550 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. President Grant the appointment of internal revenue collector for the thirteenth Ohio district, of which Knox county was a part. This office he held with his usual success until there was a consolidation by Congress of revenue districts and the office was removed to Columbus, Ohio. On December I I, 1843, Mr. Kirk was united in marriage with Eleanor Hogg, daughter of James Hogg and wife, one of the prominent early families of Mt. Pleasant, Ohio. This union resulted in the birth of four children: John E., the eldest son, served through the Civil war in the Ninety-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and he died at Mt. Vernon in January, 1873, at the age of twenty-nine years ; Desault B., a complete sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work ; Plempton and William H. were twins. In public affairs Mr. Kirk took a deep interest, was always fully abreast of the times in current issues, well informed, profoundly educated, a keen observer and a man of dauntless courage. He unquestionably possessed the qualities which typify the gentleman and because of his many commendable attributes and his exemplary life he was one of the best known and most highly esteemed men of his day and generation in this section of Ohio and he numbered his friends by the scores wherever he was known, many of whom were the leading men of the nation. ANDREW D. WELKER, M. D, In his chosen field of endeavor Dr. Andrew D. Welker, of Gambier, Knox county, Ohio, has achieved success such as few attain, and his present standing among the leading medical men of this section of the Buckeye state is duly recognized and appreciated, not only in his own city and county, but also throughout this locality. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, he has also proven an honorable member of the body politic; rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, he has filled worthily high and important trusts and in every relations of life has never fallen below the dignity of true manhood nor in any way resorted to methods and wiles that invite criticism or censure. As a citizen he easily ranks with the most influential of his vicinity where he has long been a power. His course has ever been above suspicion and those favored with an intimate acquaintance with him are profuse in their praise of his many virtues and upright character. Doctor Welker was born on October 22, 1847, in Howard township, Knox county. He is the son of William Elliott Welker and Rachael (Dur- KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 551 bin) Welker, Abraham 'Welker, the great-grandfather, came from Washington- county, Pennsylvania, to Howard township, Knox county, Ohio, in the latter years of the eighteenth century when this country was a wilderness and the home of the Indian and wild beast, probably about 1790, when there were only a few settlers in the county. He settled on the edge of what was known as the Indian field, containing about forty acres of cleared land. Even the Indians knew nothing of when or by whom it had been cleared, Here the family settled, developed a farm and became identified in the settlement of the new country. Paul Welker, the subject's grandfather, was a soldier in the war of 1812 and was in the Hull surrender at Detroit, an important event in that war. In private life he was a farmer and fond of hunting, spending much of his time in the woods with dog and gun. His brother, Andrew Welker, was also a soldier in the war of 1812. They were in the command of Col. Lewis Cass, prominent in the history of that period. William Elliott Welker, father of the subject, was a farmer and owned a good farm in Howard township, this county, where he lived and died. He also teamed for some time for a merchant of Kinderhook, now called Howard. He was a man of industry and exemplary character. The Durbins were also an early pioneer family. Benjamin Durbin, the great-grandfather, came with his family from Maryland and engaged in milling in College township. Grandfather Samuel Durbin was also a farmer and miller. The family of William E. Welker and wife was composed of three sons and one daughter, namely : Andrew D., of this review ; Sarah E. is deceased ; Lewis G. lives inllt. Vernon; Alexander E. is a practicing physician in the West, The father. William E. Welker, died on December 25, 1891, and his widow died in January, 1905. He was a Republican in politics and was always interested in public affairs. The son, Andrew D., of this sketch, grew up on the home farm and engaged in the general farm work. He attended the country district schools and later a select school at Millwood. Later on he taught school for three years. He began his medical studies under Dr. D. S. Coleman, Dr. William T. McMahon and Dr. Robert Moffett, of Millwood. He spent the winters of 187o, 1871 and 1872 in the Louisville Medical College at Louisville, Kentucky, receiving his degree in the spring of the latter year, having made a good record for scholarship there. When General Morgan was in Congress from the Mt. Vernon district he furnished the subject a scholarship in the college mentioned above. Doctor Welker came to Gambier, Ohio, after his graduation and here began the practice of his profession and here he has since remained, having enjoyed a liberal and ever growing practice with the entire (36) 552 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. community, ranking high among the leaders of a community noted for the excellency of its professional talent. He has been very successful as a general practitioner and has kept well abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his profession, having ever been a profound student of medical science. Doctor Welker has been twice married, first in 187o to Louisa White, daughter of Anthony and Kizzian ( Wade) White, a prominent family of Howard township, Mr. White having been a large landowner and an influential citizen. His death occurred in 1868. To Dr. and Mrs. Welker two children were born, Minnie, deceased, and Sarah E., who is at home. The wife and mother died in August, 1873. The Doctor's second marriage took place in May, 1878, to Frances E. Col-will, daughter of Simon and Ann (Heard) Colwill, who came from England in 1833 and settled near Gambier, Knox county, Ohio. To this second union one son was born, Vincent B., who lives in Gambier. Doctor Welker is a member of the County Medical Society, the State Medical Society and the National Medical Association, and he has always taken much interest in these societies. Politically, he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Gambier board of education and is at this writing president of that body. He has served in the town council and as health officer for a number of years. He is the owner of a fine farm near Howard, which joins the old Indian field. Here is carried on, under his general supervision, general farming and stock raising. His place consists of one hundred and eighty acres, well improved and well kept. Besides this excellent farm he has a modern and attractive home in Gambier. The Doctor belongs to the Catholic church. Doctor Welker started in life a poor boy and he entered his profession with nothing but courage and character of a high order, and with this determination to win he has succeeded not only in his profession, but he has acquired an ample competency for his declining years, at the same time winning the confidence and esteem of a very wide circle of friends and acquaintances. WALTER B, JOHNSON. There are individuals in nearly every community who, by reason of pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and command the unbounded esteem of their fellow men. Characterized by KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 553 perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of their strong personalities serves as a stimulus and incentive to the young and rising generation. To this energetic and enterprising class Walter B. Johnson, the present popular and efficient postmaster at Fredericktown, Knox county, very properly belongs. Having never been seized with the roaming desires that have led many of our young men to other fields of endeavor and other states, where they have sought.their fortunes, Mr. Johnson has devoted his life to industries at home and has met with a fair measure of success all along the line, as we shall see by a study of his life history. By his advocacy of wholesome living, purity in politics and honesty in business, he has long enjoyed the undivided respect and esteem of all who know him, being regarded as a worthy citizen and representative of a sterling old pioneer family. Mr. Johnson was born on March 2, 1855, in Fredericktown. He is the son of Tames and Margaretta (Glime) Johnson, the father having been born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on a farm near the birthplace of James G. Blaine. Mrs. Johnson was born in Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. The grandparents, on both sides of the house, came to Ohio in an early day, locating first in Guernsey county, and there the parents of the subject were married. The first years of their married life were spent at Wheeling, where Mr. Johnson was engaged in the mercantile business ; later they moved to Claysville, Guernsey county, this state, and there Mr. Johnson continued the mercantile business until 1853, when he moved to Frederick-town, Knox county, and here the father of the subject continued merchandising until 1871, when he moved with his family to Waterloo, Indiana, and there opened a store. which he continued to conduct until 1881, in which year he moved back to Fredericktown, and here he lived retired until his death, on November 25, 1891. He had been very successful as a merchant and enjoyed a good trade in all the places that he conducted a store, always gaining the confidence of the people and doing business on an honest basis. The death of his wife occurred on April 25, 1891. They are buried in Forest cemetery at Fredericktown. The father was a life-long Republican and always took an active interest in public affairs. He and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian church, he being an elder in the same for many years and active in church and Sunday school work. Walter B. Johnson was educated in the public schools of Fredericktown, and while in school assisted his father in his business as much as possible, and he clerked in his store during the time that the family lived in Waterloo, Indiana, and for a time he was on the road as a traveling salesman. When the 554 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO family returned to Fredericktown, the subject and his brother, Jesse G., formed a partnership with Cyrus Hosack, under the firm name of Johnson Brothers & Company, and engaged in the dry goods business. This firm continued from 1882 to 1888, when the firm dissolved and discontinued business. after six years of continuous success. Mr. Johnson then engaged in the general life insurance business, principally with the Equitable of New York, in which he continued until November 15, 1897, having built up a large patronage. In that year he was appointed postmaster at Fredericktown by President McKinley, and he has continued to discharge the duties of this office to the present time with a fidelity to duty that has won the hearty commendation of the department and the people and in a manner that reflects much credit upon himself. At that time this was a fourth-class office, but about fourteen months later it was advanced to the third class. In this class there are ten grades of offices according to their receipts, and Fredericktown is now in the eighth grade of the fourth-class offices, coming very near the point of advancement to a second-class office. When Mr. Johnson was appointed postmaster there were no rural route deliveries. Now there are seven from the Fredericktown office. The first route established in Knox county was secured through the efforts of Mr. Johnson. This route was operated out of Fredericktown and it was also the second route in the fourteenth Ohio congressional district. This route covers territory about sixteen miles in diameter and has brought a large amount of business to the Fredericktown office, the business here now requiring ten postal employes in connection with the handling of mail. There were only two when Mr. Johnson assumed charge of the local office. When the subject's father came to Fredericktown he purchased property from the grandparents of Hon. Frank Hitchcock, now postmaster-general, and the grandparents of the latter are buried in Forest cemetery here. Mr. Johnson has always been a Republican in politics and has long been active in party affairs. Prior to his appointment as postmaster, he was a member of the Republican county central committee and for some time he was a member of the Republican county executive committee, and a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions. He served four years in the town council and was also justice of the peace for one term and he is now secretary of the Forest Cemetery Association and he has been a member of the cemetery board for over twenty years. In all positions of public trust he has performed his duties most faithfully and conscientiously, always to the satisfaction of the public. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 555 Mr. Johnson was married on August 24, 1899, to Julia C. Castner, daughter of Samuel J. and Mary A. (McFarland) Castner. The father was born in Philadelphia. Grandfather Jacob Castner at one time owned the land now comprising the campus of Bryn Mawr College. Samuel J. Castner came to Fredericktown in 1867 from Woodbury, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and he was engaged in the harness business, but before coming to this state followed farming in connection with the harness business. He was a Republican in politics and served in the Pennsylvania Legislature and was justice of the peace for a period of thirty-seven years in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. He was of the Quaker faith and was a prominent man in his community. His death occurred in May, 1908, and his wife died in March, 1910. They are both buried in Forest cemetery, Fredericktown. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Masonic order and he and his wife belong to the auxiliary Order of the Eastern Star. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a member of the official board and has been for several years. He is active in church and Sunday school work. Mrs. Johnson is a member of the women's organizations of the church and active in the work of the same. PATRICK A. BERRY. Characterized by breadth of wisdom and strong individuality, the achievements of Patrick A. Berry, judge of the probate court of Knox county, but represent the utilization of innate talents in directing efforts along lines in which mature judgment, rare discrimination and a resourcefulness that hesitates at no opposing circumstances, pave the way and ultimately lead to worthy achievements. It is not the intention of the biographer in this connection to give a detailed history of his busy, influential and interesting life, but rather to note, incidentally, his connection with various phases of the development of this locality, his marked achievement at the bar and his laudable work as a jurist, and to show- the marked influence he has wielded in advancing the general good of Mt. Vernon and vicinity. Judge Berry was born on December 23, 1869, in Howard township, Knox county, Ohio, and he is the son of a sterling old pioneer family, John and Mary Ann (Critchfield ) Berry. The father was born in St. Clairsville. Belmont county, and the mother in Knox county, Ohio. The elder Berry was a successful farmer. He was active in the affairs of his locality and filled 556 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. various township offices, being loyal to the principles of the Democratic party. He was influential and highly respected by all who knew him, being a man of strong characteristics and uprightness. His death occurred in February, 1903, his widow surviving until in January, 1908. The son, Patrick A. Berry, spent his youth on the farm, assisting with the general duties about the place and attended the rural schools, later entered Bethany College at Bethany, West Virginia, completing his course in 189o. He then entered the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he made a splendid record and from which he was graduated in 1892, when only twenty-three years of age. While in college he was a member of the collegiate fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, and the law fraternity, Phi Delta Phi. After his graduation he located at Atlanta, Georgia, for the practice of his profession and he remained in that city nearly five years, enjoying a very liberal practice from the first, but failing health compelled him to give up the same. While in Atlanta he was active in the affairs of the political party with which he affiliated, and he was associated with Hon. Hoke Smith and other notables of that section, Upon leaving Atlanta. he returned to his father's home and assumed the management of the farm with a view of regaining his health. In this he was successful and again entered the arena of public life. In the fall of 1899 he was elected from Knox county as a member of the seventy-fourth Ohio General Assembly, in which he made such a commendable record that his constituents gladly reelected him to the seventy-fifth General Assembly. During his service of two terms he served as a member of various important committees and made his influence felt for the good of Knox county and the state in general, performing every duty in a manner that reflected much credit upon himself and justifying the wisdom of his election. In 1900 he resumed the practice of law in Mt. Vernon, being associated with Judge Frank 0. Levering. In the fall of 1905 he was elected probate judge of Knox county and re-elected in 1908 by a majority of nineteen hundred and forty-two, the largest majority ever given a candidate on the county ticket for any office, which is certainly criterion enough of his popularity with the people of this locality, and he is now serving his second term as probate judge in an eminently satisfactory manner. He has kept well abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to his profession and is in every way well qualified to discharge the duties of this important office, his decisions showing a clear and comprehensive understanding of all phases of jurisprudence and are always characterized by fairness and lack of bias. As an attorney he stands in the front rank of the Knox county bar, both as counsel and in the trial of cases. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 557 and he has always enjoyed a large clientele. From early youth he has been active in the affairs of the Democratic party and from almost the time of attaining his majority he has been a member of the Democratic county committee with the exception of the years when absent from the state. For several years he has ably served in the capacity of chairman of the executive committee and he is universally recognized as a most successful campaign manager, better known to the voters of the county than any other man in the county. Fraternally, the Judge belongs to the Masonic order, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in all of which he takes a great deal of interest. The domestic life of Judge Berry began on August 17, 1899, when he married Elizabeth Kirk Cameron, daughter of Robert M. and Rachael (Mayers) Cameron, the father being a prominent merchant at Millersburg, Ohio. Both parents are living. Mrs. Berry was educated in her home city and Bethany College and is a lady of culture. This union has been without issue. Judge Berry and wife are members of the Christian church, in which he is a deacon and a member of the Adelphian Class of Loyal Men, a Bible class of state-wide significance, for men of all denominations and of large membership. Both he and his wife are active in church and Sunday school work. The family home is at No. 125 East Vine street, where their many friends delight to gather. FRANKLIN HARPER. Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record. By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the high standing of Franklin Harper, one of the best known newspaper men of this section of the Buckeye state. The many elements that are united in his makeup, such as persistency, energy, application, integrity and fortitude, during a series of years have brought him into prominence and earned for him a conspicuous place in Knox county's list of enterprising men. Mr. Harper was born in Mt. Vernon on April 18, 188, and he is the son of Hon. Lecky and Eliza Ann (Mercer) Harper, the father born in county Donegal, Ireland, December 29, 1815, and he came to America with his parents, Hugh and Catherine (Long) Harper, in 182o. The father was an architect and was employed on government work in Washington, D. C. 558 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. In a little more than a year, Hugh Harper contracted malarial fever from the swamps that then surrounded Washington, and died. The widow was left with four small children, and soon after the death of her husband she undertook the trip over the mountains to friends and relatives in the \Vest in the locality of Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, and there she reared and educated her family in a most creditable manner, being a woman of Spartan courage. The son, Lecky, father of the subject, as a lad entered a newspaper office at Steubenville, Ohio. to learn the printer's trade and the newspaper business, which line of work he followed with much success all his life. He also took up the law, studying in the office of Metcalf & Loomis in Pittsburg, and in 1843 he went to Cadiz, where he edited the Cadiz Sentinel and practiced law. Taking up his residence in Pittsburg, he was one of the founders of the Pennsylvanian Advocate and was also connected with the Post of that city. one of the early daily papers of the Smoky city. Early in his career he became recognized as a writer of great force and for his positive views on public questions in general. While connected with the Pittsburg papers he was pronounced in his support of the ten-hour-a-day law for employes in shops and factories. The custom then prevailing in factories was to work all employes, including girls and children, from twelve to fourteen hours. As a result of the agitation in which Mr. Harper was foremost, the ten-hour day was established in Pennsylvania. Mr. Harper also did the legislative work at Columbus for the Ohio Statesman under Samuel Medill. In 1840 he edited the Crawford Democrat at Meadville, Pennsylvania. and made the paper a great force in that memorable campaign. With a thorough knowledge of the printer's trade, with a knowledge of the law and with his varied newspaper experience, he came to Mt. Vernon in 1853 and bought the Mt. Vernon Democratic Banner, which soon became widely known for its forceful editorials, and this paper he successfully conducted until his death, on June 18, 1895. He became prominent in the newspaper organization of the state, and for years he was president of the Ohio Editorial Association and was also president of the Ohio Democratic Editorial Association. His counsel in party matters was sought and in all these associations he was recognized as a pillar of strength. He also represented the Mt. Vernon district in the Ohio Senate in 1879 and served effectively upon important committees, winning the hearty approval of his constituents and reflecting much credit upon his ability. The marriage of Hon. Lecky Harper and Eliza Ann Mercer, the latter of Washington county, Pennsylvania, occurred in September, 1844, she being the descendant of Gen. Hugh Mercer, of Revolutionary fame. Mrs. Harper was a woman of many estimable traits: her death occurred in July, 1897. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 559 Frank Harper learned the printing business in his father's office and was educated in the Mt. Vernon public schools, being graduated with the class of 1877. He read law in the office of Col. W. C. Cooper, of Mt. Vernon, and was admitted to the bar in 1879. In 1880 he opened an office for practice and was getting a good start in the legal world, when, in 1882, came an opportunity to enter the newspaper business at Chillicothe. He had grown up in the business and the taste was inherent, so he went to Chillicothe and became a partner of George F. Hunter in the publication of the Chillicothe Advertiser. Upon the death of his father, in 1895, he sold his interests in the Chillicothe paper and returned to Mt. Vernon in November, 1895, and formed a partnership with his brother, William M. Harper, in the publication of the Banner, which partnership was terminated in June, 1896, by the retirement of the latter. The Banner had been published as a semi-weekly until June 20, 1898, when Mr. Harper began the publication of a daily and semi-weekly edition, which has since been continued, the Banner being universally recognized as one of the strongest, brightest and most influential papers in central Ohio. Having learned the newspaper business from the ground up, Mr. Turner is lye]] qualified to successfully manage the same. He is a clear and concise writer, and in discerning the various questions of the day is a keen, though courteous, antagonist, and his influence has brought him into favorable notice with the leaders of his party in this section of the state. In a business sense the Banner has brought liberal financial returns upon the capital invested, and, as already indicated, has proved a series of successes since the first number of the daily appeared as a claimant for public patronage. Its circulation is constantly increasing, as an advertising medium its importance is becoming generally recognized and its mechanical appearance is all that could be desired. Fraternally, Mr. Harper is a member of the Masonic bodies and is a member of the board of trustees of the Masonic Temple Company and was president of the company in 1908-9. In politics he is an unswerving Democrat and is prominent in party councils, but he has never been an office seeker or office holder, but he and his paper are always back of party principles and candidates and the influence he wields in the cause of Democracy is very strong, especially during campaigns. He was a member of the Democratic state central and executive committees several times. He was vice-chairman of the Democratic state. central committee in 190.4 and chairman of the same body in 1905 and he was delegate from the fourteenth Ohio district to the Democratic national convention in 1896. 560 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Harper was married on June 5, 189o, to Bertha Hanby, a lady of many estimable qualities of head and heart and the daughter of an excellent Chillicothe family. This union has been graced by the birth of two sons, Donald and Kenneth ; the elder is a student of Kenyon College at Gambier and the younger is a student in the Mt. Vernon high school. The subject and his family are members of the St. Paul Episcopal church, Mr. Harper having been a member of the vestry for a number of years. HON. GEORGE D. NEAL. The strong, earnest men of a people are always public benefactors. Their usefulness in the immediate specific labors they perform can be defined by metes and bounds, but the good they do through the forces they put in motion and through the inspiration of their presence and example is immeasurably an infinite gauge or standard of value. George D. Neal, one of the most conspicuous public and business men of the section of the Buckeye state of which this history treats, is a man of this type. Although well known and highly esteemed, he is conservative and prefers to let his achievements speak for him rather than any notice savoring of adulation or fulsome praise of the chronicler. Every life, however, if properly known, contains more or less of interest, and the public claims a certain property right in the career of every citizen, regardless of his achievements or the station he has attained. In placing before the reader the brief review- which follows, due deference is accorded the wishes of Mr. Neal in this respect and we omit too complimentary allusions, at the same time realizing that the latter have been honorably earned and should form no small part of a life sketch which is sought to render nothing but what justice and meritorious recognition demand. Mr. Neal was born on September 2, 1844, in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and he is the son of Hugh and Ruth (Jackson) Neal. The Neals came from Washington county. Pennsylvania, to this section when Hugh Neal was a lad, and the Jackson family came from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, the daughter, Ruth, having been born on the farm in Milford township, Knox county, after the family came to Ohio. The father of the subject was engaged in the harness business in Mt. Vernon for a number of years, later being elected sheriff of Knox county, which office he held for many years. Politically, he was a Democrat and was prominent in public affairs, being public-spirited, KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 561 and he supported all movements looking to the general good of the public. Prior to his term as sheriff he was elected coroner of the county. His death occurred in September, 1854, his wife preceding him to the grave by six weeks, having died in July the same year. They were the parents of three children : Ruth M., who married Liberty L. Cotton, of Mt. Vernon, died in December, 191o; George D., of this sketch; and Hugh, a resident of Mt. Vernon. Both parents are buried in Mound View cemetery, Mt. Vernon. George D. Neal has always lived in Mt. Vernon and he was educated in the public schools here. When a very young man he found employment in the wholesale grocery of Jonathan Weaver, of this city, where he remained for three years, then the Civil war came on and he could not remain inactive at his country's call, so early in the struggle he enlisted in the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private in Company A, but being merely a boy he only served a short time, returning to his position in Mr. Weaver's store. When Gen. Kirby Smith threatened Cincinnati and other Northern cities, Mr. Neal again went to the front with the famous "Squirrel Hunters" to stop the intrepid Southerner's progress, later enlisting in Company B, of the One Hundred and Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was transferred to Company F of the same regiment, in which he served with distinction until the same was mustered out at Camp Chase, having taken part in many important engagements and proving himself to he a faithful soldier, always present at the call of duty. After returning from the army Mr. Neal engaged in the manufacture of carriages in Mt. Vernon, which he conducted for a number of years with much success. Following his retirement from the carriage business he devoted his attention to hardware, which he has handled for some time in connection with his carriage business. In 1887 he purchased the James Rogers hardware store, which he conducted with his usual success until 1894, having enjoyed a liberal trade with the city and county and always carried a large and well selected stock of general hardware and farming implements. Mr. Neal has always been a loyal Democrat and has been active and influential in party affairs for many years. In 1890 he was elected sergeant-at-arms of the sixty-ninth Ohio General Assembly, and in 1893 he was appointed doorkeeper of the fifty-second United States Congress at Washington. In 1902 he was his party's choice for congressman from the fourteenth Ohio district and was accordingly nominated and made a strong and praiseworthy race. The district was normally six thousand Republican, but Mr. Neal cut that majority down to less than three thousand, which attests his 562 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. popularity with the people. He has served as Democratic committeeman and adviser and as a delegate to county, district and state conventions, in all of which he has made his influence felt for the good of his district and the .party. After returning from Washington as doorkeeper of the House of Representatives, Mr. Neal organized the Mt. Vernon Paint and Oil Company, incorporated under the laws of Ohio with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, and he is president and general manager of the company. the business of which he has conducted in a manner as to reflect much credit upon his ability and integrity and to the eminent satisfaction of the stockholders. He is also interested in the gas and oil development of this section of Ohio. Mr. Neal is a member of the Masonic order, having attained the thirty-second degree in that time-honored body, and he is a Knight Templar. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he belongs to the Joe Hooker Post No. 21, Grand Army of the Republic. He has filled most of the offices in this organization and has passed all the chairs in the Odd Fellows lodge. In the fall of 1869 Mr. Neal was married to Harriet Laughrey, (laughter of Kinsman and Catherine (DeHart) Laughrey. of Martinsburg, Knox county, Ohio. To the subject and wife one (laughter has been born, Catherine Ruth, who married David Kinley, dean of the University of Illinois at Champaign, Illinois, he being a very prominent educator, so recognized by leading college men throughout the United States. With his various business and public duties, Mr. Neal found time to read law in the office of William C. Cooper, of Mt. Vernon, but, although well qualified, he has never practiced at the bar. In religious matters he affiliates with the Presbyterian church, of which Mrs. Neal is a member. At one time Mr. Neal was extensively engaged in the real estate business, operating in various parts of Ohio and acquiring large holdings in Mexico. For a number of years he was president of the Knox County Agricultural Society, being active in promoting better farming conditions. He is vice-president of the Ohio Squirrel Hunters, comprising the survivors of the noted military organization of that name with which he was connected during the Civil war. The family home, a place noted for its hospitality and good cheer, is located at No. 120 East Vine street and is one of the modern, commodious and imposing homes of this city and located in one of the most desirable residence districts. Personally, Mr. Neal is a Well informed, broadminded, progressive, genial and Obliging gentleman whom it is a pleasure to know. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 563 CHARLES A. MITCHELL. The old-fashioned notion that hard work, patient industry and farsightedness make for success in the various avenues of life does not seem to be accepted so unreservedly in our day. The spread of pessimism engendered by many phases of our complex life is in a great measure responsible for the lack of faith in the old idea. However, if we observe conditions closely we \yin find that the intelligent individual, who leads a practical and industrious life, will reach a point of success commensurate with his efforts. The life of Charles \. Mitchell, ex-mayor of Mt. Vernon. will afford us an instance of this. Mr. Mitchell was born June 1, 1868, in Mt. Vernon. Ohio. being the representative of one of Knox county's honored old families. He is the son of John and Malissa (Jackson) Mitchell, who were both born, reared. educated, married and spent their entire lives in this community.    Sylvester Mitchell. the great-grand father, came to Ohio from Salem, Massachusetts. in 1808 and first settled near Granville. Licking county, soon afterwards moving to Milford township, Knox county. and the land on which he located still remains in the Mitchell family. The old pioneer had made the long journey from Massachusetts on horseback. bringing all the earthly goods of the family in that manner. in a saddle-bag. Grandfather Albert Mitchell was only three Years of age at that time. This country was then a yast forest through which roamed red men and various kinds of wild game. He built a cabin and began clearing the site for the splendid farm which he later developed. He was the possessor of many commendable qualities. stood for good citizenship and right liying and he took a leading part in the affairs of his community. John Allen Mitchell, father of the subject. was a stonemason by trade, and he spent all of his active life in Mt. Vernon, with the exception of the years spent in the army during the Civil war. haying enlisted in the Union army in April, 1961, in the Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. in response to President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand troops. At the expiration of his term of service he re-enlisted in Company H. Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war. For meritorious service he was promoted to the rank of captain of his company. He saw hard service, being continuously in the Army of the Potomac. He participated in both the first and second battles of Bull Run. Chancellorsville and many others. On the first day of the battle of Gettysburg he was taken prisoner and was sent to Libby prison. where he had a long term of confinement. remaining there until the spring of 564 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. not being released until after Lee's surrender. Prior to that battle he had also seen the inside of Confederate prisons in various parts of the South, having been taken prisoner long before the great conflict in Pennsylvania. He had many thrilling experiences. He is described by his comrades as a valiant soldier, always at his post, and he leaves an enviable war record. After his career in the army he returned to Mt. Vernon and resumed his trade as brick-mason. His death occurred on May 6, 1892. He was a man of positive character and strong in his likes and dislikes, and he had many warm friends throughout the county. Charles A. Mitchell, of this review, has spent practically all his life in Mt. Vernon and he was educated in the public schools here. When eighteen years of age, in April, 1887, he secured employment as brakeman with the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus railroad, and he remained with this company until August, 1899, giving them high grade service, being advanced through the different stages until he became a conductor of freight. He suffered from a severe attack of rheumatism for several years, at times being compelled to use crutches, and one leg being seriously and permanently affected he is still compelled to use one crutch. In May, 1903, he entered the office of the auditor of Knox county as deputy auditor, which position he filled most satisfactorily until October, 1906,. when he was appointed auditor to fill an unexpired term. Mr. Mitchell has always been an active Republican in politics and in the fall of 1908 he was the party's candidate for county auditor, but, Knox county being Democratic, he was defeated. He has always been prominent and active in the councils of the party and has been a frequent delegate to county. district and state conventions. In November, 1909, he was elected mayor of Mt. Vernon and his term expired January I, 1912. His administration proved to be most satisfactory to all concerned, irrespective of party alignment, and he is doing much for the permanent good of the vicinity. Fraternally, Mr. Mitchell is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 140, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Sons of Veterans. Mr. Mitchell was married on June 3o, 1897, to Lucy Clark. daughter of John and Sarah (Johnson) Clark, of Mt. Vernon. This union has been without issue. The family home is at No. 111 East Front street. which property has been the Mitchell home for more than fifty years. Mr. Mitchell is fearless and outspoken when he knows he is right, a man of positive ideas, integrity and force of character, and as a public servant is faithful and conscientious, and is proving to be one of the most popular mayors the city of Mt. Vernon has ever had, KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 565 WILLIAM NOAH CARPENTER. It is the pride of the citizens of this country that there is no limit to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. A boy born in ignorance and poverty and reared under the most adverse surroundings may nevertheless break from his fetters and rise to the highest station in the land. Accordingly it is found that very often in this country the president, governor and other high public officials possess no higher ability than thousands of other citizens. They have simply taken better advantage of their circumstances than their fellows. And this truth runs through every occupation. The farmer who rises above his fellow farmers does so by taking advantage of conditions which others overlook or fail to grasp. William Noah Carpenter. of Pleasant township, Knox county, and his progenitors have always identified themselves, for the most part, with agricultural pursuits, and they have been very successful in this line of endeavor. Mr. Carpenter was born on August 5. 1876, on a farm in Clay township, Knox counts-. Ohio. He is the son of Thomas H. and Martha (Dudgeon) Carpenter, the mother a native of this county and the father of Greene county, Pennsylvania. Grandfather Charles Carpenter came with his family to Clay township from Pennsylvania in 1850 and here engaged in farming. His son, Thomas H.. father of the subject. devoted his life to farming. In 188o he left Clay township and became a resident of Pleasant township. owning a farm six miles south of .1t. Vernon, and there he engaged in general farming and stock raising, having one of the choice farms in that community. He made a specialty of handling sheep. Politically, he was a Democrat. but he was never an office seeker. His death occurred on August 13. 1890. His widow still survives. They were the parents of two sons and a daughter. namely : William Noah, of this review James Austin. born May 18. 1878. is farming in Wayne township. Knox county : Jannetta R., who married Edward P. Warman. lives in Mt. Vernon. William N. Carpenter spent his youth on the home farm and was educated in the district schools. He began carpentering when about twenty-two years of age and this has been his principal life work ever since. though he has engaged a great deal in farming. He is a very skilled workman and his services have always been in great demand. He does a great deal of contracting, and has Wilt many of the substantial buildings over the county. having won a reputation for reliability and thoroughness. He supervises his mother's farm and is thus a very busy man in his various lines of endeavor. 366 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. Mr. Carpenter was married on March 16, 1898, to Clara J. Warman, daughter of Alfred and Matilda (McKibben) Warmain, farmers of Pleasant township, where Mrs. Carpenter was born, reared and educated and where she has always lived. Her father was born in England, from which country he emigrated to America when twelve years of age, in 185o, and settled in Pleasant township. this county, though he remained in Mt. Vernon a short time before moving to the farm. The mother of Mrs. Carpenter died in January, 1904. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter, two sons and four daughters, namely : Edith P., Robert Carl, Agnes G., Martha M., Ada L. and Charles T. Politically, Mr. Carpenter is independent and, while he always exercises the right of citizenship at the polls and in advancing such measures as make for the good of his community and county, he has never been an office seeker, though he has served as township trustee since November, 1909. He is a member of Pleasant Grange No. 677, Patrons of Husbandry, and has been active in the same for some time. He and his wife belong to the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is one of the trustees, and he was formerly superintendent of the Sunday school there and teacher in the same. He is at present superintendent of the Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian church Sunday school, and is very active in church and Sunday school work. REV. ALBERT B. WILLIAMS. Most men have numerous friends, but generally men are so constituted and environed that they also make some enemies, but one of the exceptions to this general rule was he for whom the following memoir is written—the late, lamented Elder Albert B. Williams, of the Christian church. Indeed, his was a noble manhood, made almost perfect by the Christian religion that he had professed and practiced since a lad of twelve summers. The subject was a native of Holmes county, Ohio, born April 4, 1847, and passed from earth's shining circle on the afternoon of Friday, September 8, 1911, just as the autumn leaves were beginning to put on their tints of yellow and all nature seemed at rest. From these dates it will be observed that Mr. Williams was in his sixty-fifth year at the time of his death. He was one of a family of nine children born to Stephen R. and Jane (Hague) Williams, both of Holmes county, Ohio, Three brothers passed on before him, but the father, aged ninety-five, the saintly mother, ninety years of age, KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 567 with three sisters, Mrs. Nancy Everhard, of Wooster, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Burkett, of Bethany, Nebraska; Mrs. J. T. H. Steward, of Kilbuck, Ohio, two brothers, M. V. Williams, of Winfield, Kansas, and Olus C. Williams, of Wooster, Ohio, and his own immediate family all survive him. At the age of twelve years Albert B. Williams was converted to the Christian religion and united with the Disciples or Church of Christ, which church he lived to adorn and honor throughout a useful ministry. In 1875 he graduated from Bethany College, West Virginia, and was soon ordained to preach, becoming pastor of the church at Wadsworth, Ohio. In 1893 he became pastor of the Church of Christ at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, serving until April, 1900, when on account of failing health he was compelled to resign. During those seven years of faithful work as pastor of this church, known as the Vine Street church, he accomplished much good as a true-hearted worker in his Master's vineyard. He was a practical man—a practical church worker. He ever sought to make men better and, by his daily walk and conversation, set an example worthy of emulation. During that period Elder Williams added two hundred and eighty persons to this church, besides one hundred and thirty to outside churches in Knox county. He also paid off a heavy indebtedness for the church, and united fifty-three couples in marriage; also attended sixty funerals of which he had charge and preached the sermons for. During the last ten years of his life he preached for various churches, within Knox county mostly. He was also interested in a local insurance agency, haying his office in Mt. Vernon and which was occupying his attention when he was taken ill for the last time. Mr. Williams was twice married. First, on December 26, 1876, he was united to Sarah Margaret Harper, a teacher in the public schools of Millersburg, Ohio, who preceded him to their future home May 12, 1890. On August 4, 1892, he was married to his second companion, Camilla Marsh. To Mr. Williams were born three children : Ila B. Williams, now a teacher in the public schools in Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Olus V. Williams and Mrs. W. P. Whittington. Mr. Williams died at his residence on McKinzie street, and his funeral was held at the Church of Christ, the following Sabbath. The services were conducted by the pastor, Doctor Francis, assisted by Rev. W. E. Hull of the Episcopal church. The large assemblage of people and the remarks made by the ministers all bespoke the greatness of the deceased as a faithful Christian worker, as a true citizen and as a loving father and husband. His death was mourned throughout the entire county, and more than once has the writer of this notice heard the remark. "Elder Williams had no enemies.'' (37) 568 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. Universally respected, his work finished, the summons came to enter a higher sphere and his remains are now at rest in beautiful Mound View cemetery in Mt. Vernon. Of such pure, even tempered lives the world has none too many to point to as examples. JOHN L. McKINLEY. The name McKinley is destined to occupy an honored place in American history as long as time endures. in view of the fact that it has been emblazoned on the scroll of fame by the great martyred statesman and late beloved President. It will remain forever a monument of the grand possibilities which may be realized under the benign influence of our free institutions and will continue in the future, as it has been in the past, a stimulus to noble deeds and greater activities on the part of a rig man of intelligence and energy upon whom fortune casts no benignant smiles. John L. McKinley. of this. review, is not famed as a leader of men or the molder of public thought, as was the great man referred to above, but he is nevertheless a man of more than ordinary mettle and has performed his duty well in his sphere of action during a long, varied and most interesting career. and his life may be just as useful and worthy of reward as a result of duty well and conscientiously performed in the arena in which fate placed him as that of the most renowned name of which his generation can boast, for a man's worth lies, after all, in being true to One's self, honorable in his relations with his fellow men and loyal in his support of public institutions: this, in brief, is a summary of the admirable attributes of the gentleman to whom the following paragraphs are addressed. Mr. McKinley was born on February 25, 1848. in Illinois. He is the son of John J. and Elizabeth (Atkins) McKinley, the father born in Pennsylvania and the mother in Kentucky. They both went to Illinois when young people and were married there and made that state their home until the breaking out of the Civil war, when the father enlisted in the Federal army. After the war he moved to Missouri, and later to Kansas. He devoted his life to farming and his death occurred on October 24, 1886, at his home in Cass county, Missouri. Mrs. Elizabeth McKinley, mother of the subject, is still living, making her home in Kansas City. John L. McKinley, of this sketch, lived on the home farm until he was sixteen years of age, and he attended the country district schools in Illinois. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 569 On October 1, 1863, he enlisted in Company E, Seventeenth Regiment Illinois Cavalry, and served very faithfully until November 14, 1865, in the Army of the Cumberland and the western army. He saw much active and hard service and participated in many hotly contested engagements. He was slightly wounded once when a picket courier near Centralia, Missouri. After the war he returned to Galena, Illinois, where he remained until March, 1866, then went to Iowa, thence to the Indian Territory and he drove a stage from Ottawa. Franklin county. Kansas, to Humbolt, Allen county, that state, on the old Santa Fe stage route. At the advent of the railroad the stage was discontinued and Mr. McKinley went to Baxter Springs, Kansas, and engaged to drive cattle, and he was a Kansas and Texas "cow boy" until 1872, later engaged in various occupations. He finally went to Independence. Kansas. where, on August 13, 1873, he was married to Barbara Workman, daughter of Amos and Lydia (DeWitt) Workman, a Knox county (Ohio) family, of near the town of Danville, where the parents lived and died, the daughter, wife of the subject, having gone to the Sunflower state on a visit when she met Mr. McKinley. To this union one child has been born, Clinton. who is married and is living in Liberty township. They also have an adopted daughter. Maude Wade McKinley. After his marriage. Mr. McKinley lived in Independence. Kansas, variously employed. He operated the first steam threshing machine ever seen in Montgomery county. Kansas. In the fall of 1876 he came to Danville. Knox county, Ohio,. and here engaged in farming until the spring of 1889 when he was appointed superintendent of the Knox county infirmary, in which capacity he served with much credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned until in February, 1909. a service of twenty years. which is certainly not only evidence of his fitness, but of his popularity in this county and a criterion of the confidence reposed in him by the people. He was at all times a competent and faithful public servant. Politically, he is a Republican and he has been active in party affairs. He served as a member of the Republican county central committee for four years and he has been a frequent delegate to county, district and state conventions where he has always made his influence felt. He was a trustee of Howard township for four years prior to his connection with the infirmary. Fraternally, he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He also belongs to the Joe Hooker Post, Grand Army of the Republic. and Danville Lodge No. 546. Free and Accepted Masons. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have a delightful country home just west of the village of Bangs, where genial hospitality is extended to their many friends. 570 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. He has a fine farm of seventy-six acres in fertile Dry Creek valley, and is well fixed in every respect. He is a man of broad views and thorough understanding of modern agricultural methods which he employed on the county farm with such pronounced success. He is a fine example of a self-educated, self-made man, and is deserving of much credit for what he has accomplished and the worthy, public-spirited citizen into which he has developed. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS CLEMENTS. Human life is made up of two elements, power and form, and the proportion must be invariably kept if we would have it sweet and sound. Each of these elements in excess makes a mischief as hurtful as would be its deficiency. Everything turns to excess; every good quality is noxious if unmixed, and to carry the danger to the edge of ruin nature causes each man's peculiarity to superabound. One speaking from the standpoint of a farmer would adduce the learned professions as examples of this teaching. They are nature's victims of expression. You study the artist, orator, poet or statesman and find their lives no more excellent than that of mechanics or farmers. While the farmer stands at the head of art as found in nature, the others get but glimpses of the delights of nature in its various elements and moods. A man who is in touch with the springs of life, who takes a delight in existence and is able to get the most out of his close association with Mother Nature is Christopher Columbus Clements. one of Monroe township's honored farmers and one of the venerable native sons of Knox county, his birth having occurred near Bangs in Liberty township seventy-one years ago on a farm. He is the son of Hezekiah and Serepta (Daley) Clements, both natives of Loudoun county, Virginia, from which they came to Knox county, Ohio, as young people. They were married here about 1843 and established themselves on a farm in Liberty township. Later, selling their farm there, they bought land in Monroe township, four miles northeast of Mt. Vernon, and there the father spent the remainder of his life. He was a farmer and a man of prominence in his community. The mother of the subject died when he was two years old, he being the youngest of six children, namely : William, George, Elizabeth, Lorenzo D., John W., and the subject. The only two now living are Lorenzo D. and Christopher C. The father, Hezekiah Clements, was a Democrat, but never an office seeker. He was sixty-five years of age when he died. KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 571 Christopher C. Clements was reared on the home farm and there he worked hard when a boy. He received such education as the county provided in the old log school-houses. He remained at home until he was married, on July 7, 1864, to Margaret Popham, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Scowles) Popham. the father a prominent farmer and sheep raiser of this county. To the subject and wife five children were born, namely : Oliver B. is farming in Monroe township; Charles H. is at home; Alberta B. married Frank Showers, of Fredericktown; and Luella, who married Earl McDermott, a farmer of Monroe township; one child died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Clements lived in Amity, this county, where he worked at his trade. blacksmithing, for a period of twenty-eight years, during which time he did a large business, being regarded as one of the most skilled and successful workmen in the county. Then he purchased a farm of one hundred acres on the Wooster road, four miles northeast of Mt. -Vernon, and here he has since resided, engaged successfully in general farming and stock raising. He has a commodious and comfortable home and good outbuildings, and his farm is well kept in every respect. The wife of the subject was called to her rest on September 26. 1892, and is buried in the cemetery at Ebenezer church, adjoining the farm of Mr. Clements. Politically, the subject is a Democrat, but has never been an office seeker and has never held office He keeps well informed on public questions and tries to exercise the right of suffrage conscientiously and intelligently. CASSIE BREECE. One of the men who has stamped the impress of his strong individuality upon the minds of the people of Pleasant township and who has been content to spend his life in Knox county is Cassie Breece. Faithfulness to duty and a strict adherence to a fixed purpose, which always do more to advance a man's interest than wealth or advantageous circumstances, have been dominating factors in his life. which has been replete with honor and success worthily attained. Mr. Breece was born on January 28. 1868, on a farm in Harrison township. this county. He is the son of Adam G. and Elizabeth (Biggs) Breece. the father born in Loudoun county, Virginia, on May 29. 1832, and he died 572 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. on May 20, 1904; the mother of the subject is still living. Adam G. Breece was four years old when, in 1836. his parents brought him to Ohio and here he was reared on a farm and he made farming his life occupation. He came to Knox county in 1855 and bought a farm in Harrison township and here he and Elizabeth Biggs were married in 1859, and made their home in Harrison township ; however, the following year, 186o, they purchased a farm in Pleasant township, where the elder Breece remained until his death, having become very well established and developing a good farm, becoming in fact, a large land owner and an influential citizen. He raised stock extensively and fed large numbers from year to year. To Mr. and Mrs. Adam G. Breece seven children were born, namely: Rosetta died on July 5, 1887 ; Almeda, who died August 9, 1911, married S. W. Henry, of Clay township ; Joseph S. lives in Pleasant township; Levi Newton lives in Pleasant township; Cassie, of this sketch ; Leora E. died June 6. 1897: Leander lives in Pleasant township. Politically, the father of these children was a Democrat and he was always interested in public matters, but was never an office seeker. He was a member of the Universalist church. He was buried in the cemetery at Union Grove church, Harrison township. Cassie Breece, of this sketch, spent his childhood and youth on the home farm where he now lives and he attended the Graham district schools. He began working on the farm as soon as he was old enough. He has kept the old place well cultivated so that it has retained its original fertility and modern improvements may be seen on it today as a result of his industry and close application. Mr. Breece was married on February 22, 1890, to Fanny Ashburn, daughter of William and Eliza ( Louderbaugh) Ashburn, who live on a farm in Harrison township. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Breece, named as follows: Charles H.. born September 27, 1891 ; Harry L., born June I I. 1894; and Ethel May, born August 20, 1902. Both sons are students in the Mt. Vernon high school at this writing and they are making a splendid record there. After his marriage, Mr. Breece located on one of his father's farms five miles southeast of Mt. Vernon and there he remained until in October, 1906, when he moved to the old home farm one mile farther south, where he has since resided, and here he has been carrying on general farming in a manner not surpassed in skill by any of his neighbors. He has one hundred and twenty acres of fertile, well-improved and well-cultivated land on which is a never-failing spring, which furnishes abundant water to all parts of the KNOX COUNTY, OHIO - 573 farm the year round. Much of his attention is directed to raising sheep, cattle, hogs and fine draft horses. He has a commodious home and substantial outbuildings. Politically. Mr. Breece is a Democrat and is always active in political affairs. He has been a member of the Democratic county committee and judge of elections, and he has been a frequent delegate to county and district conventions. He has been school director of his district. He has never sought office or wanted it, but he has frequently been urged to accept various positions of trust within the gift of the people. He keeps well informed on all matters pertaining to general farming and stock raising and he carries out modern methods in all phases of his work with the result that he gets the largest returns from the minimum amount of labor and expense. JAMES A. SIMPSON. The gentleman whose name heads this review is one of the leading farmers in his community in Knox county, and this volume would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of him and the enterprise with which he has conducted his affairs, bringing to successful issue whatever he has turned his attention to through a life of successful endeavor along agricultural lines. Tireless energy and honesty of purpose are the chief characteristics of the man, and he stands today as one of the representative citizens of Clay township. Mr. Simpson was born January 14, 1850, in Washington county. Pennsylvania. and is the son of Isaac A. and Mary Jane (Agnew) Simpson. In the spring of 1851 the family left Pennsylvania and came to Rumley township, Harrison county, near Jewett. Ohio. and in 1863 came to Clay township, Knox county. Ohio, locating on a farm one and one-half miles north of Martinsburg. Here Isaac Simpson prospered, becoming one of the substantial farmers, stock buyers and shippers of the community. and one of the influential men there. Politically, he was a Republican, and for some time he served as trustee and assessor of Clay township. He took a lively interest in public matters all his mature life. He was a man of fine character and enjoyed the good will of his neighbors and friends, who reposed in him explicit confidence, his word being as good as his bond. The death of Isaac Simpson occurred on January 12, 1889, his wife having preceded him to the grave many years, her death occurring in the spring of 1854. Mr. 574 - KNOX COUNTY, OHIO. Simpson was twice married, his last wife, Nancy A. King, being a native of Harrison county, Ohio, whom he married in 1855, and her death occurred on August 8, 1911. By his first marriage four children were born, namely : Josiah G. died April 20, 1879 ; Violet J. died September 7. 1895; James A., of this review ; Mary 0. married Peter W. Grieff, of Clay township. By the second marriage three children were born, namely : William H. died when three years old, in 1857; Alexander C.. of Newark. Ohio ; Samuel S. lives on the home farm with the subject of this sketch. James A. Simpson grew up on the home farm and there early in his boyhood became acquainted with the general work about the place. He received his education in the country district schools. On August 21, 1883, Samuel S. Simpson married Sarah E. Parrish, daughter of Henry and Nancy (Kidd) Parrish, of Clay township, the father being now deceased. To this marriage four children have been born, named as follows ; Harry A. lives in Clay township; Estella J. is now the wife of Sherman Wooloson, of College township; Armeda P. is at home; James W. is assisting in the management of the home farm. James A. Simpson has always been a farmer, and he has kept abreast of the twentieth-century methods of tilling the soil, ever ready to adopt the best and spare no pains in making his one of the choice farms of the county. It consists of two hundred and twenty acres of fertile, well improved and well cultivated land, and as a general farmer and stock raiser he is not surpassed by any of his neighbors. He raises well bred live stock. Politically, Mr. Simpson is a Republican. He has served the people as township trustee and as a.member of the school board. In his church life he belongs 'to the Presbyterian church and is a trustee in the same and a liberal supporter of the local congregation. He supports all measures looking to the general improvement in his community, and he is highly regarded by all who know him. Mr. Simpson is not married. FRANK B. ZEIG. The twentieth century being essentially utilitarian as distinguished from other epochs, the life of every successful individual carries a lesson which, told in contemporary narrative, is productive of much good in shaping the destinies of others. There is, therefore, a due measure of satisfaction in presenting. even in brief resume, the life and achievements of such men, and in