750 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY from six to eight acres of the latter product each year. He also has a splendid orchard on the place. February 2, 1890, Myron Iddings was married to Miss Bertha Ingle, a daughter of Alexander and Sarah (Kendig) Ingle, and they are parents of the following: George, a member of the class of 1909 at West Milton High School; Howard Donald, who died in infancy ; Robert Forest, a member of the class of 1913 at West Milton High School ; Randall Morris; Joseph Calvin ; and Margaret Elizabeth. The three last named are attending the public schools of Union Township. Religiously they are members of the Friends Church. Mr. Iddings is a Democrat, but is in no sense a politician. JOHN DODD, proprietor of a general store located on Main Street, in Conover, Miami County, Ohio, has a large and well established business and draws trade from a large territory surrounding the village. He was born in Brown Township, Miami County, in 1859, and is a son of William and Honora (Griffin) Dodd. William Dodd was an old and well known resident of this community. He was for twenty-eight years section boss on the Panhandle Railroad, and then settled down on a farm which he purchased at the edge of Conover. There he farmed until his death at the age of sixty-five years. He married Honora Griffin, of Franklin County, Ohio, and they became parents of eight children, of whom four are now living. John Dodd attended the public schools of Brown Township, after which he worked on the home farm for a time. He purchased the store of J. N. Frazier at Conover, and has since carried on this busi ness in a highly successful manner. He has a large line of general dry goods and groceries and carries the many little side lines for which there is a demand in a small village. Mr. Dodd was united in marriage with Miss Retta Lauer, a daughter of Dr. J. D. Lauer, of Conover, and they have a very comfortable home in the village. Religiously they are members of the Catholic Church at St. Paris. He is a Democrat in politics and served two years as treasurer of Brown Township. JOHN HOLFINGER, a prosperous farmer of Concord Township, Miami County, Ohio. is the owner of 1441., acres of land, of which 671:, acres are included in his home place on the Pleasant Hill Road. about five miles west of Troy. The other farm is half way between Troy and Covington. and is the site of the old halfway house which was well known in earlier days. Mr. Holfinger was born in Washington Township. Miami County, Ohio. October 23. 1853, and is a son of John Bernard and Agnes Barbara (Streit.) Holfinger. John Bernard Holfinger was born at Moessingen, Wurtemberg, Germany, May 9, 1820, and lived there for some years after his marriage. In 1853 they sold out in Germany and came to the United States, locating at once in Miami County, Ohio. He purchased a farm inWashington Township and, with the exception of five years in Darke County, lived upon it the remainder of his life, which closed September 3, 1899. He was married in Germany to Barbara Streib, who was born at Moessingen, Wurtemberg, January 7. 1823, and by whom he had children as follows: Sebastian, born November 5, 1843, at Moessingen ; AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 751 Lewis, born February 15, 1846, at Moessingen, died April 27, 1870; George, born March 7, 1848, at Moessingen ; Barbara, born September 16, 1849, at Moessingen, died October 23, 1849 ; Christina, born December 27, at Moessingen, died April 10, 1855 Agnes, born September 15, 1852, at Moessingen, died August 19, 1855 ; John, horn October 23, 1853, in Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio; Rosina Reich-man, nee Holfinger, born March 8, 1856, in Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio; Peter, born August 14, 1857, in Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio; Mary Barbara, born July 15, 1859, in Franklin Township, Darke County, Ohio ; John Martin, born September 29. 1860. in Franklin Township, Darke County. Ohio ; Bernard, born June 24, 1863, in Washington Township. Miami County, Ohio ; Samuel, born August 20, 1865, in Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio ; Hanna Patty, nee Holfinger, born November 28, 1867, in -Washington Township, Miami County, Ohio, died May, 1901. The mother of these children passed away March 28. 1884. Mr. Holfinger. after the death of his first wife, formed a second union with Lucy Myers, who survives him. His death occurred September 3. 1899, at the age of eighty years. John Holfinger was reared on the home farm in Washington Township, and in early boyhood became inured to hard work. having little opportunity for schooling He helped clear the home farm, which con sisted of eighty acres, only six of which were cleared when the Holfingers located upon it. When he became of age he begat shifting for himself, his entire posses sions at that time being the clothing he has upon his back. After working a few day he earned enough to buy an ax, with which he went into the woods and worked until spring. He then hired out to Samuel Reish for the summer, at $18 per month, and again the following winter worked in the woods. Thus he struggled along, working and saving, until his marriage in 1877, when he rented a farm in Newton Township, of Captain Rouser. He remained on that place six years, then lived in Darke County for two years, at the end of which time he traded with John S. Myers for his present home farm. He erected all the buildings on the place, made many desirable improvements and placed it under a high state of cultivation. He purchased the Midway Farm on the Troy and Covington Pike from the Musselman estate. He is a man of great energy and enterprise, and the success which has attended his efforts is due to his own perseverance and industry, and the faithful assistance of his wife. He is a man of wide acquaintance and has many friends. January 1, 1877, Air. Holfinger was united in marriage with Eliza Musselman, a daughter of John and Sarah Musselman, and they have two children-Lula, wife of Henry Schlegel ; and Ira J., who lives on the Midway farm. The latter 'harried Effie Wilson and they have one son, John Francis. Religiously the family belongs to the Lutheran Church at Covington. Mr. Holfinger is a Democrat in politics. ALFRED M. BRANT, attorney and city solicitor for the corporation of Bradford, and vice-president of the First National Bank of that city, was born in Bradford, June 17, 1882, son of David and Rachel (Swank) Brant. When he was six years old he went to reside with an uncle, Israel 752 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY Routson, who lived north of Bradford in the country, and who, being childless, prevailed upon Mr. and Mrs. Brant to allow him the custody of the child. Here young Brant attended the township schools and afterwards became a student at the Bradford High School. For three years subsequently he was engaged in the occupation of teaching, during which time he prepared himself for admittance to the Ohio Northern University. From this latter institution he was later graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science, and from the Law School of the University with that of L. L. B.—in June, 1907. During the summer vacation of 1906 he read law under Prosecuting Attorney Yount, at Greenville, Darke County. After passing an excellent examination before the State Board of Bar Examiners, he was sworn in as an attorney-at-law before the Supreme Court of Ohio, June 18. 1907. Soon after he began the practice of his profession in Bradford, where he is now located. He was appointed city solicitor March 1, 1908, and was reappointed in the following year. Early in 1908 he was made a director and elected vice-president of the First National Bank of Bradford, being probably the youngest bank official in the entire state. Mr. Brant has thus made an auspicious entry into life's battlefield and has already secured an honorable place in the ranks of brain-workers. With his native energy and mental equipment, his prospect:, tor successful career seem of the best, and those who know him feel sure that the hon ors he has already secured and the responsibilities he has assumed are but stepping-stones to greater honors and responsibilities awaiting him in the not distant future. Mr. Brant's political creed identifies him in all essential respects with the Democratic party, but he reserves the right to act independently whenever he may see good cause. He is a member of the German Baptist Church. E. VAN HORN is a well known farmer of Union Township, Miami County, Ohio, and resides on the farm of 151 acres known as the Horseshoe Bend farm, located one and a half miles northeast of Ludlow Falls. He was born at West Milton, Ohio. September 1, 1854, and is a son of John and Catherine (Kinkaid) Van Horn. He was about eighteen months old when his father went west to Kansas, and nothing was afterward known concerning him or his whereabouts. The subject of this record is one of five children born to his parents, namely : Robert, of Terre Haute, Indiana ; Julia, who lives in Kentucky ; Frances, deceased; Amanda, deceased; and E. Van Horn. The last named received his educational training in the public schools of Warren Count•. Ohio, where his mother was born and reared. Upon leaving school he worked out by the month until about 1880 or 1881, when he rented the Johns farm near Tippecanoe City. He remained on that place nine years, then successively rented the Woodward Hills place four years and the Troop farm two years. Since that time he has lived continuously on the Hayner place, commonly known as the Horseshoe Bend farm. He is engaged in general farming and tobacco raising and is meeting with deserved success. He has a wide acquaintance throughout this section of the county and is very popular with his fellow men. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 753 Mr. Van Horn was united in marriage with Mollie Goepper, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a daughter of Leopold and Susan B. (Pendery) Goepper. Her father was born in Germany, July 4, 1827, and was about fourteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to the United States, locating in Warren County, Ohio, where he now lives at the age of eighty-two years. Mr. Goepper married Susan B. Pendery, who was born in Hamilton, Ohio, July 23, 1834, and is now living at the age of seventy-five years. They became parents of the following children : Mollie and Clara. twins ; Edward, deceased ; William, deceased ; Jefferson, deceased ; Eugene, deceased ; Albert ; Fannie ; Victor ; and Charlotte, who died in infancy. Edward Goepper was a sergeant of police in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Albert Goepper is in the railway mail service. Mr. and Mrs. Van Horn have had five children, namely : Charles, who is proprietor of a laundry at Lockland, Ohio ; Harry, who is in the employ of the Stem & Foster Manufacturing Company, at Lockland, Ohio ; Bradford, who is farming the Hance place in Union Township ; Mae E., who is at home with her parents ; and Fannie. who died at the age of six years. Religiously she is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Van Horn is a Republican in politics, and fraternally is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. HON. J. HARRISON SMITH, one of the leading members of the Miami County bar, and a man who stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens, was born in Piqua, where he now resides, on September 1, 1861, son of John Frederick and Mary (Suilenbarger) Smith. His father, who was born in Baden Baden, Germany, in 1833, after coming to America enlisted in the Union army and was killed at the battle of Stone River. John F. Smith had not long been married when he thus met au untimely end, for it was but in 1860 that he was united in wedlock to Mary Sullenbarger, who had become a resident of this county some ten years previously, coming hither with her parents from her native county of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, where she was reared. The subject of this sketch acquired his elementary education in the public schools of Piqua, and graduated from the high school in the class of 1884. In the following year he became a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. Ohio, where he remained for a year. He then entered Harvard University, where, besides taking the regular classical course, he studied philosophy, history, political economy, and law. The last mentioned study he pursued with special ardor, for he had resolved to adopt the legal profession as his future sphere of activity. After leaving college he commenced the practical study of law under the mentorship of the Hon. John McDonald, of Piqua. That he showed himself a young man of capacity may be gathered from the fact that he soon afterwards—in 1890—received the appointment as special agent in the United States census department to ascertain the mortgaged indebtedness of the states of Mississippi and Arkansas, which work occupied him for some six months. He was then offered a position at Washington, D. C., to assist in the classification of the mortgaged indebtedness of the United States, and was there engaged until 1893. 754 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY While a resident of the nation's capital he entered the Columbia Law School (now the George Washington Law School) and pursued his studies to such good advantage that he was graduated a bachelor of law in 1891, and received the degree of master of law in the following year. He was admitted to the bar at Richmond, Virginia, in 1893. On returning to his home in Miami County, Mr. Smith, instead of immediately taking up the practice of his profession, spent two years working on the farm; but in March, 1896, he was admitted to practice in his native state, and has since been engaged in the practice of law in the city of Piqua. In November, 1896, he was elected on the Republican ticket as prosecuting attorney, assuming the duties of the office in the following January, and serving two terms. He soon proved his efficiency, and it is the general opinion that the legal business of the county was never better taken care of than when in his hands. Mr. Smith was probate judge from November, 1902, and served one term. He was subsequently nominated for a second term, but on this occasion suffered defeat. For a number of years past Mr. Smith has taken an active and beneficial interest in local, state, and congressional politics, his aim being not merely the success of his party, but the carrying out of the popular will and the perpetuation of pure, stable and representative government. As a lawyer he takes a high rank, possessing not only the qualifications of a good attorney, but also a high degree of forensic ability and eloquence. He is also a keen judge of character and has been especially successful in jury cases. He has a convenient and well appointed office in the Orr Block. Mr. Smith belongs to various prominent fraternal orders, being a member of Dayton Lodge, No. 147, F. & A. M.; Piqua Lodge No. 8, I. 0. 0. F., and Piqua Lodge. No. 523, B. P. 0. E.; also of Loramie Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men, No. 153, Piqua ; and Council No. 80, Junior Order of American Mechanics. He was married in 1895 to Miss Anna E. Ball, a daughter of William B. and Kate Ball, of Memphis, Tennessee. They have had two children—John H., who died, and Fred AV., who was born August 1, 1908. JOHN O. MYERS, grain merchant and tohacco dealer, residing at Pleasant Hill, is one of the leading business men of Miami County, being a stockholder in the First National Bank at Troy, vice-president of the Pleasant. Hill Banking Company, president of the Myers Grain Company, and manager of the Myers & Patty Elevator Company. He was born July 12, 1854, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Michael and Susan (Groff) Myers. Michael Myers was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, August 25, 1831, and is a retired resident of Pleasant Hill. He remained in his native place until after his marriage and the birth of five children, when he came to Miami County, Ohio, and settled first at Pleasant Hill. Later he bought a farm of twenty-five acres, but sold it and then went to Brownsville, Nebraska, where he engaged in a butchering business for a time, after which he returned to Pleasant Hill and for twenty subsequent years was engaged in a huckstering business, purchasing twenty-six acres of land in Newton Township. He is a stockholder AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 755 in the Pleasant Hill Banking Company. In politics he is a Democrat, and for a number of years he served in the Town Council, during which he advocated many of the reforms and improvements which have made the place an excellent one both for business and residence. He is a leading member of the Christian Church. He married Susan Groff, a daughter of John Groff, and they had six children: John G.; Amos and Monroe, Mary Ann, Isaac and Henry, who is a resident of Chicago, Illinois. Amos, Monroe and Isaac are now deceased. Mary Ann married John S. Debray, lives at Dayton, and they have two children, Joe and Wanda. John G. Myers finished his education in the Pleasant Hill schools and then helped his father both in this section and during the time the family lived at Brownsville. Later he helped his father in the huckstering business and operated a wagon for about fifteen years. In 1879 he built the elevator known as the Myers & Patty at Pleasant Hill and also bought one at Ludlow Falls. and at Maria Stein, Mercer County,. and built one at Reignville, all of these being owned by the Myers & Patty Company. In 1893 he went into the tobacco business at Pleasant Hill. His interests are numerous and important, but he has a firm grasp of all their details and has the reputation of being one of the most farseeing and able business men of this section. In October, 1874, Mr. Myers was married to Miss Mary Belle Patty, a daughter of Dr. William and Sarah Jane Patty. They had two sons, Charles M. and William M. The former is connected with the Myers Grain Company as manager, and operates track buying at Columbus, Ohio ; married Florence Favorite, and they have three children—Mary Belle, Carolyn and Ouida. William M. is manager of the Myers grain business at Lockburn, Ohio, and is treasurer of the Myers Grain Company. The mother of these sons died June 29, 1889. Mr. Myers was married (second) August 14, 1890, to Miss Alwilda Ellis, a daughter of James and Lydia Ellis, of Clinton County, Ohio, and they have one daughter, Vesta Marie, who is in school. GEORGE W. PLEASANT is a prominent farmer and tobacco grower of Newton Township, Miami County, Ohio, and is the owner of a fifty-acre farm in Section 26 of that township. He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, July 4, 1865, and is a son of William and Ellen Pleasant. William Pleasant, father of the subject of this record, was born in Virginia and lived there until his death, which occurred in 1867 while in middle life. His widow now resides in Dayton, Ohio. They became parents of the following children : William, Robert, James, George W. and Jane. George W. Pleasant was very small when his mother moved to Ohio, and he received his first schooling near Dayton, in Montgomery County. He subsequently attended the Penny Creek school in Darke County, Ohio, and after leaving school was engaged for himself in the general store business at Painter Creek, in Darke County. At the end of four years he sold out and purchased his present farm of fifty acres in Newton Township, Miami County. All of the buildings were standing on the place at the time of its purchase by him, except the tobacco shed, which he built. He has done considerable tiling and made 756 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY other improvements of an important nature, and has a well kept and attractive property. He follows general farming and tobacco raising, having an average acreage of about eight acres in tobacco each year. He is progressive in his methods and a hard worker and is meeting with deserved success. December 24, 1891, Mr. Pleasant was joined in marriage with Miss Olive Miles, a daughter of Samuel Miles, and they have one son, Willis, who is a member of the class of 1912 in Pleasant Hill High School. Religiously they are members of the Friends Church. In fraternal affiliation Mr. Pleasant is a member of the Knights of Pythias at Laura. He is a Democrat in politics, but has no political aspirations. E. N. SNYDER, a leading citizen of Newberry Township, residing on his valuable farm of eighty-seven acres, which lies on the Range line road, near the Shelby County line, about five and one-half miles north of Covington, was born in Preble County, Ohio, March 16, 1833, and is a son of Henry and Eva Parmelia (Mow) Snyder, both of whom spent their worthy lives there. E. N. Snyder attended the district schools and grew to manhood a practical farmer. Following his marriage be settled on one of his father-in-law's farms, in Montgomery County, but one year later, in 1858, moved to his present farm in Newberry Township. Mr. Snyder has resided on this place for fifty-one years, during which long period he has made many improvements in the way of erecting farm buildings, but the same house shelters the family now that stood on the place when he and wife moved here. Its appearance, however, is entirely different, but the foundation is the same. Its original construction was of logs and to the first structure Mr. Snyder added, later put in new floors, ceilings, etc., and it has all the appearance of a modern house. On March 16, 1856, Mr. Snyder was married to Miss Huldah Wysong, a daughter of Valentine Wysong, and they had three children born to them, namely : Anderson Snyder, a prominent farmer in this township, married (first) Harriet Rhoades, who died leaving three children, and (second) Mina Stiver, and they have one child Valentine, who died just as he reached manhood and Lucy Ann, who married William Palsgrove, has had three children, two daughters surviving. From his long residence here and on account of his high personal character, Mr. Snyder has been one of the township's influential as well as useful men and it was mainly through his efforts that the mile of turnpike passing his house, on the Range line road, was finally built. He made three different trials before this public-spirited enterprise was put through. GEORGE B. MORROW, general farmer and stock raiser, who owns and successfully operates a farm of 110 acres, is a leading citizen of Brown Township. He was born in Brown Township, Miami County, Ohio, January 6, 1881, and is a son of R. C. and Jane (Caven) Morrow. R. C. Morrow was born in Shelby County, Ohio, where the Morrow family settled at a'n early day. For a number of years he engaged in agricultural pursuits in Shelby and in Miami Counties and then embarked in a livery business at Piqua, where he has a large establishment on North Street, AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 759 near the center of the city. He was married (first) to Jane Caven, who, at death left one child, George B. Mr. Morrow was married (second) to Sallie Stockstill, who died without issue, and (third) to Molly Palser. In politics R. C. Morrow is a Republican. After completing his school attendance, George B. Morrow located on his present farm and has since given his entire attention to developing its resources. His products are the usual ones of this section, and he gives special attention to raising first class stock. In 1904 Mr. Morrow was married to Miss Rachel Wilgus, a daughter of Thomas Wilgus, and they have one son, Caven W., who was born February 12, 1905. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is identified with the Democratic party. G. JACOB ZIMMERLIN, a retired farmer and most highly esteemed citizen of Piqua, residing in that part of the city known as the Rossville Addition, was born in 1832, in Germany, and is a son of George Jacob and Sally (Denney) Zimmerlin. In 1846 the parents of Mr. Zimmerlin came to America and settled in Miami County, on the land on which their son now lives, and made this the old homestead. Here they died in advanced age, leaving the farm of fifty acres to their son. G. Jacob. In 1858 he bought a farm of eighty acres in Washington Township and lived on that until the parents died, when he moved back to the old homestead and has lived here continuously ever since his marriage. He has been a farmer all his mature life and continued to personally operate his land until within a few years. Mr. Zimmerlin married Miss Magdalena Jenney, and they have three children : George H., who resides on the Washington Township farm ; Emma, who is the wife of A. Schultz, who farms the old homestead; and Catherine, who is the wife of Roeser, an ice dealer at Piqua. Mr. Zimmerlin is a leading member of the German Lutheran Church at Piqua. JOSEPH B. BRANDT, one of Newberry Township's representative citizens, engages in farming and threshing and resides on a valuable farm of 100 acres, which he owns jointly with his wife. This property is favorably situated on the Stillwater Turnpike Road, two and one-half miles north of Bradford. Mr. Brandt was born on a farm in Darke County, Ohio, January 23, 1859, and is a son of Melchi and Frances (Brown) Brandt. Joseph B. Brandt was reared and attended school in Darke County, and ever since old enough to use farm implements has been engaged in work of an agricultural nature. He owns a threshing-machine and does a large business in that line. In 1901 he and wife purchased this farm, which formerly belonged to Abraham Miller, his father-in-law, and here he carries on general farming. In 1887 Mr. Brandt was married to Miss Eliza Miller, who was born and reared on this farm, and they . immediately settled here. Her parents were Abraham and Sallie (Bashore) Miller, the latter of whom was born in Virginia, and died in 1895. Abraham Miller was born on what was then included in this farm but had been portioned off into another farm, and spent his whole life here, dying in 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Brandt have five children, name- 760 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY ly : Arthur, Clarence, Fern, Alta and Alma, the two last named being twins. Mr. Brandt and family are members of the Brethren Church. WILLIAM KELLER, a well known citizen of Newberry Township, Miami County, Ohio, is owner of the old Moses Wise farm of 119 acres, located just north of Bradford. At the time he purchased it some five years ago, it consisted of 123 acres, four acres having since been sold off in town lots. Mr. Keller was born six miles from York, in York County, Pennsylvania, June 20, 1867, and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Wanbaugh) Keller, both of whom were born and raised in York County. He was reared on a farm and always engaged in agricultural pursuits ; he became the owner of a farm of 137 acres in his native county, on which he lived until he sold out and moved to Miami County, Ohio, arriving February 18, 1904. He has a good home and a well improved farm, the land being devoted to general farming. He also is engaged in dairying, keeping an average of about twelve cows. Since the purchase of his present place he has twice lost his barn by fire. The barn which stood on the farm at his coming took fire from a threshing-engine on August 9, 1904, and was destroyed. It was almost immediately replaced by a new one, the dimensions of which were 40x80 feet. This too was burned, November 24, 1907, and a new one of equal size was erected in its place. Mr. Keller was married in York County, Pennsylvania, to Miss Ameda Baker, who was a native there, and they have reared five children, Aaron, Mary, Jacob, Ruth and Florence. He is a man of exceptional business capacity, and through close application to work and careful investment, has prospered. GEORGE O. SIMMONS, a substantial and representative citizen of Brown Township, Miami County, Ohio, is the owner of a farm of seventy-six acres, located just west of the village of Fletcher. He was born in that township in 1866, and is a son of Charles and Phoebe (Reeder) Simmons, both natives of Miami County. Charles Simmons was born on the farm on which the subject of this record now lives, and was a son of Peter Simmons. who came to Miami County at a very early period and settled on that farm. Charles followed agriculture here throughout his active period and died on the homestead in 1884. He was married to Phoebe Reeder and they became parents of a large family. fourteen in number. George O. Simmons was educated in the public schools of Brown Township. and from boyhood assisted in the work on the farm. He farmed the home until his marriage and seven years after, then for a period of seven years owned a farm in Brown Township, which he sold in 1905. In the spring of 1909 he purchased his present farm of seventy-six acres, which he devotes to general agriculture. He is a man of substantial worth and has been active in the affairs of the community ; he has served a number of years on the School Board, and has three times been honored with election as township trustee. Mr. Simmons was united in marriage with Miss Louella Giesseman, a daughter of William Giesseman, of Miami County, and they have three children, namely : Edgar, who AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 761 assists in running the home farm; Raymond; and Kathryn. Politically Mr. Simmons is a Democrat. He is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias at Fletcher. DAVID D. YOUNG, who is engaged in general farming in Elizabeth Township, Miami County, owns 205 acres, which are situated in Section 13, and he is one of the Township's representative men. He was born June 22, 1827, in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio, one mile north of Brandt, and is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Schroyer) Young. The paternal grandfather was George Young, who lived at Boonesboro, Maryland, until after the death of his wife, when he came to Ohio and settled in Montgomery County, not far distant from Dayton. The grandparents on the maternal side were Jacob and Susan Schroyer, who lived two and a half miles north of Brandt, Ohio. The children of George Young, all of whom are deceased, were Daniel, Sarah, George. Benjamin, Hezekiah, Margaret and Lewis. In 1826 the parents of Mr. Young were married and took up their residence in Miami County. They had a family of six children, as follows: David D., subject of this sketch; Louisa, who married Joseph Rudy, of Bethel Township; Susan, who married Samuel Kingore, of Donnelsville, Clark County ; Sarah Elizabeth, who died in childhood; Benjamin Franklin; and Mary H.. wife of H. E. Hawver, of Tippecanoe. David D. Young was taught his first lessons by his great grandmother, in the house in which he was born. When he grew older he was sent to the Hickory Grove School and still later to the Hughs School, which is now known as the Center School in Bethel Township. Being the eldest in the family he early became very useful to his father on the farm and continued to work for him until he was over thirty years of age. Mr. Young's memory goes far back and he can remember many interesting things about the early settlements through this part of Ohio and of the customs and ways of living. He recalls a little walking trip he once had in early manhood, when he drove a cow all the way from Bethel Township to Cincinnati. The distance was sixty-five miles, mainly through the woods and sparsely settled regions. When he reached the village of Dayton he was quite ready to rest and partake of a substantial meal at a public house. He remembers how much amusement was caused when the innkeeper offered to bring around the guest's horse when the time for departure came and Mr. Young replied, "My horse has two horns and is generally called a cow." After his marriage in 1857, Mr. Young settled on a farm of thirty-five acres which he owned in Bethel Township, two and a half miles north of Brandt, and continued to cultivate his ]and there until the outbreak of the Civil War. He then went into the army, enlisting in Company A, 147th Regiment, 0. V. I., in which he served for 100 days, afterwards returning to peaceful pursuits. For a short time he resumed farming in Bethel Township and then moved to his mother-in-law's farm, which was situated north of Tadmor, in Miami County, and remained there for seven years. Mr. Young then removed to Tippecanoe City and was there engaged in a grocery business for four years; when he sold out to return to the country he pur- 762 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY chased his present fine farm of 205 acres. At that time a frame stable and log house stood on the place, but they were later destroyed by fire and the present substantial structures were built by Mr. Young. This place has been his home since March 9, 1875. The Tippecanoe City and the Carlisle Turnpike roads give easy means of travel in any direction, and are very different from the wood paths by which Mr. Young once made his way to Cincinnati. On September 30, 1857, Mr. Young was united in marriage with Miss Henrietta D'Long, a daughter of George and Elizabeth D'Long. He and his wife have been the parents of four children, namely: George D., Ada Arkansas, David Franklin and Sarah. David Franklin died in infancy. Sarah died November 30, 1884. George D., who married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Zile, has seven children—Mary Etta, Harry Edward, Albert David, Ada Belle, Jacob William, Sarah Aletha and George Hilton; Ada Arkansas„ who married John C. Drake, of Piqua, Ohio, has one son, John C. Mrs. Henrietta D'Long Young was born January 1, 1831, in Miami County, Ohio, and died at the home of her son, George W. Young, in same county, April 15, 1909, aged seventy-eight years, three months and fourteen days. She was converted in early life and joined the German Reformed church. About twenty years ago she became a member of the Cove Springs Christian church and remained a consistent member until death. At her funeral services a sermon was preached from a text of her own selection. She was a woman highly esteemed by her neighbors and dearly loved by all the members of her family. Mr. Young is a member of the Christian church at Cove Springs. He is Republican in his political views but has never been willing to accept office. He has passed all the chairs in the local lodge of Odd Fellows but is no longer active in the order. JOE F. COPPOCK, who, in partnership with W. 0. Pattey, operates the largest grain elevator between Pittsburg and Indianapolis, at Fletcher, Ohio, was born in Newton Township, Miami County, Ohio, in 1868, and is a son of Allen and Maria E. (Furnace) Coppock. Allen Coppock, now a most highly esteemed retired citizen of Pleasant Hill, is a veteran of the Civil War, in which he served with honor. The greater part of his life was spent on his property in Newton Township, where he still owns a farm of 120 acres. He married Maria E. Furnace, who is a sister of B. E. Furnace, county auditor, and they reared a family of nine children. Joe F. Coppock was reared on the home farm and educated in the public schools. He engaged in farming until 1896 and then started into the grain business at Ludlow Falls, with Myers, Pattey & Company, and continued there until 1900, when, in partnership with W. 0. Pattey, the present elevator business was started. In April, 1903, the first elevator at Fletcher was burned, but in the same year the present fine structure was put up, which is practically fire-proof, the walls being covered with galvanized iron. It is the most modern and best equipped elevator in this section of the country and is located on the Panhandle Railroad, on the border of Fletcher. Its capacity is 80,000 bushels. The property is the possession of Joe F. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 763 Coppock and W. O. Pattey and Mr. Coppock is general manager of the business. Mr. Coppock married Miss Ida Mohler and they have one daughter, Josephine. He is a member of the Society of Friends. In politics he is a Republican but never has been willing to accept office. Fraternally he is associated with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Coppock is one of the county's most enterprising and active business men. ELWOOD M. DAVIS, who is an enterprising farmer of Newton Township, owning a good sixty-acre farm, was born on his present property, April 11, 1859. the son of Jonathan and Eleanor C. (Jones) Davis. The father, Jonathan Davis, was born in Miami County, and spent his life here engaged in farming. His wife, Eleanor, mother of the subject of this sketch, was a native of Orange County, Indiana. Both parents are now deceased. Their family numbered the following children : Albert, who is now deceased; Eliza, who married John Coat and resides in :Miami County; William, deceased; Amanda, who married Anson Hildebrand and lives in Miami County; Mary, now deceased, who married Amos Brandon, who vas captain of a company in the Civil War ; and Elwood M., who was the youngest of his parents' children. Elwood M. Davis, after completing his school studies, turned his attention to agriculture and subsequently purchased the home farm from his father. He has improved the property by building an addition to the residence as well as a new barn. Besides general farming he raises tobacco and potatoes, these two latter branches of his work being specialties with him. He has about ten acres in tobacco and from eight to ten acres planted with potatoes each year, and as he is a good practical farmer, his crops are usually plentiful and of excellent quality. On October 15, 1880, Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Florence Teeter, daughter of Elias and Susannah (Moore) Teeter, who were farming people of Miami County . "Mrs. Davis's father is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of children as follows : Nellie Zolo married Elmer Cool ; they live in Dayton and have two children—Lenora and Lowell. Glenn is an engineer, residing at Dayton. Jessie is attending the Pleasant Hill High School. Wilma, the youngest child, is attending the Pattytown School in Newton Township. Mr. Davis is a Republican in his political views. He has served the township as school director and as pike superintendent. He is a member of the Friends' church. Mrs. Davis, who was a school teacher in Miami County prior to her marriage, belongs to the Progressive Brethren Church of Pleasant Hill. THE WOOD SHOVEL & TOOL COMPANY, of Piqua, is one of the city's prosperous and important business enterprises. Its establishment dates from June, 1902, and it was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio, with a large investment of capital. Its officers are : H. K. Wood, president ; S. S. Gould, vice-president ; and William W. Wood, secretary. The main office is maintained at Piqua, with factories at the same place, while the following cities have branch offices : New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Louisville, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Mexico City. 764 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY The scope of manufacturing covers everything in the way of shovels, scoops, draining tools, etc. The plant's dimensions are 62 by 300 feet and they occupy about 25,000 square feet of floor space. Employment is afforded some eighty men in the works and eight traveling men cover the United States, while for exports representatives are kept in England, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Mexico and Central America. To achieve success in pushing and maintaining a business of such large proportions, men of great ability and force, strong and self reliant, practical and experienced are required and these have been secured for this enterprise. H. K. Wood, president of the Wood Shovel & Tool Company, was born in 1847, in Miami County, Ohio, a son of William W. Wood, who was born in Hollis, New Hampshire, and was a representative of a family that came to New England from Amesbury, England, in 1638. William W. Wood became one of the pioneer manufacturers of Miami County and as such brought the first car of coal to Piqua. He was prominent in all the early public affairs of the county, and was the first president of its board of education and took upon himself many of the early responsibilities which brought subsequent good to his fellow citizens. In 1850 he made the overland trip to California, by ox team, returning in 1852 by way of Nicaragua. For many years he controlled the cooperage business in this section. For thirty-one years, with his son, he was engaged in the linseed oil business. He married Caroline Kirk, who was born in Ohio. a daughter of William Kirk, and they had four children, only two of whom lived to maturity, H. K. and William Albert. The latter was engaged for many years in the wholesale tobacco business at St. Louis, and died in California, in September, 1881. The death of William W. Wood occurred in 1905, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years, his birth having taken place in 1817. On both sides he had come from Revolutionary ancestry. H. K. Wood was married on September 6, 1873, to Miss Frances Adelaide Wilson. Her father was Judge William Martin Wilson, a very prominent man, and her mother was a daughter of Judge Dorsey, who was the first treasurer of Miami University. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have one son, W. W. Wood, 3d, who is treasurer and secretary of the Wood Shovel & Tool Company. Mr. Wood is a member of the Green Street Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is a steward. In the early history of the Y. M. C. A. he was its president, and he was chairman of the building committee when the present building was erected. For eighteen years he was president and general manager of the Piqua Electrical Company, and he is vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Piqua National Bank. He has served on many civic boards and has belonged to numerous commissions appointed for the general welfare. He is a Thirty-second Degree Mason and belongs also to the Piqua Club and to the Sons of the American Revolution. A. C. CARROLL, who conducts the largest general store in Laura, Union Township, was born in this township, January 25, 1855, son of James and Barbara (Pippinger) Carroll. The father, James Carroll, was born in Maryland, and was a butcher by trade. He came to this section AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 765 when young, settling on a farm, where he resided for a while. Most of his time was spent in Georgia, however, where he died at the age of thirty-six years. His wife, Barbara, was from Preble County, Ohio. She bore her husband six children, namely : Vanade and Minerva, who died when, young: A. C., the subject of this sketch ; Albert, Orlando and Oliver. A. C. Carroll received his education in the schools of this township. He learned the butcher's trade under his father and also worked for some time as a clerk. In 1895 he started in business for himself at his present location, where he carries on a general mercantile business, his stock including hardware. He owns his commodious store, which is located in a fayorable position on Main Street and is well patronized by the people of the village and the surrounding country. He has always adhered to strictly honest methods in his business transactions and has thus gained the confidence of the people, who know they can depend upon him to treat them fairly. In politics Mr. Carroll is a Republican. He belongs to the Christian Church and was formerly a member of the Junior Order of American Mechanics. December 28, 1886, he married Lyda Ditmer, and they have been parents of four children—Bertha ; one that died in infancy ; Clyde, who assists his father in the store ; and Marie. The family are among the substantial and respected residents of the village of Laura. E. S. MOHLER, secretary of the Covington Building and Loan Association, at Covington, is engaged in a general fire insurance and real estate business and is a rep- resentative and valued citizen. He was born in Newton Township, Miami County, Ohio, September 15, 1860, and is a son of Ephraim and Anna (Nill) Mohler. The parents of Mr. Mohler were residents of Newton Township until 1890, when they left the farm and came to Covington, subsequently removing to Missouri, where both died. E. S. Mohler resided on the home farm until he was twenty-four years of age. He secured a public school education and afterward made practical use of the same, for some twenty years following teaching as a profession. When he came to Covington he embarked in his present business and since the fall of 1899 has been connected with the Covington Building and Loan Association, succeeding John Ullery in the office of secretary. This is a very flourishing organization and receives the support of the leading business men of the place. Mr. Mohler married Miss Alice Cable, now deceased, who is survived by four children, Blanche, Roger, Homer and Ada. Mr. Mohler is social in his nature and is identified with the Masons, the Odd Fellows and the Ancient and Honored Order of Gobblers. He is not a zealous politician, but he takes an active interest in the development of local enterprises and in movements tending to add to the importance of Covington. AARON H. DEETER, one of Newton Township's substantial citizens, a stockholder in both the Stillwater and the Pleasant Hill Banks, carries on farming on twenty-nine acres, which he has improved and lived on since 1874. He was born April 13, 1847, in Newton Township, 766 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY Miami County, Ohio, and is a son of Daniel H. and Mary Ann (Hoke) Deeter. The Deeter family w as a pioneer one in Newton Township, where Daniel H., father of Aaron H., was born, not far from the Stillwater River, July 25, 1816. He improved land when he reached man's estate and became a substantial citizen. He married Mary Ann Hoke, a daughter of David Hoke, and they had four children : Elizabeth, Cornelius H., Aaron H. and Joseph. They were members of the German Baptist Church. They died about four years ago and now rest in Sugar Grove Cemetery. Aaron H. Deeter remained at home until his marriage and obtained his education in the common schools of Newton Township and the High School at Pleasant Hill, attending the latter institution for two years. Following his marriage he resided for two years on his father-in-law's farm and two years on his father's place and then came to his present place, containing twenty-nine acres, ten of which he has only a life lease on, that portion belonging to his children. He erected all the farm buildings and put in 400 rods of tile, thus insuring excellent drainage, and cleared about eight acres after settling here. He devotes about six acres each to tobacco, clover, corn, potatoes and oats. Mr. Deeter also owns land in Kansas, a fine farm of 160 acres situated in Garfield Township, Norton County. He has also done much county and township contract work, public roads and ditches during the years that have elapsed since 1868. Mr. Deeter was married April 25, 1868, to Miss Angeline Myers, a .daughter of David Myers, and the following children were born to them : Jody, who married George Martin, and has eight children, the names of three of which are Ida, Harry and Mabel ; a babe that died ; Pearl, who married Oliver Snowberger and has two children, Glenn and Joice ; Zelda, who married William Speagh and has two children, Lewis and Herbert ; and Mazie, who married Albert Fritz and has one child, Etoil. The mother of these children died April 6, 1884, and her burial was in the Covington Cemetery. Mr. Deeter is a Republican in politics and has been an active and useful citizen. For twenty-nine years he has been a member of the Newton Township School Board, and for five years served as township trustee. He is one of the members of the German Baptist Church in this section. CHARLES E. NEWMAN, of Laura, Union Township, who, in partnership with H. E. Ehler, operates a well appointed general store at the corner of Main Street and the Arcanum Pike, was born in Dayton in 1849—on April 9th—and is a son of Daniel and Mary Ann (Soule) Newman. Daniel Newman, the father, was born in Connecticut, but subsequently removing west, followed the trade of shoemaker at Dayton, Ohio, for a number of years. He later removed to Milton and still later to Laura, this county ; then to Henry County, Indiana, and was in the butcher business. He was killed on the Panhandle Railway, March 19, 1880. He was a Civil War veteran, enlisting in April, 1861, in the Eleventh Ohio Regiment for the three months' service. He subsequently re-entered the service for three years at Camp Denison. Again he went out in the fall of 1864 as a substitute for one year, his service lasting in all some four years and five months. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 769 His second enlistment was also in the Eleventh Ohio Regiment and his last in the Forty-seventh Ohio. He accompanied Sherman on his march to Atlanta and the sea, and saw plenty of fighting, being once wounded. Though possessing an excellent military record, he never received a pension nor has his widow and children ever profited by Government aid. He married Mary Ann Soule and their children numbered three sons and two daughters, of whom there are three now living. Charles E. Newman received his education in the district schools of Miami County. When he began to be self-supporting he first followed farming for a while and afterwards engaged in the butcher business in Indiana in partnership with his father. Then returning to Ohio, he went into the flour and feed business and so continued until 1904, when in company with his son-in-law, L. E. Coate, he engaged in his present business at a neighboring location. He later removed to his present more commodious quarters in the village of Laura, taking as a new partner Mr. II. E. Ehler. They carry a full line of all the usual commodities in demand in an agricultural community. They sell the J. Ellwood fence and have handled as many as twenty-five carloads of fence and posts at one time. Their stock also includes a fine line of shoes and dry goods. Mr. Newman, our subject, married Esther Ann Hildebran, a daughter of John H. Hildebran, of Miami County, and their family has numbered eleven children, as follows : 011ie, who became the wife of I. N. Long and resides at Stillwater, Ohio ; John, who resides with his parents ; Alta, who married L. E. Coate and lives in Ellwood, Nebraska ; Ora. residing at home; Walter, who married a Miss Hall and lives in this township; Lillie, who is the wife of H. E. Ehler ; Raymond, residing at home; Carrie, who married Warren Fasick of this county ; Harley, a blind son, who lives at home with his parents; Bessie, also residing at home, and one that died in infancy. Politically Mr. Newman is a Republican. He has served one term as justice of the peace in Newton Township, but otherwise has not devoted much time to public office. He served three years in the Third Regiment, Ohio National Guards. He is numbered among the township's best citizens, and his opinions on matters affecting the public weal are always based on sound judgment and meet with due consideration from his fellow citizens. J. W. MORRIS, for many years mayor of the city of Troy, Ohio, is a lawyer by profession and is the head of the Enterprise Foundry Company. He comes of an old and prominent family of Troy, where he was born in 1840. J. W. Morris is a son of Charles Morris, who for many years was a distinguished lawyer of Troy. The latter was born in New York City, and was but a child when in 1813 his parents moved with him to Troy. Here he was reared to maturity and educated, and after a careful preliminary training began the practice of law here. He met with exceptional success in practice, and also attained considerable prominence in politics. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Philadelphia, which chose John C. Fremont as the first. Republican candidate for the presidency. J. W. Morris has always been a resident of Troy. He attended the public schools 770 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY of the city, and afterwards completed a course in Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, from which he was graduated in 1861. He was soon after admitted to the bar, but during the war was connected with the army, although not as a regularly enlisted soldier. After the close of the Civil War he opened an office for practice in Troy and gained an enviable prestige at the bar. He became very active in politics, and although a Democrat in a Republican county, was frequently honored with public office. Upon ten different occasions he was elected mayor of the city, his administration never failing to meet with public approval. He represented the district in the State Senate four years, and was made postmaster by President Cleveland, filling that office capably for nearly five years. He is owner of the Enterprise Foundry Company, manufacturers of gray iron castings, and the foundry is one of the large and important industries of the city. Mr. Morris was in 1862 united in marriage with Miss Sully F. Poor of Cincinnati. They had one son, Charles W., who died in New York City in 1905, aged forty-four years. Mr. Morris is a. member of the order of Elks, and enjoys great popularity among his fellow citizens. A. W. FRENCH, president of the French Oil Mill Machinery Company, of Piqua, of which he was the organizer, is also interested in the Piqua Handle Manufacturing Company, and is one of the city's most representative business men. He was born and reared in Connecticut. From the public schools of his native place, Mr. French entered the Massachusetts School of Technology, at Boston, and was graduated there in the class of 1889, remaining in the school for two years longer as an instructor. Following this came three years of work in the employ of the Government and he was then connected in an official capacity with an engineer's office in Boston. Just prior to coming to Piqua he was connected with the National Linseed Oil Company. The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, of Piqua, was organized and incorporated in 1900, with an authorized capital stock of $172,000, and with A. W. French as president ; J. W. Brown, vice-president ; and William Cook Rogers, secretary and treasurer. The business is the manufacture of oil-mill machinery. The plant is situated at No. 1014 West Ash Street, where a new building has recently been erected, with dimensions of 319 by 70 feet, two stories high, with perfect equipment, while the foundry is another large structure with dimensions of 75 by 80 feet. Employment is given from fifty to sixty men, and as the wages of these are mainly spent in Piqua, this plant contributes largely to the city's commercial prosperity. The machinery produced by this plant is protected by patents and it includes automatic change valves, cake trimmers, cake packers, continuous cookers, Faherty cylinder knives, accumulators, cake formers, as well as presses, power pumps, rolls, hullers, etc., these machines representing the highest standard of perfection in workmanship and material. Although the company has been operating for only a. comparatively short time, it has placed its machinery in mills all over the United States, in Canada, Great Britain, Germany and Norway, and keeps representatives at many other points. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 771 NATHANIEL KEISER, owner of a fine farm of 131 acres, upon which he lives and which is situated just north of Clayton, carries on general farming and meets with the success that results from a combination of industry, agricultural experience and fertile soil. Mr. Keiser was born December 11, 1862, on a farm in Shelby County, Ohio, and is a son of David and Mary (Rhodeheffer) Keiser. The parents of Mr. Keiser were both born in Montgomery County, Ohio, where they were married and then moved to Shelby County. They had six children, namely : Mrs. Catherine Apple, William, Mr,. Lydia Ann McGreevy, Mrs. Margaret Isabel Voisard, Nathaniel and Mary Alice. David Keiser was a farmer in Shelby County, where he died in 1865. His widow suryiyes and resides with her son Nathaniel. Nathaniel Keiser grew to manhood in Shelby County and there obtained his education. He was only a child when his father died. When he reached manhood, he moyed with his mother to Miami County and they rented a farm in Washington Township, near Piqua, for four years. He was married in 1895 and in the following year moved to a farm in Mercer County, containing eighty acres, and there he remained until he bought his present farm in Newberry Township, a property that formerly belonged to Samuel Crowel. Mr. Keiser then sold his Mercer County farm and in March, 1908, took possession of his present one. On December 31, 1895, Mr. Keiser was married to Miss Anna Kimmes, a daughter of Philip and Mary (Winter) Kimmes, of Washington Township. Mrs. Keiser was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, but was reared in Miami County. Mr. and Mrs. Keiser have an interesting, intelligent family of five children, namely : Walter N., John F., Mary Magdalene, Gertrude Isabel and Barbara Alice. The older children attend school and enjoy many advantages that their father did not have in his youth. DAVID DAVIS, a prosperous farmer residing one mile north of West Milton, Ohio, has 148 acres in his home farm and also is the owner of a fifty-acre tract situated one-half mile west of that place, both lying in Union Township. He was born in that township January 27, 1831, and is a son of Benjamin and Margaret (Wareham) Davis. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this record was Abiather Davis, who was a native of Wales. Upon coming to the United States he first located in Georgia, and in 1802 made his way north to Miami County, Ohio, then to Elkton, Preble County, where he remained for two years. He later settled a section of land in Union Township, west of West Milton, Miami County, and there lived the remainder of his days, farming and following his trade as a carpenter. Benjamin Davis was about ten years old at the time his parents came to Union Township, and here he was reared to maturity, undergoing the hardships of pioneer life. He always followed farming and acquired 240 acres of land in Miami County, the most of which he cleared and improved. In 1856 he sold his farm and went to Iowa, where he purchased 300 acres. He was in Iowa at the time of his death, which occurred at the age of eighty-four years. He married Margaret (Ware- 772-HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY ham) Fetters, of Pennsylvania, and they became parents of eleven children. Her death occurred at the age of forty-nine years. David Davis, after completing his education in the schools of West Milton, took up the occupation of a farmer. He worked for his father until he became of age, and thereafter worked for himself with all the energy and thrift characteristic of the Welsh race. On his home farm he erected one of the largest residences in the vicinity, it being occupied by his son, who farms the place, and he also made most of the other improvements now on this farm. After many years of unceasing activity, he is now practically retired to enjoy the fruits of his toil. He is fond of travel and spends most of his winters in Florida to escape the severity of the northern climate. Mr. Davis was first married to Miss Anna Mote, whose death occurred in 1891, and they became parents of five children, as follows: J. O. Davis, of Troy, Ohio; Lambert, deceased; J. Warren, who lives on the home place; Laura, of Dayton, Ohio ; and Mary, who lives at Springfield. Ohio. He formed a second union with Miss Mary Kelly. Mr. Davis is a Republican in politics and served as a member of the school board for a number of years. THE COVINGTON WOOLEN MILLS, which are owned and operated by W. J. and C. E. Lewis, is the leading industry of Covington, and was established in about 1850 by William Van Gorden, the mill which then stood on the site of the present mills having burned in 1852. Alfred Lewis. father of W. T. and C. E., was born near Richmond, Indiana, reared in Millsboro. and in January, 1865, came with his stepfather. Samuel Nixon, a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to Covington and purchased the Covington Mills, which have since that time been owned and operated by the Lewis family. Alfred J. Lewis married Barbara Ruppert, a native of Bavaria, Germany, who came to this country when eight years old with her parents. who located on a farm near Pleasant Hill. Miami County, Ohio. Two children blessed their union—W. J. and C. E. Lewis, proprietors of the Covington Woolen Mills, both of whom were born in the house now occupied by W. J. Lewis. Mrs. Lewis died September 5, 1908. W. J. Lewis married Susie Grove and has two children, Alfred J. and Ruth M. C. E. Lewis was united in marriage with Carry Byrd and their union resulted in the birth of two children. Waldo and Helen Jeanette. After the death of their father. W. J. and C. E. Lewis. then aged seventeen and fifteen respectiyely, took charge of the mills, which they have since that time operated with uninterrupted success. They employ an average of fifteen hands and make a specialty of all fine wool blankets, the quality and durability of their goods finding them a ready market all over the -United States. THE ATLAS UNDERWEAR COMPANY. This splendid plant is located on three streets, facing on Downing Street and runs along Rundle Avenue to Wayne Street. The building is 300 feet long, has an extreme width of 110 feet and is four stories high in addition to a fine basement. It is a counterpart of one of the buildings of the National Cash Register Company and is built of concrete and first quality of AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 773 buff pressed brick and is especially planned for the wants and requirements of the underwear business. It is unquestionably the best planned and handsomest underwear plant in the country and is the largest plant in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of union suits. The total floor space exceeds 150,000 square feet. It is thoroughly equipped with all the latest up-to-date machinery and has many conveniences for the employees, including a rest and recreation room and a dining room. The general construction of the plant was designed with the idea of giving the many employees the most comfortable working quarters. The business was established in 1899 and the officers are as follows : President, L. M. Flesh ; vice-president, Gen. W. P. Orr ; secretary, H. E. Sims : treasurer, E. A. Todd. C. S. PETRY, who in association with Mr. S. L. Brumbaugh conducts the largest hardware business in West Milton, Miami County, Ohio, is a native of Darke County, Ohio, where he was born in 1869. He is a son of Michael M. and Kate N. (Stump) Petry, and is one of twelve children born to his parents. Michael M. Petry was born in Preble County, Ohio, but later was a resident of Darke County, Ohio, for some years. He returned to Preble County when his son, C. S. Petry, was seven years of age, and there lived until his death at the age of sixty-three years. C. S. Petry received his education in the public schools of Preble County, and at Mount Morris College, where he attended one year. Upon leaving school he taught for two years, then in partnership with his brothers engaged in the tile business. He was twenty-seven years old when he came to Miami County, and in connection with Mr. Brumbaugh embarked in the hardware business. In 1899 they located where the postoffice now is, but in 1901 moved to their present location because more commodious quarters were necessary for their rapidly growing business. They carry a full line of general hardware, tinware, stoves and acetylene apparatus, and occupy two stories and the basement. Both he and his partner are stockholders in the Gem City Acetylene Generator Company, of which Mr. Brumbaugh's brother is manager. The company is incorporated at $200,000 and owns property at Dayton valued at $25,000. The Gem City Acetylene Generator, which can be placed in any residence or business house, is a great improvement over the gasoline plants and can be operated at a less cost ; this fact has given a great impetus to the company's business, which never was in a more flourishing condition. Mr. Petry was united in marriage with Miss Alma Flory, of near Center, Ohio, and they have four children : Flora, Naomi, Wilbur and Ruth. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist. In religious attachment, he and his wife are members of the Church of the Brethren. JOHN ZIMMERMAN, who is engaged in farming in Newton Township, Miami County, Ohio, is the owner of a forty-acre farm located in Section 24 of that township. He was born in Butler Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, October 28, 1858, and is a son of Charles and Sophia (Trost) Zimmerman, both natives of Wittenberg, Germany. After his marriage, Charles Zimmerman came to the United States and first located 774 - HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY at Dayton, Ohio, where he worked by the day for about three years. He then engaged in farming in Montgomery County for several years, after which he moved to Miami County. Here he purchased a farm of eighty acres in Newton Township, where he lived and farmed the remainder of his days. He was also the owner of forty acres northwest of the home place, which he subsequently sold. Charles and Sophia (Trost) Zimmerman became parents of the following children : Charles, Henry and Fred (twins), Katherine, Joseph, John, Samuel, Margaret, Mary and Emma. John Zimmerman attended what was known as the Quaker School in Butler Township, later the Inglewood School, and finally the Fall Branch School in Newton Township, receiving a good common school education. He continued to work for his father until he reached the age of twenty years, when he began working by the month for William Shoultz. Returning home, he worked one summer by the month, and farmed on one-third share for two years. He worked on a farm near Troy two years, and served for a similar period as helper on a thresher. After his marriage in 1887, he was for a time located on his father's farm and then went to Darke County, where he rented and farmed for eight years. At the end of that time he returned to Miami County and lived four years on the Fink farm. He then farmed the forty-acre tract owned by his father for two years, at the end of which time he purchased his present farm from his father. There were but one and a half acres of timber on the place and this he cleared, and he also put in about 500 rods of tile for drainage. He erected all the buildings on the place and has a well improved and fertile farm. He follows general farming and has about three acres out in tobacco each year. He is classed with the substantial citizens of Newton Township and is one of the stockholders of the Stillwater Valley Bank of Covington. Politically, he is a Democrat and for several years served on the School Board. June 16, 1887, Mr. Zimmerman married Sarah Luella Jennings, a daughter of William and Sarah Ann (Kern) Jennings, and they have had two children—Franklin Ray, who lives on the home place ; and one who died unnamed. Religiously, they are members of the Christian Church of Pleasant Hill. ALONZO HARTLEY, proprietor of the Hillside Nurseries and owner of 1,300 acres of farm land, together with a large amount of valuable city realty, has been a resident of Troy for thirty-six years and is a notable type of the self-made business man. He was born in the village of Allentown, Allen County, Ohio, August 1, 1850, and at the age of ten years accompanied his parents to Columbus Grove, Putnam County, where he obtained his schooling. Mr. Hartley learned the tinners' trade at Columbus Grove. Beginning January 1, 1869, he served three years' apprenticeship. During the first year his salary was $36.00 per year; during the second, $50.00, and for the third year's work he received $75.00. In 1873 he entered into the hardware business at Troy and was so engaged for three years. He first engaged in the tree business in 1883, in the capacity of salesman, and became so interested in this line that he decided to embark in the nursery business for himself. In 1903 he