HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 875 front in many of the more important engagements .of the war, among them having been the battles at Culpeper, Spottsylvania, Antietam, Kelleys Ford, Gettysburg, Brandy Station, and at Port Republic. He participated in twenty-six engagements, and was seven times wounded, in the battle of Bull Run receiving a saber wound in the side. In October, 1864, he was honorably discharged on account of disability arising from his numerous wounds. Returning North, Mr. Wagner went to Huntington, West Virginia, to live, and on recovering his health resumed work as an engineer. In 1884 he accepted a position in .Cuba as feaster mechanic on the Cuba Central Railroad, and was there thus employed until the blowing up of the Maine, on February 15, 1898. Returning to the United States, he lived first in Charleston, and later in Huntington, West Virginia, from the latter, place, in 1899, coming. to Portsmouth,. Ohio, which has since been his home. The Captain has on Second Street a laboratory in which he compounds Indian medicines, and in his office he has one of the most valuable collection of. Indian relics privately owned in the world. He is a member of the G. A. R. and an ex-commander, and in the Masonic order has attained the thirty-third degree, which he received in London, England. He is an ex-grand master of the thirty-third degree in Philadelphia. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to the Knights of Pythias. Captain Wagner has been twice married. He married first, in 1860, Sarah Pheasant, who .was born in Huntington, West Virginia, and died February 28, 1912. The maiden name of the Captain's second wife was Sarah Rucker. She was born' in Lawrence County, Ohio, a daughter of Elias and Margaret (Webb) Rucker, and a granddaughter on the maternal side of James and Sarah (Brown) Webb, who came from North Carolina to Lawrence county, Ohio, in early pioneer days, and taking up land from the Government hewed a farm from the wilderness. By his first marriage Captain Wagner had one son, Harry Wagner, of Portsmouth. Harry Wagner married Mary Shaffer, and they have six children, namely : Pearl, Elsie, Harry, Charles, Albert, and Richard. LESLIE C. TURLEY. Possessing an unlimited amount of energy, Leslie C. Turley occupies a place of prominence among the progressive business men of Portsmouth, his dealings with widely extended interests and enterprises being ever governed by the highest principles of integ- rity. He was born in Portsmouth, November 11, 1862, the youngest son of Col. John. Alexander Turley, and grandson of Dr. Charles Augustine. Turley, both natives of Virginia. He is of pure Scotch 876 - RANGING ROCK IRON REGION lineage, his ancestors having been Scotch Royalists in the- war between the Stuarts and Cromwell, and subsequently settled in. County Ulster, Ireland, where they were .granted a. tract of land during the reign of Charles the Second. In 1720 Charles Turley, the great grandfather of Leslie C., with his brother William, emigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, to America, landing at. Baltimore, Maryland, and from there going to Alexandria, Virginia. He afterwards located in Loudoun County, Virginia, on a tract of land granted him by Lord Fairfax, and to his plantation gave the name of Woodville. He there married Ann Lee Cockerel', a daughter of Col. Richard Henry and Ann (Lee) Cockerel, and a niece of "Light-Horse Harry" Lee. Dr. Charles Augustine Turley was born, April 4, 1788, at Pleasant Valley, Loudoun County, Virginia, on his father's plantation, "Woodville.” Scholarly in his tastes and ambitions, he was afforded every opportunity for obtaining an education, being graduated from both the William and Mary College, and from the Philadelphia Medical College. In 1813 he located at Moorefield, Hardy County, in what is now West Virginia, and was there successfully engaged in the practice of his chosen profession for many years. He married Fanny Harness, a daughter, of George Harness, Jr., and Rebecca (Cary) Harness. Col. John Alexander Turley was born at Moorefield, Hardy County, Virginia, June 1, 1816, and was educated at William and Mary College. Seized with the, wanderlust when young, he came to 'Ohio. fn 1836, settling in Scioto Township, upon a magnificent tract of land which was given him by .his father. In 1856, he sold this to George Davis. A man of strong character, pronounced in his opinions, he scion became active in public affairs, and in 1840 was elected justice of the peace, an office which he filled three years: In 1846 he was elected as representative to the State Legislature from Scioto and Lawrence counties, and while 'serving in that capacity was ever loyal to the interests of his constituents. In 1851 he had the distinction of organizing the first school board in Clay Township. At the outbreak of the war between the' states he was serving as brigade inspector, with rank of major, having been appointed by Governor Chase. On April 27, 1861; Colonel Turley enlisted in Company G; Twenty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for three, months, and was commissioned eaptain of his company. .On May 8, 1861, he had a third company ready for service in the field. On August 19, 1861, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Eighty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and resigned the position December 9th of that year. On August 22, 1862, he was commissioned colonel Of the Ninety-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 877 The colonel participated in many important engagements in Virginia and West Virginia, among which we may mention the following : Those at Buffalo, Fayetteville, Blake's Farm, New River Bridge, Cow Pasture and at Lynchburg, where he was severely wounded, being incapacitated for active service. Colonel Turley was honorably discharged from the army on November 4, 1864, and on March 13, 1865, for gallant conduct on the field of battle, was breveted brigadier-general. Returning to Portsmouth, Colonel Turley again became prominent in public Matters, serving as a member of the city council, and of the Portsmouth board of education, and as mayor of the city from 1871. until 1873, and again from 1887 until .1889. Colonel. Turley married, Janua'ry 2, 1843, Charlotte E. Robinson, a daughter of Joshua V. and. Hannah (Cooper) Robinson: Turley died March 19, 1900, and Mrs. Turley has also passed to the higher life. They were the parents of six children, two dying in infancy, the other four being Augustus R.; Henry Clay ; Leslie C., the special subject of this sketch; and Charlotte, wife of Hon. Albert C. Thompson. Leslie C. Turley was educated in the 'schools of Portsmouth, and at the Ohio State University. In 1880, at the age of. nineteen years, he began his career in the fire-brick business, being first with W. Q. Adams, who was then president of the Hocking Valley Fire Brick Company, which later became the Portsmouth Fire Brick Company. At the end of ten years having served several years as secretary of that company, Mr.. Turley left that firm, and the ensuing ten years was with George Davis and W. G. Bierley and later with J. L. Watkins, Jr., at the Kentucky Fire Brick Company, located at Firebrick, 'Lewis County, Kentucky, afterwards being connected with the consolidation of the Kentucky 'Fire -Brick Company, with the South Webster Fire Brick Company at South Webster, Ohio, the Star Fire Brick Works, and the Blast Furnace Fire Brick Works, at Sciotoville, and the Portsmouth Fire Brick Company, as vice president and general manager for two years, when it was merged with the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company. The Portsmouth and the Kentucky Fire Brick Company was the mile of the consolidation, then absorbed by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, the largest company in the world engaged in the manufacture of refractory materials. After their consolidation with the. Pittsburgh properties: he became a director in the new corporation. He is now, in July, 1916, occupying the same position, with the title of "Director of the Portsmouth district." Mr. Turley is likewise prominently identified with other large enterprises. In 1900, with others, he purchased the land belonging to the old Washington Furnace Company, and an interest in the land of the 878 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Cambria Furnace Company, and the Black Fork Coal Company, which has been succeeded by the Cambria Clay Products Company. He and others also purchased and now own the lands of the former Pioneer Furnace Company. The lands of the Pioneer Furnace Company, the Washington Furnace Company, and the Cambria Furnace Company, are adjacent properties, located in Scibto and Lawrence counties, in the original Hanging Rock Iron Region. Mr. Turley also bought for the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company all of the lands of the old Kenton Furnace Company, in Greenup County, Kentucky, it being property of considerable value to the company because of flint fire clays in quantity. For a number of years Mr: Turley has been president of The Portsmouth Engine Company plant, located in the West End of Portsmouth, and is actively interested in the manufacture of limestone products in Kentucky, and in various other important enterprises. He is likewise a large owner of city and suburban real estate, and to each of his varied enterprises and interests he gives his personal attention. For thirty-three consecutive years he has been intimately connected with the manufacture of fire brick, one of the most important industries in the entire state. Mr. Turley served as president of the First National Bank of Portsmouth from 1905 until 1910. He was for a long time a :member of the city council, for three years, serving as president of that body. A republican in politics, he cast his first presidential vote for James G. Blaine. Mr. Turley married, November 11, 1890, Retta Reed, daughter of Samuel and Ellen (Kinney) Reed, of whom a sketch may be found elsewhere in this volume: Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Turley, namely : Charles Leslie, who was graduated from the University School at Cleveland, and in the mechanical course at Cornell University ; and Nell, who Was graduated from Laurel School, in Cleveland, and at the time of -writing, is now continuing her studies at Maderia College, in Washington, D. C. FREDERICK G. LEETE. The active, career of Frederick O. Leete as a civil and mining engineer and business man in Lawrence County began more than thirty rears ago, and in that time he has won a high position in his profession, ;being the author of numerous newspaper, pamphlet and magazine articles on the .Geological Structure and Resources of Southern Ohio. He is one of the most useful and influential citizens of Ironton. For many years Mr. Leete has given special .attention to the practicabilities of the running waters of the state and his broad observations HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 879 and information along that line eventuated in a conspicuous service to the state during the last constitutional convention of Ohio, in which he served as delegate from Lawrence County. Mr. Leete has made a thorough study of the general problem of conservation and development of water power in Ohio, and went into the convention as one of the acknowledged leaders of the conservation forces. He succeeded in having written in the organic law of the state a clause giving the Legislature power to pass laws providing "for the conservation of the natural resources of the State, including streams, lakes, submerged and swamp lands and the development and regulation of water power and the formation of drainage and conservation districts." Already at the time of the convention Mr. Leete has developed a broad and .systematic plan by which the various streams of Ohio, capable of developing water power, might serve as the basis for unit districts which should be organized under the auspices of the state and by resources properly developed under state supervision. By the organization of such conservation districts and the scientific utilization of their resources, Mr. Leete has long been convinced that adequate power might be developed to supply not only the ordinary needs of manufacturing and municipal lighting, but the electric current should be introduced into every farm Mine and every village of the state. Mr. Leete has been a working member of the Ohio Valley Improvement Association since its inception, and through that and other organizations has used his professional influence and his pen to call attention to the undeveloped resources of Lawrence County. Frederick Guilford Leete was born at Ironton, July 14, 1860, and represents not only a prominent early family of Southern Ohio but one of distinction in the early annals of New England. His father, Ralph Leete, was a prominent attorney in Ironton, and was born in Pennsylvania. The mother was Harriet E. Hand, a native of England. The Leete family originated in England and an adequate sketch of the lineage can be found in "Evans Pioneer Record of Southern Ohio. As early as 1209 the Leetes were found in Cambridgeshire. Frederick G. Leete is in the ninth generation from Sir John Leete of Dodington, who was a justice of the court of common pleas. His son, William Leete, born in 1612 in England, located at New Haven; Connecticut, July 10, 1639. He held numerous offices, in that colony, was deputy governor of New Haven from 1658 to 1664 and from 1669 to 1676 was deputy governor of Connecticut after New Haven and Connecticut had been united. From 1676 until his death in 1683 he was governor of Connecticut. This colonial official was noted for his integrity and wisdom, was the first Puritan in his family, and some of his best qualities have been transmitted to his descendant in Southern Ohio. A son of this first American 880 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION: ancestor was Andrew Leete, also. colonial governor of Connecticut, beginning in 1667 and continuing until his death: in 1702. He is 'given credit for secreting the charter of the colony when it was sought to be. destroyed, and also prevented the arrest of the regicides Goffe and Whalley, who were fugitives in the colony. Frederick. Leete was graduated from the Ironton High School in 1878, and from 1879 to 1884 taught the grammar department at Waverly. In the meantime he had taken up the study .of civil engineering, and from 1884. to 1886 studied law' with his father at Ironton but was never admitted to the liar.' His occupation as a land surveyor began in 1884, and for the past thirty years that department of his profession has received a, large amount of attention. Politically Mr. Leete is ranked as a democrat, but practically is independent in politics, and has manifested a strong advocacy of the temperance cause. He is not a member of any church. Mr. Leete married Jennie McNichols Holland of Ironton. Her father, Patrick McNichols, was a former contractor and business man of that city. In the judgment of his fellow citizens Mr. Leete has long held a position among the leaders in his home county. He has a cool, calm judgment of men, affairs and institutions, and in many ways has maintained the high ideals set before him by his illustrious ancestors. He stands for right and justice whenever and wherever duty calls, and. to a degree beyond most men has realized his highest ambition to be. a useful and honorable citizen. CAPT. ADAM J. BUCH. While the people of Portsmouth now recognize Captain Buch a successful business man and president of the Vulcan Last Company, a brief review of his :life shows that for a number of years he was . thoroughly acquainted with the hardships of existence, having become self supporting when only thirteen years of age. His introduction to Portsmouth in the year 1877 was in the role of a worker in: the mechanical trades, and close attention to business and a. growing capacity for larger reponsibilities have brought him to his present substantial position Capt. Adam J., Buch was_ born in Wheeling, West, Virginia. His father was, Adam J. Buch, Sr., a native of Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, where his parents spent all their lives. Of the family Adam's brother Leopold and a half-brother named Joseph, came to America and settled in Wheeling. Adam J. Buch„ Sr., was reared and educated in his. native province, and came to America when a young man. He had established a home and was in a fair way to. prosperity, but not long after the breaking out of the Civil war he was shot in his own house by a drunken HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 881 vagabond, who afterwards was legally convicted and hanged. The father, was.. at that time thirty-five years of age. He had married Elizabeth Balzer, also .a native of Hesse Darmstadt. She survived her husband only five years, and left a family of six children, namely : Adam J., Mary, Christina, Catherine, Leopold and Annie. After the death of the mother the four girls were placed in a Catholic home, and the younger brother was taken care of by an aunt. Captain Buell began to shift for himself and at the age of thirteen was spending his days in any honorable labor that he could find. After about fifteen months of various kinds of work he apprenticed himself to learn the sheet iron and copper trade. For the first year his wages were $1 a week and board, for the second year $1.50 a. week, and for the third year $2 a week. He managed to keep himself in a modest way, and mastered the trade, and at the end of his apprenticeship was retained as a regular employe in the plant and spent seven years as a mechanic. At that time there occurred an industrial depression, and work was very scarce in his line, and he was out of employment. Any work he could get was then acceptable, and after a time in May, 1877, he left Wheeling hoping to better his fortune. His intention was to go as far south as his available Means would carry him. However, a friend persuaded him to land at Cincinnati and try to find work there. An acquaintanceship formed with Capt. E. B. Moore, commander of the steamer Bonanza, was the influence which finally directed him to Portsmouth. Captain Moore had financial interests in. the Portsmouth foundry and machine shops, and induced Mr. Buch to come to that city where he was given employment in the shops and eventually acquired stock in the company and continued one of its aggressive factors for eighteen years. At the end of that time he became associated with L. D. York, of the Burgess Steel Works when they organized the Portsmouth Structural Steel & Iron Company, which he managed. When the Burgess steel works burned out Captain Buch was employed in the building of the boilers, stacks and other portions of the plant of the steel works at New Boston, and he remained with Mr. York until the plant was sold to the Crucible Steel & Iron Company, and then continued with that for a year. Then followed several months of well earned rest, and with L. D. and Raymond York and Floyd Knowles Captain Buch crossed the Atlantic and enjoyed an extended trip. abroad, returning to the home of his ancestors in Hesse Darmstadt. Following his return to Portsmouth, in the fall of 1901, Captain Buch contracted with the city to erect the flood defense pumping station, and when that contract had been fulfilled he became associated with the Peebles Paving Brick Company, of which he was Made vice president and general 882 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION manager, erected its plant, and continued with the Peebles Paving Brick Company until 1913. He was also one of the organizers of the Buckeye Fire Brick Company. In the meantime the Vulcan Last Company had been organized, and he became its president, and now devotes practically all his business attention to this important Portsmouth industry. The Vulcan Company is engaged in the making and remodeling of lasts, and supplies a large amount of equipment for the shoemaking trade. While much of his time has been taken up with the executive direction of large concerns, Mr. Buch is also a' thorough mechanic and originator and his invention of the box-toe drying rack was a valuable device which was sold to the United States Machinery Company. In 1889, Captain Buch married Louise Snyder. She was born in Portsmouth and her parents were Bavarian people. Mr. and Mrs. Buch have three children: Adam F. who died at the age of seven years; arid Clara and Mamie. Clara is the wife of Charles Miller, and has two children, Martha and Charlotte. Mamie married William J. Burke and has a son William H. Captain Buch and wife are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church, and he is a member of Council No. 1 of the Knights. of St. George, which he served as captain for twelve years, and is also affiliated with Portsmouth Council No. 741 of the Knights of Columbus. IRVING DREW, president of the Irving Drew Company, of Portsmouth, Scioto County, has been a dominant power in advancing the manufacturing and mercantile interests of this section of Ohio, he and his father, the late Frederick Drew, having been among the original shoe manufacturers of Portsmouth, and prominent in the upbuilding of one of the largest. industries of the kind in the city.. A native of New England, he was born, July 27, 1849, in Rowley, Essex County,. Massachusetts. His paternal grandfather, Joshua Drew, was born, in 1793, in Durham, New Hampshire, being a son of Samuel Drew; a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Drew family, according to tradition, originated in England,. the immigrant ancestor coming from there to America in colonial times, and locating in New. Jersey, from whence some of his descendants migrated to New Hampshire. Frederick Drew.. was born, February. 1, 1817, in Durham, New Hampshire, where his father was a life long resident. Leaving home at the age of eighteen years, he located in Essex County, Massachusetts, a county in which, without doubt, more shoes are manufactured annually than in any other county in the. world, and for upwards of fifteen years resided in the Town of Rowley where he became thoroughly identified with the trade. of a shoe' manufacturer, learning the business HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 883 from start to finish. In 1851 he came to Portsmouth, Ohio, to accept the position of foreman in the old time shoe factory which Robert H. Bell had established the previous year, it being the pioneer factory of the city. Going back to Massachusetts at the end of .a few months, he remained in Rowley until 1854, when he returned to Ohio, and for eight years was engaged. in the manufacture of shoes by the old hand method and selling at retail at. Ironton, Lawrence County. Going to Granville, Licking County, in 1862, he there continued in the shoe business a part of the time until 1.869, when he returned to Portsmouth to again enter the employ of Mr. Bell, who had commenced to manufacture shoes by machinery, and from that time until 1891 he was actively associated with the shoe business of that place. Returning then to Massachusetts, he spent the remainder of his life in Rowley, his death occurring there on October 17, 1896. The maiden name of the wife of Frederick Drew was Sarah G. Bailey. She was born in Rowley, Massachusetts, a direct descendant in the seventh generation from the immigrant ancestor, James C. Bailey, who settled in Massachusetts about 1630, the line of descent being thus traced : James C. (1), John (2), Nathaniel (3), Deacon David (4), Ezekiel (5), Ezekiel (6), and Sarah G. (7). Ezekiel P. (6) Bailey, a life long resident of Rowley, was a ship carpenter by trade, and for many years was intimately connected with an industry of much importance. Mrs. Sarah. G. (Bailey) Drew died January 30, 1900. To her and her husband six children were born, two dying in infancy and four were reared, as follows : Ellen A.; F. Austin, who died in 1874, at the age of twenty-seven years; Irving, the subject of this sketch ; and Mary S., who died in 1901. Irving Drew was educated in the schools of Ironton and. Granville. Coming to Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1869, he began work in a shoe factory as a general utility man, and in short time had learned to use the McKay Sewing Machine, and to last shoes. In 1871 the firm of Rifenberick, Drew & Gregg was formed, and succeeded to the ownership of the R. Bell & Company manufacturing department. In 1874 the Portsmouth Shoe Company was organized, with Mr. Drew as secretary, treasurer, and general manager, the company succeeding to the ownership of .the Rifenberick, Drew & Gregg Company's plant. In 1877 Mr. Drew and his father withdrew from that concern,. and organized the firm of Irving. Drew & Company. In 1880 George:D. Selby purchased an interest in that organization, and the firm name became Drew, Selby & Company, Bernard Damon being the junior member of the firm. In 1902 the business was incorporated as the Drew-Selby Company, and Mr. Drew sold enough of his stock to Mr. Selby to give him acontrolling Vol. II -16 884 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION interest in the business, although he himself remained as a director until 1905. Mr. Drew then disposed of his entire interest in the firm, which then became the Selby Shoe Company. In 1902 Mr: Drew organized the Irving Drew Company, of which he has since been the president. This enterprising company succeeded to the business of The Star Shoe Company in 1902, and about a year later purchased the business of the Heer Shoe Company, merged the two and enlarged its operations, The Irving Drew Company having grown from a small beginning until now its business is nearly as large as was that of the Drew-Selby Company when Mr. Drew disposed of his interest in that concern. Mr. Drew, married, June 30, 1879, Ella A. Gates, who was born in Cheshire, Ohio, a daughter of William Wallace and Alvira (Nye) Gates, natives of Ohio. Seven children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Drew, and in order of birth are: LeRoy Irving, who died at the age of twenty-four years in 1904 ; Mabel Arelie, married S. D. Ruggles and they have an adopted daughter, Elinor; Marjorie Gates, wife of T. C. Lloyd, has three children, Roy Irving, Reese and Drew ; Rowena Nye married Marting, and has two children, Richard Drew and Sarah Ann ; Hazel Bailey ; Frederick Wallace and Everett A. Mr. and Mrs. Drew are members of the Second Presbyterian Church, in which he is a ruling elder. JAMES J. CRANSTON. One of Portsmouth's forceful business men was the late James J. Cranston, who after many years spent in conducting his extensive interests as a farmer and dairyman passed away at his home in Portsmouth, December 9, 1915. His death was the more unfortunate as: it came in the prime of his vigorous career, and marked the passing of a representative of the fine old stock of Southern. Ohio, his family having been identified with Scioto County for fully a century. He was born June 18, 1862, at Wheelersburg in Scioto County, and was in his fifty-fourth year when he died. Wheelersburg 'was also the birthplace of his father Jeremiah Cranston. His grandfather; Judge Edward Cranston,. was born in Rhode Island February 2, 1790, of substantial New England ancestry. In early manhood, many years before railroads traversed the country west of the Alleghanies, he journeyed on horseback from his home to Ohio. Locating at Portsmouth, he first found employment in a blacksmith's shop. In 1820 in partnership with David Gharky, he bought a carding mill, and operated it for eight years: In 1828 he moved to 'Wheelersburg, continued the ,operation of a carding mill there for a time, and then converted the plant into a woolen mill, to the ownership of which his sons HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 885 subsequently succeeded. Judge Cranston exercised good judgment in making his investments, bought large tracts of. land adjoining the village, and superintended the improvement of his property. When he located at Wheelersburg the greater part of all that section of the country was heavily timbered, filled with wild game of all kinds, including the deer, wild turkeys and other animals. and birds that so largely furnished subsistence for the hardy pioneers. The huge giants of the. forest that would now be so valuable were felled, rolled together and burned. Judge Cranston lived to see the country well settled and contributed his full share towards advancing its material interests. He was also prominent in a public way, serving as county commissioner from 1831. until 1.838, during which time the Little Scioto bridge was built, as were also the courthouse and the jail. From 1846 until 1851 he was an associate judge of the county. In politics he was a whig and influential in party ranks. His death was a public. loss, and Mr. Evans in his history says. of him : "He was one of the most forceful characters who ever occupied. the stage of public affairs in Scioto County." Judge Cranston married Nancy Cole, and they reared a large family of children. Jeremiah Cranston spent his entire life in the vicinity of his birthplace at. Wheelersburg. Beginning when young to assist his father in the mill, he became familiar with its every department, and for many years managed it successfully. He died at the age of sixty-seven, honored and respected by all who knew him. He married Abigail Deautremont, who was of pure French ancestry. Her father was born in France, came to the United States when young; and for a time lived in the western part of New York. Starting to the west from Olean, New York, he went down the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh, and from there made the journey down the Ohio on a raft made of lumber. That was the customary manner in which lumber from the forests of New York and Western Pennsylvania was. taken to market. He located at Wheelersburg in Scioto County and a few years later went to Iowa where he was one of the pioneers .at Riverside. Mrs. Abigail Cranston survived her husband about six years,. and left six children named Frank E., Mary A., Benjamin, Lewis, James J. and Charles. Reared at Wheelersburg, the late James J. Cranston., attended the public schools, and having as a youth became familiar with the work of the carding mill while assisting his. father was placed in charge of the plant at the age of nineteen and superintended its management fourteen years.. During that time .Mr. Cranston was engaged in the mercantile business at Wheelersburg and continued in the same after leaving. the mill for five years, conducting a well-stocked general store. On leaving a 886 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION his .work as a merchant he turned his attention to agriculture, giving his time and attention to his dairy farm a mile from Wheelersburg. For live years he sold milk to the Wholesale trade, and then bought an interest in the milk business conducted by Fuhs & Miller. The following year he acquired all the interests and continued the business alone, first located on Court street in Portsmouth, and two years later on John street: In 1913 he moved to his last location. on North Eighth street where .he erected a commodious brick structure with cement and tile floor and furnished with every possible equipment for the sanitary and efficient handling of milk products. He also built a plant for the manufacturing of ice; a much needed article in his business. This was not only a flourishing enterprise from a business standpoint but also one of vital benefit, to the entre city of Portsmouth. Mr. Cranston Cranston milk from carefully selected dairies in Scioto and other Ohio counties and also from Kentucky dairy farms, and upwards of six hundred well fed and well tended cows furnished the supply which was distributed daily from his plant over the city of Portsmouth, seven wagons being employed to cover the route of distribution. The late Mr. Cranston was a member of the Ohio State Dairy Association, and one of the ablest men in the dairying profession in Southern Ohio. Through his business he rendered a splendid public service, and was a man whose name and career deserve grateful memory. He was married November 26, 1884, to Miss Addie M. Merrill, who was born in Ironton, Ohio, a daughter of John Pearl and Julia A. (Moore) Merrill. Both the Merrill and Moore families were among the early pioneers of Ohio. To. Mr. and Mrs. Cranston were born three children : Lewis Pearl, Jessie L.. and Effie E. Fraternally Mr. Cranston was affiliated with Wheelersburg Lodge of Masons. and with Wheelersburg Lodge of Knights of Pythias: He and his family attended the Methodist Episcopal Church. REV. JOHN WILLIAM DILLON. A. man of firm convictions, strong character and deep consecration, Rev. John William Dillon, of Portsmouth, is well-known throughout Central and Southern Ohio as an earnest worker in the Methodist Episcopal denomination, in which he was licensed as a preacher nearly threescore years ago, and in which he has since faithfully and successfully labored. A son of. Samuel Dillon, he was born October 18, 1834, in Mason Township, Lawrence County, Ohio, of Irish ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Micajah Dillon, was born in County Galway. Ireland, and as a child was brought to America by his parents, Samuel and Mary: Dillon, who located in Virginia, which they subse- HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 887 quently made their permanent home. Growing to manhood in Franklin County, Micajah Dillon remained there until 1831, when, accompanied by his family, he made an overland journey to Ohio; locating in Lawrence County:- Buying a tract of land that was still in its primitive wildness, he cleared a farm, and there lived and labored until his death, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary' Saxton, survived him a few years. They reared 'eight children,.five of them being sons. Samuel Dillon was horn. in Franklin County, Virginia, April 29, 1811, and at the age of twenty years came with his parents to Ohio. Marrying a few months. later, he and his bride set up housekeeping in a log .cabin, and at once began the pioneer task of reclaiming a farm from the forest. Bears; deer, wolves, and wild turkey were then plentiful; and often destructive to the growing crops. In 1849 he sold the farm in Mason Township, and purchased land near Millersport; on the Ohio River, and there resided until his death at the venerable age of eighty- five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary White, was born in August, 1811, at Fincastle, Botetourt County, Virginia. Her father, John White, a native of the same county, came with his famliy to Lawrence County, Ohio, in 1828, and having taken up a tract of timber in Mason Township hewed a farm from the wilderness, and was there engaged in tilling the. soil the remainder of his life, dying at the age of eighty-one years. John White's wife, whose maiden name was Nancy MacFarland, was born in Fincastle, Virginia, and died in Mason Township, ,Ohio, soon after her arrival in. the state. Mrs. Mary (White) Dillon learned to card, spin and weave in girlhood, and after her marriage carded, spun and wove the cloth from which she fashioned the clothes for her family. She lived to be nearly eighty years of age. One of a family of seven children, John William Dillon began his school life at the age of four years, the school being held in an abandoned log cabin; and supported 1,3i the subscription plan. Free schools, however, were established soon after that time. As soon as old, enough to use axe and hoe, He had to assist on the farm, and acquired a good knowledge of agriculture as then carried on. At the .age of seventeen years he was converted, and on July 16, 1856, was licensed as a local preacher: He afterwards became assistant pastor to Rev. Andrew Carroll, presiding .elder of the Portsmouth district, which included Perry Chapel, Coal Grove, Union Chapel, Mount Tabor, Windsor chapel, Scott Town., Locust Grove of Marion, with headquarters at Burlington. In 1857 Mr. Dillon joined. the. Ohio Conference at Chillicothe, and continued active in the ministry for a full half century, having pastorates in Portsmouth, Gallipolis, Zanesville, Newark, Ironton, Columbus, Dela- 888 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION ware, London and Lancaster, and at other places. ,In addition Mr. Dillon was for eight years presiding elder in the Portsmouth district, and for two years presiding elder in the Gallipolis district. Since 1898 Mr. Dillon has made his home in Portsmouth. On January 10, 1860, Mr. Dillon was united in marriage with Mary Catherine Cox, who was born on a farm at Sandy Springs, Adams County, Ohio, November 25, 1835, a daughter of Martin Cox. Her paternal grandfather; John Cox, a native of New Jersey, came with his family to Ohio in pioneer days, locating in Adams County, and having bought land near Sandy Springs was there employed in general farming the remainder of his life, paying but little attention to his trade of a millwright. Martin Cox was born August 10, 1811, and was but five years old when, in 1816, he was brought by his parents to Ohio. He was a natural mechanic, and having learned the trade of a carpenter was for several years engaged in the building of flat boats on the Ohio River. Subsequently buying land on the Ohio river bottoms near Sandy Springs, he became a. tiller of the soil, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death at the age of seventy-eight years. The wife of Martin Cox, whose maiden name was Mary Catherine Murphy, was born near Sandy Springs in 1819, a daughter of. Recompense and Catherine (Newkirk) Murphy, who. in 1800, came from New' Jersey to. Ohio, and having bought wild land on the Ohio river bottoms engaged in farming. After settling :near Sandy Springs, Mr. Murphy went back to his New Jersey home twice to settle his affairs, making the round trips on foot, and carrying his money in- a, satchel. Mr.. Murphy lived to a good old age; and Mrs. Murphy was ninety-three years old when she died. Mr. and Mrs.. Dillon have reared five children, namely : Mary Catherine, Sarah Jane, John Grant, Edmund. B., and Benjamin H. Mary C. is the widow of Morgan Mollohan. Sarah is the wife of .Gilbert D. Wait, of whom a brief account is given elsewhere in this work. John Grant entered the Wait furniture factory as bookkeeper when young, and when it was incorporated was made secretary and treasurer, a position that he retained until his death, March 25, 1914. He married Essie Tynes, who, with their two children, Donald and Helen Louise, survive him. Edmund B., a lawyer. by profession, is now judge of the Court of Common Pleas, at Columbus. HARRY S. GRIMES. In the death of Harry S. Grimes March 7, 1915, Portsmouth lost one of its oldest and most successful business men and citizens. His enterprise, ability and integrity had reflected credit upon one of the. native citizens of, Scioto County. His interests were varied, HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 889 were associated with the development and growth of much that Portsmouth cherishes in its financial, business and social life. His father, the late James Grimes, was born in Birmingham, England, which was the home of -his ancestors as far back as is known, and he was the only member of the family to come to America. He learned the art of japanning metal in his native land, and on coming to the United States first followed his trade in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Coming from there to Ohio in 1836, he established a foundry in Portsmouth, and was engaged in the manufacture of stoves, also conducting the business of japanning, and continued a resident of the city until his death at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary A. Tobin, was. born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, a daughter of William and Mary Tobin, and died. in Portsmouth aged eighty-one years. She reared a family of ten children. Acquiring a. good education in the public schools of Portsmouth, Harry S. Grimes entered the employ of Miller & Regan as a clerk, and was afterwards similarly employed in the wholesale grocery of A. W. Buskirk, where he obtained a practical insight into business affairs. In 1873 he became an independent commission dealer in grain, flour meals, and that was his chief work as a business' man for a period of forty-two years until his death. One by one his earlier contemporaries. passed away, and he witnessed an almost entire change in the personnel of the business and professional life of the city. Progressive and energetic, he was always .among the foremost in the establishment of beneficial projects, and was prominent and influential in aiding the development and growth of this section of Scioto County. His position as a business man is indicated by the fact that before his death he was serving as president of the Ohio Grain Dealers' Assocoatopm. and was also at one time president of the Grain Dealers' National Association. He was a member, former president and one of the executive committee of the Ohio Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He served as president of the Portsmouth Commercial Club when that organization was an important factor in the upbuilding of the city; and had served as president of the Portsmouth Savings & Loan Association from its incorporation until his death, a period of about twenty-three years. Mr. Grimes was also the founder of the Washington Hotel. For eleven years he was a member of the State Board of Agriculture, serving one year as president of the board and one year as treasurer. In his home city he also gave some efficient service as a member of the city council, and for many years was a trustee of the Portsmouth Cemetery. He is affiliated with Portsmouth Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order 890 - HANGING, ROCK IRON REGION of Elks, in which :he was past exalted ruler; and was a member and vestryman of All Saints Episcopal Church. On December 9, 1873, Mr. Grimes married Mary Vaughters, who was born ..on a farm in Nile Township, Scioto County, a. daughter of John A. and Mary Vaughters. Mrs. Grimes survives her honored husband, and is the mother of three children; Shirley V.; Leah Pauline, wife. of Harry E. Taylor, editor of the Portsmouth Times; and John A., who married Frances Coleman, and their three children are named Harry Coleman, Nancy Noyes and Mary Pauline. HENRY A. SCHERMANN, M. D. A skillful and experienced physician and surgeon of Portsmouth, Henry A. Schermann, M. D., is a fine representative of .the native born citizens of Scioto County, his birth having occurred in Portsmouth, January 27, 1879. His father, the late George Jacob Schermann, was born, November 20, 1834, .at Neiderhochstadt, Bavaria, Germany, a son of George Theobold and Margaret (Heller) Schermann. He attended school quite regularly throughout his boyhood and youth. In 1854 he emigrated to the United States, embarking at Havre de Grace, and after a sea voyage of forty-two days landing at New Orleans., Immediately joining relatives then -living in St. Louis, Missouri, he soon apprenticed himself to a carriage maker to learn the trade, and while thus employed attended a night school, where he made a special study of languages, drawing and bookkeeping. In January, 1860, he went to Oklona, Mississippi, where he remained until the following August. There was much talk of war, especially after Lincoln's candidacy was announced, and he started north, going first to Cincinnati, Ohio, from there coming to Portsmouth the very last ,of that month. The ensuing four years he was in the employ of Metzger & Krecher, carriage makers, and then, in 1864, formed a partnership with William Angle, John. Held and Fred Deutschie, under the firm name of Schermann & Company, and until 1878 was engaged in business as carriage builders and blacksmiths. In 1880 he embarked in the livery business, which he continued until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Augusta Kauffman, to whom he was married April 13, 1862. Of their union eight children were born, as follows: Kate, Emma, Lena, Charles, Alfred, Hattie, George, Henry A. After his graduation from the Portsmouth High School with the class of 1897, Henry A. Schermann clerked for a time .in a drug store. Turning his attention then to the study of medicine, for which he had a natural taste ,and inclination, he .entered the Medical Department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and was there graduated with HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 891 the degree of M. D. in 1902. Going then to Europe, Doctor Schermann continued his ,studies in Glasgow, Edinburg, London, Berlin, Vienna, Milan and Paris, imbibing knowledge and wisdom from some of the most noted and experienced physicians and surgeons of Europe. Returning home after a profitably spent year abroad, Doctor Schermann began the practice of his chosen profession at Portsmouth, where he has since remained, having built up an extensive and lucrative patronage. Doctor Schermann married, in 1906, Edith Emeline Swinton, who was born in Ontario, Canada, a daughter of David and Agnes (Harricot) Swinton, who were of Scotch descent. The Doctor and Mrs. Schermann have three children, namely: Edith Gretchen, Mary Augusta, and Marion Elizabeth. The Doctor is a member of the Henipstead Academy of Medicine ; of the Ohio State Medical Society.; and of the American Medical Association. He is also surgeon for the Portsmouth Steel Company. In 1823 Dr. Giles S. B. Hempstead commenced a daily weather report, which he accurately kept until his death in 1858, when it was continued by Dr. D. Blatten until 1903, since which time Doctor Schermann has continued the record. This is one of the two oldest continuous weather reports in existence in the United States, and, the Doctor is daily called upon for information regarding the weather during the period covered by the record. The Doctor was reared in the German Evangelical Church, and was confirmed in 1893, while Mrs. Schermann was brought up in the Presbyterian faith, and is a member of the Second Presbyterian Church. WILLIAM ALEXANDER GIVENS. This is a name that was borne across the Alleghanies before the close of the Revolution, transplanted on the "dark and bloody ground" of Kentucky, and more than a century ago was established in Southern Ohio, where William A. Givens now represents it in the third generation. The family has been distinguished for productive endeavor and useful citizenship wherever found, and Mr. Givens has been prosperous in 'the management of land and is now a general merchant and highly esteemed citizen of Nile Township, Scioto County. William Alexander Givens was born on the old Givens homestead February 10, 1854. His great-grandfather came out of. the East, joined a few pioneers in Mason County, and there met death at. the hands of the murderous Indians. He had married Mary Mitchell, whose father. David Mitchell was born in the province of Pennsylvania in 1733, and was a soldier in the Revolution, being a private in Captain Erwin's company of Second Battalion, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania militia, and also a private in James Morrison's company, Col. Thomas Porter's 892 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION battalion. After her husband had been killed by the Indians Mary Givens married John McBride. . Judge. William Givens, grandfather of William A., was born in Mason County, Kentucky, September 18, 1782, only a few weeks after his father had lost his life as above mentioned. He became one of the pioneer settlers of Scioto County, and from here removed to what is now Jackson County, and located on the present site of the City of :Jackson. February 7, 1814, an .act was passed by the Ohio Legislature appropriating money for the 'purpose of promoting the discovery of salt and the encouragement. of its manufacture at the Scioto salt works, located on the present site of Jackson City. Judge Givens and others sank the first wells and manufactured the first salt on a commercial scale at that location. The Givens salt well is said to be still open. In other ways his enterprise was a feature of early Jackson County history. He erected a commodious two-story log mansion, and when the county was organized the courts held their first sessions in this house, which was also the first place of meeting for the county commissioners. The. Legislature made him one of the three associate judges of. Jackson. County. Somewhat later, in 1826, he returned to Scioto County, and bought 301 acres of river bottom land, all of it then heavily timbered. Besides his service as associate judge in Jackson County he served as judge of the court of common pleas for that county and also 'for Scioto, and in 1818 was elected a member of the State. Legislature. Judge William Givens was twice married. His second wife and the mother of all his children- was Rachel Stockham. Her name has associations with early times in Scioto County. William Stockham, her father, was a native of Wales,, came to the United States in 1777, settling near Trenton,, New Jersey, and there married Susanna Paine. In 1798 they moved out to the. Northwest Territory, and made a home in Madison Township of Scioto County, where he died in 1815 and she survived until 1835. Rachel Stockham by, her marriage to Judge Givens became the mother of eleven children,. namely : William ; David, who married Cynthia McCall; John, who married Elizabeth Collier; Samuel, George, Allen F., James Harvey, Cynthia, who married John McDermott ; Jane, Mary, and Thomas J. Judge William Givens died June 26, 1863, and his wife on February 18, 1865.. He was first a Whig and later a republican, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Though books and libraries were very limited in his day, he had an exceptional private collection 'of the best standard literature and works of reference and was a thorough student. William Givens, Jr., son of Judge Givens and father of William A., was born July 31, 1811, at Poplar Row, as the present site of the City HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 893 of Jackson was then known. While attending country school he also had some employment in the salt works of his father in Jackson County, and was fifteen years old . when the family settled in the wilderness of Nile Township of Scioto County. He and his brothers, David and John, found some strenuous work, in. clearing off the timber from the bottom land acquired by their father: They operated a "wood landing" on the river bank and supplied great quantities of fuel to the passing Steamboats, applying the money Tor. the purchase land. The woods were filled with all kinds of game, large and small, and it required only a healthful outdoor exertion to provide all the living necessities. The era of railroads had not yet dawned in this part of the country, and beside the river route the only transportation was by canal and stage. William Givens., Jr.; was a man of. great industry. After reaching his majority he engaged in farthing on. the old homestead, and also constructed a number of keel and flat-boats, which were in demand for river freighting, and often were sent south to New Orleans. His home remained in Nile Township until his .death July 30, 1898, at the age of eighty-seven. He married Elizabeth Elliot, a daughter of Benjamin and Isabella (McCann) Elliot. Bath the Elliot and McCann. families were Scotch, and among the pioneers in Scioto and. Adams counties. Elizabeth Elliot was born in.Scioto County February 12;1814; and died October 11, 1899. She reared eight children : Cynthia. who married Washington Cross ; Sarah Ellen, who was married to R. A. Bryan; Mary Jane, who married Herdman; Martha S. became the wife of Rev. S. M. Donahue ; Eliza C. married George Williamson; Margaret Isabel, David Craighten, and William A: Politically the late William Givens was first a whig and later followed the fortunes of the republican party from its organization until his death. He and. his wife were among the strongest supporters of the Methodist Church in their community, and their home was headquarters for all circuit riders and all others who came from a distance to attend the meetings of the church. William Alexander Givens; who thus had a sturdy and high-minded ancestry as the background of his career, grew up on the homestead in Nile Township, and 'acquired his education in what was well known as the Elm Tree Schoolhouse. He was trained to fanning by his father, and for many years that was his exclusive occupation. His first independent venture was to rent the homestead for three years. Removing to Sandy Springs, in Adams County; for a time he rented the farm of his father-in-law until he purchased it. After seventeen years spent there. he sold and Wight the interests of the Other heirs in the Givens homestead, and thus has the land acquired by his grandfather early in 894 -HANGING ROCK IRON REGION the last century. Farming was the foundation of his abundant prosperity. In 1905 Mr. Givens bought the mercantile business from Samuel Thatcher, located on the Portsmouth and Buena Vista pike, about two from Buena 'Vista, and' since then has been active as a merchant, and in 1911' was appointed postmaster and still holds that office. In the meantime he has also acquired the Squire McCall farm, one of the oldest places in the county. October 24, 1877, Mr.. Givens married Lucy H. Murphy. She was born in Adams County, a daughter of Recompense Sherry and Rachel (Kelly). Murphy, . and a granddaughter of Recompense and .Catherine (Newkirk) Murphy. Her father was a prosperous farmer, owned a large farm_ at Sandy. Springs, and lived there until. his death at the advanced age of eighty-five. The remains of himself and wife now rest in the Sandy Springs Cemetery of Adams County. Mr. and Mrs. Givens have reared five children : Lillie, Walter, Rachel, Lynn and Rhoda. Lillie married Clyde Dixon in 1915 and now lives in the old McCall property at McGraw P. O. Walter married Lydia Bridwell, and has two children, Margaret and Eugene. Rachel is the wife of Thomas Smith, and has a daughter Helen. Lynn married Mattie Aker, and their children are Robert, Dillon and Dorothy. Rhoda is the wife of Howard Davidson. Mr. Givens and wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. SAMUEL BIERLY. The late Samuel Bierly, who died at his home in Portsmouth, Scioto 'County, on the 19th of April, 1905, was a Man whose sincerity, kindliness and intrinsic nobility of character gained to him the high regard of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life and his active career was marked by worthy achievement along normal and beneficent lines of enterprise. Though a native of Buckhannan, West Virginia, where he was born in the year 1846, Mr. Bierly passed the major part of his life in Scioto County. He was a son of Joseph and Sara (Tolley) Bierly, both natives of Pennsylvania and representatives of staunch old families of the historic German element that has been most prominent and influential in the annals of that great commonwealth of the American Union. From Pennsylvania the ,parents of Mr. Bierly finally came to Ohio and they passed the closing years of their lives on their homestead farm in Scioto County, having been residents of this county for many years prior to their death. Samuel Bierly, the subject of this memoir, acquired his early education in the public schools and as a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he became an expert artisan. He followed his trade for several years' and after .his marriage finally. established HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 895 his residence on a farm that had been purchased by him, this property being in Clay Township, Scioto County.. He proved a progressive and successful agriculturist and after devoting a number of years to farming he removed to the city of Portsmouth, where he thereafter lived virtually retired until his death. Mr. Bierly was a man of high. ideals and broad mental ken, was loyal and public-spirited as a citizen and though he never manifested aught of ambition for political office he gave unwavering allegiance to the cause of the republican party. He was a. consistent, and earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is also his widow, who still resides in Portsmouth, .and in the time-honored Masonic fraternity he was affiliated with the following named organizations in Portsmouth Aurora Lodge, No. 48, Free and Accepted, Masons; Mount Vernon Chapter, No. 23, Royal Arch Masons, and Calvary Commandery, No. 13, Knights Templars. On the 19th of September, 1877, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bierly to Miss Lora E. Salladay, who was born and reared in .Clay Township, Scioto County, and who is a daughter of .John M. and Martha (Hayward) Salladay, members of old and influential pioneer families of this county. Concerning the .interesting history of the Salladay family and incidentally that also of the 'Hayward family, adequate data are given on other pages of this publication, in the sketch of Mrs: Bierly's brother, George M, Salladay, of. Portsmouth, SQ that further review is not demanded in the present connection. Mrs. Bierly was a resident of Scioto, County from the time of her birth, here received excellent educational advantages and here was, a most popular representative of a family that was founded in the county in the year 1800, when Ohio was made an independent territory, 'with boundaries nearly the same as that of the .present state. Mrs. Samuel Bierly 'was prominent and popular in the representative, social activities of. her home city, zealous in church, charitable and benevolent work was known as a most gracious chatelaine ,of her hospitable .home. She: died March 13, 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Bierly are survived by two children, Sarah M. and -Stewart S. Sarah M. is now the wife of George Gaines, who is engaged in the grocery business at Portsmouth, and they hare one son, Stewart. Stewart S. Bierly is a resident of Portsmouth, Ohio, where .he is engaged in farming. He quarried Miss Emma Putzek, and they have two children, Lora Augusta and Dorothy May. LEROY F. SMITH. Besides a relationship with several of the pioneer families of Southern Ohio, LeRoy F. Smith has made his own career a source of benefit to his community, and through nearly half a century 896 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION has been pursuing the steady industry of agriculture and owns one of the very attractive farmsteads of Washington Township in Scioto. County. Mr. Smith is also a member of the board of trustees .of his home township, and when his friends and neighbors have asked his co-operation in any movement which meant better living. and more advantages to the community, his assistance has never been with held. LeRoy F. Smith was born. in what is now Rush Township of Scioto County, August 23, 1846, a son of Peter J. Smith, who was born near the Virginia line in the State of Maryland. Grandfather William Smith was one of the early settlers of. Washington Township, Scioto County, and from the sate of his coming some member of the family has been connected with the worthy and progressive activities of this section. William Smith was buried in the cemetery at Dry Run. He married a Miss Hoskinson, whose father was a native of Maryland and one of the pioneers of Adams County, Ohio. Peter J. Smith was only a child when his parents came to Ohio and located in Washington Township. That was about eighty. years ago, and few of the present generation can appreciate all the changes which have come over the country since then. Scioto County was in the midst of the heavy woods, abounding in wild game, and the era of both canals and railroads was still in the future. As a young man he did some work during the construction of the canal through his home locality. His career, which was comparatively brief, since he died in the prime of life in 1853, was mainly identified with farming. He bought land extending along both sides of the Galena Pike, and including a considerable stretch of the fertile acres lying in the bottoms of the Scioto River: When he took possession the improvements consisted. of a substantial two-story hewed log house, with about 100 acres cleared and ready for cultivation. Peter J. Smith married Rebecca Moore, of .a family that was among the first in Ohio when it was a part of Northwest Territory. She was born in Nile. Township of Scioto. County. Her father, Firman was born at the historic .Town of Boonesboro, Kentucky, in 1790. His father was the Rev. Joseph Moore, a native of New Jersey, whence he emigrated to . Kentucky when it was an almost uninhabited wilderness. He was with a party that crossed the ridge of the Alleghanies, and on reaching the Ohio River .embarked on flatboats. In the course of the voyage they were attacked by Indians and some of them killed, but Reverend Moore escaped and made his way to Boonesboro, where for some time he lived in the fort. After the treaty of peace with the Indians, he crossed the. Ohio into. Northwest Territory, and found a home in what is now Adams County, being one of the first white men to rear the structure of civilization in that locality. A local preacher, he or- HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 897 ganized a Methodist society in Adams County, and built a log church, which in the annals of Methodism is supposed to have been the first church of this denomination in Ohio. It was built very substantially, and stood for many years, being known as. Chapel. While he was zealous and active in church work, he made his living like most of the pioneers by wringing a subsistence from the soil. He bought land six miles west of Manchester, and made his home there while he preached in several localities. When this useful life came to a close, his remains were laid to rest on his farm. Firman Moore, who was brought to Ohio in infancy, grew up on the farm just mentioned, and though trained to agricultural pursuits spent many years of his manhood in another line of business. With his brother Joseph he opened a stone quarry at Buena Vista. The stone was loaded on flatboats, constructed from the native timber, was floated down the currents of the various rivers, and finally sold in southern cities, the timbers of the boats being sold at the same time. The transaction completed, and with the proceeds in his pocket, he would return as best he could, sometimes by at upriver boat, but very often walking all the way across a region infested with Indians and outlaws. After conditions had changed to make the' stone business less profitable, he bought a farm on the Buena Vista Pike, and made his home there until the close of the Civil war. Having .sold his land he removed to Mercer County, Illinois, where he died in his ninety-third year. Both he and his brother ..Joseph had seen active service in the War of 1812. Firman Moore married Anna Worley., who died several years prior to her husband. Mrs. Peter J. Smith, who died in 1896, was a member of the Methodist Church, her husband being of like faith. They reared four children, named William Firman, LeRoy F., John D. and Joseph C. LeRoy F. Smith recollects Scioto County during the years before the war, at which time he was living with his widowed mother on the farm, and besides giving his assistance where he was able to keeping up the homestead was also attending the local schools. He was only six years old when his father died, and has known the value and necessity of honest toil 'from an. early age. His own career began as farmer on rented land, but after three years, by thrift and economy, he was able to purchase a farm of his own, and has since lived in Washington Township on the Galena Pike. Part of his farm is in the Scioto River bottoms, while the land about the house and barns extends well up the ridge of hills overlooking the river, affording an attractive and healthful location for a home. He has erected. a set of substantial farm buildings, and has effected many other improvements that add to the value of the farm. In 1869 Mr. Smith married Miss Hattie Bradford. She was born in 898 - HANGING ROCK IRON REGION Washington Township, a daughter of Cornelius Bradford. The latter was a native of Wilmington, Delaware, but in young manhood came to Ohio, locating in Washington Township, where he improved a farm on Hygean Run and lived there many years. Late in life he went to California, and spent his last days in Oakland. Cornelius Bradford married Emily Dollarheid, who died in early life, and her daughter, Mrs. Smith, was reared by "the stepmother. Mrs. Smith died January 19, 1912. Her four children are, Joseph O., Howard, Mary, and Walter. The church in which Mr. and Mrs. Smith have worshipped many years is the Old Town Methodist. in which he has long served as a trustee and as superintendent of the Sunday school. RAY. DEVER. In the farming district of the Hanging Rock Iron Region are many prosperous and progressive men who believe that the happiest life as well as the most independent one is to be lived on the farm. Prominent among these is Ray Dever, of Clay Township, in Scioto County. Mr. Dever is proprietor of the Hillside Fruit Farm, comprising 100 acres of land, all well improved, five miles northeast of Portsmouth. Mr. Dever has spent all his life in this community, is known as an excellent farmer and a man who can be depended upon in matters of local welfare.Ray Dever was born in Madison Township of Scioto County, February 12, 1881, a son of Kendall and Matilda (Moagey) Dever. Both Parents were natives of Madison Township, and 'represent old families in this county. The father was born in 1857 and died in October, 1912, and the mother was born in 1867 and died October 23, -1912. There were only two children, and the daughter, Stella M., is a graduate of the Harrisonville public schools and is now the wife of Dr. W. A. Ray of Portsmouth; Ohio. Ray Dever was reared on a farm in Madison Township, and while gaining his education in the public schools up to the time he was eighteen years of age, also was trained, in the industry which he has since followed as his life vocation. Mr. Dever was married March 1, 1903, to Ida McDaniel, who was born and reared on a farm in Madison Township, and likewise obtained her education from the public schools. They are the parents of three children : Ilo G., born February 7, 1904 ; Garnet, born, August 23, 1906 ; and Edison, born September 23, 1907. In politics Mr. Dever is a republican. CHARLES H. CLEMMONS. Conducting a prosperous general merchandise business at Davis, in Clay Township, Scioto County, where he holds also the position of postmaster of the office designated as George, Mr. HANGING ROCK IRON REGION - 899 Clemmons is a representative of a family whose name has long been identified with the civic and industrial interests of this county, his father being still numbered among the representative citizens of Valley Township, where he is the owner of a well improved farm, his wife being deceased. Charles H. Clemmons, a son of John W. Clemmons, was born in Valley Township, Scioto County, on the 12th of January, 1877, his father being a native of Pike County, this State. Of the seven children, Charles H. is the eldest of the four now living ; Grover C. is engaged in the general merchandise business at Mechanicsburg, Champaign County ; Pearl is the wife of Glenn Mayo, of Mechanicsburg ; and Emma remains at the paternal home. The public schools afforded to Charles H. Clemmons his early educational advantages and he was graduated in the Scioto Township. High School, in Pike County, as a, member of the class of 1897, after which he attended the normal school at Piketon, that county, and prepared himself for effective service as a teacher. After devoting two years to teaching in the schools of Pike County he engaged in the general merchandise business on Miller's Run, where he remained two years, since which time he has conducted a well equipped general store at Davis, or Davis Station, this place having been his place of residence since February, 1901. In politics Mr. Clemmons is a stalwart prohibitionist and he has held the position of postmaster at George since 1901. Both he and his wife are members of the Valley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, and at Lucasville he is affiliated with Lucasville Lodge, No. 465, Free & Accepted Masons, and with the Council No.. 263, Improved Order of, Red Men, of which he is past sachem and which he has represented in the grand council of Ohio. In 1898 Mr. Clemmons wedded Miss Hattie Burns, who was reared and educated in Scioto County, and they have four children—Claude, Ethel, Ruth and Eileen. JOHN HODGE. As a native son and representative agriculturist of Scioto County, Mr. Hodge is entitled to recognition in this publication. He is the owner, of a fine farm in Nile Township, and special interest attaches to this fact by reason of its being the old homestead on which he was born and on which his honored father likewise had stood exponent of industry and successful achievement in connection with the development and progress of agricultural interests of this favored section of the old Buckeye State. On the farm which is now his home John Hodge was born on the 17th of February, 1869, and he is' a. son of Stephen and Sarah (Cooper) Vol. II --17