under General Sherman, including the famous march to the sea, which showed the Confederacy to be but an empty shell. In 1864 he was under General Thomas at the capture of Mobile, and on the 18th of August, 1865, he was honorably discharged, having for three years loyally followed the old flag, faithfully performing his duties whether upon the picket line or in the thickest of the fight.   When the war was. over Dr. Whitaker returned to his family in the north He had. been married in 1860, to Miss Amanda J. Speese, of Byhalia, Union county, Ohio, a daughter of George and Maria Speese. They now have six children : Harry, who follows farming; Katy B., wife of C. W. James, of Columbus; Rudisell V., who is with a railroad company; Nellis M., a successful teacher in the Portsmouth schools; Paul P. ; and Leon D., who is a student in a commercial college. The Doctor and his family are widely and favorably known. He is one of the most reliable physicians in practice in Columbus. He supplements his broad' experience by constant reading and study, so that he is in touch with the most advanced .thought and progress of the day.   ALFRED TAYLOR.   Among the old and honored residents of Jackson township none is held in higher esteem than Alfred Taylor, one of its prominent and successful famers. He was born in Maryland, December 29, 1821, the only child of Samuel and Pattie (Hickman) Taylor. He was very young when his father died and   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 745   consequently knows nothing of him. His mother subsequently married again and by the second union had children, none of whom our subject has ever seen.   When a small child Mr. Taylor was bound out to his uncle, Elisha Howell, with whom he came to Franklin county, Ohio, three years later, remaining with him until reaching manhood. On attaining his majority he received fifty dollars, 'but continued to work for his uncle at eight dollars per month for two years. He then began farming on his own account upon rented land, but made his home with Mr. Howell two years, longer.   Mr. Taylor was then married, in 1847, at the age of twenty-six years to Miss Myrandah Lukins, who was born in Horsham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvaniallovember 3o, 1826, and was about seven years old when brought by her parents to this county, the family taking up their residence in Columbus. Her father, James Lukins, was supposed to be of Scotch descent, while her mother, Phoebe (Bradford) Lukins, was a native of Pennsylvania and of German or low Dutch ancestry. In their family were two daughters : Jeannette, now the widow of Jerry Park and a resident of Washington, Iowa; and Mrs. Taylor, who was reared in Pleasant township from the time she was seven years of age. Of the seven children born to our subject and his wife, two, who were twins, died young. Those living are Jeannette, wife of John C. Haughn, of Putnam county, Ohio.; Mary, wife of Charles H. Rivers, of Franklin township, this county; Samuel, who married Lydia Seeds, and resides on one of his father's farms in Jackson township; and Josephine, wife of James H. Bell, living on another of Mr. Taylor's farms. in the same township. Their son, James M., died after reaching young manhood; James was the second son, and selected railroad work for his vocation, but a severe attack of typhoid fever ended his bright prospects; this son was married to Nancy Johnson, leaving a little daughter beside the wife to mourn his early departure.   Mr. and Mrs. Taylor began married life in a log house near Lockbourne, where they lived one year, and then spent three years on the Abner Williams farm near the same place. In 1849. he purchasd the farm in Jackson township, upon which he still lives, and located thereon in 1852. It was a wild tract of one hundred acres covered with a heavy growth of timber, which lie at once began to clear, making his home in a little log cabin which stood upon his land. Prior to this he had cleared Seventy acres of land near Shadeville, and in the work of improvement he has ever borne his part, thus materially advancing the interests of his adopted county: In his farming operations he has prospered, and is now the owner of four hundred, and forty, six acres of valuable and productive land in Jackson township. He commenced life for himself with fifty dollars in money, but being industrious, ambitious and honorable in all his dealings he has steadily prospered and is to-day one of the most substantial men of his community.   Politically Mr. Taylor was originally a Whig, but since the organization of the Republican arty he has been one of its stanch supporters. For   746 - CENTENNIAL, BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   nine years he .filled the office of school director in his district. For forty- eight years Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have resided upon their present farm. In 1897 they celebrated their golden wedding, at which time over six hundred of their friends were gathered at their home to offer their congratulations to this worthy couple. They stand high in the community where they have so long made their home, and no citizens in Franklin county are more honored or highly respected.   PURDY M. REESE.   One of the intelligent and prominent farmers of Prairie township, Purdy M. Reese was born on the banks of the Scioto river in Franklin county. December 26, 1826. Few of the native sons of the county have so long resided here. His ancestors were Welsh. His paternal grandfather was accidentally killed at the time of the raising of a building, after which his widow and her children came to Ohio., locating on Darby creek near the county line of Franklin and Madison counties. Mrs. Reese spent her remaining days here.   David Reese, the father of our subject, was born in Virginia and accompanied his mother to the Buckeye state when about twelve or fifteen years of age. He spent his boyhood days upon the home farm on Darby creek and received but limited educational privileges, for. the schools of that day we primitive in character. His training at farm labor, however, was not meager, for early experience soon made him familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Magdalina King, who was born in Franklinton, Ohio a daughter of Samuel King, who came from Pennsylvania to this state. He was probably a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but in an early period in the development of Ohio he came to this county and located in Franklinton. He married Miss Martha McIlvaine, who had two maternal uncles of the name of Purdy, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Samuel King resided near the Scioto river and .died at his home by the Grogg Spring. His wife passed away at the home of one of her children. After his marriage David Reese, the father of our subject, resided just across the line in Madison county, but later he took up his abode in Brown township, Franklin county, on Darby creek. He lived in various places and at length died in Madison county, at the age of eighty four years. The mother of our subject passed away in 1837. The father was three times married, his second wife being Polly Garton, while his third wife was Lydia Chillis. The children of the first marriage were: Purdy M.; Joseph, deceased; Martha Ann, who has also passed away; Eliza Jane, deceased wife of Charles Arthurs; and Samuel, who served in the Civil war and is now living in Madison county, Ohio. There was one child by the. second marriage, John, who is now living in Amity, Madison county.   Purdy M. Reese was reared to manhood in this county and began his   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 747   life in a log school building on the Anthony farm on the Scioto river. His early teacher was Alexander Jones, a New England man, who was well qualified for his work. The schoolhouse was built of round logs and was supplied with slab benches and puncheon floors, while the older children used as a writing desk a .board which was laid upon pins driven into the wall; a log taken out of the room gave a place for the insertion of window glass and the building was thus lighted. The rod formed an important item in the discipline and the rules were primitive in character.   After the death :of his mother Mr. Reese of this review went to live with his uncle, Purdy McIlvaine, at Upper . Sandusky, Ohio, and was sent by him to the subscription schools. For four or five years he remained with his uncle, who was acting as Indian agent at that point for the Wyandotte tribe. He was a stanch Democrat and on account of his politics he was removed from his office by William Henry Harrison, who was then president of the United States, being succeeded by John W. Bare. When the Wyandottes sold their lands to the government Mr. McIlvaine acted as their agent in settling with the government. Mr. Reese accompanied his uncle on many of his trips among the red men: At times Mr. McIlvaine would have as much as one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars in gold and silver in his house. After he had been deposed as agent he conducted a tavern at Marion, Ohio, for a year and was also at Delaware for a time. While residing there Mr. Reese left his uncle's home and entered upon an independent business career. He came to Franklin county, where he entered the employ of another uncle, Robert King. He was employed in the quarries to some extent, and while living on the river became afflicted with ague. He then went to live with his uncle, Samuel King, in Norwich township, remaining with him for a considerable period. As a companion and helpmeet on life's journey he chose Miss Nancy Kellar, their marriage being celebrated September 15, 1855. The lady was born on the old Kellar homestead in Norwich township and during her girlhood she pursued her education in the subscription schools, her first teacher being. Mary Cox. She was also under the instruction of Alexander Jones for a time, and she completed her education in the district schools, when seventeen years of age. She is a daughter of Jacob Kellar, who was born in Virginia, married Sarah Daugherty and coming to Ohio they settled in Franklinton. Her mother was a daughter of John Daugherty, who was a native of Ireland and was there reared. His wife died after coming to the United States, with his children, he locating in Richland county, Ohio. For his second wife he chose Nancy Gatton, and subsequently removed to Franklinton, where John learned his trade of weaving. After his marriage Jacob Kellar located in Norwich township, on the farm now owned by John Robinson. Prior to this, however, they lived for a time in a log house, situated on the present site of Marble Cliff. At that place James Daugherty, the maternal uncle of Mrs. Reese, ferried people across the river in pioneer days. On the old homestead farm Mr. Kellar died in 1860.   748 - CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.   Mr. and Mrs. Reese began their domestic life on the Elliott farm in Norwich township, where they resided for one year. He afterward rented and operated other farms and for a time resided on the Kellar homestead. He lived in Brown township for nine years and then purchased fifty acres of land, which he cultivated and improved until 1873, when he sold that property and located on his present farm near Alton. The tract comprised sixty-two and a half acres, which is under a high state of cultivation. He carries on general farming and his progressive methods and untiring energu have brought to him creditable success.   The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Reese has been blessed with five children; Joseph, who is engaged in merchandising in Alton, Ohio; Robert, who died at the age of three years; Ada, the wife of William Norris, of Logansport, Indiana; Jennie, the wife of Turne Cordell, of Columbus, and Charles, who was accidentally killed on the Cincinnati Southern Railroad. Both Mr. and Mrs. Reese hold membership in the Christian Union church and take an active part in its work. In politics he is a Democrat, having supported the party since casting his first presidential vote in 1848, with the exception of two occasions when he deposited his ballot for other candidates. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Galloway, and is recognized as one of the progressive and enterprising citizens, co-operating in every movement or measure for the public good and at the same time so conducting his private affairs as to win a handsome competence in return for his labor. He and his wife have many warm friends who esteem them highly for their sterling worth and many excellencies of character as well as for their cordial hospitality.   WILLIAM MILTON GRAHAM.   The well known civil engineer and contractor, of Columbus, Ohio, whose name appears above, is a. son of John Graham, who was sheriff of Franklin county, Ohio, from 1837 to 1846. John Graham was born in Loudon county, Virginia, and came to Franklin county in 1826 with his parents, who settled on a farm. at Alton. Sheriff Graham's brothers, James, Thomas and Nathan, became farmers, but John studied civil engineering at the old academy at Columbus, which stood on.the site of the present city hall, and became county surveyor of Franklin county. Later he served as deputy sheriff and during the nine years from. 1837 to 1846, he ably filled the office of sheriff. He was appointed postmaster of Columbus by President Lincoln, was a member of a commission appointed to investigate the Ashtabula disaster, one of the most terrible railway accidents in the history of America. He spent three years in New York city, where he was employed as a civil engineer in laying out portions of Central park. Politically he was a Whig, later a Republican and he was highly esteemed as an engineer, as a public official and as a citizen. He died at Columbus in 1895, aged eighty-three years. His wife was Miss Jane Smith, a native of Pennsylvania.   CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY - 749   Of the eight children of John and Jane (Smith) Graham, William Milton Graham, of Columbus, is the only survivor. He was educated in the city schools, studied engineering with his father and was for ten years employed in the city engineer's department of the city of Columbus. Since leaving the city engineer's. office, he has: devoted himself to contracting to supply waterworks, sewers and street work in different cities and has met with noteworthy success. He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow and he is highly regarded as a straightforward and reliable business man and a progressive and publicspirited citizen.   WILLIAM LISLE.   William Lisle is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Franklin, county, and first opened his eyes to' the light of day in the little log cabin which stood on the homestead farm in Hamilton township, November 28, 1808. His: grandfather, John. Lisle, was a native of Kentucky and removed: to Cincinnati and afterward to Franklinton. On the journey he carried his two sons, James and. Robert, in saddlebags on his horse and his wife carried her little infant daughter. No roads had beenmade from Cincinnati and they followed the Indian trails. On reaching what is now Franklin county John Lisle secured a claim, entering from the government three hundred acres of land on Whetstone creek in Perry township. There he located in the midst of the wilderness, when he could have secured the land upon which the city of Columbus has since been built, had he so desired. He also .entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres for his son Robert and a similar tract for his son James. On the wild frontier he developed a good farm and carried on agricultural pursuits until his demise.   James Lisle, the father of our subject, was born in Kentucky, and after being brought to Ohio in the manner described above, he was reared upon the old home farm, experiencing all the hardships and trials as well as pleasures known to the frontier settlers. When the war of 1812 was inaugurated he joined the army and served as a defender of the American interests. When he had attained to man's estate he located on a quarter-section of land in Hamilton township, which had been entered for him by his father. It was a wild tract upon which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made. He erected a little cabin built of round logs, the house being fifteen by fifteen feet. It contained but one room, in the end of which was a large fireplace, which served the double purpose of heating and of furnishing fire for cooking purposes. There was a puncheon floor, a clapboard roof and a mud and stick chimney: James Lisle gave thirty acres of his land to Mr. Kilgore in payment for the latter's labor in clearing ten acres of his farm. The Lisle family was one of the first to locate in that locality, and with resolute purpose and undaunted will the father carried on the work of developing and improving his place. On one occasion he was thrown from a horse and sustained a bad wound on the head, but the scalp was laid back and a