MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 675 of the subject of this sketch, was a breeder of standard-bred trotting horses, and at one time owned "Baron Del Ray," with a record of 2:08 1/4. Mr. Pratt is a hustling young agriculturist; whose outlook is extremely bright for one of his years, and whose aim is "high efficiency," which is the spirit of this age in every direction. AUBURN L. GRAHAM. One of the highly-respected citizens of Madison county, is Auburn L. Graham, whose energy and ambition are an inspiration to those who know him. He is distinctively an up-to-date agriculturist, believing that nothing is too good or too expensive that will in any wad facilitate farm industry. Mr. Graham has contributed in a material way to the advancement of agriculture in his township. Auburn L. Graham, farmer, Plain City, Ohio, was born on January 8, 1863, in Pleasant township, Madison county, and is a son of John M. and Gertrude (Smith) Graham. He was reared to the life of a farmer and received his education at the district schools, going later to the London high school. Mr. Graham is unmarried. He has always been especially interested in machinery, and has equipped his farm with all the up-to-date implements that are helpful in high-efficiency farming, among which is a six-bottom gang plow. He does plowing for other farmers, and is such an expert as a machinist that he is enabled to do his own repairing when his machinery is out of order. Mr. Graham never learned a trade, but through his natural interest in machinery and his personal experience has become an expert farm-machine repairer. He votes the Republican ticket, but has never taken an active interest in local politics. John M. and Gertrude (Smith) Graham, the parents of Auburn L., were both born in Madison county, Ohio, and were the parents of seven children, six of whom are living in 1915 : Anna, who has never married, and makes her home with our subject; Jennie, who became the wife of R. J. Woodhouse, of Logan county, Ohio; Gertrude, the wife of Sherman Rea, of London, Ohio ; M. N., of Columbus; Auburn L.; and J. S., a single man, who makes his home with the subject of this sketch. Mr. Graham is known throughout the entire county as one of the eminently successful modern farmers, who also enjoys the distinction of being an authority in his line, being frequently called upon for advice. His valuable tract of two hundred and fifty-one acres is located seven miles south of Plain City, Ohio. JAMES W. PRATT. James W. Pratt, farmer, Mechanicsburg, Madison county, was born on May 8, 1865, in Fayette county, Ohio; and is a son of James and Louisa (Edins) Pratt. He grew upon his father's farm in Fayette county, attending school until fourteen years of age, when he began his business career on his own responsibility. He came to Madison county and engaged his services on a farm, working by the month. At the time of his marriage he settled in Monroe township, where he has since resided, and where, through industry, thrift and good management, he was enabled in 1911 to purchase a good farm, consisting of one hundred and forty-four acres. Mr. Pratt is an earnest and loyal member of the Democratic party. James Pratt, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Virginia, and is now a resident of Monroe township, Madison county, Ohio. He was married to Louisa Edins, who died in Fayette county, Ohio, and who was the mother of a number of children, five of whom are living in 1915 : Nancy, Mary, John, James W. and Susie. Nancy became the wife of James Reed, now deceased, and lives at, Plainwood, Ohio; Mary was married to John Wybright, and lives at Plumwood, Ohio; James W. lives in Monroe township; Susie makes her home in Fayette county; Ohio. 676 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. James W, Pratt was united in marriage on December 1, 1885, with Mattie Bethards, daughter of James and Isabella (Wlybright) Bethards. She was born in November 1866, in Madison county, Ohio. There have been born to this union six children, Dilbert, Mollie, Roy, Owen, Pearl and Grace Elizabeth. Dilbert is unmarried; Pearl married a Miss Cunningham, and lives near Nation chapel; Mollie is the wife 'of Snowden Hatfield, and resides in Madison county; Roy married Ella Baker and lives on the home farm; Owen is at home; Grace Elizabeth goes to Plumwood high school. James Bethards, father of Mrs. Pratt, was a Union soldier during the Civil War, serving three years and nine months. He was wounded and served in thirty-six battles. He still lives in Rosedale, Pike township, Madison county, at seventy-nine years of age. Mrs. Pratt is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Plumwood, and also belongs to the Wonian's Christian Temperance Union, of which she is treasurer. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pratt have gained the loyalty and respect of their entire township, where their children. have. also won a high name for good citizenship. W. S. FINLEY. The man equipped with sufficient ambition is bound to win out, no matter how Much he is opposed. To the hadividual wilt, makes up his or her mind to achieve success, nothing will keep them from it. It may not always come in just the way they had planned, in fact it seldom does, but it comes sometimes in the most unexpected way, and is none the less Welcome, because there is always a satisfaction in making a success of anything worth while. The subject of this sketch has not only made a success of his business affairs, but also made his opportunity, for which he deserves the admiration and credit of his fellow citizens. W. S. Finley, farnaer of Monroe township, Madison county, Ohio, was born on October 5, 1858, in a log cabin which stood where H. T. Finley now lives, in Monroe township. He is a son of Col. J. H. and Martha (Ruff) Finley. His early education was, obtained at the public schools, and after leaving school he went on a visit to Virginia at the age of sixteen years, whet he finished his education. When quite young, Mr. Finley commenced to farm for himself. He has always been a strong believer in the principles of the Democratic party, and has given his support in local politics by serving as township clerk for one year, and for twelve years as township treasurer. Mr. Finley is a member of the Christian church at Pickaway, Ohio. J. H. Finley, father of W. S. Finley, was a native of Rockbridge county, Virginia, where his wife also was born. He and his wife, Martha (Ruff) Finley, came to Madison county and settled where the Finley farm is located. Mr. and Mrs. Finley were the parents, of eight children: John, William, David W., Amanda, Horace, Margaret, Benjamin and W. S. John Finley joined the army, and died during the Civil War; William moved to Plain City; David W. lives in the northwestern part of Nebraska; Amanda is deceased; Horace lives on the home place; Margaret is the wife of E. W. Fisher. W. S. Finley was united in marriage on August 11, 1878, with Jennie Heath, daughter of James and Malinda (Barnett) Heath. She was born in Deer Creek township, Madison dounty. This union has been blest with four children: Emery, who. resides at Bozeman, Montana, and is married to Lillian Weaver; Bessie, who became the wife of Thomas W. Stalbird, and lives in Monroe township; Guy, who was married to Alice Lloyd, and resides in Darby township, And Perr, who conducts a store at Resaca, and is single. Mr. Finley, thtough his straight forward dealings and honest attitude toward all with whom he comes in contact, is justifiably entitled to the high esteem in which he MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 677 is held in the community where he resides. Aided by his wife, he has achieved a considerable success. Mr. and Mrs. Finley have a fine farm of one hundred and four acres, seventy acres of which are in cultivation. They have a splendid country home, a ten-room, modern house, built in 1910-11. SAMUEL N. GUNNETT Samuel N. Gunnett, farmer, living on rural route No. 2, West Jefferson, Madison county, Ohio, was barn on March 2, 1881, in Franklin county, Ohio, and is a son of Joseph and Christina (Shannon) Gunnett. His mother died when he. was about two years old, and he was reared by his grandmother and his father. He grew up on a farm in Franklin county, where he attended the district schools in the winter and assisted his father with the farm work during the summer. Mr. Gunnett is a Democrat, and takes a deep interest in the welfare of his township. He attended the church of the United Brethren. Joseph Gunnett, father of the subject of this sketch, was united in marriage with Christina Shannon, who died when Samuel N. was a small lad. Mr. Gunnett never married again. This union was blest with the following children: E. H., who lives in Union county, Ohio, and is a grain dealer ; Rev. H. C., who is a Methodist Episcopal minister at White Cottage; Ohio; Agnes, who became the Wife of Harry Doby, of Columbus, Ohio; Eliza, the wife of Samuel Glick, also resides at Columbus; Samuel N., of West Jefferson ; and Jennie, deceased. Samuel N. Gunnett was united in marriage, June 26, 1902, with Oma Gatlon, daughter of David and Elizabeth (Thompson) Gatlon. She was born on December 6, 1882, in Franklin county, Ohio, where she attended the public schools. This union has been blest with four children : Joseph, born on July 3, 1904; Pauline, July 25, 1906; Bertha, April 1, 1909.; Ralph, June 10, 1914. David Gatlon lived most of his life in Franklin county, Ohio. He was a farmer, and in politics was a Democrat. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His wife died on March 11. 1914, aged eighty-six years. They had two children, Mrs. Gunnett and Norman who died when about thirty years of age. Norman Gatlon married Carrie Coe and had two children, Margaret and Earl. Mr. and Mrs. Gunnett are congenial and affable people and occupy a position of high respect thro4hout the entire community in which they reside. Mr. Gunnett has the entire charge and supervision of a farm of one hundred and forty acres belonging to his father-in-law, which brings him good returns for his industry. He raises a mixed breed of hogs, Shorthorn cattle, and does general farming. CHARLES L. PRUGH. Charles L. Prugh, farmer, Plain City, Ohio, was, born on October 4, 1871, in Somerford township, Madison county, and is a son of George W. and Martha (Hefiley) Prugh. He was one year old when his parents moved to Jefferson township; where he grew up and attended the district schools attending only during the winter months, and helping his father on the farm during the summers. until he was seventeen years of age, when he entered the Northern University at Ada, Ohio, attending for one year. He then returned home and took up agricultural pursuits devoting part of his time to the breeding of registered hogs and high-grade stock of all kinds. He is a stanch Republican, and has shown his active interest by serving as trustee of Canaan township for a period of seven years, and of which township he is the present treasurer. George W. Prugh, father of the subject of this sketch, was born on April 17, 1842, in Somerford township, and is a son of Samuel and Nancy (Bradley) Prugh. George 678 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO W. Prugh was united in marriage with Martha Heffiey. She was born on March 28, 1848, in Somerford township, where they were married, and resided four years, after which they moved to Jefferson township, near West Jefferson, in the year 1873. Mr. Prugh became very successful in the agricultural world, and now owns. one hundred and ninety-five acres, on which he lives, in addition to which Mrs. Prugh owns a fine tract of one hundred and twelve acres in her own name. This union has been blest with two children, Addle, who became the wife of Isaac H. Braithwaite, and resides in Jefferson township, and Charles L. Charles L. Prugh was united in marriage, January 17, 1893, with Lillie Haynes, daughter of Emory B. and Sarah J. (Pearce) Haynes. She was born in Jefferson township, where she was reared and educated in the public schools, and later attended the Ohio Northern University at Ada, Ohio. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Prugh located on their present, farm, where they have since followed agriculture. They have been blessed with three children, one of whom died young: Eva M., born in 1897, was graduated from the Plain City high school, after which she became a student in the Ohio. University, at Ada, Ohio, and George E., born on March 8, 1899, who is at present attending the public school. Mr. and Mrs. Prugh are regarded as exemplary citizens and good neighbors to their many friends in Canaan township. HARRY WILSON. Harry Wilson, farmer, Plain City, Ohio, was born on November 16, 1863, in Canaan township, where he now lives, the son of John S. and Silvina J. (McDonald) Wilson. He was reared on the old Wilson farm and received his education at the district schools of Canaan township, attending during the winter months, and working on the farm in the summer, until he was eighteen years of age. At the age of twenty-one years he rented a farm in Deer Creek township and farmed for himself, remaining here twelve years, during which time he was married. Mr. Wilson is now the proprietor of "Wilson Inn Farm," consisting of eighty-three acres, situated on the Middle pike, seven miles south of Plain City, and five miles north of West Jefferson. This place is one of the oldest farms in Madison county, and the first house, built in 1807, is still standing. Mr. Wilson has for a number of years given his active interest and support to the Republican party, and is at present a member of the board of education of Canaan township. He is especially interested at this time in the breeding of registered Duroc-Jersey hogs and fine grades of various kinds of stock. John S. Wilson, father of the subject of this sketch, was born and reared in Canaan township, Madison county, where he attended the district schools. Mr. Wilson was always a hospitable, whole-souled man. He was extremely liberal, and many 'hungry mouths were fed at his home. His wife was Silvina J. (McDonald) Wilson. To John S. and Silvina J. (McDonald) Wilson were b_orn six children, four of whom are living in 1915: Harry ; Charles, vice-president of the First State Bank at Plain City ; Eleanor, who became the wife of Rolland G. Bradley, of London, Ohio ; Lucy, the wife of Clinton L. Simpkins, lives at Minster, Ohio. James Wilson was the paternal grandfather, and his wife was Eleanor (Smith) Wilson. Mr. Wilson was a brother of William D. Wilson, and both were large landowners. William D. Wilson at one time owned thirteen thousand acres of land in Canaan township. James Wilson owned eight hundred and fifty acres in Canaan township, and one thousand acres in Deer Creek township. He bought, fed and sold large numbers of stock annually. James and Eleanor (Smith) Wilson were the parents of three sons and one daughter: John S., Valentine H., Thomas B., Lucy E., who is now the widow of William Beach, and the only one now living, and one other. MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 679 Harry Wilson was united in marriage, October 6, 1889, with Ella Wright, daughter of Moses Wright. She. was born and reared in Gallia county, Ohio, receiving her education at the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Wilion lived in Deer Creek township for eight years after they were married, and then came to Canaan township, where Mr. Wilson built a fine modern home.in 1912. This union has been blessed with one daughter, Grace, born on July 4, 1890. She is a graduate, of the public school, and is now the wife of Herbert Loinbard. They live in Jefferson township and have three 'sons, James, Robert and Wilson. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Gillivan, of which Mr. Wilson is one of the trustees and a member of the official board. He also belongs to Urania Lodge No. 311, Free and Accepted. Masons. Mr. Wilson possesses the happy facUlty of making friends, of which he has a large number. EDGAR POWELL. The subject of thiS sketch is a good representative of the substantial citizenship of a highly-progressive and prosperous community, and a an whose high ideals of honesty permit no consideration of anything falling short of the mark. He has always been on the lookout for those things tending toward the betterment of conditions in his township. Edgar Powell, farmer, Plain City, Canaan township, Madison county, was born on April 19, 1856, in Logan county, Ohio, and is a son of Joshua and Lavina (Fisher) Powell. He grew to young manhood in his native township, where he received his early education, going later to the Ridgeville College in Indiana for one year. After his marriage Mr. Powell began the life of an agriculturist, moving to his present farm in 1881, where he ha s since resided. His attention has been divided between general farming and stock raising, principally to the breeding of registered Duroc-Jersey hogs, of which he has some fine specimens. Mr. Powell has always given his support to the Republican party, taking an active interest in local politics, serving as a member of the school board. Ile is a member of the Methodist Episcopal chutch, in the work of which he has long been actively interested. Joshua Powell, father of Edgar was born in New Jersey, of German lineage, and a son of Henry- Powell. He served in an Ohio infantry regiment during the Civil War, and won distinction at the siege of Petersburg. His wife was Lavina (Fisher) Powell. He came to Ohio with his father, who located near Cleveland, but afterward moved to near West Mansfield, Logan county, where he reared his. family, which consisted of four sons and four daughters, Henry, Thomas, Edgar, Frank, Anna, Melissa, Sarah, and Harriett. Henry is a merchant at Morrow, Ohio; Frank died in infancy ; Anna became the wife of Joseph Skidmore, and is now deceased; Melissa married Robert Hindall, and lives in Logan county on a farm; Sarah became the wife of Edson Gordon. and died, leaving one child; Harriett was married to James Medles, a farmer in Logan county. Henry Powell, the paternal grandfather, was born in Germany, coming to America at the age of nine years. He was a son of George Powell. The paternal great-grandfather was George Powell, a German nobleman, who was strenuously opposed to the wars of Germany. He was a man of great wealth, and owned a portion of the present site of Berlin. Abandoning his property, he chartered a vessel for the purpose of bringing his mother and brothers to the United States, all of whom were drowned in trying to board the ship. The great-grandmother, who was already on board with her two sons, started for the United States. One of her sons died on the voyage across the water, and she, with her remaining son, landed in America without funds. Her son, grandfather of Edgar Powell, was bound out In 680 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. an English family. After arriving at young manhood he was married and became the father of fain. sons and two daughters, William, Joshua, Henry, Thomas, Mary and Anna. Edgar Powell was united in marriage, in September, 1880, with Amanda Kilbury, daughter of Thompson Kilbury. She was born in Canaan township, but was retired in Jerome township, in Union county, where she attended the public schools. This union has been blest with four children, Clayton I., Ida, Dale and Glen B. Clayton I. attended the college at Yellow Springs; Ohio. He is a member of the Free and ACcepted Masons, and is master of the lodge at West .Mansfield, Ohio, where he follows auctioneering. Ida Powell is a graduate of the elocution department at Ada, Ohio, and became the wife of Joseph Zimmerman, of Union county. Dale Powell attended the law school at Cincinnati, Ohio, for one year, and later entered the Bliss Business College, at Columbus, Ohio, from which he was graduated. He is a member of Urania Lodge No. 311, Free and Accepted Masons. He lives at home.. Glen B. Powell, who is directing his attention to agriculture; raised an acre of corn which took the premium in the town-ship contest in 1914, giving him a trip to Washington, p. C. He is at home. and unmarried. Mr. Powell is unassuming in his manner, and is a whole-souled, generous Christian. who never Allows anyone needing assistance, to go from his door unaided. Mrs. Powell is as kind as her husband, and is a regular member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their fine farm, known as "Oak Lawn Farm," consists of, one hundred and twenty-three acres, and is located. five miles southwest of Plain City, Ohio. JAMES HAMILTON. The venerable James Hamilton, a farmer and carpenter of Darby township, Madison county, Ohio, is a native born son of old Ireland, who, although he came to America three-quarters of a century ago, has never been naturalized and has never voted in this country. He has lived to rear a large family of children to lives of use-fulness and honor, and he, himself, reflects great credit upon the community where he lives. James Hamilton was born in Middletown, Armagh county, Ireland, June 11, 1829, and came to America some time before the Civil War. His father. had died when he was an infant, and his mother had married a. second time. Mr. Hamilton first landed in Canada and there he learned the carpenter's trade, coming to the United States later with his master in this trade. He stopped in Champaign county, Ohio, at Mechanicsburg, but after remaining there a short time, he came on to Madison comity, where be began taking contracts, and where he soon prospered in the carpenter business. After having worked at his trade for several years, Janie. Hamilton was married on May 23, 1849; to Lois Converse the granddaughter of Rev. Jeremiah Converse, who was an early settler on Darby plains south of Plain City, Ohio. Mrs.. Hamilton is a daughter of Jeremiah, Jr., and Melinda (Derby) Converse, the former of whom was born in Vermont. They grew up, together and after their marriage, came to Madison countk, Ohio. He died at the age of seventy-nine, and his wife at the. age of forty-two, after having, reared a large family of children, as follow: Cyrus D., Rhoda, Erastus, Elfas, Zelotus, Jeremiah, Lemuel; Melinda, Lois, Rosanna and Samantha, all of whom are deceased, except Lois, now Mrs. James Hamilton. Jeremiah Hamiiton was a physician And surgeon in Plain City during his lifetime, and enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. Mrs. Hamilton had, little opportunity for an education in her youth, having to assist with the work in the home. Mr. and Mis. Hamilton have made all that they have in the world through their own efforts. After their marriage they lived in Liverpool for a time where Mr. MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 681 Hamilton worked at his trade. Later they located on Darby Plains, and still later. they purchased eighty acres. of land adjoining the corporation of Plain City. Mr. Hamilton has .always been a lover of good horses and is an expert judge of these animals. He and his wife are the parents of six children. Charles A. married Nellie Brigg, of San Francisco, California, and is in the mining business in old Mexico. He has a ranch twelve miles wide and twenty miles long. He sold a mine for one and one-half Million dollars, and still owns several mines in Mexico, where he lives at Oaxaca. George is a farmer. He married. Carrie Channels, and they live at Plain City, Ohio. Homer is a railroad. man and fanner, living in Idaho. . Albert is a contractor, a resident of Sacramento City, California. Isabelle is the wife of Douglas Sherwood, of Plain City. Daisy is the wife of William Noteman, of Union county, Ohio. Mrs. Hamilton is a member of the Presbyterian church at Plain City. Mr. Hamilton is in sympathy with the Democratic party, but as stated before has never voted in the United States, never having taken out naturalization papers. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are old residents of this county and among its most highly respected citizens. GRANT CROSS. Grant Cross, farmer, Canaan township, Madison county, was born on November 22, 1864, in Wood county, West Virginia, and is a son of Solomon H. and Nancy Jane (Flynn) Cross. At the age of sixteen years he moved with his parents from West Virginia to Missouri, and while still single he came to Ohio where he was employed by Monroe Bidwell for two years, when he was married and began farming for himself on a rented place. After six years. spent on a rented place he bought his present farm, which is situated due north of West Jefferson. When he came to Ohio, he was absolutely without a cent of money, and is now the owner of one hundred and nine acres of good land, than which there can be found none better in the state of Ohio. Mr. Cross is a stanch Republican, and has shown his public spirit by serving as trustee for a period. of .nine .years, and has also been road supervisor and constable. His interests have been divided between general farming and the raising of purebred stock. Solomon H. Cross, father of Grant Cross, was born in West Virginia, as was also his wife, Nancy Jane (Flynn) Cross. They both died in Missouri, near Sedalia. Their children were eleven in number, nine of whom are living in 1915: John A., Mary, Amanda; Grant. Frank L., Katherine, Harrison, Nancy Jane, Cora, Tennie and Albert. Mary married Moses Markley; Amanda became the wife of Daniel Meredith; Frank L., lives in Mississippi; Katherine is the wife of Eli Hammond; Harrison is deceased; Nancy Jane married John Pennecott; Cora became the wife of John Knoache; Tennie married Allen Mosby. These children, with the exception of one, all grew up and resided in Missouri. Grant Cross was united in marriage, August 15, 1888, with Louie Streator, daughter of Henry and 'Eliza Streator.. She was born on April 10, 1870, in Jefferson township. This union has been blest with six children: Harry is a resident of Canaan township; Roy is with his father; Frank follows farming; Ida is the wife of Clarence Chamberlain, of Kiousville; William H. is attending school and lives at home; Mary Etta is at home. Henry and Eliza Streator, the parents of Mrs. Grant Cross, were natives of Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Streator is of English descent. The paternal grandfather of Mrs: Cross was a Spaniard, who came from Oneida county, New York, to Madison county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Grant Cross are well known and well liked in the community for many miles around. 682 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. JACOB L. PETERMAN. The subject of this biographical sketch is a product of Madison county, and has always prided himself upon remaining loyal to the place. of his birth, with which he has been well pleased, knowing there were opportunities to be found here to amply fill all the requirements necessary for the achievement of a successful career, if he made. the attempt to find them. His success in the agricultural world and his fine farm tell a story of their own as to how his efforts have been directed.. Jacob L. Peterson, farmer, Plain City, Madison county, Ohio, was born on April 12, 1863, in Jefferson township, of the same county in which he now resides, and is a son of Jacob and Matilda : (Grego) Peterman. He was reared on a farm in Jefferson township, and was educated. at the district schools. At the age of twenty years he began farming for himself, renting. at first, and later bought thirty-six acres, to which he continued to add until he is now the owner of one hundred acres of good farm land, situated seven miles south of Plain City, Ohio. Mr. Peterman has put valuable improvements on his place, including a good, modern house, which was built in 1914. In politics, he is a Republican. He is a member of the Big Darby Baptist church. Jacob Peterman, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania, and came to Madison county, where, he was united in marriage with Matilda Grego, Mr. Peterman has always followed farming, and .he and his wife reside in Clark county, Ohio. To this union were born three children, all living in 1915: Jacob L. ; Elizabeth, who became the wife of William Lloyd, and lives in Madison county; Thomas J., who is married and lives in Jefferson township. Jacob L. Peterman was united in marriage, October 11, 1888, with Amanda Harris, daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Lick). Harris. She was born on June 2, 1861, in Canaan township, and was educated in the public schools of district No. 3. To Mr. and Mrs. Peterman has been born one son, Isaac H., born on November 27, 1899. He is a graduate of the public schools and the Plain City high school, after which he taught School in district No. 3, where his mother had attended school. He is now a student in the Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio. Isaac and Rebecca (Lisk) Harris, parents of Mrs. Jacob L. Peterman, were natives of Madison county and Franklin county, respectively. Mrs. Harris died on September 15, 1915, at the age of eighty-three years. Mr. and Mrs. Peterman are the proprietors of the farm known as "Sunny Brook Farm," consisting of one hundred acres, where they reside and enjoy the friendship of many warm friends. WILLIAM T. HOOPER. The gentleman whose name introduces the following biographical sketch, is one whose worth is of the highest character as a straightforward business man, and his consideration of his friends and neighbors is always a matter of high praise by all who know him. Mr. Hooper owns a fine farm. in Canaan township, Madison county., William T. Hooper, farmer, Canaan township, Madison county, was born on July 17, 1868, in Allen county, Ohio, and is a son of Philip C., and Mary (Palmer) Hooper. He was reared in Allen county, where he attended the district schools during the winter months, and assisted with the farm work during the summer. When he was twenty-two years old he began the vocation of an agriculturist on his own responsibility, dividing his attention between farming and his work in the oil field, but later devoted his entire efforts to agriculture. Mr. Hooper has given his support to the Republican party, and has taken an active interest in local politics. He is a member of the Big Darby Baptist church, and belongs to the Franklin Protective' Association. At the time MADISON COUNTY OHIO - 683 of his marriage Mr. Hooper rented a farm for six years, during which time he saved enough to buy his present farm of one hundred and ten acres in Canaan township, where he now lives, all. of which he .has earned by his own efforts. Philip C. Hooper, father of William T., was born in Franklin county, Ohio, and his wife, Mary (Palmer) Hooper, is a native of Union county, Ohio. They are now living as retired farmers at Columbus Grove, Putnam county, Ohio. This union has been blest with five children, all living in 1915: John, who owns and operates a saw-mill at West Cairo, Ohio; Samuel, a merchant of Lima, Ohio; James, a farmer in Union county, Ohio; William T.; and Margaret, who married a Mr. Fisher. William T. Hooper was united in marriage,. December 25, 1892, with Cora Harris, daughter of Isaac and Rebecca (Lisk) Harris. She was born on August 8, 1870, in Canaan township, Madison county, where she was reared and .received her education, attending the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Hooper are the parents of five children, as follow: Jay is in the. automobile business at West Jefferson; Ethel; Leona is single, as is Vivian, and Nellie who are at home. Isaac and Rebecca (Lisk) Harris, parents of Cora (Harris) Hooper, were natives of Franklin county, Ohio. They lived in Canaan township, Madison county, the greater part of their married. life. Mr. Harris was a farmer, but is now living retired. Mr. and Mrs. Harris were the parents of the following children: Elsie, Amanda, Flora (deceased), Ada, Cora and Thomas (deceased). Mrs. Harris died in September, 1915. Mr. Hooper enjoys the .confidence and respect of the community in which he resides, where he and his wife are interested in every measure to promote the general welfare. RAYMOND HARBAGE. The achieved success of Raymond R. Harbage, whose history is briefly outlined in the following sketch, is an illustration of the fact that the man with the college education is not necessarily a failure when it comes to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Harbage can point with pride to his accomplishments. Raymond R. Harbage, farmer, West Jefferson, Ohio, was born on November 24, 1889, in Jefferson township, Madison county, and is a son of Charles and Jennie B. (Roberts) Harbage. He grew to manhood on his father's farm, and attended the public: schools and later went to the West Jefferson high school, after which he became a student at the Ohio State University. Mr. Harbage devotes his time to general farming and stock-raising, Principally, cattle and hogs, which he sends away each year by the carload. He is a stanch Republican, and believes in furthering the interests of his township in every possible way. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of West Jefferson, Ohio. His fraternal alliance is with Madison Lodge No. 222, Free and Accepted Masons. Charles Harbage, father of the subject of this sketch, was born on the East pike in Jefferson township, and died in December, 1911. His wife, Jennie B. (Roberts) Harbage, is still living in Jefferson township. Charles Harbage was a son of Owen Harbage. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles Harbage were born five children: Robert S., a graduate of the West Jefferson high school, is now a farmer in Deer Creek township; Raymond R., a twin of Robert S.; Iva M., who is a high school graduate, is married to. Carl Marsh, of Marysville, Ohio; Homer V., a high school graduate, is single and lives at home; and Percival, who also graduated from high school and is at home unmarried. Owen Harbage, the paternal grandfather, was a native of England, and came to the United States at the age of thirteen years, settling at West Jefferson, Ohio, where he was employed as a farm hand at fifty cents a day, but, through his thrifty and industrious habits, soon became prosperous, and is still living at West Jefferson, where he 684 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. owns a large tract of valuable land. He was united in marriage with Minerva Arnett, by whom he had seven children, Addie, Clara, Anna, Charles, Vynul, Arnett and Benjamin. Mr. Harbage is preSident of the Farmers' Bank at West Jefferson, Ohio, where he made the most of his money at farming and cattle-raising. His wife is deceased. Raymond R. Harbage was united in marriage, November 1, 1911, with Irma O. Bidwell, daughter of Monroe Bidwell. She was born in Madison county, and was educated in the public schools, graduating from the Loudon high school. Mr. and Mrs. Harbage began their married life on a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres in Canaan. township. A biographical sketch of Monroe Bidwell, father of Mrs. Raymond R. Harbage, is presented elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Harbage is a broad-minded man, and has many friends in Madison county. LAWRENCE C. ENGELSPERGER. When the great national road was being constructed through this part of the state nearly one hundred years ago not a few of the men engaged in the work of pushing that monumental task to completion were so well pleased with the prospect then presented in Madison county that they remained here, becoming permanent residents, founding families whose members in the third and fourth generation now are included among the most prominent and influential citizens of the county. Among these workmen who stopped off here was a steady sober, earnest minded and industrious German immigrant, Lawrence Engelsperger, who decided to put in his lot with that of the energetic pioneers who at that time were so vigorously engaged in establishing a sound social order in Madison county. Locating at the village of West Jefferson, in the eastern section of the county, Lawrence Engelsperger became one of the strong factors in the development of that town and there he reared his family; his children and his children's children 'having since then done well their respective parts in this community. The elder Lawrence Engelsperger was a native of Germany, who came to America in the days of his young. manhood and located at Columbus, Ohio. He was a baker by Irdole and in Ohio's capital city readily found employment. There he met Magdaline Hosess, a German girl, who also had come to America seeking to better her station, and the two Were married. When the construction gang reached Columbus, Lawrence Engelsperger joined the workers on the national road, working on the, road during the. days and baking for the construction crew during the nights. When the force reached West Jefferson he gave up this employment and settled in the village, spending the rest of his life there. That was in the year 1832, and ever since the Engelsperger family has been worthily represented in this county. Lawrence Engelsperger and his wife, Magdaline Hosess, were the parents of nine children, three of whom are still living, those besides the immediate subject of this sketch, being Mary, widow of Charles O. Hood, of Columbus, this state, and Mintie, the wife of Magee Gains. of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Lawrence C. Engelsperger, son of Lawrence and Magdaline (Hosess) Engelsperger, was born in the village of West Jefferson, Madison county. Ohio. on June 16, 1839; and has lived there all his life, during this long period having been a wane of the wonderful material development which has marked the progress of the community since that far-away date. He received such educational advantages as were offered in the village school; during the period of his boyhood and was trained in the trade of shoernaker, in which he became very proficient, Upon the breaking out of the Civil War, Lawrence C. Engelsperger enlisted, on September 5, 1861, in Company A, Fortieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served valiantly as a soldier of the MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 685 Union for three years and one month, the larger part of this service having been performed in the Army of the Cumberland under General Sherman. At the close of the war, Mr. Engelsperger returned to West Jefferson and resumed his work at the shoemaker's bench, faithfully and successfully .following this trade until the time of his retirement from the active pursuits of industry, in 1906, during all this time being faithful in all his relations in life, a good citizen and a fine neighbor, earning and preserving the respect, confidence and esteem of his fellow townsmen. On October 26, 1871, Lawrence C. Engelsperger was united in marriage to Nora L. Boyle, a native of Ireland, and to this union six children were born, five of whom are still living, namely : Mary, now living in her father's home; Bernard, unmarried, also living under the parental roof ; Katie, wife of John Timmons, of Springfield, Ohio; Jacob, a mail carrier, living in West Jefferson, this county, and William, secretary of the local telephone company at West Jefferson. Lawrence C. Engelsperger is a Democrat and for years took an active part in local politics. For two terms he served his home village as corporation clerk and also had served the township as constable. For years he was active in the work of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, but since his retirement has given less attention to the larger affairs of life, being content .to take things easy, enjoying the rewards of his long and busy career. He has hosts of friends in the West Jefferson neighborhood, all of whom hold him in the highest regard. THOMAS W. STALBIRD. The subject of this sketch has made good use of his advantages thus far in his agricultural career. Mr. Stalbird is still a young man, and with. the knowledge already gained, he bids fair to become a notable factor in the community in which he resides. His progressive work in stock breeding is bringing him to the front ranks, and his splendid line of horses and cattle is attracting the attention of many of the older dealers. Thomas W. Stalbird, farmer and stock breeder, London, Monroe township, Madison county, Ohio, was born. on May 30, 1882, and is a son of John and Irene (Carpenter) Stalbird. He was reared in Monroe township and there attended the district schools, in the villhge of Resaca, giving his attention to his studies during the winter months and assisting with the farm work dining the summer, until he was twenty-one years of age, when his father presented him with a team of horses. He then rented a farm and began the vocation of a farmer on his own responsibility. Mr. Stalbird has become the owner of the farm of forty-three acres, which is located in Darby township, about three miles southwest of Plain City. Mr. Stalbird rents his forty-three acres out and farms three hundred and thirty acres which he rents and lives on part of this, dividing his attention between general farming and stock raising. He owns a fine standard bred trotting mare and colt, as well as a purebred Percheron mare and colt, and a herd of registered Jersey cattle. His place is one of the noted farms in the county, and shows the care of a master hand. Mr.. Stalbird is a stanch Republican, and has not allowed his home interests to lessen his interest in the welfare of his township. He has shown his public spirit by serving as township assessor, and officiating as a member of the board of education. John Stalbird, father of Thomas W., was a native of Pennsylvania, and his wife, Irene (Carpenter) Stalbird, was born in Canaan township, Madison county, and has always lived in that neighborhood. The paternal grandfather is M. D. Stalbird, who follows farming in Monroe township, and also officiates, as trustee of that territory. Thomas W. Stalbird was united in marriage, March 9, 1904, with Bessie M. Finley, 686 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. daughter of Scott and Jennie (Heath) Finley. She was born in Monroe township, and was educated in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Stalbird played together as children and attended the some school. They have one adopted daughter, Lula M., who was born on June 8, 1910. Mr. Stalbird is a thoroughly up-to-date business farmer, and is building a reputation worthy of serving as an example for all ambitious young agriculturists. WILLIAM H. KELLER. "Hickory Grove Farm," situated two and one-half miles south of the village of West Jefferson, on the Jefferson and Lilly Chapel pike, in Jefferson township, this county, is one of the best appointed places in that vicinity and its proprietor is regarded as one of the most substantial men in that neighborhood, a man who enjoys the respect and confidence of the entire community. William H. Keller, proprietor of "Hickory Grove Farm," was born on a farm in Union township, Madison county, Ohio, on September 29, 1860, son of George and Eliza (Fitzgerald) Keller, the former of whom was the son of Peter Keller, who came to this county from Maryland with his family when George Keller was a boy, and located on a farm on the national road, near Glade run, where he spent the rest of his life. George Keller grew to manhood on this Glade run farm and after his marriage rented farms in Madison and Franklin counties, in his later years buying a farm of ninety-nine and thirty-five hundredths acres in Jefferson township, where he and his wife spent the rest of their lives, his death occurring on April 8, 1908, she surviving until January 2, 1913. Upon the death of his father, William H. Keller bought the various interests of the other heirs in the home farm and has lived there ever since. He is unmarried and makes his home with his farm assistant and the latter's wife, who occupy the old Keller home. To George and Eliza (Fitzgerald) Keller were born five children, four of whom are still living, namely: Ida C., who married Cornelius Recob, of Springfield, Ohio; William H., the subject of this sketch; E. E. J., a farmer of Logan county, this state, and Mary, who married John Grasley; a farmer living near West Jefferson, this county. William H. Keller is a Democrat and takes a good citizen's interest in the political affairs of the county, though not an especially vigorous party worker. He is a progressive farmer and is rated as a substantial citizen, one who ever has the best interests of the community at heart, giving his earnest support to all local movements looking to the general betterment of conditions hereabout, and is held in high esteem by his neighbors. MERITTE D. STA.LBIRD. Having nothing of the speculator in his make up, Mr. Stalbird has achieved his business success through a methodical routine of business effort. He made up his mind at an early day to make sure of a comfortable living, and has the satisfaction of knowing he has been successful. Meritte D. Stalbird, farmer and trustee of Monroe township, Madison county, was born on June 25, 1877, in Canaan township, and is a son of John and Irene (Carpenter) Stalbird. He was reared on the home farm, and attended the public schools of Canaan and Monroe townships, remaining under the parental roof until he was past twenty-one years of age, when he began farming for himself, renting at first, after which he bought thirty-three and one-third acres at Resaca, Ohio. Mr. Stalbird gives his support to the Republican party, taking an active part in local politics, and serving as one of the trustees of Monroe township. He hag made all he owns entirely through, his own efforts. MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 687 John Stalbird, father of Meritte D., was born in the state of New York, and moved with his parents to Pennsylvania, and thence to Madison county, Ohio, where he was united in marriage with Irene Carpenter, a sister of Burr E. Carpenter. Mr. and Mrs. Stalbird are residents of Canaan township, and are the parents of two children, Meritte D., and Thomas W., a prosperous farmer of Monroe township. Meritte D. Stalbird was united in marriage, September 25, 1899, with Estelle Reed, who was born on March 10, 1888, near Gillivan, Canaan township, in Madison county, Ohio, and was educated in the public schools of Monroe township: To this union have been born two children, Marion Everette, born on. August 26, 1900, a graduate of the public school at the age of fourteen years, and Florence I, born on January 7, 1903. Mrs. Estelle (Reed) Stalbird is a daughter of Perry and Missouri (Miller) Reed. both of whom have lived for many years in Monroe township, where Mr. Reed is a farmer. In politics he is a Republican: Mr. and Mrs. Reed are the parents of six children, as follow : May married Samuel Skeels; Lennie married Major Gammel; Estella was the third in order of birth; Clara married Kirk Phillip; Edith married Fay Fenner ; Harrison married Inez Anderson. Mr. Stalbird has made all he possesses without any outside assistance, and being a gentleman of marked domestic tastes, thoroughly enjoys his home and family. HORACE T. FINLEY. While endeavoring to advance his own interests, Horace T. Finley, whose name introduces this sketch, has never neglected any favor that would tend to the promotion of the welfare of a friend or neighboring citizen. He is the owner of fine farming lands in Monroe township, and springs from aristocratic Virginia ancestry. His financial success has been the outcome of strict attention to business, and the high principles upon which he has always conducted his work. Horace T. Finley, farmer, residing in Monroe township, Madison county, was born on October 25, 1848, in Rockbridge county, Virginia, and is a son of Col. J. H., and Martha (Ruff) Finley. He was educated in the public schools, after which he taught school for some years, and then took up the vocation of a farmer, which he has successfully conducted, and is now well fixed with the material goods of this world. Mr. Finley is a Democrat, in behalf of which party he has shown his public spirit by serving as trustee and township clerk at various times. His farm, consisting of one hundred and twenty-five acres, is located in Pike, Monroe and Darby townships. He is a member of Urania Lodge No. 311, of the Masonic Order, at Plain City. Col. J. H. Finley, father of the subject of this sketch, was a native of Virginia, and a 'son of Michael ,Finley. His wife, Martha (Ruff) Finley, was a daughter of John R. Ruff. Colonel Finley was at one time a slaveowner, and conducted a flour-mill. When Colonel and Mrs. Finley came to Ohio, they located .where Horace T. Finley now lives, and built a log cabin for their home, spending the remainder of their lives on this farm. Colonel Finley was -a Democrat. He was well educated and. well informed on the important topics of the day, and took an active interest -in local politics. In his younger days Colonel Finley. taught school for a- number of years. To this union were born nine children, as follow : John R. enlisted -in Company K, Ninety-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel McMillan, participating in the siege of Vicksburg; W. A. was killed at Plain City by a railroad train; Samuel died when two years of age; D. Wallace is- following agriculture in Nebraska ; Amanda is deceased; Horace T., of Monroe township.; Matilda died in infancy; Margaret became the wife of E. W. Fisher ; W. S. lives in Monroe township. A.biographical sketch of the latter is presented elsewhere in this volume. Horace T. Finley was united in marriage, October 1, 1874, with Ada A. Dillow, 688 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. daughter of .Hugh and Susan (Heath) Dillow. She was born in Madison county. This union has been blest with five children, only three of whom are living in 1915: J. T., Oscar W., Ethel (deceased), Bertha (deceased), and Fay J. T. is manager of the honie farm; Oscar W. lives near Plain City; Bertha became the wife of John Barley, of Gillivan road; Fay is also at home. Airs. Horace T. Finley died on Alarch 7, 1915, aged fifty-seven years. Mr. Finley has established himself in the high regard of all who have had the pleasure of knowing OWEN HARBAGE. The gentleman whose name .is noted above is a member of one of the old and honored families of this county, who, though not native-born, have made .a name and a place for themselves, and have become in every sense of the word American, except in the matter of. birth. Coming to this country when a mere lad, Owen Harbage has worked out his destiny by reason of ability and perseverance, until he has come to occupy an important place in .the vicinity of his home, and has won. niany friends, whose entire confidence he has. He is the son of parents who braved the dangers of the ocean to establish their home in the New World. It is "a far cry" from the little town in England in which he was born on May 2, 1838, to the presidency of a bank in Ohio, but such is the cycle of his life. Joseph and Sarah (Kutley) Harbage, parents of Owen Harbage, :were English born, and after their marriage came to the United States, about the year 1853. Arriving in New York City, the bought tickets for Madison county, and located immediately on a farm near West Jefferson, where they spent the remainder of their days, acquiring two hundred and twenty-five acres of land in that part of the county. Joseph Harbage was a quiet, forceful man, a Republican in political belief and a good, conscientious farmer. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, those besides the subject of this sketch being John, Elizabeth (widow of Patrick Caragan), Sarah (deceased), Joseph, Williatn (living in Indiana), and Edwin. It is not difficult to imagine the struggles of an English lad of fifteen coming to a strange country where so many customs and institutions differ from those of the Old World, but, with determination, Owen Harbage set to work, and here in the Madison county schools finished the education begun in England. Until the year of his majority, he lived under the paternal roof, and then started to carve his own destiny. It would seem that Pate was rather kind to him, for she not only brought him a wife, but in so doing determined the direction along which he should carry out his economic activities. In other words, after his parriage to Minerva Arnett in the fall of 1859, he became manager of his mother-in-law's Madison county farth, afterwards purchasing it, .and he still owns nine hundred acres in Jefferson township. Continuing his resi-dence on the farm until 1905, he then moved to West Jefferson, where he now resides, one of his business interests centering in the Farmers Bank, which he organized, and of which he is the president. To Owen and Minerva (Arnett) Harbage seven children were born, four of whom are living, namely: Vynul, who has become a wealthy farmer of Jefferson township; Arnett. who possesses six hundred .acres in Monroe township; Clara, who married J. Wilson Goodson, a prosperous resident of Jefferson township, and Addie, who married David Lloyd a successful farmer of Franklin county. The mother of these children died in 1901 and three years later, August 26, 1904, Mr. Harbage married, secondly. Mrs. Elizabeth Riddle, who was born in Madison county on August 4, 1849. The daughter of a farmer, she was educated in the local schools, and reaching womanhood. MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 689 chose for her husband Abner Riddle, to which union two children were born, Ellen, who married David Sidner, a farmer of West Jefferson, and Gertrude, deceased. The church to which Mr. and Mrs. Harbage have been most strongly attracted is the Methodist Episcopal, and to this they have contributed both of their time and means, Mrs. Harbage being quite active in the church work, especially that of the Ladies' Aid Society. Although an active Republican, Owen Harbage has never held any office of a public nature. He is of a kindly, cheerful disposition, attracting friends and retaining them, and is one of the honored and respected citizens of the county in which he has spent nearly all of his life. LAWRENCE CASSETT HOUSTON. The history of a county or state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly a chronicle )f the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by its representative citizens and yields tribute of admiration and respect to those whose words and actions constitute the record of the state's Prosperity and pride. Among the prominent citizens of Madison county who are well known because of the part they have taken in public life, as well as the fact that they come from an old and honored family, is Lawrence Cassett Houston, a farmer by occupation, who lives two miles north of Summerford, in Somerford township, on a part of a military tract granted by the state of Virginia to members of the Marsh family for services performed in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Houston has a modern farm, known as "Liberty Hall." Lawrence C. Houston was born on October 13, 1872, in Clark county, two miles west of his present home, the son of William Laus and Mary J. '(Bales) Houston. They also were born in Clark' county. William L. Houston was the son of Thomas F. Houston, who was the son of Robert, the son of Joseph. It was Joseph Houston who brought the family to Ohio from Maryland in pioneer times. The founder of the family in America, who came from Scotland, was Robert Houston. The family seat is situated at Houston, Scotland, and a coat of arms granted 'by the king, bears the motto "In Time." It was granted on account of his having appeared on the field of battle with his serfs and having saved the day. The Houston castle is still standing and is a fine specimen of Scotch 'architecture, with its turrets, etc. - Joseph Houston, who established the family in Ohio, was a brother of Gen. Sam Houston's father. Joseph Houston's son, Robert, the father of Thomas F., settled about 1862 in Pleasant township on the farm where he lived until late in life, when 'he moved to Springfield and died at the age of sixty-five years. He was saddle and harness maker in South Charleston in early life. and an old ledger shows that he made a saddle for George Murray some sixty years ago. It was a fine piece of handiwork and was handed down in the Murray family, reaching Mrs. Lawrence C. Houston, and she still has it. William Laus and Mary J. (Bales) Houston succeeded to the old homestead, where they lived until a few months before his death, when he moved to London. He died on. March 11, 1900, at the age of fifty-six years. Mrs. William Laus Houston lives in London. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was also her husband. Mary (Bales) Houston is the daughter of Calvin and Julia Bales, who lived near Tradersville, in Somerferd township, where she was born. She is now sixty-nine years old. Her brother, Charles, still lives in the- old Bales home. To William L. and Mary Houston were born three children, Lawrence C., the subject of this sketch; Morris Charles, an automobile dealer of Duncan, Oklahoma; Stella B., the wife of Edward B. McCarter, of Columbus. (44) 690 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. Lawrence C: Houston lived at home Until seventeen years old. He attended the high school at London and subsequently entered Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, from which he was graduated with the class of 1895, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science. Later he •took a course in Nelson's Business College at Springfield, Ohio, and entered the London EXchange Bank, where he remained for three years in a clerical capacity. At this time his father Was a stockholder and director of the bank. After this he clerked in the Citizens National Bank at Springfield for a year and a half, until the death of hisfather, when he returned to London and was made administrator of the estate, comprising eleven hundred acres of land. A part of his present home farm was included. in the Houston estate. Here he owns twa hundred and forty-two acres. Mr. and Mrs. Houston also own a farm of eighty-seven acres nearby. On February 17, 1898, Lawrence C. Houston was married to Clara Murray, of South Charleston, the daughter of John M. and Sallie (Nesbitt) Murray, both of whom are of Scotch descent. Mrs. Houston's grandfather, George Murray, came from New York with his parents and later settled, in Clark county; Ohio. He was a farmer and stockman at South Charleston and died at the age of seventy-one years. His son, John Murray, now lives in Clark county, aged seventy-five years. He is a stockman and farmer. Mrs. Houston was born in Xenia, Greene county, Ohio, and reared in South Charleston. She was educitted in Ohio Wesleyan University and was a classmate of her husband, having graduated in 1895. She was graduated from the South Charleston high school in the class of 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Houston haye been the .parents of two children, Murray, who is a student in the London' high school, class of 1917, and Helen, who will graduate from the high school with the class of 1919. Murray is very much inclined to nature study, and in 1913 discovered an ancient turtle in the woods of the old Willard farm, bearing the date "1812," with the initials "J. W." carved on its back, thought to be the initials of J. Willard, who owned the farm at that date. Practically all of the members of the Houston family have been Republicans, but Lawrence C. Houston is inclined to the Progressive party. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at London. Mr. Houston is a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He is a' member of the Masonic lodge and one of the radical dry workers in Madison county.' He is also a member of the Grange; the Farmers Clnb, the, Young Men's Christian Association and takes. an interest in all of these organizations. ASA F. BURNHAM. Tireless energy, combined with honesty of purpose, and a good supply of proper business judgment, is bound to end in successful achievement in most any line of business, and this fact is illustrated in the life of the subject of this sketch, Asa F. Burnham, who is prominently known throughout Madison county as a high-grade, twentieth-century farmer and stock raiser. Asa F. Burnham, farmer and stock raiser, Mechanicsburg, Madison county, Ohio, was born on February 12, 1855, in Pike township, and is a son of John and Selina (Fullington) Burnham: He was reared on a farm and attended the district schools, after which he entered ttre Akron College and at the end of two years returned home and became engaged in general farming and stock raising, and is now the proprietor of the valuable farm known as "Maple Lawn Farm," located on rural route No. 3, six miles east of Mechanicsburg in Pike and Monroe townships. Mr. Burnham is a stanch Republican. John Burnham, father of Asa F. Burnham; was born in Connecticut, and his wife, Selina (Fullington) Burnham, was born in Ohio. They were early settlers in Madison MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 691 county and Mr. Burnham was always considered a money-maker. He began on his own responsibility in very meager circumstances, but was industrious and thrifty, and soon became the owner of fifty cows and a good dairy farm, which he later gave up and engaged in general farming and stock raising, principally sheep and cattle. John Burnham was a man of high moral character, and upright in all his business dealings. Mr. and Mrs. John Burnham were the parents of eight children, seven of whom are living in 1915: Henry, a veterinarian in Indiana; Charles L., a retired farmer at Mechanicsburg; Darius J., also retired and living at Mechanicsburg, where he is one of the large landowners; Pearl J. is cashier of the Central Bank at Mechanicsburg, and is also the owner of a large tract of land; Ada Burnham is the wife of M. D. Bradley: Marion L. is the present mayor of London, Ohio; and Asa F. Asa F. Burnham was united in marriage in October, 1882, with Amy F. Burnham, daughter of Henry and Eveline (Williams) Burnham. She was born in Pike township, in Madison county. Mr. Burnham has always been a man of temperate habits. and because of his sterling qualities is deservedly popular among his acquaintances. WILLIAM JOHNSON EDWARDS. The human life is most useful which results in the greatest good to the greatest number. Though all do not reach the heights to which they aspire, yet in some measure, each can reach success and make life a blessing to his fellow men. It is not necessary for one to occupy eminent public position to do so, for in other walks of life there remains much good to be accomplished and many opportunities for the exercise of talent and influence, which in some way will touch the lives of others. Among the farmers of Somerford township, Madison county, Ohio, William Johnson Edwards has, for many years, occupied a conspicuous place. He is the proprietor of "Needmore Farm," located on the London and Urbana pike, two and one-half miles north of Summerford, in Somerford township. It is the old David Ward farm and contains one hundred and seventy-five acres, having been purchased by Mr. Edwards five years ago. William Johnson Edwards was born in Wise county, Virginia, February 4, 1865. Many of the members of the Edwards family still live in Wise county, Virginia. Mr. Edwards was reared on a farm and for many years was engaged in the manufacture of hardwood lumber in Carroll, Wise and Grayson counties, Virginia. During a period of sixteen years he had extensive experience in operating mills. Coming to Ohio in December, 1903, he settled in Clark county, his object being to obtain better educational advantage for his children. Mr. Edwards rented land for two years and then purchased land in Madison county. He first bought the Arbuckle farm in Somerford township, a tract of one hundred and seventy-one acres. It was a run-down farm, for which he paid fifty-five dollars an acre. In four years, he sold out and received eighty-five dollars an acre. He then rented the Angus Bonner farm of seven hundred and forty acres, and one year later sold out his interest in the farm and purchased his present home, which had been rented for many years. There were no fences on the farm and this farm also was very much run down, and it gave Mr. Edwards a chance to improve and rebuild. The land is now in a high state of cultivation. He has blown out several acres of stumps and put this into cultivation. He grows corn, wheat and oats and buys considerable grain to feed to his stock. A rather large herd of cows is kept on the farm and the cream is sold as a principal product. He has splendid wells on the farm, which-are operated by windmills and the water piped to a tank in the yard. The farm also has a silo. Besides cattle and hogs, Mr. Edwards keeps draft stallions and is doing a great deal to improve the breed of horses in this county. In 1888 William J. Edwards was married in Grayson county, Virginia, to Sarah 692 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. Frances Shupe, a native of Grayson county. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have been the parents of eight children: Hattie May, who is the wife of Louis Ackermann, of Rose-dale, Madison county; Earl Eugene, who owns a part of the Edwards. farna, but lives ill. Clark county ; Everett Clinton, who is a graduate of the London high school and is a teacher ; Ernest Kyle, who married Gladys Wilson, the daughter of Valentine Wilson, and occupies Mr. Wilson's farm.; Clara and Martha Ann, who are students in the London high school ; William Austin and Vernie. Clyde, who live at home. Mr. and Mrs. William J. Edwards are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Surumerford. They have been active in church work since 1892. Mr. Edwards is a trustee of the church. Fraternally, he is a inember of the Masonic lodge at London. The Edwards home is located in a magnificent grove which makes one of the most desirable hoine sites in Madison county. WILLIAM I. BALLINGER, M. D. Among the resourceful and enterprising citizens of Madison county, Ohio, is Dr. William 1. Ballinger. Although well advanced in years, Doctor Ballinger is still wonderfully active and wide awake. His progressive spirit has been very helpful to his township, and he has performed his part as a public-spirited citizen. He began his career as a physician, but the call of the commercial life proved more attractive to him, and his last years in active business were spent in his flouring mills, in which business he has also been eminently successful. He retired from business in 1908. William I. Ballinger wa,s born on October 18, 1828, in Logan county, Ohio, a son of Joshua and Delila (Inskeep) Ballinger. He was reared on a farm in Logan county, and obtained his early education in the public schools, remaining on the farm until nin.eteen years Of age. When a boy he was injured, making it impossible for him to follow agricultural pursuits, and in. deciding upon a vocation he selected the study and profession of medicine and surgery, entering the college at Marysville, Ohio, presided over by Dr. D. W. Henderson, where he was one of the leading students. He later went to college at Delaware, remaining frora 1850 to 1853, after which he studied with Doctor Henderson in Marysville for two years, and was later a student at Starling Medical College at Columbus. From there he went to Cleveland, during which time he devoted much of his time and attention to surgery, graduating from the medical college at Cleveland with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, in April, 1856. Doctor Ballinger located at Plain City, where he established a good practice, until 1885 or 1886, when he 'discontinued his medical practice in order that he might :have more time to devote to his flouring-mill, which he had built in 1873. It was one of the first mills and proved a success. Dr. Ballinger personally took charge of it In 1885. It was burned dciwn in 1898 and he at once rebuilt it on better and more modern plans, taking out the buhrs and replacing them with the roller system, and in 1904 or 1905 he again took active charge of the mill, assisted by his sons. Doctor Ballinger was originally a Whig, but later becanae a Republican, to which party he has since given his loyal support. He has always been an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a.n active worker ih. that denomination. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic lodge of Plain City, of which he has officiated as secretary for many years. Joshua Ballinger, father of the subject of this sketch, was a native of New Jersey, and came to Ohio in 1803. His wife was Delila (Inskeep) Ballinger, whose parents were natives of Virginia, and both died in Logan county, Ohio, where her father was a prosperous farmer. Mrs. Joshua Ballinger had five brothers and two sisters, the only one of whom now living is Hester A., the widow of E. P. Williams. Dr. William I. Ballinger was united in marriage, in February, 1857, with Matilda M. Taylor, lay whom he has had three children—John, Llew and Eva, who married MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 693 Rev. A. L. Rogers, a Methodist Episcopal minister, and they live in Plain City, Ohio. Doctor and Mrs. Ballinger have been married fifty-eight years, and are among the best known and most highly respected citizens of Plain City, Ohio. Mrs. Ballinger's father was John Taylor, who was born on the old Taylor homestead, located in Darby and Canaan townships. He was a farmer and large stock man. He died on the old home place. Mrs. Ballinger's mother was Eliza Marks, who was born on the banks of Little Darby, in Madison county, Ohio. She was the daughter of James Marks, a prominent farmer and one of the early settlers of Madison county, who came to this section when it was a wilderness. John and Eliza (Marks) Taylor were the parents of the following children: David, deceased; Matilda ; Elizabeth, deceased; James, deceased; Eva, deceased, and J. B. F., who lives at Lafayette. EDWIN E. WILLARD. Large undertakings are entrusted only to men of large vision and great ability. During the past few years, Madison county has been engaged in tremendous road building projects, at the head of which has been Edwin E. Willard, the president of the board of county commissioners, who was elected to his present office first in 1910 and who is now serving his second term. During his administration, Madison county, in conjunction with. Franklin county, has built two large bridges over Big Darby as a result of the flood. These bridges cost about severity thousand dollars each. Moreover, the county is constructing about fourteen miles of state and inter-county roads, a total cost to Madison county of about fifty-five thousand dollars. During Mr. Willard's administration, the county has also rebuilt several miles of roads, one of which is the old turnpike. A movement is now on foot to change the route of the old national road so that it will leave the old line at West Jefferson and pass through London and by the way of the state farm to Summerford. The present national road is a straight line from West Jefferson to Summerford, by the way of Lafayette. London' lies four miles south of Lafayette, so that the new line makes a slight detour to the south, returning to the old line at Summerford. The increase in distance, however, is very slight. This project means an expense of one hundred thousand dollars to Madison county and is about one-half the total cost as the state will pay the other half. Mr. Willard is a man of large ability and has given a full measure of satisfaction during his previous years of service. He is thoroughly experienced in politics and public affairs, having served as township assessor of Somerford township, as trustee and as a member of the school board. The people of any county are pleased to honor a man possessing the ability of Edwin E. Willard. Edwin E. Willard was born on the old home farm near his present home on May 9, 1856, and is the third in the family born to James M. and Eleanor (Hill) Willard, the former of whom was born in Samerford township, October 2, 1829, and the latter in Madison county, July 2, 1830. James M. Willard was the son of Abner S. and Hulda (Colver) Willard, the former a native of Vermont, born in 1797, and the latter born on the shore of. Lake Champlain, in New York state, in 1796. Abner S. Willard went to Canada in . early life, then returned to New York, and in 1812 settled in Champaign county, Ohio, where he remained until 1815, when he came to Madison. county. He died on December 16, 1872. He was married in Madison county in 1817. His wife died on June 3, 1861, in this county. James M. Willard was married to Eleanor Hull on November 25, 1851, and after his marriage engaged in farming and stock raising, renting land until he purchased two hundred acres, adding to it until he owned two hundred and fifty-eight acres. Elected as a Republican he served three years as county commissioner and faithfully discharged the duties of the office. He also served as township trustee at different 694 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. times and school director for twenty years. James and Ellen (Hull) Willard were the parents of six children, of whom four are living: Edwin E., the subject of this sketch; Horace M. -lives on the old homestead; Olive J. is the wife of Walter Dickason, of Columbus; Louie It. is the widow of Frank Newman, of Rosedale, Madison county. Tabitha and Nettie O. are deceased. Tabitha was the Wife of Marion Candler and died on June 14, 1886, her husband having since died. Her daughter, Myrtle, married Eugene Dion and died on June 19, 1905, leaving no children. James M. Willard was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife were members of the Universalist church. He died on February 17, 1905, and his remains were buried in the Summerford cemetery. His wife died in December, 1896. The life of Edwin E. Willard has been passed mainly in Madison county, either on the farm or in London, where he was engaged in breeding light harness horses. He followed the race circuit for many years, driving his own horses, and during that period owned several fast horses which brought him good prices. He has now been living on the farm for eight years and owns seventy-five acres of land. On the farm he lives in a neat concrete house, which has been made modern and is a desirable home. It it situated two miles north of Summerford. Edwin E. Willard was married on January 19, 1877, to Alice E. Evans, the daughter of William and Anna Evans, who were, for ninny years, proprietors of the hotel at Summerford. William Evans died on August 5, 1915, and was buried at Mechanicsburg, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Willard are the parents of four children: Forrest, who is employed by the Ohio Electric railway at Columbus, Ohio; Edwina, who is the wife of A. J. Leonard, an electrician of London; Jeannette, who was graduated from the high school with the class of 1915; and Irene, who will graduate from the high school with the class of 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Willard and family are prominent citizens of Madison county. The family is popular socially and enjoys the wholesome respect of their neighbors. At no time in the history of the county has any county commissioner had so much to contend' with as Mr. Willard. He is acknowledged one of the best men who ever held that position. ROBERT HARBAGE. Robert Harbage, a prosperous young farmer of Somerford township, is the proprietor of "Spring Hill Farm," a tract of two hundred acres, lying three miles north of Summerford and back from the main pike from London to Mechanicsburg. The farm lies on Georges creek and is excellently watered and well adapted for stock raising. Robert Harbage was born in Jefferson township, Madison county, November 24, 1889, and is the son of Charles and Jennie (Roberts) Harbage, the former of whom is deceased and the latter is still living on the old home place. For a period of three years, Mr. Harbage operated the farm of his uncle, Vymul Harbage, in Deer Creek township. but after his marriage moved to his present farm. which is known as the old David Ward farm, Since moving to the farm he has rebuilt most of the fences and by installing an elaborate system of drainage, has reclaimed a great deal of waste land. The farm was very much run down when he took possession of it, but it is now in a high state of cultivation. At the present time Mr. Harbage has one hundred and fifty acres of land in cultivation and is clearing more land every year. He is engaged principally in stock raising and specializes in hogs and sheep, being one of the well-known breeders of this community. Mr. Harbage is a graduate of the West Jefferson high school and spent two years -in the University at Columbus. He was a charter member of the Farmers Club. At the age of twenty-four Mr. Harbage was married to Bertha Fields, the daughter MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 695 of Nathan, and Esther (Sheridan) Fields, who are prosperous farmers of D.eer Creek township. Mrs., Harbage's father was born in Carroll county, Ohio, June 1, 1854, and her mother was born at Mishawaka, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Fields have owned the old Beals farm since 1891. It consists of one hundred and twenty-seven and one-half acres. .Mrs. Harbage is one of a family of eight children and the third in the family. The others are: Wealthy, the wife of Earl Woodruff; Margaret, now a student at the State University; Amy, the wife of Lester Stroup; John, a farmer and carpenter at Bernstad, North. Dakota; Clarence, who is in the service of the Pennsylvania railroad; Alice and Gladys. Mrs. Harbage was born in Somerford township and is a graduate of the London high school. She was a student in the summer school of Ohio State University' and, for five years, was a teacher in Madison county. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harbage have two children, Charles Nathan and Ben. The family is highly respected and well known in Somerford township and, altogether, Mr. Harbage is one. of the leading young citizens of the township. VALENTINE WILSON. Valentine Wilson, a son of Washington and Linnie (West) Wilson, and the grandson of Valentine and Susan (Umble) Wilson, is a farmer of Somerford township, owning three hundred and eighty acres of his father's old homestead, and altogether three hundred and ninety acres in this township. His farm is located on the London and Mechanicsburg pike, one mile north of Summerford. Valentine Wilson was born two and one-half miles west of his present honie, in Clark county, Ohio, June. 30, 1851. Mr. Wilson's father first purchased land in Clark county, where he lived until 1856, when he came to the farm now occupied by his son. Valentine inherited half the land and built the house, which still stands on the farm, in 1856. Here he lived until his death, at which time he was the owner of about eight hundred acres of land. This old house has been the gathering place for the ministers of the Christian church for a great deal more than a generation. Washington Wilson was a man who had many friends, and, so thoroughly and widely was be trusted that he was appointed by the court to settle up many estates. His life and his children are referred to elsewhere in the sketch of the Wilson family. It may be said here that he WaS a stanch Republican in politics and took a very active part in public affairs locally. He was fond. of fine horses. During the Civil War he was heavily interested in raising sheep. Valentine Wilson, the immediate sUbject of this sketch, inherited from his father's estate what was called the Heffley farm, and there. he lived for thirty, years. After the death of his brother, Charles, he .botight the old home farm, where he has now lived for four years. He is heavily interested in live stock and buys great numbers of cattle, which. are fed off .to grass. In 1878 Valentine Wilson was married to Flora Overturf, who died in 1900, leaving three children who grew to maturity. Tweed, the widow of Willard Dickason, lives with her father; Ralph married Bertha Mershon, and operates a part of the home farm.. He and his. wife have one child, Valentine Harold. At one time Ralph took a commercial and business course at Greenfield, and for a year worked in an office in Chicago. Gladys A. attended London high school for four years and was graduated in 1910. On March 3, 1915, she was married to Lrnest Kyle Edwards, who was born in Grayson county, Virginia, a son of William and. Sarah F. (Shupe) Edwards. They now live in Somerford township, this county, where Mr. Edwards is a farmer and stock raiser. The late Willard Dickason was a son of Oscar Dickason, of Somerford township, this county. He was a farmer by occupation, and for three years fought off the 696 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. dread disease of tuberculosis by travel and change of climate, but all to no purpose, for subsequently . he returned to his old home and died among his friends. He died on January 31, 1911. An ardent Republican in politics, Mr. Wilson has taken an. active part in public affairs. He. has served as township assessor, and as a member of the township school board. He served as director of the county infirmary for a term of six years, and has always taken an active part in the conventions of his party. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, London. He is affiliated with the Christian church at Summerford, in which he is deeply interested, and to the support of which he is a liberal contributor, and for. several years has Served on the board of trustees of this church. ARNETT HARBAGE. "Maple Shade Stock Farm," consisting of three hundred and forty-four acres, situated on rural route No. 8, London, Ohio, is the property of Arnett Harbage, in addition to which he owns a fine tract, consisting of three hundred and thirty acres in Champaign county, Ohio, making in all; six htindred and seventy acres, the greater portion of which. is devoted to stock raising, from which Mr. Harbage reaps a handsome annual profit. Arnett Harbage was born on April 21, 1873, in Jefferson township, and is the son of Owen and Minerva (Arnett) Harbage. He was reared on the farm and was graduated from the West Jefferson high school in 1890, attending later the Ohio State University and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1893, with the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, but never practiced his profession. He is a breeder of fine Percheron horses, of which he has a number of good ones, including three registered stallions, and several registered mares. Mr. Harbage is a Republican but has never been active in politics. Owen Harbage, father of Arnett Harbage, was born in England, and his wife, Minerva (Arnett) Harbage, was born in Oak Run township, Madison county, Ohio. Arnett Harbage was united in marriage on March 2, 1899, with Helen Postle, daughter of Theodore and Mary (Busbey) Postle. She was born on April 4, 1877, in Franklin county, and was educated in the public schools. To Mr. and Mrs. Harbage have been born three children : Frances, born on October 30, 1900, and died on February 7, 1915; Minerva, November 24, 1902, and Mary, May 27, 1909. Mrs. Harbage is an attentive member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Both Mr. and Mrs. Harbage are members of the Madison County Farmers' Club. Mrs. Harbage is a member of the Harmony Club at Rosedale (a literary club) and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Mr. Harbage is a leader of the Plumwood Young Men's Christian Association. Theodore Postle, father of Mrs. Arnett Harbage, was born on March 28, 1848, and died on January 21, 1915. His wife, Mary (Busbey) Postle, was born at South Vienna in Clark county, Ohio, and is now living in Franklin county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Postle were the parents of five children: Helen; Dr. Carl D. Postle, of Colunbus, Ohio; Fred W. Postle, a successful practicing attorney, and member of the city council of Columbus; Edna Grace, died on January 17, 1887; and Mary Lucile, died in April, 1901. Mr. Harbage enjoys the distinction of being one of the largest, if not the largest, stock dealers in Madison county, and his beautiful home is pointed out as one of the places of interest in Monroe township. He raises horses, hogs and sheep, and has bought and sold a great deal of stock. He has also bought and sold farm lands in this county. Mr. Harbage 'has been trustee, clerk and member of the school board in his home township. MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 697 JOHN SCOTT. The subject of this sketch, was born in Champaign county, Ohio, half way between Bellefontaine and Urbana, July 14, 1836. He grew to manhood on his father farm, was educated in the high school of West Liberty, and at the first call for volunteers for the Civil War enlisted in the Thirteenth Ohio Battery, Light Artillery. He fought at the battle of Shiloh, and after the battle was placed under the command of General Buell and sent to Kentucky, and was discharged on account of sickness a few months later. Johii Scott married Rachel Jane Green, November 1, 1863, and after terms of residence in Tennessee, Kansas and Illinois, they settled in Madison county in 1875. Mr. Scott lives on his well-improved ninety-acre farm, which he acquired by his industry. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics a Republican. Mr. Scott has served as justice of the peace for several years. He is a member of Harry Scribner Post No. 222, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is past commander and chaplain. He is a Member of the Grange, of which he is past master. Both Mr. and Mrs. John Scott are of English and Scotch descent. His great-grandfather was Thomas Scott, who emigrated to Philadelphia from Wexford county, Ireland, about 1783. In 1800 Thomas Scott and his three children by his first wife, Samuel, William and Sarah, and his second wife, Ann (Owen) Scott, and their eight children moved to Chillicothe, Ohio. Samuel was born in Wexford county, Ireland, October 15, 1778. He served in the War of 1812, and married Ruth Hopkins, daughter of John and Elsie (Goodwin) Hopkins. Their sixth child, William Scott, father of the subject of this sketch, was born on June 18, 1814, and married Emily Gillilan in 1835. The paternal grandmother, Ruth Hopkins, belonged to an old family of Maryland, the first Hopkins having come there from England about 1660. Her father, John Hopkins, served in the War of the American Revolution, having first enlisted at the barracks, Dover, Delaware, February 17, 1776. He saw service under Col. John Hazlett and Capt. Henry Neill. On July 16, 1780, he received one thousand pounds from Capt. Alexander Thompson for enlisting troops. John Hopkins married Elsie Goodwin, of Glasgow, Scotland, and had six children, three of whom. were Archibald, Ruth and Robert. About 1797 John Hopkins with his family moved to the banks of the Scioto, below Chillicothe, and later to Pickaway plains, where he died before 1810. Emily (Gillilan) Scott, mother of John Scott, was born in what is now Greenbrier county, West Virginia, April 9, 1819.. She was the daughter of William and Ann (Edmondson) William Gillilan was a son of James and Lydia (Armstrong) Gillilan. Both families were from Ulster,. Ireland, and originally from' Scotland. The Gilliians belonged to the Clan MacGillychallum or Clan MacLeod of Rasay, and the Armstrongs were a border clan. Emily Gillilan's mother, Ann Edmondson (or Edmonstone), was the daughter of James and Jane (Smith) Edmondson of Augusta county, Virginia. James Edmondson was a soldier of the American Revolution and fought at the battle of Kings Mountain. He was the son of Mathew and Margaret Edmondson, and the grandson of Sir James Edmonstone, royal standard bearer at the battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715. The Edmonstones were a powerful family of Scotland, being descended from Celtic kings and closely related to the house of Stewart ; their family seat was Dunreith castle, county Stirling. They lost their title and estates after the "rising of 1715" and emigrated to Virginia. Rachel Jane (Green) Scott the wife of John. Scott, was born on August 17, 1840, in Monroe township, Champaign county, Ohio. She was the tenth child of George and Ruth (Williams) Green. Her father was the youngest son of George Green, Sr., and 698 - MADISON COUNTY, OHIO. Mary (Death) Green. George Green, Sr., was born in England, and at the age of thirteen, having heard. much of America, ran off and hid himself in the hold. of .a ship bound Air Baltimore. -He. was not found until the ship was three days out. On arrival at Baltimore he was put up at auction to pay for his passage; and was bought by John Death of Baltimore county, .whose daughter he afterward married. George Green fought in the American Revolution, enlisting from Pennsylvania. After the war he moved to Fleming county, Kentucky, and about 1810 to Logan county, Ohio. John Death, the father. of Mary (Death) Green, with his brothers, John, Edward and Randolph, fought in the Colonial wars. Ruth (Williams) Green, mother of Mrs. Scott, was a member of a Quaker family of Guilford. county, North Carolina. Her first ancestor in this country was George Williams, who came from England about 1690, to Philadelphia, with William Penn and the Quakers. His son, Rickard Williams, with his Wife, Prudence (Beales) of King George county, Maryland, moved to Guilford county, North Carolina, in 1752. They were living there at the time of the American Revolution and their home was used as a hospital by the English officers from whom Richard Williams caught smallpox and died. He gave forty acres to the Quakers for their meeting house. The battle of Guilford Court House was fought on land owned by John Robinson, grandfather of Ruth (Williams) Green. The Robinsons were a Scotch-Irish family of Maryland, and were Quakers also. Hannah Clarke, wife of John Robinson, was from Scotland. John Williams, son of Jesse and Eleanor (Johnson) Williams, and grandson of Richard Williams, and his wife Mary (Robinson) Williams, grandparents of Mrs. John Scott, emigrated to Logan county, Ohio, in 1811. Mr. and Mrs.. John Scott are the parents of three children. Emily Scott was born on February 22, 1865, and married Archibald E. Smith, October 7, 1886. Their children are Muriel, Sydney Scott, Mildred (who died in infancy), Junius Percy and Archibald Lawrence. MacKenzie Scott was born on March 17, 1868, and married Myrtle Stockman, in November, 1900. Their children are John Jerome and Herbert, who died in infancy. Elizabeth Scott was born on September 9, 1891, and married James Calvin Bushey; February 25, 1891. Their children are Oren Jay, Leslie Leigh, 'Leo James and Juanita. WILLIAM L. DEBOLT. The life of the gentleman whose name initiates the following paragraph has been one of closely applied energy, accompanied by the necessary qualities for achieving the desired results in an agricultural vocation, and deserves worthy consideration in this volume. Mr. DeBolt has fortunately been situated in a thriving agricultural community, where farmers have been on the alert for advancement along any lines tending toward a higher grade of farm produce. William L. DeBolt, farmer, Plain City, Madison county, was born on October 23, 1860, in Union county, Ohio, and is a son of G. W..and Emily (Cole) DeBolt. He was reared amidst farm scenes, and his elementary education was obtained in the district schools in Darby township. Union county. At the age of twenty-one years he began to farm for himself, forming a partnership with his father, and working for others during his spare time.. By close attention to business and with his mind made up to win the best to be had in the vocation of a life on the farm, Mr. DeBolt is now the owner of a splendid farm of one hundred and forty acres, located five miles west of Plain City, all of which has been acquired entirely through his personal efforts. He has put . valuable improvements on his place, including a fine modern house, and a good, substantial barn, built in 1914 and 1913 respectively. Politically, he is a stanch MADISON COUNTY, OHIO - 699 Republican, but has never taken an active interest in local politics, his entire time and attention having been divided between his farming interests and the raising of fine stock, principally hogs-and horses, and he is considered one of the most up-to-date agriculturists of Darby township. G. W. DeBolt, father of the subject of this sketch, was married to Emily Cole, who was an aunt of Mrs. Charles W. Fairbanks. He died on May 22, 1912, and Mrs. DeBolt died on September 17, 1912, They were the parents of six children: J. L., a farmer in. Madison county; William L., of Darby township; Minnie, who, became the wife of Frederick Kaline; Myrtle, who was married to R. W. Brown; Ida, the wife of H. E. Thompson, of Columbus: Ohio, who is a conductor on the Pennsylvania railroad; and Elton, who follows farming in Madison county. Williani L. DeBolt was united in marriage, April 13, 1914, with Zena Dunfee, daughter of S. W. and Sylvia (Bailey) Dunfee. She was born on October 5, 1880, in Darby township, and received her education in the public schools, after which she became a nurse, in which capacity she served for a number of years. This union has been blessed with one daughter, Gladys Pauline born on January 19, 1915. Mr. DeBolt has the reputation in his community of being a wide awake, hustling farmer, and has been the means of inspiring his neighbors with the same ambitious spirit. DAVID DAVIS. Wise and judicious business management have been the principal elements which have contributed largely 'in the success attained by the gentleman Whose name introduces this sketch. Enjoying a position of unquestioned honor, and possessing in a marked degree an insight into agricultural possibilities and conditions far beyond that of the average farmer, Mr. Davis is one of the foremost citizens of Darby township, in whose behalf all his efforts have been actuated by unselfish motives. David Davis, farmer, Darby township, Madison connty, was born on June 21, 1860, and is a son of Benjamin and Rachel (Davis) Davis. He is a native of Union county, but was reared on a farm in Franklin county,. Ohio, where he was educated in the district school. After leaving school Mr. Davis engaged in business for himself at the age of twenty-one years, and has been rewarded with success in return for his industry and untiring efforts. Politically, he has always been a loyal advocate of Republican principles, to which party he has given his support by serving as trustee of Darby township. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Plain City, and is a liberal supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church at Lois Chapel. Benjamin Davis, father of David Davis, was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and his wife, Rachel (Davis) Davis, was a native of Cardiganshire, Wales. They emigrated with their families to the United States and settled in Franklin county, Ohio, where they were married, and settled down to home building; but at the end of one year they moved to Union county, returning again to Franklin county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were both members of the Baptist church, and were the parents of eight children, all of whom are living in 1915: George, Stephen, David, Mary, Jenkin, Sarah, Ada and J. B. George is a resident of South Dakota ; Stephen is a resident of Columbus, Ohio ; Mary is the wife of Dell Sands, and. lives in Arizona; Jenkin is a. resident of Columbus, Ohio ; Sarah became the wife of F. High, and lives in. Jefferson township ; Ada is single and lives at home; J. B. is a resident of Franklin county, Ohio. David Davis was united in marriage, February 2, 1882, with Mary Edwards of Franklin county, Ohio, daughter of William and Ann Edwards. She was born in Franklin county, where she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have had