500 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. acknowledged his satisfaction by giving one dollar to the crippled soldier, without a pension. He lived in Rushville about the year 1818. His daughter, Rosanna, must have been a beautiful young woman to have captured so gallant a lover as Peter Overmeyer, and this opinion is sustained by the pleasing lines of beauty which still linger in the lines of her wrinkled brow and the white teeth which defy time and decay, now in the fifty-ninth year of her married life, the mother of eleven children, five of whom died in childhood, and six of whom are yet living. His sons are George W., who first married a daughter of Bernard Bowman and sister of Joel Bowman, who moved to Allen county in 1850, where he became, first, County Auditor, and afterwards Probate Judge. After the death of his first wife he married a lady by the name of Barnet. The first marriage was productive of six, the last of four children. The other son is John B. Overmeyer, born in 1835 ; a farmer, who was married in 1856 to Miss Amanda Baker, who deceased in 1862, leaving one son, Lewis, residence, Columbus, Ohio, and clerk in a dry goods store. In 1868 he was again married to Miss Sarah R. Snyder. The children by this marriage are Marv, Endora, Clara, John J., Nancy and Robert Overmeyer. John B. Overmeyer was elected, in 1873, to the office of County Treasurer, and held it the two terms provided for by law, confining it to four out of six consecutive years. He invented a time lock during his incumbency of the treasurer's office, which has large and respectable merit, but so surrounded by other claims as to be of no practical benefit to the finances of the inventor at the present time. For some years prior to this he was trustee of his township, and his popularity, based on his quiet honesty and sterling capacity, continues to make him the hope of his party in any close contest (or supremacy in the county. He lives in the family mansion where the Overmeyer name and ancestry has been known and honored for more than three quarters of a century. OVERMEYER, JOEL W., hardware, stoves, agricultural implements and tin shop, Main street, New Lexington, Ohio. Mr. Overmeyer was born September 2, 1829, in Circleyille, Pickaway county, Ohio, son of Jacob and Mary (Weaver) Overmeyer. Young Overmeyer, at sixteen, went to the saddlery and harness trade, and followed it about ten years. While trayeling as a journeyman he yisited fourteen different States and worked in the most of them, principally the Southern States. He was proprietor of a hotel and United States mail contractor at Somerset, this county, for fifteen vears. In 1867, he moved to Lancaster, Ohio, and engaged in the first shovel factory established west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which he remained about eight years ; came to this place in 1875, and established his present business, in which he is succeeding very well. Mr. Overmeyer was married September 6, 1853, to Miss Eliza, daughter of George and Nancy (Ream) Morris, of this countv. They are the parents of seven children, viz. : Clara, George Morris, Marv, Alice Lee, Charles John, Eliza and Nellie. PACE. JACOB, farmer and stock raiser, post office, Rehoboth, Clayton township. Perry county, Ohio. Born in this county in 1823 ; son of Jacob and Margaret (Linabary ) Pace. The former emigrated here from Pennsylvania about the year 1814 ; he died August 13, 1836. His HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 501 wife, Margaret, died August 7, 1864. The subject of this notice was married in 1859 to Miss Cinda Moore. They have three children, viz. : Charles E., Elmeda A. and Emma C. PACE, ELIAS ; post office, Rehoboth, Clayton township. Born in Perry county in 1835 ; son of Jacob and Mary (Miller) Pace. The former died in 1861. Married in 1865 to Mrs. Martha A. Hiles. They have one child, viz. : Finley. Mr. Pace enlisted in the late war in 1861, Company D, Thirtieth O. V. I., Captain J. W. Fowler. Mr. Pace was in the following engagements, viz. : Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, and Siege of Vicksburg. PALMER, JOSIAH, furnace builder and painter, post office, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born May 22, 1832, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania ; son of John and Esther Ann (Miller) Palmer. Mr. Palmer was raised a farmer until he was eleven years of age, when he went as knife scourer and potato peeler on board a steamboat (New England No. 1), where he remained six months, when he became pantry boy on the same steamer, serving seven months, when he became second cook on the steamer DeWitt Clinton, remaining about one year, and then went to the painter's trade, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under William McCure, serving two years and six months. At this time he went as second mate on the steamer Cheviot, plying on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, as far as to St. Joseph, Missouri, which position he held two seasons. He next went to Harry of the West furnace, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, at first driving horse and cart for a short time, and then broke stock for six months. He then went to Sharon furnace, and was top filler for six months ; then to Middlesex, where he assisted the keeper of the furnace four months. Again he returned to the river as first mate on the Grand Turk, running from St. Louis to New Orleans, remaining about nine months : then was employed at Brier Hill furnace, Youngstown, Ohio, as keeper, remaining about eighteen months, and went to Massillon, Ohio, where he was keeper of Volcano and Old Massillon furnace for three years ; again returned to Youngstown, Ohio, and was manager of the Falcon furnace one year ; thence to Pittsburgh, as molder and keeper of the Eliza furnace eighteen months ; thence to Steubenville, Ohio, Jefferson county, and superintended the building of the two Jefferson furnaces, which required about two years. He again returned to Eliza furnace, superintending the two furnaces about one year, when he went to the Stewardson furnace, in Armstrong c0unty, Pennsylvania. superintending that furnace about six months, then engaged with Dunbar Iron Company as superintendent for that company about four years. At this time he became a contractor on section 75 of the Pittsburgh and Cumberland Railroad, and lost over nine thousand dollars in eight months on his contract. Next he went to Zanesville, Ohio, where he superintended the building of the Ohio Iron Company's furnace, requiring two years ; then to Columbus, Ohio, blowing the North End furnace for four months, and next to Akron, Ohio, building the Eva Lily furnace, for Akron Iron Company, taking him two years. He removed to Shawnee, Ohio, and rebuilt Fannie furnace, No I., and superintended the building of XX furnace, and also superintended the building of New York furnace ; returned to Akron and rebuilt the Akron Iron Works ; then built Bessimer furnace, and located the Og- 502 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. den furnace at Orbiston, the above two in Athens county, Ohio ; drew the plan for Fannie furnace No. 2, at Shawnee, all since the iron works in about two years ; went to Winona furnace, near Logan, Ohio, and managed furnace for three months. In Happy Hollow. Athens county, he superintended the building of three coke ovens, for testing the Baily Run coal for coke ; returned to Winona, and superintended the remodeling of the furnace ; again returned to Shawnee, and blowed Fannie furnace No. 1, and superintended remodeling No. 2, requiring six months ; next, he tried coal mining three months at Upson mines, and then returned to the painting trade, and has continued it up to this time. Mr. Palmer was married February 18, 1857, to Catharine, daughter of Andrew and Celia (Dominices) Grannan. They are the parents of two children, Isabel and Celia, who are married. PARKISON, JOSEPH, farmer and carpenter, post office, McCuneville, Saltlick township, Ohio ; was born March 24, 1840, in this township ; son of John and Catharine (Widderwalt) Parkison. Mr. Parkison was raised upon a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits all his life. At the time he was two years of age his father moved into Fairfield county, Ohio, where he lived fourteen years, engaged in farming, and then lived in Franklin and Pickaway counties twelve years, where he also farmed. From there Joseph, the 'subject of this sketch, returned to within one mile of his birthplace, where he has remained up to this date, engaged in farming and working at his trade. Mr. Parkison enlisted in the army April 19, 1861, in Company A, 3d Regiment O. V. I., under Captain Isaac H. Marrow (who had been a Lieutenant under General Bragg in the Mexican War), for three months, but the company was reorganized and re-enlisted, at the end of two months, for three years or during the war, and he served, in all, three years, two months, and nine days. Was in the following engagements : Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862 ; Chickamauga, Tennessee ; Tullahoma, Tennessee ; Snow Hill, Tennessee, and Pulaski, Tennessee. Was not off of duty during the entire time of his enlistment. Was married March 3, 1866, to Hannah, daughter of John and Jane (Trayers) Hazelton. They are the parents of five living children, viz. : Clara Jane, Mary Catharine, John Henry, James Perry, Sarah Elizabeth, and one deceased, William Thomas. PAYNE, ELDER J. H. P., was born a slave of the John Brand estate, at Lexington, Kentucky, on the 22d of October, 1847. At the age of sixteen years he ran off from his owners and went to Camp Nelson, Kentucky, where he enlisted as a soldier in Company D, of the 14th Regiment U. S. C. troops, in June, 1864. Having served as a private for three years, he was honorably discharged from the service, at Louisville, Kentucky, in April, 1867 ; he came thence to Greene county, Ohio, where he lived and labored, and, in 1868, took up the study of law, which he did during late hours at night and spare hours during the day. Having practiced law a while, he then joined the Christian Church, at Xenia, Ohio, under the administration of Elder Rufus Conrad. About four months after his admission to the church, having taken such great interest in the church and evinced such great knowledge of Christianity, he .was urged to go to school, at the expense of the church, and prepare for the ministry. His father, Jacob Payne, HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 503 was in debt.for a home he had purchased, and he (Elder Payne) preferred remaining to help his father out of debt and studying at home, which he did. For his faithfulness to his church, First-day school and parents, his school and church learned to love him, and ordered Elder Kinchem Sledge to ordain him, which he did. Elder Payne lived ten years in Greene county, and during all that time taught First-day school. He left for Columbus in December, 1876. He stayed in Columbus to preach for a small congregation of white and colored brethren, and read medicine. His eyes becoming too weak, after reading law, theology, and medicine, by lights at night in his father's little log cabin, he was compelled to temporarily give up the study of medicine. Elder Payne was then called to the Christian Church, on the corner of Fifth and Illinois streets, Indianapolis, Indiana, where he preached f0r the love of the Divine Master, and labored for a livelihood. It was there he met with the honor of being the best and most simple Sunday school teacher known to the State Sunday-school Secretary in the State. On arriving at Columbus he took up the tonsorial profession, which enabled him to continue his medical studies, which he had pursued for nearly four years, with S. H. Adams, of Cedarville, Ohio, and Drs. McLaughlin and Russell, of Springfield, Ohio. He had not been in Columbus long before the colored young men started a military organization, of which they elected Elder Payne Second Lieutenant. He remained with them a year, and having a call from Springfield, Ohio, he resigned his commission to go to his medical studies and preach, after staying five years in Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. S. E. Alston, whom he married on the 12th of May, 1880, joined his church, and was baptized by Elder Brewer, of the Central. Christian Church, of Indianapolis, who has assisted since in his Christian, as well as domestic, affairs. When he had been there nearly a year he found his health declining from hard work, preaching, too much study, and change of climate, and was advised by Dr. R. N. Todd to leave off so much work, and retire to some quieter place. Accordingly he gave up his pulpit, sold out his business, and came to New Lexington, where his health is improving, and he is preaching occasionally for the churches around him, and is well thought of. PEART, JEREMIAH, collier, post office, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born December 28, 1850, near Crook, Durham county, England, son of Isaac and Hannah (Oats) Peart. Mr. Peart lived in the place of his nativity until he was ten years of age, when his father's family moved to Crook, where he remained until he emigrated to America, taking ship at Liverpool September 23d, and landing in New York October 5, 1879, from where he went to Coshocton, Ohio, and thence to Shawnee, Ohio, of which place he has been a citizen up to this time. While in England he was employed as track layer in the mines, and since he came to this place he has been employed as track layer by Manley Coal Company. Mr. Peart was married April 25, 1871, to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wanless) Wilson, of county Durham, England, near Crook. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Margaret Ann, Mary Hannah, Lily, and Elizabeth, living ; and two deceased, viz. : Isaac and Hannah. Mr. Peart is station steward and trustee of the 504 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Primitive Methodist Church of this place, and owns his place of residence on Third street. PENMAN, MALCOM, mine boss at No. 13, Corning. Ohio ; was born August 15, 1837, in Scotland ; son of ames and Jane (Walker) Penman ; Malcom went into the mines of Scotland when ten years of age, and worked there until 1867, when he came to America, and located in Columbiana county, Ohio, where he remained about eight years, then came to Moxahala, and worked there three years, and to his present residence in the fall of 1880. Mr. Penman was married in August,, 1857, to Miss Christena, daughter of John and Jennette M. (Cook) Boyd. They are the parents of eleven children, viz. : James, Jennette, John, Malcom, Robert, Jane, deceased ; Christena, George, Adam, William, and Joseph. Mr. Penman has a very general, practical experience as a miner. PENROD, HARVEY, farmer, Bearfield township, New Lexington post office ; born in 1833, in this township ; son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Stalts) Penrod, both of German descent. His father emigrated to this State in 1818, and settled in Licking county, remaining there about one year, and then moved to this township. In 1850 he married Hannah Alexander, daughter of Henry and Sabra Allord, both of Irish descent. They are the parents of thirteen children, viz. : Martha J., married ; Samuel H., married ; John M., married ; James W., married ; Elizabeth E., married ; Thomas J., Abraham L., Sarah F., Charles, deceased ; Alice M., Ida M., Elmore H., and Etta F. PENROD, SAMUEL H., farmer, Bearfield township, New Lexington post office ; son of Harvey Penrod. He married Miss E. Holcomb, daughter of John M. and Elizabeth (McGinnis) Holcomb. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Hattie M., born April 1, 1874 ; Florence M., born January 3, 1877, and Ethel B., born May 7, 1880. PERKINS, JOHN M., barber, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born April 10, 1847, in Fluvanna county, Virginia ; son of John M. and Esther Perkins ; was raised upon a plantation, and was driven as a slave by Nathan H. Payne, Virginia, until he. was eight or nine years of age, when he was taken to Kentucky by a negro-driver, and sold to one Dick Mahundre, who again sold him to Jesse McCombs, with whom he remained five or six years, when he ran away to Fort Donaldson, May 10, 1863, and enlisted in the contraband service, in which service he remained about two months ; at this time he went with the Provost Marshal to Cairo, Illinois, remaining with him at that place and at Olney until the spring of 1865 directly after which hoe went to Shelbyville, Indiana attending school three months, and from there he went to Columbus, Ohio, where he was married, in 1866, to Frances Moore, daughter of William and Jane Moore, formerly of Virginia. His wife departed this life April 19, 1868. They became the parents of five children, viz. : William D., Sarah M., Joseph, Williett C., and Daisy, all living. Mr. Perkins was engaged at barbering in Columbus about six months, and in Groveport about three years. His family lived in Columbus until the last two years he was in Groveport, when they lived in that place, and from whence they came to Shawnee in 1873, and where he is, at this time, engaged at his business, and where he owns his present place of business and a half in- HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 505 terest in a barber shop now in the Peart building on Main street. Mr. Perkins has certainly proved himself a man of industry and economy, and an example to many. PETTY, JACOB, was born in New Jersey, in 1801. When only eight years of age he came to Ohio with his father, Joseph Petty, and his mother, Elizabeth Middagh, sister of Major John Middagh. In 1822, he married Millie Barns, sister of Weaver Barns. 'They lived on the farm from May, 1833, till the death of his wife in 1863, and afterwards, till his second marriage to the widow of Bernard Bowman, at whose home he lived to the time of his demise, a few years since. He was a man of stalwart frame ; for many years a trustee of the township ; temperate in his habits, and noted for the placidity of his temper. His children were Jemima Stine, Harrison, Joel, Josiah, Aaron and John ; also, Susannah, deceased, wife of John W. Westall, of Somerset, Ohio, who was the mother of Samuel, Frank, and Mary Ann, now wife of Christian Lechrone. Also, Margaret, wife of Lewis Stoltz. Joseph, the father of Jacob Petty, was eight-five, and his wife eighty-three years of age at their respective deaths. The brothers of Jacob Petty were Moses, John, Joseph and Aaron. His sisters were, Peggy Stoltz, Polly Vanatta, afterward Angle, and last, Rev. John Lehmon ; Jemima Vanatta, mother of Dr. E. Vanatta Sally Pargen, and Betsy Pepple. PETTY, JOSIAH, was a farmer, born July 31, 1833 ; a son of Jacob and grandson of Joseph Petty, a very early settler of Perry county. This great ancestor, the father of Jacob, Moses, John, Joseph and Aaron Petty, and of their sisters, Peggy Stoltz, Polly Vanatta, wife also of Paul Angle and last of Rev. John Lehmon ; Jemima, mother of Dr. E. Vanetta, and Sally Pargen, and Betsy Pepple, died on the homestead where his grandson, Josiah, also died, the latter, July 5, 1879. His widow, whose maiden name was Harriet, daughter of Philip Coleman, and niece of Jacob, George and David Coleman, remains upon the ancestral acres which have descended to her and to her children. These, at present, are all unmarried, and are William H., David 0., Arminda L., Emma L., Jacob C., and Cora J. Petty. Their father, Josiah, was a soldier in the one hundred day service, and was wounded on Maryland Heights. He was a citizen farmer of irreproachable name, and the home he left his widow and children, is not only that around which the earliest recollections of the whole township cling with pleasure and respect, but remains the center of those recollections which assign to the name of Petty its destinctive recognition among the earliest in Perry county history. The post office is Somerset, Ohio. PHILLIPS, THOMAS, bank boss, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born in 1821, in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England ; son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Bethel) Phillips. He has been a miner since he was about ten years of age, at first in England at Forest of Dean, and South Staffordshire, until 1847, when he came to America, landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by a sail ship, making the voyage in seven weeks and three days, in company with his brother James, whom he lost in Minnesota, on the frontier, where he owned some land, upon last account of him. Upon arriving in Philadelphia, he started for Northumberland, and, upon reaching the bridge at this place, it fell, precipitating eighteen persons and four horses twenty-one feet into the river, breaking - 49 - 506 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. all the ribs of his right side, and killing the man who sat in the seat with him, and two of the horses. After staving two days at this place, he took the stage for Cuyahoga county, thirty-five miles distant, to an uncle's house, where he remained until he recovered, and since then has been engaged at the following places : Alleghany county, Maryland, mining coal and iron ore ; Brownsville. Pennsylvania, a few months, sinking a coal shaft ; Chattanooga, Tennessee, at an iron furnace, six or seven months ; Shelby county, Alabama, mining coal. Leaving there in 1861, he was obliged to use strategy to get out of the Southern Confederacy. Again in Maryland, Huntington county, Pennsylvania, five or six years mining ; Clearfield county, opening a coal mine for R. B. Wickton & Co., and superintending for them until he came to Shawnee, in April, 1872, where he has been bank boss for the Shawnee Valley Coal land Iron Company, since he arrived. He was married the first time in 1850, to Miss Elizabeth Sanson, of Alleghany county, Maryland, who died in September, 1875. He was again married January, 1877, to Elizabeth, daughter of James and Caroline (Watkins) Williams. They have three children, viz. : Caroline, William Thomas, and an infant. PHILLIPS, FREDERICK, collier, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born January 1, 1846, in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales ; son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Thomas) Phillips. Was raised in his native town until he was eleven years of age, when he changed his place of employment to another mine, where he remained about fourteen years. At this time he emigrated to America, in 1871, setting sail from Liverpool, September 21, landing in New York twenty-three days afterward ; from there he went direct to Coalton, Boyd county, Kentucky, remaining one year and nine months ; he returned to England, remaining one year, mining ; and again returned to Coalton, and mined about three months ; from thence to St. Charles, Kentucky, and engaged in mining about three years, and then went to Des Moines, Iowa, mining seven months ; again at St. Charles, remaining about one year, mining ; and lastly, came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he has remained to this time, and owns a neat frame dwelling house. Was married February 24, 1866, to Margaret, daughter of Samuel and Martha (Williams,) Tovey, of Monmouthshire, Wales. They are the parents of three living children, viz. : William Henry, Isaac and Freddie James ; and one, deceased, Freddie James, Sr. PIERCE, SILAS C., Superintendent Union Schools, New Straitsville, Ohio ; was born January 1, 1851, in Union township, Morgan county, Ohio ; son of Zachariah and Sarah A. (Saylor) Pierce. Mr. Pierce was brought up on a farm, and followed agricultural pursuits until he was eighteen years of age, attending district school in the winter season during that time. At the age mentioned he began to teach school, which business he has followed up to this time, teaching in Morgan county, Ohio, until within the last three years, when he has been employed in his present position. Mr. Pierce was married September I 1, 1874, to Mary Jane, daughter of Johnson and Elizabeth (Dawson) Chappelear. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Florence Viola and Willard Simpson. PIERCE, WESLEY SIMPSON, school teacher, Saltlick township ; post HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 507 office, Hemlock, Ohio was born October 21, 1851, in Morgan county, Ohio ; son of Lewis Perry and America (Czarina) Pierce. Was brought up on a farm until he was seventeen years of age, when he began teaching school, and taught in Morgan county until 1878 ; since, to the present time, he has taught in Perry county, farming in the summer, except four seasons, which he taught. Mr. Pierce was married November 14, 1872, to Miss Eliza Ann, daughter of William and Mary (Kirkbride) Dawson of Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of three living children, viz : Benjamin Manley, Riley Matson, Mary, and one deceased, Bertha Alice. PIRT, THOMAS, superintendent of teams, feed and teamsters of the Ohio Central Coal Company, Corning, Ohio ; was born June 5, 1841, in the county of Northumberland, Craulington, England ; son of Joseph and Anne (Mark) Pirt. At the age of seven and one-half years, Thomas went into the mines of England, worked until about twenty and one-half years of age, when he started for America ; but being bound to the coal company for one year, he was captured on the ship Louisa Ann, and tried for deserting his contract, but was acquitted. He then engaged in the mines where he received a severe injury, which disabled him about six months. By a little Stratagem he succeeded in embarking for America on the same ship from which he had previously been captured. When about four days out, the ship was caught in a gale and lost her main mast, cabins, bulwarks and eighteen of her crew. The passengers were kept in the hold five days. The disabled vessel was towed back to Qpeenstown, where Pirt remained sick one week. After his recoyery he visited several towns in the county of Cork and the city of Cork, from which place he returned to his native home, and remained a few months ; but the fever of emigration was still burning in his mind. He again embarked on the City of London, and landed in New York City in July, 1862. He located at Wilksbarre, Pennsylvania, where he sank a shaft by which he sayed $4,800 in less than two years. After declaring his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, he returned to England. After visiting at home a few months, he took a crew of men to Germany, and sank shafts in Prussia, after which he remained in England about two years, then re-embarked for America. On his second arrival he resumed work for his old company at Wilksbarre, Pennsylvania, and remained about one year. He subsequently operated at Steubenville, Ohio, and in Illinois, Indiana, and Nelsonville, Ohio, where he remained about three years ; at which place he was President of the Miners' Union. He was guard in Ohio Penitentiary fifteen months. He resided in Columbus about six years. Took his present position October 24, 1881. Mr. Pirt was married December 15, 1860, in Hetton, county Durham, England, to Miss Dorotha, daughter of Mathew and Margaret (Harker) Cox. They are the parents of eight children, viz. : Margaret Anne, Sarah Hannah, Elizabeth, Dorothy, born in England, and Joseph Mark, Anne, Mary and Thomas, born in America. PLANK, NATHAN, farmer ; post office, Chalfants, Perry county, Ohio ; born 1840 ; County Commissioner, serving a second term. He is the only surviving son of Joseph Plank, born in Hopewell township, 1807, and grandson of Adam Plank, who settled on the farm now occu- 508 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. pied and owned by Mr. John M. Clark, as early as 1803 or 1804, and is therefore among the few brave and hardy pioneers who first disputed the right of wild beasts and savages to full possession of the goodly forests and the fertile soil of Perry county. This grandfather Plank was a native of France, unused to forest life, or to the privations of frontier settlement, and the firmness and daring of the man, are, therefore, more conspicuous. He was twice married, and outlived both wives. He was of the German Baptist belief in religion, and aid not depart this life until the year 1847, when his township, his county, his State, and his church had respectively grown to the front ranks of prosperity and influence. His on Joseph, the father of Nathan, was born a few years after the settlement of his parents, in 1807. His death took place in 1846, but his widow still survives and retains dower in the old homestead, hallowed by so many of the recollections of the Plank family, now over three-quarters of a century in time. The sisters of Nathan Plank are Hannah, wife of William Schofield, Hilliard, Franklin county, Ohio, who deceased in 1866, leaving four children ; Mary, wife of John M. Clark, Glenford, Ohio, who deceased in 1862, leaving two children ; and Elvira, wife of Jacob Mack, Brownsville, Ohio. Nathan Plank, the only surviving brother of those sisters, became the husband of Miss Martha M. Cowen, in 1861. She was born in Licking county, subsequent to the death of her father, Charles Cowen, in the year 18391, Excepting a half brother, John Ferguson, post office, Marion, Dewitt county, Illinois, her brothers are all called to rest. The children of Nathan and his wife, Martha Plank, are : George, Ida, Joseph William, Nancy C., and John D., Carl having died in infancy. Nathan began the ownership of land with nearly one hundred acres, spanning the valley of Jonathan's Creek, and forty acres in the northwest quarter of section sixteen. These tracts were recently sold, and two other farms, comprising more land purchased in section twenty-one, near Chalfant's Station, on the N. S. & S. R. R. Nathan Plank is an advanced thinker, moderate in his opinions, but firm in his convictions, daring to reject error though baptized by the sanction of centuries, and bowing to truth, though despised and rejected by the mass of mankind. PLANT, GEORGE. engineer ; post office, Rendville, Ohio ; was born in Keele, England, May 6, 1849 ; son of George and Dinah (Grocott) Plant. At the age of nine years, George commenced working in the coal mines in England ; and at the age of eighteen years, took charge of a high pressure engine, which he ran until twenty-six years of age ; when he sold coal in Michelsfield, England, until 1879, when he came to :America, and located at West Jefferson, Madison county, Ohio, where he remained one year ; and in 1880, came to Rendville, Ohio, and engaged as engineer for the Ohio Central Coal Company at No. 3 mine ; after which he held the position of mining boss for the Elmwood Coal Company in Tennessee, which he resigned in January, 1882, and returned to Rendville, where he is now engaged as engineer for W. P. Rend & Co. Mr. Plant was married in 1870, to Miss Maria Parks, of Northwood, England. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Dinah A., Charlotte E.. Stephen G. and John D. PLETCHER, H. A., undertaking and furniture dealer, and sewing machine agent, Junction City, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Andrew and HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 509 Rachel (Thomas) Pletcher ; born in October, 1847, in Muskingum county, Ohio ; lived there till the age of twenty-one, then went to Iowa one year and three months ; then came back to his birth place, and stayed one year. Was married in April, 1869, to Miss Mary, daughter of Lewis and Aima (Longstreth) Sowers ; then went to Morgan county, stayed over two years ; followed farming and carpentering ; then came here, followed carpentering two years ; then followed the sewing machine business till April of 1880, and then commenced keeping an undertaking and furniture establishment ; has a good trade, also a good sewing machine trade. Mr. and Mrs. Pletcher have three children : Hattie M., Cornie B., and Ora W. Mr. Pletcher is of German descent ; has three brothers and two sisters, viz. : William W., Levi L., John A., Susanna, Phoebe A. PLETCHER, ISAAC J., mechanic ; was Dorn in Morgan county, Ohio, September 2, 1852 ; son of Wesley A. and Mary C. (Winegarder) Pletcher ; left there in 1872, and moved to this county, and has liyed here since, except six months in Pickaway county, and from April to September in Lancaster, came to this county in April of 1878, and has since lived here ; was married twice, first in 1870, to Miss Mary S. daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Riley) Dusenberry ; they were the parents of two children,viz. : William C. and Philip H. Was married the second time in 1879, to. Mrs. Maggie Rorick. By this marriage there were two children, Blanche and Charles. POLING, SIMON, deceased ; was born March 4, 1817, in Fairfield county, Ohio ; son of Richard and Elizabeth (Fast) Poling ; died April 12, 1881. Mr. Poling was raised a farmer, which business he followed during his life time. In 1837, he went to Hocking county, Ohio, with his father, where he remained until 1854, when he came to Monday Creek township, and located upon the farm now occupied by his widow. He was married December 20, 1838, to Anna, daughter of Jacob and Sophia (Poling) Aurand. She was born December 21, 1820, in Jackson township, this county. They become the parents of nine children, viz. : Nathan, Jacob, Elijah, Elizabeth, Sophia J., George A., Christina, died at ten years of age ; William T., died in infancy, and Sarah E. The living children are in different parts of the State, holding positions in different occupations. Jacob and Elijah enlisted in the Fifty-eighth Regiment, in December, 1861, and were discharged by reason of disability,in December, 1862. They re-enlisted in the Heavy Artillery in August, 1863, and served until the close of the war, when they were honorably discharged. Nathan enlisted in September, 1861, in the Seventeenth Regiment, and served until the close of the war, and received an honorable discharge. POORMAN, JACOB, was born in 1809, in Hopewell township ; his father was Bernard Poorman, and his mother was Elizabeth Snyder, who came with her husband from Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1808. His grandfather Poorman died at the age of eighty-four, and his grandfather Snyder was no known kin to the Snyders of Perry county. His mother had one sister, a Mrs. Zeigler, who died in Champaign county, Ohio, at the age of ninety-four years. His mother's prayer that she should not suffer long on a bed of affliction was answered in her ninetieth year, and about seventeen years since ; her husband had preceded her 510 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. to the land of rest in his eightieth year. The brothers of Jacob were Daniel, who died in California, and Peter, who died on the old homestead, in Hopewell township. His sisters were, Barbara, wife of Rev. John Wagenhals ; Elizabeth. wife of Bernard Bowman ; Polly, wife of Peter Bowman ; Katharine, second wife of Bernard Bowman ; Magdalena, wife of Samuel Mechling ; Peggy, wife of Samuel Swineheart, and Nancy, wife of Frederick Fromm. In his twenty-fifth year, Jacob was married to Miss Hannah, daughter of Ludwig Ridenour, and sister of Noah Ridenour, of Reading township. In 1834, he purchased and began life on the farm where he now resides. Here all his children were born, and here his wife died, March, 1879, in her sixty-seventh year. Their children were ten in number, three of whom died in infancy. Those surviving, are, Noah, post office Lamed, Kansas ;Charles, of whom a more extended notice is given below, Somerset, Ohio ; Rev. Amos, a Lutheran clergyman of Farmersville, Ohio ; Simon, Somerset, Ohio ; Jacob, the namesake of his father, and who with his sister, Rachel Poorman, resides on the homestead, comprising one hundred and seventy-six acres of excellent land, well improved. The only other daughter is Charlotte, wife of Emanuel Lechrone, Silver Lake, Indiana. POORMAN, CHARLES, farmer and carpenter ; born 1841 ; was married in 1862, to Miss Susannah, daughter of the venerable George Smith, of Hopewell ; bought twenty acres of land from his father's homestead, which he cultivates. He served as trustee of Reading township, and is an excellent citizen. He was reared a Whig, but his first vote was cast in 1862 for the Democratic ticket, and he has firmly adhered to this ticket ever since. The religion of the Poormans is Lutheran, and so is that of Charles also, but his wife is Reform in belief, each according to the other perfect freedom of choice and action without a shadow of reserve. They have five children, three sons and two daughers. There is an error in the life of Jacob Poorman, which he wishes to record as a warning to the coming generations. He, with Peter Overmeyer and Bernard Bowman, signed a note in blank for Daniel Poorman, purporting to be for $1,500, which the latter desired to borrow of Tom Hood, a banker of Somerset, Ohio. Two or three renewals, or alleged renewals, were signed in the same way. These honest indorsers found themselves liable for thousands of dollars, each, and jointly. Each signing created a new note, in place of a renewal note, and these going into the hands of "innocent purchasers," made them liable and converted them from freemen to slaves in seryice to others with no reward for labor. They,however,paid them and held their farms, but not without half a lifetime of labor for nothing. PORTER, GIB. C., paymaster for the Ohio Central Coal Company, Corning, Ohio ; was born June 1, 1849, in New Lexington, Ohio ; son of James and Elizabeth (Vanatta) Porter. At the age of seventeen years, Gib. C., went to the carpenter's trade and followed it four or five years, then served as Deputy Sheriff for his father for four years. In January, 1879, he became Deputy Warden of the Ohio State Penitentiary, and served until May 5, 1880, when he resigned that position to take his present one. Mr. Porter was married October 25, 1875, to Miss Richmond, daughter of Henry and Mary J. (Gheen) Koons, of HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 511 McConnelsville, Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of one child, Fred, born June 29. 1877, in New Lexington, Ohio. POTTER, GEORGE H., farmer, Monroe township, post office Corning, Ohio ; was born May 25, 1839, in Monroe township, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Kalida and Ann Maria (Rogers) Potter. Mr. Potter was born and raised on a farm. In _863, he enlisted in Company K, Sixty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., and served six months, and re-enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, O. V. I., and served until the close of the war. He was engaged in the battles of Manasas Gap, Strausburgh, Fisher's Hill, and others, thirteen in all. Mr . Potter was married September 4. 1866, to Miss Elcedaney Preist. They are the parents of three children, namely, William M., Huldah Estella and Lolie E. Mr. Potter has followed agriculture for a business. When he began business for himself, he had but little means, but by honesty and strict economy he has become one of the most successful farmers in the township. POTTER, WILLIAM S., Justice of the Peace and notary public. Corning, Ohio ; was born March 9, 1846, in Monroe township, Perry county, Ohio ; son of William S. and Abigail (Dye) Potter. William S. was brought up on a farm. At twenty-two years of age he was appointed Postmaster at Buchannan, where he established a store, which he conducted about six years, after which he engaged in the harness business at Millertown, where he remained until May 2 , 88 , when he came to Corning, Ohio. Mr. Potter was elected Justice of the Peace in 1874, and served three years ; was re-elected in 1881, also appointed notary public, which offices he now holds. Esq. Potter was married January 31, 1872, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Patrick and Mary (Mitchell) Fagan. They are the parents of two children, viz. : George L., deceased, and Mary C. POWELL, DANIEL J , M. D., Corning, Ohio ; was born December 3, 1853, in Bishopville, Ohio.; son of Jabez and Abigail (Fuller) Powell. Dr. Powell began the study of medicine with Dr. Damford in 1873, and was graduated at the Columbus Medical College in the spring of 1876. Began practice at Mountville, Morgan county, Ohio, where he remained one year, then located in this place in 1878. Dr. Powell was married January 9, 1879, to Miss Annie, daughter of William and Hannah Murphy, of Mountville, Morgan county, Ohio. They are the parents of two children, Claude and Maud. PRICE, C. W., merchant, post office McLuney ; born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in June, 1845 ; settled in this county in 1870 ; engaged in the dry goods and grocery business in 1872, and has continued in that business since that time. He was married in December, 1865, to Miss Caroline Exline, daughter of Jacob and Cynthia A. Exline ; they have one child, Harry L. He volunteered in the war in 1863, in Company I, First Ohio Heavy Artillery, under Captain A. Lewis. Mr. Price participated in several prominent engagements. He was mustered out in 1865. PRICE, T. M., clerk, post office McLuney ; born in Muskingum county, Ohio in 1854 ; came to Perry county in 1879 ; son of Hiram and Nancy (Hopper) Price. He was married in 1875, to Miss Susan 512 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Swingle, daughter of Samuel and Susan Swingle. They are the parents of two children, Millie and May. PUTERBAUGH, SAMUEL, farmer, Pike township, New Lexington, Ohio ; was born July 18, 1834, in Perry county, Ohio ; son of James and Elizabeth (Foote) Puterbaugh. He was raised a farmer and has been engaged in agricultural pursuits up to the present time, and in connecti0n with his farming he has been mining for some twenty-six years. His father was a Revolutionary soldier, enlisting at the age of eighteen years,and helped to fight the battle of Bunker Hill. He was a great Jacksonian in after years, and lived to the ripe age of ninety-six years. Mr. Puterbaugh, the subject of this sketch, was married January 1, 1861, to Mary A., daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Hazelton) Calborn, of this county. They are the parents of seven children, viz. : Martha Odell, Hrrriet E., Sal Kate, Thos. G., Jas. Hayes, Robert W. and William Franklin. PYLE, JOHN, Pleasant township, Rendville post office, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, October 30th, 1815 ; son of John and Elizabeth (Davis) Pyle. His paternal ancestors were English and his maternal ancestors were Welsh, and his parents were both natives of this c0untry. His family came to Muskingum county in 1817. The subject of this sketch came to this county in the year 1849 and settled in Pike township, then moved on a farm south of Oakfield, and then, lastly, moved on the farm where he now resides. August 9th; 1849, he was married to Miss Nancy A. Tipton, who is of English and Welsh descent. They are the parents of the following named children : Susan, married to Calvin Latta February 22, 1866, and resides in Morgan county ; Nancy, died when three years old ; Tipton, died in infancy ; James W., married to Nancy J. Shrigly, who is deceased, and he afterward married Callie Zinsmaster and resides in Zanesville ; Mary E. ; Sarah A., died when eleven years old ; William A., died when fifteen ; Emma E. PYLE, GEORGE W., Pleasant township, Moxahala post office ; merchant, of the firm of Shepperd & Pyle, who do a general dry goods and grocery business at Moxahala. He also owns a farm of one hundred and twenty-three acres in the same township. He and Mr. Shepperd are also proprietors of a store in Rendville. The subject of this sketch was born in Muskingum county in 1828, and his parents are both natives of Pennsylvania. He came to this county in 1854, and located on a farm in Pike township, near Whippstown, and followed plastering until within a few years. In 1852 he married Eliza A. Lehen, and they are the parents of the following named children : Edwin W., born December, 1857, and married Adaline McCarty, of this township, who reside on his father's farm ; Samuel, married Etty Tolbert, of this township ; and Carrie. Mr. Pyle enlisted in the 160th O. V. I., and was in the service one hundred and twenty days. RAMBO, WILLIAM, blacksmith ; Pike township, post office, New Lexington, Ohio, was born January 8, 1812, in Muskingum county, Ohio. Is a son of George and Mary (Fist) Rambo, formerly of Pennsylvania. Mr. Rambo went to the trade of blacksmithing with William Calvin, of his native county, in 1825, serving an apprenticeship of five years, and HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 513 has made this the business of his life up to the present time. He went as a soldier in the late war and was engaged in the battles of Bull Run, South Mountain Gap, and Antietem, participating also in several hard marches, which so disabled him that he was discharged and returned home, January 29, 1863, having served from January 2, 1861. The Crooks of Zanesville, some of the first settlers, were near relatives of Mrs. Rambo. Mr. Rambo was united in matrimony to Lovenia, daughter of Samuel and Isabelle (Neal) Patterson, of Virginia, March 8, 1832. They are the parents of six living children, viz. : Austin, Josiah, Elizabeth, Martha, Emma and Amanda, and three deceased, George Nelson, Mary Edmonday and Belinda. Mr. Rambo's grandchild, William Rambo, was raised by them, and is now about eighteen years old. RANDOLPH, ISAIAH, deceased ; born in Pennsylvania in 1812. Married in 1850 to Miss Maria Ankrom, daughter of John and Nancy (Rinehart) Ankrom. They were the parents of five children, viz. : Angeline, Creighton, Everett, Lizzie N. and Albert, three of whom are married. The subject of this sketch died in 1878. His widow still lives on the home farm, enjoying the fruits of his early industry. Her son Everett was married in 1878 to Miss Susie Clayton. They have two children. RANDOLPH, PAUL, was born 1827, in Clayton township. His father, John Randolph, came from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. He was a carpenter by trade. Paul is a farmer, stock raiser and carries on coal mining. He was married in 1850 to Mary Barker, daughter of Samuel Barker. His sons, Thomas T. and Perry D., Lyman Jackson, Edwin M., Frank M. and Samuel C., are all single and living at home. His daughters, Eliza J. and Rosa B., also are single and reside at home. Paul began life poor ; bought twenty-five acres of land, paid for it, and by farming, teaming, threshing, stock raising and coal mining, has now four hundred and ten acres of land, city and other property. His example is that which may be held up for the emulation of the rising generation, His property is clear of mortgages ; he never sued but once, for a horse that did not fill the bill, but no trial was had, Paul considering it better to pay than to litigate. He is a Methodist in religion and a Republican in politics. He thinks the credit business, except on land purchases, to be a curse rather than a blessing. RANDOLPH, L. H., merchant ; Clayton township, post office, Rehoboth ; born in this county in 1848, son of William and Anna (McElhany) Randolph, grandson of Joseph and Elizabeth (North) Randolph. Married in 1873 to Miss M. E. Teal, daughter of Ephriam and Elizabeth (Brown) Teal. They have one child, Minnie D. RARICK, SIMON, was born 1838, in Perry county, Ohio ; was reared and bred and still remains a farmer ; the son of Peter Rarick, late of Thorn township. His mother's maiden name was Lydia Weimer, sister of John, a former auditor of Perry county. His grandfather was also Peter Rarick, who was among the earliest and bravest, of the pioneers. Peter, the father of Simon, died in 1880, in his seventy.. eighth year, and his mother, many years prior to that date. The brothers of Simon are John and Peter, Thornville post office, and his sister is Elizabeth, wife of John C. King, whose dwelling is at Glenford - 50 - 514 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Station. In October, 1863, Simon Rarick became the husband of Miss Eliza, daughter of Samuel and sister of Bernard Mechling, and soon moved to the delightful home they now occupy, overlooking the valley near Glenford, comprising a commodious dwelling, one hundred acres of land and other improvements. To this has since been added one hundred and forty-five acres in section twenty-one, Hopewell,. He and his wife are Lutheran in religion, both disposed to dispense the most kindly hospitality at their home, and they are blessed with two sons, Murray and Maurice, who are drilled at home in the German language. They are both descendants of old-time, pioneer families, and ambitious to sustain the honorable record of those families achieved in the past. RAYBOULD, SAMUEL, butcher, New Straitsville, Ohio ; was born August 30, 1849, in Upper Gornal, Staffordshire, England, son of William and Hannah (Frier) Raybold. When Samuel was five years of age his father moved to Lower Gornal, where they remained until he was fourteen years of age, when they moved to Lye Waste, Worcestershire, where his folks still live. After remaining at Lye Waste about four years, Samuel went to Spinnemore, county of Durham, where he remained about one year, when he returned home and stayed about eighteen months, when he emigrated to America, setting sail at Liverpool, and landing in New York, August, 1869, from where he went to Bartley, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, and traveled as follows : going to Stoneborough, Pennsylvania, Irish Town, Pennsylvania, remaining only a short time at each of the above named places, engaged in mining. From here he went to St. Louis, Missouri; Murphysboro, Illinois, and returned to Stoneborough, Pennsylvania, to see his father, who came to America to visit his sons. From there he went to Nelsonville, Athens county, Ohio, where he bought an interest in a coal mine, remained one year, sold out, and went to Logan, Ohio, where he was married August 19, 1872, to Miss Anna Siddle, born 1849 in Willington, county of Durham, England. They are the parents of four children, viz. : Samuel, deceased, Emma, Nettie, deceased, and Nettie, now living. After his marriage he came direct to this place, where he built himself a house and lived until 1874, the time of the great miners' strike, when he, leaving his family here, went to Charleston, West Virginia, returned here and went to Brazil, Indiana, and again to St. Louis, Missouri, where his family joined him, and where he remained as foreman of a coal yard for C. Rinecke, at 1700 Clark avenue, for some four years, after which he was foreman of the St. Louis Water Works one year, when lie returned to this place and engaged in butchering for about three years. He is now proprietor of the I. O. O. F, opera house, this city. REAM, TOBIAS, born 1800, in the county of Somerset, Pennsylvania ; son of Christian Ream, who came to Perry county in 1803, and whose wife was Margaret Glessner. His children were John, Jacob, Christian, Solomon, Henry, Tobias and one daughter, Margaret, deceased, who was the wife of Jabez Skinner. They were the parents of John O. Skinner, the famous sign and ornamental painter. Tobias married Mary M. Lidey, sister of the General John Lidey, of Perry. They purchased the ancient homestead, and this famous place is now the property of HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 515 Daniel C., single, and his brother David, who married Miss Missouri. daughter of Asberry Elder, subject to the life estate of their mother, yet living, whose father was Daniel Lidey, and whose mother was Eve Cramer. Her brothers, the uncles of Mrs. Ream, were George and Daniel Cramer, and their sisters were Elizabeth Rush, Rachel Arnold and Mary Cramer. The name of Ream is linked to the early struggles of the new settlement, and that of Lidey is not only thus linked, also, but is found among the framers of the present Constitution of Ohio. REAM, S. K., born in 1827, the youngest son of Samuel, Sr., and wife, whose maiden name was Rachel King. This estimable woman was a sister of the late Judge Thomas King, first Representative. of Perry county in the Ohio Legislature, the father of no children ; but from a Miss Skinner, who was one of his adopted children, it is recorded that he and his motherly wife, reared, educated and sent out into the world eleven orphans, each of whom got a share of the King estate, or was assisted in life's start by the venerable Thomas King and his wife. These two childless, Old School Baptist Christians were of the genuine nobility. The father of S. K. Ream came to Ohio as a prospector, as early as 1801. Two brothers, uncles of S. K. Ream, whose names appear to the church organization papers of Zion Church, in Thorn township, in 1805, died there, but no descendant of either now lives in Perry county, save one daughter, the wife of Philip Crist. Toby Ream and his family are in some way connected with Samuel Ream, Sr., but exactly how is not known. The Reams of Fairfield, George, and his sons, Daniel and Abraham, were also distantly connected. As early as 1807 or 1808, Samuel Ream pursued a trail, on horse back, to Marietta, Ohio, solely to introduce into Perry county the first grafted apples and peaches. This happened nine or ten years before Perry county was erected, and eighteen or nineteen years prior to the birth of S. K. Ream, who inherited the homestead in Madison township, where all the latter's children were born, where both his parents died, and where the associations of youth and the memories of after life, up to 1882, are left to linger in the memories of the past. Mr. S. K. Ream had beautified his birthplace with elegant buildings, while his wife had added the attractions of flowers and evergreens, only secondary to a home, where her own presence was the chief delight of its inmates. By death and will of his brother, David Ream, who died childless, the not less attractive adjoining homestead on the pike, became the property of S. K. Ream, but to the faithful female servants, whose hands had kindly smoothed his tottering steps to the brink of the grave, " Uncle Davy," as every body delighted to call him, left a handsome allowance, and thus, in his last acts, vindicated a life time of honorable deeds. David Reath was a Baptist in belief, sincere and unassuming in his demeanor ; a Whig and a Republican in politics, and the most conclusive proof of his popularity consists in the fact that he was elected County Commissioner on the Republican ticket, in a county then largely Democratic. The office sought him ; he never sought any office. The other brothers of S. K. Ream, besides David, were William Ream, late of this county, a stock dealer and farmer of distinguished success, and enviable prominence as a citizen, and whose sons are still citizens of Perry coun- 516 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. ty ; and Andrew, the oldest, deceased long since, and lamented by all, not only because of his beneficent nature, but because the self-controlling forces of that nature were not at all times equal to the temptations thrown against it by his business as a distiller of liquors. The wife of S. K. Ream was Miss Maria Richey, daughter of the Hon. Thomas Richey, late of this county. The children of S. K. and Maria Ream, are Edward, a hardware merchant, Somerset, Ohio ; Paul, a grocer, and Miss Maria and Robert, who, with Paul, reside with their parents in Van Wert, Ohio, since the spring of 1882. The Northwestern part of Ohio, included within the valley of the Great Maumee, presented to the mind of Mr. Ream attractions for capital so superior, as to induce him to add to the proceeds of the sale of his delightful homestead, in Perry county, the large capital theretofore possessed, and move to Van Wert, Ohio, leaving the farm, obtained from his brother David, by will, in the hands of a careful tenant, and the mansion, in part, to the servants of his brother, where they enjoy the favor of the grateful legatee, as they formerly enjoyed that of the benevolent and just testator, who, by, virtue of militia commission, was known as Colonel David Ream. The neatness of the grounds fronting his dwelling, and the general good order of his farm, characteristic of the Ream family, evinced the thrift, the cultivated taste and industry for which his brothers are also distinguished ;--traits also, which have descended to their sons. REAM, DAVID, JR., farmer ; born December 31; 1827 ; son of William and Eliza (McClure) Ream and is of German-Scotch and Irish extraction ; a grandson of Samuel Ream. In 1851, April 8th, he was married to Miss Cass Ann, daughter of the late William Williams and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Wright. David became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at the age of fourteen, under the administration of Rev. E. Muchner and Rev. Joseph Carper, and to this day maintains his connection with .the same church. From him is obtained the very interesting particulars relating to the organization of Zion Church. His taxes have grown from $17 up to an average of $250 per annum. The children of this' marriage, are Albert, husband of Sarah, the daughter of James Wilson, post office, Somerset, Ohio ; William W., husband of Miss Mary Guy, daughter of Luther Guy, post office, Sego ; Ida, wife of Joseph Hough, post office, Fultonham, Ohio ; Miss Emma C., Thomas Wright, Maggie Rachel, and David. Those deceased ,are Harriet and Clara, each less than a year old at death ; Mary and Nora in their fifth year, and Emma C., who was fourteen, and who, prior to her sickness, had became a dutiful member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Though the mother of twelve children, and grief stricken by the death of five of them, Mrs. Ream preserves that peerless glow of health and native cheerfulness which survives earthly sorrow, and clings with the freshness of youth to the consolations of time and the hopes beyond. David "team, though a Methodist in belief, entertains a sentiment of charity which embraces those of other creeds, and exhibits a hospitality which welcomes them to his home, and to his benefactions. REAM, SAMUEL, son of the late venerable William Ream, a successful farmer and cattle dealer. The maiden name of Samuel's mother HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 517 was Eliza McClure. Her children were David, Samuel, William M. and John Ream. Samuel was married in 1859, to Miss Sarah E., daughter of the late Judge William M. Brown, of Perry county, and grand-daughter of Thomas McNaughten, of Fairfield county. She died in 1881, in Somerset, Ohio, leaving two sons, Owen B. and Luke S. Ream. She was a lady universally esteemed, and inherited all the amiable qualities of her honored ancestry. Her husband, Samuel Ream, began life for himself in 1855, on a capital of $3,500. He ranks among the most successful business men of his county, and is supposed to be worth, in real estate and personal property, not far from $100,000. He deals in cattle, lands, stocks and mineral deposits, carries on the famous mills at Somerset, in connection with Noah Karr, late Treasurer of the county, and has built one of the very finest residences in Somerset, famous alike for its beauty, its architectural taste and its comfort. REESE, THOMAS P., collier, Shawnee, Ohio, was born August 12, 1830, in Pembrakeshire, South Wales, son of Peter and Dana (Williams) Reese. When he was ten years of age he was employed on the public works at Myrtha Tydvil, Glamorganshire, where he was engaged until 1863, and in August 22, set sail from Liverpool for New York, landing after forty-five days' sailing. After reaching New York he started for Pomeroy, Ohio, going via Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wheeling, Virginia, and upon reaching Parkersburg, Virginia, he was obliged to remain nine days, on account of the river not being navigable. At this time he purchased an old boat and boated his way down the river to his place of destination, reaching it in .October, where Ile remained until August 24, 1871, engaged in mining, and has been engaged at the following places : From Pomeroy, Ohio, to Syracuse, Ohio, remaining until November, 18, 1874 ; at Zaleski. Vinton V county, Ohio, about two years and nine months, when he moved to Shawnee, where he now lives and is engaged as a miner at the Shawnee Valley mine. Was married December 31, 1853, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and Mary Lewis, df Monmouthshire, England. They are the parents of seven living children, viz. : Mary Ann, Thomas, David, John, Sarah, Willie and Ellen, and four children deceased, viz. : William, William, Elizabeth and one died in infancy. Mr. Reese owns his own property, a neat frame dwelling, where he now lives. REESE, ROGER G., overman and time keeper at New York Furnace, Shawnee, Ohio; was born March 30, 1850, in Gwaencaegurwen, Glamorganshire Wales, son of David and Mary (Reese) Reese. Was raised a collier, beginning at the age of twelve years, and followed it until October, 1876. Mr. Reese came to this country in 1869, leaving Liverpool January 13, and landing in New York January 31, from whence he went to Minersville, Meigs county, Ohio, engaging as a miner, with V. B. Horton, until August, 1872, when he came to Shawnee, where he mined with the Newark Coal and Iron Company up to October, 1876, when he became weighmaster for that company, holding that position until September, 1878, and then took charge of the burning of iron ore for the New York and Straitsville Coal and Iron Company, and soon after assumed his present duties, having charge of all the laboring men, keeping their time, etc. Mr. Reese is a Royal 518 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. Arch Mason, and is at present Chancellor Commander of the Knights of Pythias, of Shawnee, Ohio. REI, PHILIP, of the firm of Rei & Rickett, undertakers, Rendville. Ohio, was born. December 22, 1842, in Columbiana county, Ohio, son of Joseph and Ann (Rehart) Rei. Mr. Rei was brought up on a farm, and volunteered in May, 1861, in the 17th Ohio Regiment ; after serving three months he re-enlisted in the 9th Ohio Calvary and served three years. He was engaged in the battles of Knoxville, Decatur, Atlanta, followed John Morgan through Kentucky and was with Gen- eral Sherman on his march to the sea. Mr. Rei was married October 4th, 1872, to Cecelia Bennett, daughter of George and Ann Bennett. of Bearfield township, Perry county, Ohio. They are the parents of six children, namely : Annie M., George, Ella, Joseph F., Lizzie and Thomas R. Mr. Rei efficiently fills the office of trustee of Monroe township at this time, and has held the same office a number of terms. RETALLIC, JAMES D., of the firm of Cochran & Retallic, attorney-at-law, New Lexington, Ohio, was born March 17, 1851, in Pike township ; son of Francis and Catharine (Fealty) Retallic. At the age of seventeen he went to the stone cutting trade which he followed until he was. twenty-three, when he began reading law with Colonel Lyman J. Jackson, of this place, and was admitted to practice August 16, 1876. Mr. Retallic was married October 31, 1876, to Miss Maggie A.. daughter of Timothy and Mary Laven. They are the parents of one child. Mary K. RICHARDS, WILLIAM, mine boss, Shawnee, Ohio ; was born March 22, 1836, in Rasay, Brecknockshire. Wale's ; son of David and Sarah (Prosser) Richards. Mr. Richards was raised in Rasay, and remained in that place until 1852, when he emigrated to America with his father's family, landing in New York, August 4th, from where they went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and thence to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, where they lived about five or six years, engaged in mining. From here they went to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he remained about two years, and then engaged in business for himself, going to Brookfield, Trumbull county, Ohio, where he remained about five years, mining ; and next was employed by D. C. Christy, of Coshocton, Ohio, as clerk in store one year ; and then opened what is known as the Miami Coal Mine, for Christy, Spangler & Co., of Coshocton, Ohio, and remained as mine boss with them until 1871, at which time he came to Shawnee, Ohio, where he is engaged as mine boss at the Fannie Furnace mine, which position he has held since the first opening of this mine, except the first year, when it was run by contract, taken by a company of twelve persons, of which he was a member. He has been a resident of Shawnee almost from its beginning. Was married September 4, 1858, to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of David and Catharine Thomas, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania. They are the parents of nine children, viz. : David R., William John, James Alfred, Thomas Edmund, Mamie, Celia, Charlie, Elizabeth, deceased, and Charles Benjamin, deceased. Mr. Richards is Past Grand of the Kincaid Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Shawnee, Ohio. RICHARDS, ALVA, M. D., New Lexington, Ohio ; was born March HISTORY OP PERRY COUNTY - 519 16, 1841, in Muskingum county, Ohio, where he was brought up on a farm, until the age of seventeen, when he began the study of medicine with Dr. Reamy, now Professor in Ohio Medical College. He graduated at the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, in the spring of 1862, and immediately thereafter began practice at this place. In the fall of the same year, the Doctor was commissioned Assistant Surgeon of the One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment, O. V. I. After serving in this capacity two years, he was commissioned Surgeon of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Regiment, O. V. I., and served until the close of the war, when he resumed his practice in this place. Dr. Richards was married November 1, 1866, to Miss Catharine, daughter of Hon. R. E. Huston. His mother's maiden name was Sarah Ann Comly. They are the parents of three children, viz. : Robert Lewis, Clarence Comly, and Hazel Elizabeth. RICHEY, GENERAL THOMAS, deceased. He was a member of Congress when he secured a cadetship for Phil. Sheridan. The General must have lived till after the famous ride of Sheridan, in whose success he was ever most paternally enlisted, calling Sheridan " my boy," The first news from Cedar Creek was bad, and no one mourned the situation more sincerely than old General Tom. Richey ; but imagine his joy when the next day's news brought tidings of Phil's final victory, having snatched the stars and stripes from the disaster of the onset by a rally of troops already on the retreat, turned defeat into victory, and added a new chapter to the annals of warfare ; a chapter which relates what was never done before, the achievement of victory in the evening, with troops defeated, demoralized and in full retreat in the morning of the same day. Richey rejoiced, as if it were his own victory, and a final vindication of the sagacity which sent the son of an humble Irish constituent to achieve it. " They can't whip that boy of mine," he would exclaim, as he rode with all haste from the post office to his rural home, answering his neighbors without halting his panting steed : " I put Sheridan in the army ; Lincoln promotes, and the whole world admires him." The father of General Thomas, was James Richey, who came to Ohio as a settler in 1815. His mother, and the mother of Gideon, the only brother now left in Perry, was Elizabeth Wilson, sister of Thomas Wilson, who died near West Rushville, and whose father and brothers came to Fairfield county in 1800. Her mother was Hester Fickle, of Scotch descent. The grandfather of Thomas and Gideon Richey, was also named James, whose brothers were John, Gideon and Thomas, all bachelors, and George who was married. The only sister was Jane Richey, who nursed Gideon and Thomas, when children. She died a maid. Therefore, of the five sons of grandfather Richey, who was a native of Ireland, and his Irish wife, only George and James, ever married ; and the only daughter, Jane, lives unmarried. It is said, on the authority of Gideon, that James, his father, was horn on the day his grandmother landed in Baltimore, about the year 1757, and as near as can be reckoned, grandfather Richey was born in Ireland, 1732, the same year that Washington was born in America. Hence the reader may perceive it was the son of one Irishman that aided the son of another Irishman to a cadetship at West Point. All the Richey family were left in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, when in 1815, James, alone 520 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. came to Madison township, Perry county—then Muskingum—and settled on the farm which some years before had been selected by the mother of General Richey, on her last visit on horseback from Pennsylvania to her father, William Wilson, then in Fairfield, carrying Gidion in her arms. This must have been in 1807, as Gideon was born November 28, 1806. Grandfather William Wilson, gave to each of his nine sons and daughters, one hundred and sixty acres of land ; and Rachel, the wife of James Richey, and mother of Thomas and Gideon, selected her own farm, now occupied by Thomas Williams in Madison township. This grandfather, William Wilson, traveled on foot with his faithful rifle on his shoulder, and his dog by his side, while grandmother Wilson rode horseback, carrying her infant and spinning wheel from Maryland into Pennsylvania, through dense forests. The children of grandfather, James Richey and his wife, Rachel Wilson, in order of birth, were : Mary, wife of Nathan Melick ; Gen. Thomas Richey, whose wife was Henrietta Clemm ; Elizabeth, wife of Robert Wilson Jane, wife of Thomas Spencer ; Gideon, whose first wife was Jane A. Spencer, sisfer of Captain William, by whom he became father of four daughters and one son, James Richey, now of Somerset, and whose second wife is Rachel Croskrey, by whom there are four daughters and one son, Frank Richey, vet single. Next to Gideon was William Wilson Richey, husband of Mary Coulson, and who died near Rushville, leaving two sons and three daughters ; Colonel John Richey, a former State Senator of this district, now of Omaha, Nebraska, and husband of Elizabeth Ream, who is the mother of two sons and four daughters, one of whom is the wife of Hon. Mr. Taft..M. C. ; next were James Richey and Rebecca, twins—the former now a farmer near Stewartsville, Missouri, the latter, widow of the late and much lamented Martin Berkey ; and last, George Richey, who, when last heard of, was in Colorado. He has but one child living. General Thomas Richey was a farmer, and a man of no ordinary mind. Kind, generous and hospitable, he was loved by his friends, and rose to distinction as a military officer in the State militia of his time ; was for many years Treasurer of Perry county, and served two terms in the Congress of the United States, being elected the last time in 1852. In 1854, he broke his connection with the Democratic party, and died a supporter of Lincoln's administration. His children were : Mahala, wife of Dr. Andrew McElwee, deceased ; Caroline, wife of John McNutt, deceased ; Louisa, wife of Dr. S. Adams, deceased ; Maria, wife of S. K. Ream, of Van Wert, Ohio ; Dr. James Richey, of Stewardsville, Missouri ; Henrietta, wife of Mr. Robinson, of Greenfield, Ohio ; and Captain George Richey, who served in that rank in the war of 1861, and whose post office is Stewardsville, Missouri, whither he removed after the peace of Appomattox. General Richey owed much of his physical and intellectual vigor to his mother, who was a heroine in rural life, ready with a remedy for man or beast in sickness ; and Gideon says, " Castile soap and vinegar, simmered to oil, was mother's favorite poultice for all sores and wounds." Confidence in parents and honesty, were the patrimony of the boys. RIGHTER, CHARLES W., farmer and stock dealer. Monroe township ; post office, Corning, Ohio ; was born April 13, 1845, in Monroe HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 521 township ; son of John and Catharine (Cuckerly) Richter. His father was a native of Maryland, but became one of the pioneers of Ohio. Charles W. was married January 4, 1872, to Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Catharine (Smith) Rodgers, of Monroe township. RICKET, ABEL, farmer, who has also worked at some of the mechanical trades ; post office, Moxahala, Pleasant township, Perry county, Ohio ; was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1820 ; son of John and Sarah (Clark). Ricket. His father was of German, his mother of Welsh and Irish descent. Began work with a millwright when fifteen ; remained with him one year, and then worked at house carpentering until nineteen, in Carroll county. At twenty he came to Pleasant township, engaged in teaching school two years, then followed the carpenter trade about seven years, and next worked in a machine shop in Morgan county. He moved to Morgan, county in 1850 ; returned and located on the farm where he now resides, but continued to work at his trade until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he enlisted in the 30th O. V. I., Company D, and remained in the service three years. He participated in all the battles the regiment was engaged in until he left it. After the war closed he devoted most of his time to the management of his farm. February 24, 1842, he married Harriet Ellison. She was of New England ancestry. She died five months after their marriage. In October, 1843, he married Rachel Minshel. Their children are Ezra E., married ; Sarah F., married ; Harriet, died in infancy ; Mary E., married ; Emma, Walter S., married ; Enoch H., Albert, deceased ; Charles W., and Bell. RICKET, EZRA E., carpenter and undertaker, post office, Rendville, Ohio ; was born July 13, 1844, in Oakfield, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Abel and Rachel Ricket. Abel Ricket was a native of Washington county, Penn. Ezra E. was brought up on a farm. August 12, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, 90th O. V. I., and was discharged June 23, 1865. He followed the fortunes of General Sherman's army in fifteen general engagements, without being seriously wounded: At the battle in front of Kenesaw Mountain he had the skin cut across the back, part of his neck by a ball from a sharp-shooter. On his return from the army he engaged at carpenter work, which he has followed to the present time. He established his present business in this place in January, 1881. Mr. Ricket was first married March 15, 1866, to Miss Rachel, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Straight) Green. They became the parents of five children, viz. : Mary Ellen, Annie, Charles C., Samuel T., and Leo Parker. Mr. Ricket's second wife was Ettie, daughter of William and Maria (Tharp) Berry. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Albert D. and Laura Bell. RICKETTS, DANIEL, minister of the Gospel and farmer, post office, McCuneville, Monday Creek township, Ohio ; was born December 28, 1812, in Randolph county, Virginia ; son of Ignatius and Margaret (Poling) Ricketts, both of Maryland. Mr. Ricketts was brought up on a farm, and has followed agricultural pursuits up to this time. Mr. Ricketts came to Ohio with his father in the fall of 1816, who lived, during that winter, near Dresden, Ohio, on Wakatomika Creek. The next spring (1817) they moved to near Bremen, Ohio, where they lived some two years, in both Fairfield and Perry counties. At that time - 51 - 522 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. they moved to the sixteenth section of Jackson township, Perry county, where Daniel, the subject of this sketch, lived until he was thirty-three years of age, when he moved to the twelfth section of Monday Creek township, where he had bought eighty acres of land the previous year, and where he has since lived ; he was obliged to labor, the first year after his marriage, to get sufficient goods to set up housekeeping. Upon coming to this farm there were fifteen acres cleared, the remainder he cleared up himself; and it took him thirteen years to pay a balance of three hundred dollars he owed on the farm. After this he purchased as follows : 40 acres in this township, first section, for $450, about the year 1850 ; 120 acres in Salttlick township, for $1,500, in 1852 ; 60 acres for $700, in 1854 ; 110 acres for $2,300 in Monday Creek Township, about 1858 or 1860 ; 40 acres for $570; 40 acres for $700 ; 524 acres in Jackson township, of which he inherited two-fifths and took the three-fifths at the appraised valuation of $11,000 ; 20 acres for $400, 1,000 1865 ; 50 acres for $1,000, in 1866 ; 126 acres for $3,000, about 1867 159 acres in Hocking county, Ohio southwest of Logan, for $4,500 cash, in 1875 ; a house and lot in New Straitsville, Ohio, for $500 about the same as cash, and at this time owns 539 acres in all. The most of his land is near and adjoining the first 8o acres that he bought. Considering the mineral $100th, this land is worth $100 per acre. Mr. Ricketts has given $450 to each of twelve families starting in life, and has assisted in building all the churches in the vicinity where he lives. He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in his sixteenth year, and from his twenty-second to his twenty-seventh year was class leader. Was licensed to exhort by Rev. James Gurley, and afterwards to preach by the Rev. M. C. Kellogg, both of the Ohio Conference. Continued as local preacher twelve years, when he entered the traveling connection, in 1852, and has filled the following appointments : Mt. Pleasant circuit, one year ; Nelsonville circuit, one year ; Logan circuit, six months ; Nelsonville again, over one year ; New Baltimore, one year ; Fairview circuit, two years ; Amesville circuit, one year ; again Nelsonville circuit, one year ; again to Amesville circuit, one year ; Plymouth circuit, two years ; again at Fairview, two years ; again at Plymouth, one year ; Maxville circuit, his home, one year ; one year did not travel ; Deavertown circuit, two years ; New Plymouth, Hocking county, one year ; Straitsville circuit, two years, and built the two churches, one in Straitsville and one in Shawnee ; again Mt. Pleasant, one year ; again without a charge one year ; again .New Plymouth, one year ; again without a charge one year ; east end of Straitsville circuit, two years ; Asbury circuit, Muskingum county ; and this year at home, now Junction City circuit. IN this work he probably has taken into membership of the church from 3,000 to 4,000 persons. Mr. Ricketts was married January 31, 1833, to Lucy, daughter of Conrad and Lydia (Wicks) Wickiser. They are the parents of ten children now living, viz. : Benjamin, who has been class leader in church some ten or twelve years ; Jacob W., a local preacher ; Francis Asbury, William Cochran, a local preacher ; Matilda, James S., a traveling preacher ; Samuel B., a traveling preacher ; Thomas M., a traveling preacher ; Sophia Jane, Cyrus B. ; six deceased, two of whom lived to manhood, John W., who was licensed to exhort, and Daniel W. ; four died in childhood, Stephen HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 523 Hamilton, Lydia, Levi Bartlett, and an infant. Six of his sons were in the army during the late Rebellion—three in the three years' service ; John W., who died in the army ; Francis A. and William C. ; and three in the one hundred days' service, Benjamin, Jacob W., and James. He also had two sons-in-law in the army ; one, William A. Murphey, in the three years' service, and one, William Terrell, in the hundred days' service. Mr. Ricketts has been a very successful minister, and all of his children, who lived to manhood and womanhood, were converted from nine years to fifteen years of age. He certainly has brought up a remarkably useful family, both in the service of the church and of their country. They truly have proved to be an exemplary family. RIDENOUR, J. M., school teacher, post office, Maxville, Ohio ; was born April 15, 1854, in Jackson township, Perry county, Ohio ; son of Michael and Salome (Wolf) Ridenour. Mr. Ridenour was brought up on a farm until he was seventeen years of age, when he went to New Lexington and learned the baker and confectioner trade, after which he worked at that business in New Straitsville, Ohio. At twenty-one years of age he taught school at Junction City. In his twenty-second year he attended high school in Logan, Ohio, after which he resumed the teacher's occupation, which he has followed ever since. Was married April 15, 1879, to Alice, daughter of Eli and Sarah A. (Ashbaugh) Bell. They have one child, Samuel Winfield. Mr. Ridenour came to Monday Creek township in 1860, and located in Maxville, Ohio. Was elected assessor in 1881, and re-elected in 1882. RINEHART, JESSE, was born November 26, 1806, in Greene county, Pennsylvania ; son of Simon and Ann (Wise) Rinehart. He was brought up on a farm and followed farming all his life. He came to Ohio in 1832 with his father, who bought eighty acres of land where Abraham Park now lives, and also owned eighty acres that he afterward bought, now joining the Hillis farm, and also owned by A. Parks, but lived on the first eighty acres that he bought up to the time of his death, which occurred January 1, 1853. In 1832 Mr. Rinehart, the subject of this sketch, went into business for himself, buying one hundred acres where his family still lives, and adjoining the first eighty acres owned by his father, and afterward bought forty acres now owned by Simon Keener, and twenty acres now owned by Mary Fickle. There were only ten of the one hundred acres cleared when he bought it, and he cleared the other ninety acres and supplanted the log house by a neat frame dwelling, in which he lived up to the time of his death, March 1, 1880. Mr. Rinehart was married the first time in 1832 to Miss Elizabeth, daughter 0f Solomon and Ann Hoge. They became the parents of two children, viz. : Mary Ann and Nancy, living, and three deceased, one infant son, Solomon and Simon. Elizabeth, wife of Jesse Rinehart, died September 20, 1845. Mr. Rinehart was married the second time, April 8, 1849, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Nathaniel and Louisa (Scott) Short. Mrs. Rinehart was born October 14, 1824, in Delaware, and came to Ohio in 1840 with her parents, who settled in New Lexington, Ohio, and lived in this county about eighteen months, when they moved to Muskingum county, Ohio, where they lived about four years and returned to this township, where she was married. By his 524 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. last marriage he was blessed with eleven children, viz. : Louillin, deceased ; Dollie, Jesse, deceased ; Charlie Winget, Allie Jackson, Sarah Florence, two infant sons, twins, deceased ; Todd, deceased ; Nathaniel and Horace. RINKER, WESLEY, engineer, Pike township. New Lexington, Ohio; was born February 30, 1831, in Perry county, Ohio ; son of William and Sarah (Chillcoat) Rinker. Mr, Rinker was raised an engineer and has made this the principal business of his life. He was married in April, 1856, to Mary J,, daughter of Jefferson and Jane (Bell) Hitchcock, of his native county. They are the parents of eight children, now living, viz. : Elizabeth, Benjamin, Caleb F., John, Mary E., Sarah, Samuel and Jennie Bell. Mr. Rinker has been a resident of this county all his life, with the exception of two years he spent in Hocking county, Ohio, running a saw mill, and has been a resident of New Lexington for about twenty years, past fourteen years of this time he ran an engine at Arnold's mill. He now owns eight lots in Bastian's addition, upon one of which he has built a good dwelling, where he now lives. He also owns sixteen acres near the fair ground. Thus he is situated to enjoy life, RISSLER, EDWARD T., of the firm of Huston & Rissler, druggists, New Lexington, Ohio, was born January 3, 1831, in Richland township, Fairfield county, Ohio ; son of Thomas and Margery ( Daily) Rissler, of English ancestry. Edward T, was brought up and remained on the farm until 1866. He followed teaching school in the winter and farming in the summer for about eighteen years. In 1865 Mr. R. located in Reading township, this county, and came to this place in January, 1876, when the present firm was formed. Mr. Rissler was Auditor of the county in 1871, and re-elected in 1873. Mr. Rissler was married April 14, 1865, to Miss Kate A.. daughter of Samuel and Emily (Keys) Barbee. They are the parents of two children, viz. : Thomas Charles and E. Ross, RISSLER, THOMAS J., hardware merchant and agricultural implements ; born 1835, in Richland township, Fairfield county Ohio. residence, Thornville, Ohio ; son of Thomas Rissler, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio at an early day, and died in 1870 in his seventy-ninth year, His first wife died leaving four children, viz. : Mary, wife of L. M. Wilson, Oceola, Iowa ; William, Greenup, Illinois ; John, deceased, and James. The second wife was Margary Daily, who died about eleven years after her. husband, leaving the following children : Dr, Rissler, Newark ; Edward Rissler, New Lexington : C. D. Rissler, Oceola, Iowa ; Louisa, wife of Joshua Linville : Ella, wife of Dr. Thomas ; Nathaniel, Greenville, Ohio, and Thomas T.. who was married in 1860 to Melissa A. Martin, daughter of Ellison Martin ; he moved to Thornville in 1872, where he engaged in business, which has been increasing and profitable. The Rissler name is connected with both political parties, Father Thomas Rissler and family were of the Methodist Episcopal Church, e was distinguished for his honesty and the hospitality of his home was proverbial. C. D. and Nathaniel served in the Seventeenth 0. V. I. to the end of the war. Thomas J. and his wife have two sons. Edward, now of age, and Ellison, now thirteen. They have also three daughters, Miss Sallie, Miss Bessie and Miss Nellie.