PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 625 Martin Hoover was reared on the farm where he lives and was educated in the common schools. He attended school until he was nineteen years old and remained with his mother until he was twenty-one, his father having died when he was only fourteen. On September 26, 1866, Martin Hoover was married to Matilda Ozias, who was born in Washington township, this county, the daughter of Thomas , and Mary (Black) Ozias, and who died February 5, 1899• To this union four children were born, John C.; Thomas M., Flora A. and Jacob H. John C., born June 9, 1867, married Elizabeth Fleming on October 15, 1914, and is a farmer. Thomas M. married Mary, 0. Pence, of Monroe township. Flora A. is single and at home. Jacob a married Bessie E. Duffield and is a farmer in Monroe township. After Mr. Hoover was married he rented farms for several years and finally purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty-four acres seven miles north of Eaton, on which he since has lived and where he keeps a splendid grade of live stock. Mr. Hoover is a Democrat, but is not particularly active in politics. He is a quiet, unassuming man and has led an honorable and upright life. In all his life he has never drunk intoxicating liquors nor used tobacco, and is strictly temperate in all things. He is a man much admired and respected in the community in which he lives. FREDERICK SCHREEL. Among the successful, self-made men of Preble county, whose efforts and influence have contributed to the advancement of this county, Frederick Schreel, a farmer and dairyman of Harrison township, occupies a prominent place. Although ambitious from the first, he was surrounded by none too favorable an environment. Resolutely facing the future, however, he has gradually mounted the difficulties in his way and in the course of time has risen to a prominent position in the agricultural circles of Harrison township. For many years he has stood as one of the representative citizens of the locality honored by his •citizenship. His life and labors are worthy because they have contributed to a proper understanding of life and its problems. For many years Mr. Schreel has been a successful dairyman and finds a ready market for his entire product in the town of Lewisburg and vicinity. (40) 626 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO Frederick Schreel was born on September 27, 1862, in Twin township, Preble county, Ohio. He is the son of Charles and Anna (Bolman) Schreel, who were the parents of eleven children, Henry and Minnie are deceased; Caroline and Katie live in Twin township; Margaret, wife of Ed Drayer, lives in Dayton, Ohio; Mary, Lewis, Harmon, Samuel and Christopher are 0all at home. Frederick, of Harrison township, is the subject of this sketch. Charles Schreel, the father of Frederick, was born in 1822, in Germany, and left there with his parents when eighteen years old. He settled in section 12 in Twin township and farmed until his death, in 1884. His wife was born in 1828, in Germany, and left there with her sister, Margaret Voge, when eleven years old. They settled .in Preble county. Mrs. Schreel died in 1912. Frederick Schreel was reared on the farm and attended the district schools of Twin township. In 1887 he began farming for himself in Montgomery county, Ohio. He rented land in Montgomery county and in Preble county until 1899, in which year he came to Preble county and purchasedthe old Samuel Bunger farm of seventy-eight acres located in section 27, in Harrison township, at the east edge of the corporation of Lewisburg. Mr. Schreel has made extensive improvements upon this place. He remodeled his house and installed a complete equipment of modern conveniences. He has also built a barn forty by sixty-eight feet. Mr. Schreel had the first Sharples milking machine in Preble county. He has been in the dairy business for the past six years and sells his products locally in Lewisburg. In 1888 Frederick Schreel was married to Josephine Foster, who was born, June 3, 1867, in Darke county, Ohio, the daughter of Josiah A. and Elizabeth (Riley) Foster. The Foster genealogy is kept of record as far back as the landing of the "Mayflower," in 1620, when Lemuel Foster came, either on the first or the second trip of that historic vessel, to Plymouth Colony. Tracing from Lemuel, whom we will call the first generation, follow, in order : Two, Ezekiel ; three, Jeremiah; four, Ezekiel; five, Jeremiah; six, Isaac Preston, and seven, Josiah A., father of, eight, Joanna Foster, wife of Frederick Schreel. Josiah A. Foster's mother was Rebecca Ware, daughter of John and Mary (Albertson) Ware, the former of whom was a son of John Ware; Sr., and the latter of whom was a daughter of Josiah and Nancy Albertson. To Frederick and Josephine (Foster) Schreel three children have been born, Charles, now living in Euphemia, Ohio ; Irene, at home, and Mrs. Freda Lutz, who lives at Phillipsburg, Ohio. Mr. Schreel is a Democrat and he and his wife and family are mem- PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 627 bers of the Evangelical Lutheran church and active in the work of that church. Mr. Schreel's life has been such as to elicit much praise from those who know him best. He has been loyal and faithful to every trust imposed upon him and has been upright in his dealings with his fellowmen. JAMES N. SHUMATE. Hard and laborious effort was the lot of James N. Shumate during his youth and early manhood, but his fidelity to duty won him the respect and confidence of those with whom .he was thrown into contact and by patient persistence and well, doing he gradually rose from a humble station to his present high standing among the people of Preble county and particularly among those in the neighborhood of his home at Campbellstown, in Jackson township. James N. Shumate. the treasurer of Jackson township, and a resident of Campbellstown, Ohio, was born in Claborn county, Tennessee, a son of Samuel and Mahila (Hodges) Shumate, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, the former the son of Daniel .Shumate, a native Pennsylvanian, and the latter a daughter. of Squire Hodges. Both Samuel Shumate and his wife grewe up in Pennsylvania, where they married. Later they emigrated to Tennessee where they lived a short time arid where they were engaged in farming. In 1862 they moved to Indiana, locating on a farm in Wayne county, near Centerville, where Samuel Shumate died in 1880, his wife' dying in the fall of 1908. They were the parents of eight children, six of whom are now living, Martha, the wife of Madison Sulser, of Jasper county, Iowa; Low, the wife of John. Railsback, of Newton, Iowa; Nora the wife of Thomas Turner, of Richmond, Indiana; Alice, the wife of Taylor Neil, of New York state; Ida, the wife of. Guy Bilingly, and William, Who is retired and lives in. Denver, Miami county, Indiana. James N. Shumate. was reared on a farm in Wayne county, Indiana, and was educated in the district schools of that county, which he attended until he was nineteen years of age. He received a good education and then took. up -farming, to which he devoted' his attention until he was thirty-five years old, eventually owning sixty acres of land in Wayne county, Indiana. After leaving the farm; Mr. Shumate operated a merchandise bus at Greens fork, Indiana, for three years. He was then employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a laborer and in twenty months became 628 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO. foreman of a section and served in that capacity until 1913, in which year he was promoted to extra foreman. He came to this county on November 21, 1897, and in 1899 bought his present home in Campbellstown. Mr. Shumate owns one acre north of town. In 1882 James N. Shumate was married to Sally Wilson, who was born in Wayne county, Indiana, and to this union three children were born, Nellie, who is the wife of C. C. Gard, a stock buyer ; Edna, the wife C. M. John, a railroad agent, and Corine, who is unmarried and at home. Mr. Shumate is a member of Greenfork Lodge No. 184, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Democrat and is now serving his third term as treasurer of Jackson township. He is a quiet, unassuming man, but an upright and honorable citizen in every respect, and is held in the highest regard in the community in which he lives. ABSALOM BARTON It is a pleasure to present the life history of a successful, self-made man, Peculiar honor attaches to the individual who, beginning the great :struggle of life alone and unaided, gradually overcomes unfavorable environment, removes one by one the obstacles from the pathway of success and by the master stroke of , his own vitality succeeds in forging his way to the front and winning for himself a competency and a position of esteem and ,influence among his fellowmen. Such is the record of that popular citizen of Preble county, Absalom Barton, whose life story is here briefly set forth. Absalom Barton, a farmer living on Rural Route 3, out of New Paris, Ohio, was born in Darke county, Ohio, October 5, 1858, the son of John and Rachel (Penland) Barton. John Barton was born in Wayne county, Indiana, in 1831, the son of Andrew Barton, who was born at Baltimore, Maryland. Andrew Barton married Celia Boswell, who was born June 22, 1800, in North Carolina, and who migrated with her parents, Barnabas and Jane Boswell, to Wayne county, Indiana, in 1812, locating three miles north of Richmond with a daughter, Mrs. Thomas Stafford. Barnabas Boswell entered a tract of land two and one-half miles north of Middletown, Indiana, built a one-room log house in the wilderness, where the Indians still were quite numerous, and there cleared up a. farm. Barnabas and Jane Boswell were the parents of the following children : :Elizabeth, born in 1785 ; Benjamin, born in 1787; William, born in 1789; PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 629 Jane, born in 1794; Delilah, born in 179.7; Sarah and Celia (twins), born June 22, 1800 ; Eli, born in 1803 ; Hiram, born in 1805, and Susanna, born in 1808. The Boswells were compelled to make their own clothes out of the rude material furnished by the wilderness, and in other ways faced the privations common to the pioneers of that day. John Barton was reared on the farm in Wayne county and married Rachel Penland, who was born and reared in Preble county, Ohio. They settled in Wayne county, Indiana, but later moved to Iowa, remaining there but a short time, however, shortly returning to Wayne county, Indiana. The Bartons were descendants of an early Quaker family of this name. John Barton and wife were the parents of six children, Hannah, the wife of Jesse Flatter, of Darke county, Ohio; Sylvester, who married Lydia Mendenhall and lives in Whittier, Colorado; Absalom, the subject of this sketch; Charles, who married Lizzie Wheeler and lives at Frankfort, Indiana ; Theodore, who married Minnie Spencer and lives in New Paris, this county, and Lila, the wife of S. .B. Mikesell, of Darke county, Ohio. Absalom Barton spent his boyhood days on the farm. He was educated in the district schools of Indiana and at an early age he was thrown upon his own resources. He worked upon a farm by the month until he was twenty-four years old, at which time he had saved a very little money, his wages having been used by his father until Absalom was twenty years old. Mr. Barton was married on December 4, 1881, to Martha E. Newbern, who was born, May 13, 1858, in Wayne county, Indiana, who was reared in the same neighborhood as her husband, they attending the same school. She was the daughter of William and Susanna (Townsend) Newbern, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Pennsylvania, who were the parents of eight other children, John W., George, Mary J., Acidic, Clara E., Judith A., and two deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Barton have had three children, two now living, Walter E. and Clarence H. Walter E., born on June 6, '886, who was graduated from the New Paris high school and from the Richmond Business College, is connected with the Central Life insurance Company, at New York city, of which he is assistant general manager. He married Marion H. Knight in April, 1914. Clarence H., born on August 27, 1891, was graduated from the New Paris high school and is unmarried and at home. Mr. Barton is a Republican, although he has never been especially active in political affairs, preferring to devote his time and energy to his farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres one mile west of New Paris, Ohio. Mrs. Barton is a member of the Christian church. Mr. Barton is a member 630 - PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO. of Harmony Lodge No, 396, Knights- of Pythias, in which he is past chancellor. Mrs. Barton is a member of the Pythian Sisters No. 215, and is a past chief of the lodge, She is the protector in this lodge at this time. The Barton family are highly respected in Jefferson township where they live and are well known. CHARLES W. BLOOM. It is a well-recognized fact that the most powerful influence in shaping and controlling public life is the press. It reaches a greater number of people than any other agency and thus always has been and always will be the most important factor in moulding public opinion and shaping the destiny of the nation. Charles W. Bloom was prominently identified with the journalism of eastern Ohio for many years. He was connected; with several papers; but during his most active newspaper career, was the editor and proprietor of the New Paris Mirror. Mr. Bloom sold a half interest in this paper in 1902, and in 1906 disposed of the other interest. Throughout the greater part of his life, Mr. Bloom has been a successful farmer and is so today. He also was connected with another profession which is perhaps second only to that of the press in moulding and shaping public opinion. For many years, Mr. Bloom was a successful teacher in Preble county, and today, therefore, he may be considered as a representative farmer, a forceful journalist and a capable teacher. Charles W. Bloom was born in Jefferson township, Preble county, Ohio, September 4, 1846, the son of Guy and Hannah ( Jameson) Bloom, the former a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, born in 1816. About 1825 Guy Bloom accompanied his parents to Darke county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood on a farm. He came to Preble county when a young man and married Hannah Jameson, a native of Kentucky, born in 1826, who came to New Paris, this. county, with her parents in 1836. Her father was Wesley Jameson, a native of Kentucky, who left that state in 1836, lived in New Paris until the early fifties when he removed first to Rushville, Indiana, and then to Noblesville, Indiana, where he died. The paternal grandfather of Charles W. Bloom was Joseph Bloom, a native of Pennsylvania and a descendant of an old-time German family of that state. He died in Darke county, Ohio, in October, 1868. Guy Bloom, the father of Charles W., was a farmer and at one time owned seven hun- PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 631 dred acres of land,. He was a progressive citizen in every respect and was usually the first man in his neighborhood to purchase all of the improved implements to be used on a farm. He was a man of indomitable energy and great executive ability. Any man: who came to his farm hunting work could find it. In this he was prompted by humane impulses and the duty which one man; however successful, owes to the other. however unfortunate. He was for many years. an active member of the Masonic. lodge. He died in September, 1883, and his wife died in 1899. Charles W. Bloom was the eldest of ten children, all of whom were born in Preble county, Ohio. Those now living, besides Charles W., are Mary, the wife of William B. Reid, and Homer. Charles W. Bloom received his early education in the common schools of Preble county, Ohio, and at the academy at Richmond, Indiana. He went to Richmond at the age of nineteen and there engaged with his father for a time in the furniture business. Later he became an engineer and, on his return to New Paris, located on the farm, which he operated in the summer. During the winter months, for a period of six years, he taught school. On January 6, .1876, Mr. Bloom was married to Anna Pence, a native of Preble county, Ohio, and the daughter of Nimrod and Elizabeth Pence. To this one daughter, Grace, has been born. She learned the printing business with her father' and is' now the wife of W. L. Hahn, .a merchant of New Paris, Ohio, After his marriage, Mr. Bloom. continued teaching for four years and then devoted all of his spare time to his farm until 1884. He now owns a splendid farm of one hundred and ninety-eight acres in Jefferson township. In 1884 Mr. Bloom moved to New Paris and was engaged in the newspaper business until 1906, in which year he disposed of his paper. This paper was established in 1887 and was published under the name of The Business Mirror for some time. Mr. Bloom first. established, however. The Amateur. Charles W. Bloom became a member of the national guard in 1864. The guard was. called out and Mr. Bloom served: one hundred days in the Civil War. Mr. Bloom is an independent voter, but he is a prominent and influential Prohibitionist and a particularly strong temperance man. He was a delegate of the Prohibition party to the national convention in Pittsburgh in 1896 and for many years took an active part in the councils of his party. Fraternally, Mr. Bloom is .a member of New Paris Lodge No. 303, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is a Past grand. He also has served as secretary of the lodge, a position which he has held for twenty-seven years. Mr. 632 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO. Bloom has always identified himself with. the Universalist church. He is a prominent member of this church and for several years was clerk of the local parish. Mr. Bloom takes an active interest in everything pertaining to New Paris and the surrounding country. He is a director in the First National. Bank of New Paris and helped to organize this bank. Mr. and Mrs. Bloom are comfortably situated in their beautiful home and are enjoying the fruits of their early labors. No more highly respected citizens are to be found anywhere than Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Bloom, and they very properly stand high in the estimation of the people of New Paris and vicinity. GEORGE W. PICKETT. Among the farmers of Preble county who have to their credit many long years of industrious and intelligent farm management, George W. Pickett, of Jefferson township, is worthy of special note here Mr. Pickett comes of a good family, one that has always been strong for right living and industrious habits, for morality and all that contributes to the welfare of the great commonwealth of Ohio. Such people are welcome in any community, for they are empire builders and as such they push the frontier of civilization westward and onward, leaving the green, wide reaching wilderness of the far stretching plains populous with contented people and beautiful with green fields. They constitute the sterling horde which moved the great Bishop Whipple to write "Westward the course of empire takes its way." George W. Pickett, a farmer living on Rural Route No. 1, out of New Paris, Ohio, was horn in Wayne county, Indiana, April 8, 1868, the son of Milton L. and Mary E. (Smithson) Pickett. Milton L. Pickett was born in Wayne county, Indiana, the son, of Benjamin and Deborah (Clark) Pickett. Benjamin Pickett was a native of North Carolina and was reared on a farm. When a young man, he moved to Wayne county, Indiana, where he located on a farm on what is now the present site of the city of Richmond. He located there in 1808 and lived in that county until his death. Deborah Clark was a native of Maryland and moved to Wayne county with her parents at a very early day. Benjamin Pickett and Deborah Clark were married in Wayne county, Indiana, and were the parents of Eli, William, John, Eber, Milton L., Albert, Mary and Hannah. PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 633 Milton L Pickett was reared on a farm in Wayne county, Indiana, and attended the schools of his day and generation. He was married to Mary E Smithson, a native of Highland county, Ohio, and after their marriage, they settled in Wayne county, Indiana, where they spent the rest of their lives.. They. were the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living, Elwood S., of Wayne county, Indiana; Ella, the wife of I. W. Gregg, of Elwood, Indiana; Oliver B., who lives in California; Lizzie, the wife of I. S. Van Anstal, of Preble county ; T. Henry, who lives in Preble county; Cynthia A., who is single and lives in Preble county, Ohio, and George W. George W. Pickett spent his boyhood clays on the farm in Wayne county, Indiana. He was educated in the public schools and in the Richmond Normal School. Upon completing his education, Mr. Pickett received a certificate to teach school, but did not follow this vocation. Mr. Pickett was married in 1905 to Emma Griffis, who was born in Jackson township, this county, July 29, 1874, the daughter of Samuel M. and Rebecca (Blinn) Griffis, the former a native of this county and the latter a native of Warren county, Ohio. Samuel M. Griffis was reared on a farm in Washington township, this county, and was educated in the schools of his home neighborhood. Upon arriving. at manhood's estate he took up the vocation of farming and followed this all his life, the most of which time was spent on a farm in Jackson township, he being one of the best known and most influential farmers of that township. He died in October, 191o, at the age of seventy-two years, his wife having preceded him to the grave on January 16, 1899, at the age of fifty-four. Samuel M. Griffis was a Democrat and was influential in the local councils of his party for many years. At one time he was a member of the Masonic order and he and his wife were members of the United 'Brethren church, in the affairs of which they ever took an active interest. To Samuel and Rebecca (Blinn) Griffis were born seven children : .Anna„ who married Thomas Bowen, of New Paris, this county ; George F., who lives at Eaton, this county; Roscoe, also living at Eaton; Ida, who married Ora Oler, a resident of Darke county, Ohio; Emma, who married Mr. Pickett; Mary, who Married Edward Jacks, of Jackson township, this county, and John, who also lives in Jackson township. To George W. and Emma (Griffis) Pickett one son has been born. George W., Jr.; who was born on April 2, 1911. Mr. Pickett is a Democrat and he and Mrs. Pickett are members of the Friends church, he having a birthright in that church. George W. Pickett is the owner of one hundred and eighty. and ninety one-hundredths acres of 634 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO. splendid farming land in Preble county and. is a prosperous, progressive and tip-to-date citizen in every respect. He has been a .successful breeder of hogs and Jersey cattle. Mr. Pickett has not only been a successful farmer, but is what might be called a. successful citizen, because he has performed faithfully those duties that have devolved upon him in his relations with his fellow men. CHARLES P. JONES. Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages. As a usual thing men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift. have been patrons of husbandry. The free, outdoor life of the farmer has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes true manhood. No truer blessing can 'befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful, invigorating labor of the fields. It has always been the soil from which has sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country. The majority of our nation's great warriors, renowned statesmen and distinguished men of letters were born on the farm, and were indebted largely to its early influence for the distinction which they gained. Among the enterprising farmers of Jefferson township, Preble county, Ohio, is Charles P. Jones, who lives on Rural Route No 2, out of New Pads, Ohio. Charles P. Jones was born in Jefferson township, Preble county, Ohio, November 11, 1866, a son of William D. and Matilda (Mikesell) Jones, both of whom were natives of this county, the latter having been born in Jefferson township, where she died on December 24, 1897, having always made her home in that township. William D. and Matilda (Mikesell) Jones were the parents of ten children, four of whom are living : Ira E., a farmer of Lake county, Michigan. married Ella Burkett; Charles P., the immediate subject of this review : Elsie J., the wife of Ed. 0. O'Toole, a resident of Mt. Sterling, Ohio, and Harry j., of Bradford, Ohio, who married Dora Petry. Charles P. Jones spent his, boyhood days on a farm in Jefferson township. When old enough he attended the district schools during the ,winter seasons. and, worked on the farm in the summers. Mr. Jones has lived on the same farm, which he now owns andoccupies, for more than forty years, with the exception of ten months. He owns .thirty-two acres of land, in Jefferson township, and is an extensive breeder of a good grade of live stock of all kinds. PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 635 On December 2, 1891, Charles P. Jones was married to Nora McMahon, who was born at Eldorado, Ohio, July 7, 1865, the daughter of. Thomas .and. Mary (Nagle) McMahon, who were both natives of Ireland. Mrs. Jones was educated in the public schools of Preble county, To this union one daughter, Minnie, was born, September 21, 1892. She was graduated _from the common schools and is the wife of Cletus C. Kuth. They live with Mr. and Mrs, Jones. Mr. Jones is a Republican, but has not taken an active interest in political affairs. Fraternally, he belongs to Fellowship Lodge No. 106, Free and Accepted Masons. and is also a member of New Paris Lodge No. 303, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. Jones' is a devout member of the Presbyterian church at New Paris, Ohio, and takes an active interest in the affairs of this church. The Jones family is one of the oldest families now living in western Ohio and eastern Indiana, and Charles P. Jones is a worthy representative of this old and highly respected family. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are worthy citizens of Jefferson township, where they are well known and in every respect entitled to representation in a work of this character. The esteem in which Mr. Jones is held by his neighbors was demonstrated on two occasions of an official character, he having twice, been elected to the responsible office, of township trustee, in the discharge of the duties of which office he brought to bear a sound business judgment and a degree of care for the details of his office, which earned for his administration the commendation .of all in any way related to public affairs in that community. His terms o f ,service covered the period comprised in the years 1909-1913. SAMUEL W. ROBERTS. The old song which carries a refrain containing the line : "The farmer feed's them all," states a very fundamental and economic truth. Without the farmer the rest of the country would starve within a week, despite the large amount. of food in storage. Every other occupation might be done away with, and .people could live, but a total, cessation of farming, in a very short time, actually would depopulate the earth. A man can live without banks all his life, but deprive him of his bread and his career is soon ended. Farming is becoming an honored profession. District schools are teaching it as a science, and colleges are granting degrees for agricultural training., Without 636 - PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO. the farmer, the banker would close his doors, the :manufacturer would shut down his factory and railroads would suspend operations. Among .the hon ored farmers of Preble county, who helps to keep the banker, the manufacturer and the railroads going, is Samuel W. Roberts, a farmer living on Rural Route No. 1 out of New Paris, Ohio. Samuel. W. Roberts was born in Darke county, Ohio, January 4, 1874, the son of Samuel E. and Jane (Barton) Roberts, the former of whom was born in Darke county, Ohio, and the latter in Wayne county, Indiana. For a time after they were married the Robertses lived in Darke county, but in 1878 they moved to Wayne county, Indiana, where they lived the rest of their lives. Samuel E. Roberts died May 23, 1906, and his Widow is still living, now residing in Darke county, Ohio. They were the parents of five. children, Jennie, the wife of A. L. Reid, of Richmond, Indiana; W. E., a retired. farmer of New Paris; Samuel W., the subject of this sketch; Mary the wife of Norlie Hunt, of Darke county, Ohio, and. Lurene, the wife of Delbert Funk,. of Richmond, Indiana. Samuel W. Roberts was four years old when his parents moved to Wayne county, Indiana. He spent his boyhood days on the farm in Wayne county and was educated in the schools of that county. On September 14, 1890, Mr. Roberts was married to Lillie C. Noggle, Who was born at New Madison, in Darke county, Ohio, and who was educated in the district schools of that county. To this union there are three living children, Roy W., born on May 30,. 1894, who is a graduate of the common schools and .a farmer at home; Faye, born on May 23, 1896, who. was graduated from the common schools and attended the high school at New Madison for one year, and Opal, who was born on March 31, 1898. Ralph, who was born on May 9, 1905, died in 1910. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts went to housekeeping in Wayne county, Indiana, where they remained for one year, at the end of which time they removed to Mr. Roberts's father's farm in Darke county, where they lived until 190o, in which year Mr. Roberts. purchased the farm of one hundred and ninety-one and two-hundredths acres in section 5, Jefferson township, this county. Samuel W. Roberts not only has been a successful farmer, but he has been an extensive raiser of stock. He keeps a high grade of stock and uses. only the most improved and modern methods in farming. Mr. Roberts has splendid buildings on his farm and everything is kept in a splendid state of repair. From every, point, the farm shows the thrift of its owner and proprietor. PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 637 Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are members of the United Brethren church at Pleasant Hill. Mrs. Roberts and her daughters are members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and of the Home Missionary Society and are active in both of these organizations. The Roberts family are representative citizens of Preble county and as such, are entitled to representation in a volume which undertakes to set out the historical and biographical points of interest in Preble county. HARRY W. BRAGG. There are several hundred different occupations, but there is only one of all this number that is absolutely necessary to man's existence. The three things without which man cannot live are food, clothing and shelter, and it is the farmer who not only controls the food supply, but also holds the clothing products of the world in his hands. His is the only occupation which can exist independently of all others. An increasing number of our best farming men are taking agricultural courses in colleges, thereby fitting themselves the better for scientific farming. The profession has taken on increased dignity within the past few years and more and more of our young men are applying themselves to scientific farming. The farmer of today has the immense advantage of working with machinery which renders his work free from many of its former disadvantages. Preble county has hundreds of splendid farmers and among them Harry W. Bragg holds a worthy place. Harry W. Bragg, a .prosperous young farmer living on Rural Route No. 2, out of New Paris, Ohio, and the proprietor of "Brookside Farm," a beautiful place consisting of ninety-two acres two and one-half miles northeast of New Paris, Ohio, was born near Marion, in Grant county, Indiana, December II, f880. He is a son of L. D. and Lida J. (Mackey) Bragg, the former a native of Grant county, Indiana, who married Lida J. Mackey in New Paris, Ohio. L. D. Bragg is still living, while his wife died in 1906. They were the parents of four children : Harry W., with whom this narrative deals; Emma, the wife of Vernie Lawrence, lives in Eldorado, Ohio; 'Edward, a farmer of Jefferson township, married Daisy Hogston, and Elbert, :.who is unmarried and living with his father. Harry W. Bragg was four years old when he came with his parents to Preble county, and he received his education in the common schools of this county. He assisted his father with the work on the farm and early learned 638 - PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO. the principles of good farming, in which vocation he has been continuously engaged since reaching his maturity. Mr. Bragg was married on January 11, 1902, to Rosa Emrick, a native of Darke county, Ohio, born on May 6, 1880, and to this union two children have been born : Orville J., born September 28, 1904, and Esther G., born -March 17, 1909. Mr. Bragg and his family are loyal and earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church at New Paris, Ohio, and take an active part in the work of this denomination, Mr. Bragg being one of the trustees of the church, as well as a member of its official board. He also is superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Bragg is an adherent of no particular political party, but votes independently, believing that in doing so he is best serving the interests of his community. Fraternally, he is a member of White Water Valley Grange No. 1837, in which he has passed all the chairs, being now a past master of this grange. Mrs. Bragg is also a member of the same grange. On his fine farm in Jefferson township, Mr. Bragg makes a specialty of breeding high-grade live stock, and has a very fine herd of Polled Hereford cattle, headed by "Reginald No. 2054," whose dam was "Miss Reginald No. 143434." He also keeps a good grade of hogs and other live stock. In all the avenues of life Mr. Bragg has performed well his part and well deserves the respect and esteem in which he is held by all who know him, and well merits representation in the annals of his county's history. JAMES B. MURRAY. The character of a community is determined in a large measure by the lives of a comparatively few of its members. If its moral and intellectual status is good, if, in a social way, it is a pleasant place in which to reside, if its reputation as to the integrity of its citizens has extended to other localities, it will be found that. the standards of the leading men have been high and their influence such as to mold the character .and shape the lives of those with whom they mingle. In placing the late James B. Murray in the front rank of such men, justice is rendered to him and to the community in which he lived. Although a quiet and unassuming man with no ambition for public position or leadership, he contributed much to the material, civic and moral advancement of his community, while his admirable qualities of head and PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 639 heart, and the straightforward, upright course of his daily life Won for him the esteem and confidence of the circle in which he moved. Although he is now sleeping the sleep of the just, his influence still lives, and his memory is revered by many. James B. Murray was born in Eaton, Ohio, February 28, 1843, the seventh son of Mitchell and Lydia (Brasier) 'Murray, both of whom were natives of Delaware, where they received their education, and where they were married. They located near Eaton, Ohio, and later moved to Darke county, Ohio, but after a sometime residence there they returned to Preble county, where Mr. Murray rented two hundred and seventy acres of land in Jackson township. After living there for some time he purchased a tract of land in Darke county, north of Eldorado. Mrs. Murray died on this latter farm, and Mr. Murray's death occurred subsequently in Preble county. They were the parents of thirteen children. James B. Murray was a young man at the time of the outbreak of the Civil War, and enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Fifty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was in the service of the Union for three months. The late James B. Murray was married on January 1, 1868, to Martha J. Mills, who was born in Jefferson township, Preble county, Ohio, September 13, 1848, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Swerer) Mills. George Mills was a native of Ireland, who came to the United States with his parents. He received, his early education in this country and taught school for some time after reaching manhood, but later took up farming, which he followed through life. Three of his five children are now living: Joseph Mills, a resident of Miami county, Indiana; William, a resident of New Paris, Ohio, and Martha J., the widow of Mr. Murray. Mrs. Murray was reared on a farm in Jefferson township, receiving her education in the public schools of her home neighborhood, afterwards attending the high school at New Paris, where she afterward became a teacher. To James Murray and wife seven children were born : Olive May, who died in 1914, was the wife of William Tyler ; Edwin O., a resident of New Paris; Charles A., of Jackson township ; Elwood, unmarried, lives at home with his mother ; Cora A., the wife of William Swisher, of Dayton, Ohio ; Ethel M., unmarried, is living at home; Elbert J., born February 16, 1891, also is unmarried and lives at home. Mrs. Murray is a member of the Presbyterian church at New Paris. She is a quiet, unassuming lady, well known in New Paris and Jefferson 640 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO township, where she has spent much of her life. She has always been devoted to the interests of her children and was a loving helpmate to her late -husband, and as a wife and mother is more than worthy of any tribute which might be paid to her sex. JOSEPH C. STEEL. For nearly a century the Steel family has been represented in the affairs of Preble county, Ohio, and during all the intervening years has been recognized among the most prominent and influential families of the county. From the first the members of the family have devoted themselves principally to the occupation of farming, a calling in which they have achieved the highest success. The chief living member of this prominent family is Joseph C. Steel, who was born in this county and who is now one of its most prominent farmers and fruit growers. Joseph C. Steel was born in Israel township, near Fairhaven, Preble county, Ohio, February 1, 1845, the son of Samuel and Martha (Hays) Steel. Samuel Steel was born in North Carolina, October 29, 1814, and died in Preble county, Ohio, January 13 1897. His wife was born June 26, 1815, in Israel township, Preble county, in the same house in whiCwhich spent her life. There she was married and bore all her children and there she died July 26, 1879, aged Sixty-four years and one month. She lies in Fairhaven cemetery in Israel township. Samuel Steel came west with his parents in 1818, and was four years of age when the family settled in Preble county. He attended the subscription schools of the county and then entered upon his vocation as a farmer. In 1840 he married Martha Hays, and to this union eight children were born, but three of whom are now living-. The children were : Joseph, the subject of this sketch ; Mary Jane Elizabeth, the wife of Harvy Bell, of Eaton, Ohio; Robert, who lives on the old homestead in Israel township; John K., who died about 1894; Martha Ann, who died at the age of nineteen, and three children who died in infancy. Samuel Steel followed the calling of a farmer throughout his life, and was rewarded with great prosperity. He was an earnest Christian and on the Sabbath would always be found in his pew at church. Joseph C. Steel received a common school education in the schools of Preble county, and, upon the completion of his school days, followed in the footsteps of his father by becoming a farmer. He gave his services to his PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 641 country as a soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, and on March 3, 1868, he married Mary Jane Smith, a daughter of John and Nancy (Buck) Smith, who was born October 19, 1845, and died December 19, 1879. The union was blessed by six children, two of whom are living. The children were Lillie, who died at the age of two years; Eva Jane, the wife of Levi Reeve, of Camden, Ohio; Cora, who died at the age of fifteen; Samuel, who died at the age of twenty-two months; Walter A., who married Susie Brannon and was father of two sons, and who died May 2, 1906, at the age of twenty-eight, and Clarence, born in August, 1879, who lives at home and takes active charge of the operation of the farm, and is doing excellent work. Clarence married Alberta Johnson, and three children, Samuel, Vernon and Norman, have been born to them. In 1872 Joseph C. Steel moved with his family to Kansas, where they lived for four years. At the end of that time they returned to Preble county, Ohio, making the entire trip back with a team, which they drove across the country. Mr. Steel and his father then bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Somers township, three miles southwest of Camden, Preble county, Ohio. Mr. Steel improved his farm and has developed it as a fruit-growing farm until he now has one of the largest orchards in Preble county. The orchard contains more than eighty acres, and the place is known as the "Home Grown Fruit Farm." Care is taken to produce first-grade products for market, with the result that the fruit grown on this farm has become famous in the sections where it is offered for sale. Mr. Steel is a member of the United Presbyterian church of Morning Sun, Preble county, Ohio, and his wife also was a member of that church before her death. Mr. Steel is a Republican, although he has never taken an active interest in the campaigns of that party. During late years he has had no partisan affiliation with any particular party, but has made it .a point to vote for the men he considers best qualified for the office for which they are running. Mr. Steel is an excellent example of the solid citizenship of Preble county. He has never attempted to get into the limelight politically or otherwise, but has always been satisfied to devote his entire time and efforts to the prosperity and comfort of his own family, and to the use of his influence in whatever direction. he felt would best serve his immediate community. It is such men as Mr. Steel who form the backbone of any community, and whose example leads others to give to a county the best that is in them. (41) 642 - PREBLE COUNYT, OHIO JOHN J. O'DEA. No business has made greater advancements during the last half century than agriculture. Practically all the disadvantages which beset the pioneer farmer have been eliminated by modern inventions which tend to lighten the farmers' labors. It takes less labor now to operate a farm of fifty acres than it did to operate yearsrs of ten acres fifty yearS ago. Inventions are coming into use every year which are helping the farmer to increase his sphere of usefulness. Ohio is recognized as one of the beSt farthing states in the union and no county in this state has better or more prosperous farmers than Preble county. Among the hundreds of farmers who have made this county famous as an agricultural section, there is none more worthy of a place in a biographical volume of this character than John J. O'Dea, a farmer living on Rural Route No. 3, out of New Paris, Ohio, and the proprietor of the "Enterprise Stock- Farm," of two hundred and eight acres, three miles east of New Paris. John J. O'Dea was born in Richmond, Indiana, AugUst 14, 1872, the son of Patrick and Bridget (Harrigan) O'Dea, both natives of County Clare, Ireland, who came to the United States early in life and loCated at Richmond, Indiana. They were married in Richmond and lived there six years after their, marriage, at the end of farm time they moved to a farrn -one mile 'east of Gettysburg, Ohio, where they lived Until the death of Mrs. O'Dea after which Mr. O'Dea lived with his children. He .made two trips backto Ireland. Mrs. O'Dea died in 1897 and he died Julymembers They were devout mem-hers of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O'Dea were the parents of four children, Mary, who was graduated from the New Paris high school and is a teacher in Jefferson township, having taught six years in that township; John J., the subject of this sketch; Catherine, the wife of John Cahill, 'of Dixon township, and Margaret, the wife of Joseph Wadick, of near Camden, Ohio. John J. O'Dea was reared on a farm in Jefferson township and attended the district schools, where he received his early education. Upon reaching manhood he was for a time employed on the Pennsylvania railroad, but later began farming near Gettysburg, Ohio. He moved to his present farm in 1911, at the time he was united in marriage with Irene Doyle, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and:there he built a modern house with basement, furnace, electric lights, hot and cold water and bath: Mr. O'Dea is an extensive breeder of Duroc-Jersey hogs, a large feeder PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 643 and shipper of cattle and has been especially successful in. raising stock. Mr. O'Dea is, one: of the hustling and up-to-date farmers of Jefferson township and an honorable citizen of the community in which he has spent his entire life. He is a Democrat, although he has never taken an over-active interest in political affairs. He and his wife are members of St. John's Catholic church and Mr. O'Dea is a member of, the Knights of Columbus. MRS. SARAH ELIZABETH REYNOLDS. Eaton is proud of the career of Mrs. S. E. Reynolds, a distinguished resident of that city and a woman who has had a prominent part in practically every movement that has been inaugurated for the benefit, of all the citizens of Eaton and Preble county. Mrs. Reynolds. is a woman of distinguished ancestry and it must he conceded that she has fulfilled in her life work all obligations imposed upon her by virtue of the distinguished services of the men and women from whom she is descended. Her reputation extends beyond the boundaries of Preble county and this reputation, which is national in character, has been builded upon her notable achievements. Mrs. Reynolds is not only to be classedas a leader of her .sex, but shehas shown in her Many works the ability '6 lead men as well as Women. It is a pleasure to be the historian of this volume and to the life story of a woman whose years have been so "filled with Important deeds. Mrs. S. E. Reynolds, who now lives at 109, West Decatur street, Eaton, Ohio, is a daughter of John M. and Sarah (Truax) Daugherty., John M. Daugherty was born in Jacksonburg, Butler county; Ohio, the son were John M., Sr., and Sarah (Hunt) Daugherty. The Daugherty family Were natives of Ireland and came from that country to America in the eighteenth century, locating in Pennsylvania. The Hunt family. located in Pennsylvanian also, but they came from England. John M. Daugherty, Jr., the father of Mrs. Reynolds, came from Butler county, Ohio, to Preble county when a child, with his mother, and grew to manhood in Dixon township. He died on the farm where his Grandfather Hunt settled. He was married to, Sarah Truax, March 19, 1845. John Truax, the father of Sarah Truax, came from Kentucky and settled on government land in Dixon township, where he became a prosperous farther and stock-raiser. He was Whig of considerable local prominence. John M. Daugerty, Jr, was the father of four children, Sarah Eliza- 644 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO. beth Reynolds, the subject of this sketch; John S., a former farmer of Dixon township, no* living in Eaton, Ohio; the other children, George Waddy and L. C., are deceased. Mrs. Sarah E. Reynolds was reared on the Hunt homestead, in Dixon township, and was educated in the district schools of that township and in a. private school, later teaching school. She was married to Roddie Reynolds, November 28, 1866. He was born in Elphin, Roscommon county, Ireland,. August 15, 1844, and came to the United States at the age of five with his. mother. He was the only child born to his parents. They first located in New Jersey, but came to Preble county, when he was seven years old, and he was reared in Eaton and educated in the public schools of that city. Mr. Reynolds was a successful hardware merchant and contractor. He was appointed secretary to General Ben LeFevre, congressman from the Eaton district, and for many years lived in Washington, D. C. He also served in the United States navy during the Civil War and was the youngest commander in that war. He was chief of the division in the sixth auditor's office at Washington D. C. At the time of his death the time of,hi,§-.death in 1884. Mr. Reynolds was a man held in high esteem by all who knew him.. He and Mrs. Reynolds were the parents of three children, two of whom are living, L. C. and Nellie. L. C. is an attorney in Baltimore, Maryland, and has charge of the bonding division of the Maryland Casualty Company. He married Ada Gibbons, the daughter of John Gibbons. Nellie was graduated from the Bishop Strachan School, Wykeham Hall for Young Ladies (Episcopal), at Toronto, Canada, and married Prof. George R. Eastman, of Dayton, Ohio. Mrs. S. E. Reynolds represented the women of Preble county, Ohio, at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. She was appointed by the Hon. Daniel J. Ryan, of Columbus, Ohio of the commissioners of the exposition board. Mrs. Reynolds organized a club of forty women and, as a token of appreciation for their work, Mrs. Reynolds was presented by "Uncle Jim" Bruce with the bole of a beautiful buckeye tree cut off the battlefield of Fort St. Clair on the one hundredth anniversary of the battle of Fort St. Clair. Lieutenant-Governor Harris and Mayor Risinger presented the logs at the one hundredth anniversary celebration held in the city hall. The members of the club were keenly interested and from the tree, which represented the state of Ohio, they made a beautiful cabinet, carved with buckeye leaves and implements representing Indian warfare. This piece was placed in the Ohio building at the exposition and proved to be the only historical and representative piece made by women and shown at the exposition. Mrs. Reynolds now has it in her possession and prizes it very highly. PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 645 This good woman has always been interested in the legends and traditions of the St. Clair history, including the trail of St. Clair from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Detroit, Michigan. This trail is full of legends and traditions, which make the history not only beautiful but more interesting. Mrs. Reynolds has forty pieces of hand-painted china, each one representing St. Clair's connection with the early history of Ohio and these eventually will become the property of the state. She also has many legends and traditions written more than one hundred years ago. Not very long ago Mrs. Reynolds obtained more than four hundred signatures to a petition asking the state Legislature, if possible, to purchase the battlefield of Fort St. Clair, which was then owned by Judge William Gilmore and now by his son, Clem, of Dayton, Ohio, if not for Preble county, then for the state of Ohio. Mrs. Reynolds is confident that this will sometime be done. Mrs. Reynolds is the author of a little St. Clair booklet, which she wrote and presented to "The Little Children I Love." It is illustrated with St. Clair pictures and is an interesting little document. Mrs. Reynolds represented Louisa St. Clair at the one hundredth anniversary of Eaton and rode a pony at the head of the procession, with Mayor George H. Kelley, of Eaton. To Mrs. Reynolds, perhaps more than to any other person in Eaton, is due the splendid public library which the people of that city now have. The funds for the organization of this library organization were started by the Research Society and consisted in the beginning of one hundred dollars. The idea originated with Mrs. Reynolds, starting with. what books this fund would purchase, with a number presented to the society by friends. The .small case of books was given a place in a corner of Homan & Randal's furniture store on North Barron street. The ladies, of whom, at that time, Mrs. Homan was president, kept the library open two days out of each week for almost two years before they reached the end of their "great expectations" of founding a public library for Eaton. The incorporators of the Eaton public library were Mrs. S. E. Reynolds, Mrs. Frank Homan, Mrs. William Ortt, Mrs. George Spacht, Mrs. Mary K. Stubbs, Messrs. Chrisler, John Gibbons, B. D. Moses and Dr: Prentis. It is now located at the corner of North Barron and West Decatur streets, one of the most valuable sites in town and the property of the library. Not only has Mrs. Reynolds done a large part in the building and maintenance of the public library, but she has devoted much of her time to the educational uplift of this city. She was editor-in-chief in 1897 of the Eaton Register. which was issued to provide 646 - PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO funds for the erection of a monument to the soldiers buried in Mound Hill cemetery. Mrs. Reynolds is secretary of the Abner L. Haines Humane Society, of Preble county, and also was a member of the women's board at the children's home. She is a captain commander of the National Naval Association of the United States, has served as secretary of this association, and was chairman of the Ladies' National Naval. Association, which made the strewing of flowers upon the waters, in memory of the sailors and marines who lie buried beneath the waves, a national service. This beautiful service originated with Mrs. A. S. C. Forbes, of Pasadena, California, for which she has received hundreds of letters of congratulations from our Presidents, officers of the navy and of the army of the United States; also from naval officers of other countries. She is now president of the El Camino-Real Society of California, marking "The King's Highway"—the old missions of California. This is one part of Mrs. Reynolds' work she is particularly proud of and for which she was made an honorary member of the Men's Naval Association of America. Mrs. Reynolds is one of the charter members of the Woman's Relief Corps, in which she is a past president. She is also past worthy matron of the Order of the Eastern Star and represented the chapter at Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. Reynolds is a member of the Pocahontas lodge and was the first Pocahontas in Eaton and is now one of the staff of the great Pocahontas of Ohio.. She is a member of the State Historical and Archaeological Society of Ohio and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1914 she was a delegate to the national convention Washington, D. C., and is a member of the Richard Arnold chapter at Washington, D. C., being one of the first members of this organization. Mrs. Reynolds is a great-great-granddaughter of Joseph Hunt, who was with the army of Washington at Valley Forge. Mrs. Reynolds' maternal great-grandfather, David Truax, was a veteran of four wars, the Revolutionary, the Blackhawk Indian War, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Mrs: Reynolds owns the old Hunt homestead of one hundred and twenty-three acres in Preble county and has a competence entirely sufficient for her declining years. It is a pleasure to recount the facts in the career of such a woman and it is a pleasure to know that they will be preserved in a historical work such as this. With all her accomplishments; however, Mrs. Reynolds is quite modestly unassuming, it being one of her greatest hobbies that it is to one's friends that one is indebted for whatever success attend one's efforts through life, she stoutly maintaining that no one can succeed alone. PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO - 647 ARTIE J. HAMILTON. It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affairs that makes the real history of a community. His influence as a potential factor in the body politic is difficult to estimate.. The examples such men furnish of patient purpose and steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish. There is always a full measure of satisfaction in reverting even in a casual way, to their achievements. Such a man is Artie J. Hamilton, ex-postmaster and banker of Eldorado, Ohio, who, in every respect, is a representative citizen of Preble county. Artie J. Hamilton was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, October 15, 1874, the son and only child of W. W. and Sophia (Schreel) Hamilton. W. W. Hamilton is a native of Preble county, Ohio, but was reared in Montgomery county, Ohio, while his wife was born in Preble county, and reared on a farm in this county. After their marriage they moved to Pyrmont, Montgomery county, Ohio, where Mr. Hamilton was engaged in conducting a general store, which he operated for ten years, and is now living retired at that .place. His wife died in 1877. W. W. Hamilton married, secondly, Eliza Mills, and to this union two children were born: Bessie, the wife of James Briney, of Kokomo, Indiana, and Edith, the wife of Albert Belsford. After the death of his mother, Artie J. Hamilton lived in .the family of his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. George Schreel, of Preble county, remaining with them until he was seventeen years of age, at which time he entered his father's store at Pyrmont, Ohio, where he remained for three years. At the end of that time, in September, 1895, he moved to Eldorado, Ohio, and there learned the baker's trade, and for eight years was engaged in the bakery and restaurant business. On June 7, 1897, he was appointed postmaster of Eldorado, under President McKinley, and served in this capacity until October 1, 1914. Mr. Hamilton was with his brother-in-law, Jesse King, about three years in the operation of a general store, at the end of which time he purchased his brother-in-law's interest in this store, and has since conducted the store alone. He is now vice-president of the Farmers Banking Company, of Eldorado, and one of the directors of that bank. Artie. J. Hamilton was married to Flora King, of Pyrmont, Ohio, January 1, 1896, and to this union two children have been born, Ralph, born on November 25, 1897, and Harold, born on February 21, 1907, the latter of whom is now taking a course in electrical engineering. 648 - PREBLE COUNTY, OHIO Mr. Hamilton is a member of the Knights of Pythias, having belonged to that fraternal organization since 1895. He is a past chancellor and member of the grand lodge of this order. He is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and is now president of the Eldorado board of education. Mr. Hamilton is a quiet, unassuming citizen and highly respected in Eldorado and. Monroe township, where he has spent practically his whole life. PROF. WALTER WAGGONER. The life history of one who has lived an honorable and useful life and Obtained notable distinction cannot be repeated too often. Prof. Walter Waggoner, although one of the most successful, as well as one of the best-known educators of 'Preble county, is still a young man. His character not Only is marked by purity of purpose, but he is well disciplined in mind and has maintained the vantage point from which life presents itself in correct proportion. He has been guided by the highest principles of integrity and honor, and is simple and unostentatious in his habits, tolerant in his point of view and broad minded in his judgments, his character being a positive ' exression of a strong nature. His career has been a busy and useful one and his name is respected by all those who have occasion to come into contact with him or who have knowledge of his life work. Professor Waggoner has added dignity and honor to the educational profession in this section of the state. Prof. Walter Waggoner, superintendent of the Monroe township, Eldorado and West Manchester schools, is a native of Monroe township, Preble county, Ohio, and was born on June 13, 1883, the son of William and Sarah F. (Shiverdecker) Waggoner, both natives of Preble county, Ohio, the former of whom was born southwest of West Alexandria. William Waggoner is a son of Silas and Magdalene (Voorhiss) Waggoner, the former a native of Virginia. Silas Waggoner was twelve years old when he came from Virginia to Ohio with his parents and was a resident of Preble county the remainder of his life. William Waggoner was reared in Preble county, Ohio, and married in that county. Both he and his wife were educated in the common schools. They were the parents of seven children, four of whom are living, Prof. Walter, the subject of this sketch; Mary, the wife of John Schlotterbeck; Ruth, a graduate of the common schools, spent two years in high school; PREBLE COUNTY. OHIO - 649 Charles D., who was graduated from the common schools and spent one year in the high school. Mr. and Mrs. William Waggoner are members of the Evangelical church. Professor Waggoner was reared on a farm and received his early education in the district schools, from which he was graduated with the class of 1898. He was later graduated from the high school at West Manchester in 1902. He has spent a year in Earlham College and has done special work at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio. Professor Waggoner taught for seven years in district schools and was principal of the high school at New Paris for five years. He was later elected by the board of education as district superintendent of Monroe township, Eldorado and West Manchester, a position which he still holds. On January 29, 1905, Professor Waggoner was married to Elsie May Imes, a graduate of the common schools, the daughter of Francis and Clara J. (Witteman) Imes, both natives of Preble county. To this union two sons and one daughter have been born, William H., who is nine years old; Ralph E., who is seven, and Frances I., who is two. Professor and Mrs. Waggoner are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church at New Paris. Professor Waggoner was superintendent of the Sunday school and treasurer of the church. He was also one of the trustees of the church and likewise president of the Epworth League for two years. Politically, he is a Democrat. Professor Waggoner is entitled to rank as one of the worthy sons of Preble county, a young man who by dint of his own labor, his own industry, foresight and judgment, has made unusual progress and for whom his friends could say even. greater and better things; NATHAN CALDWELL SLOAN. Among the families prominent in the affairs of Preble county, Ohio, few possess greater historical interest than those founded by the heroes of our early wars—those early settlers who fought so ably to secure the independence of the United States, and who after the war had been prosecuted to a successful conclusion established new homes for themselves in the wilderness. They were inured to hardship, familiar with the difficulties of pioneer life, and in every way qualified to meet and grapple with the many obstacles which lie in the paths of the founders of any new community. One of the families of Preble county which was founded by a veteran of the