HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 675 JOSEPH H. HIGBY. Farming and stock raising engage the attention of many intelligent men with practical ideas, in Ross County, they rightly realizing that no business in the world can excel theirs in importance. Perhaps at no time in the world's history has the fact been more emphasized than the present. There are hundreds of acres in Ross County devoted to these kindred industries and attention may be directed to what is known as the old Davis farm, situated in Franklin Township. It is under the capable and experienced management of Joseph H. Higby, and its output is enormous. Joseph H. Higby was born on the farm above mentioned, December 14, 1857. His parents were Sylvester N. and Hannah (Davis) Higby, the latter of whom was born on this farm and always lived there. A part of its 800 acres was her marriage portion, and the rest of it Sylvester N. Rigby bought from the other Davis heirs. He was a man of political importance in Franklin Township and served in many public capacities, being elected to office on the republican ticket. Both he and wife were church members and active in the work of the Sunday school. He was a thirty-second degree Mason. To Sylvester N. Higby and wife seven children were born, and the following survive : Rose, who is the wife of Ira Harris, an attorney at Colorado Springs, Colorado, and formerly mayor; Kizzie D., who is the wife of C. R. Manning, an attorney and police judge at Colorado Springs; Laura W., who is the widow of H. C. Downs, of Columbus, Ohio; and Joseph H., of Franklin Township. Joseph H. Higby spent his boyhood on the home farm and attended the township schools before entering Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, where he completed the classical course and remained for four years. Afterward he studied civil engineering and went out for a time with an engineering corps for practical experience and remained one year connected with the Nickel Plate Railroad and then returned and took charge of the family estate, which he continues to manage. He carries on general farming and raises high grade stock of all kinds. Mr. Higby was married to Miss Jennie E. Foster, a daughter of John C. Foster, and they had two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Higby was educated at Ada, Ohio. In politics Mr. Higby is a republican and quite often he has been elected to township offices, serving in these with the careful efficiency that has always marked his attention to his own business affairs. He is one of Ross County's highly respected and valued citizens. JOSEPH I. VAUSE. As proprietor of High Bank Farm, a beautiful stretch of fertile land, 300 acres in extent, Joseph I. Vause, one of the representative men of Ross County, owns a homestead that has been in the Vause name for more than a century. This valuable estate was purchased by Joseph Harness, the great-great-grandfather of Joseph I., at a Government land sale. Its development from virgin field and forest, therefore, has been accomplished through the energy, industry and good judgment of this one family, coming down to the present from father to son. 676 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Joseph I. Vause was born on the above farm, situated six miles south of Chillicothe, Ohio, July 15, 1870. His parents were Joseph I. and Jane (Foster) Vause. His father was born in Virginia, but the larger part of his life was spent in Ohio. He was a quiet, industrious, frugal man and in legitimate business ways accumulated an ample fortune during a long life. He married Jane Foster, who was born in Ohio, in Ross County, and on the family homestead in Liberty Township they reared a family of twelve children, six of whom are living in the year 1916, as follows: Mary, who is the wife of James C. Foster ; Anna H., who is the widow of George Foster ; James M., who is a farmer in Liberty Township, Ross County ; Nellie, who is the wife of John I. Van Meter; Sallie, who is a resident of Liberty Township ; and Joseph I. At the death of his father, Joseph I. Vause took charge of the farm. In 1908 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Penisten, who belongs to an old and well-known family of Ross County. She was born in Liberty Township and is a daughter of James and Lillie (Harness) Penisten. For many years Mr. Vause has been prominent in county politics as a leader in democratic policies and at times he has been selected by his party for responsible public offices. For two terms he gave the people of the county admirable service as county commissioner. Aside from his large farming interests, he is interested otherwise as a stockholder in the Valley Savings Bank of Chillicothe, and as president of the Chillicothe Engineering Company. His main business, however, is farming. Mr. Vause is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. PETER BOHN. The activities of Peter Bohn as a business man have been well known in Chillicothe for a great many years, and his name is likewise associated with much of the city's municipal, social and educational life and affairs. He is the type of a sturdy, vigorous, public spirited citizen. Born September 7, 1855, in Chillicothe. he is a son of John and Catherine (Litler) Bohn. His father was born in Germany and accompanied by his wife and one child emigrated to America in 1853. In some particulars this journey was rather remarkable. The little family started at Hamburg, Germany, on a sailing vessel, accomplished the entire distance between Hamburg and Chillicothe, their final destination, by deep sea, river and canal boats. The sailing vessel landed them at New Orleans and thence came up the Mississippi River, up the Ohio as far as Portsmouth, Ohio, and there embarked on a canal boat on the old Ohio Canal, finally landing on Hickory Street in Chillicothe. In the fall of 1859 John Bohn engaged in the grocery and saloon business on Main Street near Paint Street and continued in that line until his death in 1876. He was an esteemed citizen of Chillicothe, much interested in public affairs, and was a democrat in politics. He was also a member of the Eintracht Singing Society and Social Organization composed mostly of people from the old country. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 677 Out of a family of nine children, Peter Bohn is the only one now living. He grew up in Chillicothe, gained his education in St. Peter's Catholic parochial schools and at the age of twenty began business as a dealer in fruit, his stand being at the corner of Main and Paint streets. He was in business there continuously until April 1, 1897, and afterwards conducted business in an adjacent block from 1907. Since then his business establishment has been at 93 East Main Street, and through a great many years he has steadily prospered and has a large and profitable trade. Mr. Bohn is a Catholic, is a member of the St. Ignatius Council, Knights of Columbus, and was one of the charter members of this the first council of the Knights of Columbus established in Chillicothe on January 6, 1906. His part as a public spirited citizen has been one of much importance. He was elected township clerk of Scioto Township in 1885 and held that office for five consecutive terms, 1885 to 1891. In 1901 he was elected township treasurer and from March, 1913, to 1914, held both positions of clerk and treasurer. In 1913 he was elected township clerk and reelected in 1915. For several years he has also served as clerk of the board of education and treasurer of school funds, which position he still holds. On January 10, 1879, in Chillicothe Mr. Bohn married Miss E. Florence Kelley, daughter of William C. Kelley, of Highland County. She died July 13, 1916. JAMES V. HARNESS. On the farm on which he now resides, on Chillicothe Rural Route No. 2, in Liberty Township, James V. Harness was born September 13, 1863. This is one of the old historic spots of Ross County, relics of the Mound Builders having been found on the Harness farm, and here Mr. Harness has spent his entire life. He has devoted himself undeviatingly to agricultural operations, has made a success of his enterprises and through his good citizenship had added to the reputation of a family the name of which has been well and favorably known in this section for more than a century. The first of the name to come to Ross County was Joseph Harness, a pioneer of 1798, who located on the farm in Liberty Township which is now owned by J. I. Vause. A close relative of Joseph Harness was George Harness, the great-grandfather of James V. Harness. George Harness' son was John Harness, and the latter's son was Charles E. Harness, the father of James V. Charles E. Harness was born in Hardy County, Virginia, October 8, 1814, and received his education in the public schools of his native place. Not satisfied with his prospects in the Old Dominion, at the age of twenty-six years he mounted his horse, practically his sole earthly possession, and started on his way overland to the fertile fields of Ohio, where his relatives, who had gone before him, were making a success of their ventures. Mr. Harness had some difficulty in getting a start, but finally leased a large tract and in the years that followed gradually worked his way to the ownership Vol. II-13 678 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY of 1,250 acres of land. Mr. Harness was one of the most industrious men of his day and locality and won to success through good management and untiring energy. Probably the reason that he had no capital when he came to the new country was because of his generosity in helping others in Virginia, and in Ohio he never turned a deaf ear to the needy, for, having succeeded himself, he desired to see others win success. A lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church, he gave liberally to its various movements and did much for the cause of religion in his neighborhood. In politics, Mr. Harness was a democrat, but never desired public office. He married Miss Mary Vause, and of their children the following are 'living at this writing: Lillie V., the wife of J. M. Penisten ; Ella V., the wife of Edward Van Meter; Misses Mary and Kate; Charles E., who is engaged in farming in Liberty Township ; and James V. One son, John M., who was engaged in farming, is now deceased. James V. Harkness was reared on the home farm in Liberty Township, and attended the district school of his neighborhood. He was about twenty years of age when he began agricultural operations on his own account, and farming and stock raising have been his vocations throughout life. He has succeeded because of his industry, his practicality and his good judgment, and at the same time has maintained a high reputation for honesty and integrity and fair dealing among his associates. Mr. Harness is unmarried. He is fraternally affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in politics is a democrat. Aside from showing an interest in and supporting movements for the benefit of his community, he has taken little part in public affairs. He is a stockholder in the Valley Savings Bank and Trust Company. Some years ago, on the Harness farm, there were found a number of rich copper relics, left here by the Mound Builders. This valuable and interesting collection was presented to the State Archaeological Society, of which Mr. Harness is a life member. CASPER D. GUNLOCK. Good roads make travel easy through Ross County, Ohio, and those who stop for any purpose in Liberty Township are very apt to take notice of the 300-acre farm that is operated by Casper D. Gunlock. Its well-cultivated fields and its great show of healthy stock all proclaim that a careful, competent farmer is in charge. Mr. Gunlock came on this place, known as the Lee farm, after many years of agricultural experience on a farm of his own in another county. Casper D. Gunlock was born July 25, 1871, in Liberty Township, Jackson County, Ohio. His parents were Fred and Lena (Miller) Gunlock. The father was born in Germany, January 28, 1836, and was brought to the United States by his parents when nine years old. They settled in Jackson County, Ohio, where he spent the remainder of his life, following farming as an occupation, together with operating a threshing machine, being the first man to invest in a threshing outfit in Jackson County. He was an honest, upright man and was a worthy member of the Lutheran Church. In 1863 he was married to Lena HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 679 Miller, who was born in Jackson County, January 20, 1843, of German parents, and seven children were born to them, three of whom survive : Casper D.; Mollie, who was born December 22, 1868, is the wife of Charles Davis; and Lillie, who was born July 19, 1882, is the wife of E. D. Heibel. Lena, Jane, Mazie and Randolph are deceased. The father of the above family died November- 10, 1894, and the mother on April 21, 1884. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Casper D. Gunlock was reared on the home farm and until sixteen years of age attended the country schools. He remained with his father until the latter's death and then managed the farm for the family until after his own marriage, when he bought it and continued on the place as a general farmer until he sold it in 1910. He then came to Ross County, and for the past three years has been operating the( Lee farm. Mr. Gunlock is a well-informed, intelligent and practical man and his methods of handling his land and also his wisdom. in raising fine grade stock prove that Ross. County in him has a sensible, wide-awake agriculturist. Mr. Gunlock was married January 22, 1896, to Miss Armeda Dyke, who was born in Jackson Township, Pike County, Ohio, September 18, 1876. Her father, William Dyke, was a native of Meigs County, Ohio. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gunlock, as follows: Ernest G., Harrison T., Walter R., Arthur E., Minnie L., Clarence T., Clara M., George T., Edna L., and one deceased. These children have been given public school advantages and fine home training. Mrs. Gunlock is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics Mr. Gunlock is a republican. For a number of years he has been an Odd Fellow, belonging to Garfield Lodge, No. 710, of which he is past noble grand. He belongs also to Leota Tribe, No. 116, Red Men, of which he is past sachem. J. E. COUNTS. It is interesting to note that there are people in many sections of the United States, notably in Ross County, Ohio, who personally own more land than some of the princes in foreign countries govern and call their rights sovereign. Prior to the great war that involved Europe in 1914, there were principalities innumerable that by no means aggregated as many acres as are owned by Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Counts, prominent residents of Jefferson Township, Ross County, who are representatives of old pioneer families of this section of Ohio. J. E. Counts, who resides on and personally operates 450 acres of some of the best land in Ross County, was born May 3, 1860, in Darke County, Ohio, near Palestine, and is a son of L. F. and Lucretia Counts. His father was born in Virginia and at the age of four years was brought to Ross County, Ohio. He was reared at Richmond Dale, attended the early schools of the village and then learned the blacksmith trade. For sixty-four continuous years he operated a blacksmith shop at that point. He was well and widely known, was identified with the growth of the place and was one of the charter members, without doubt, of the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges, in which he continued his interest. He survived into vigorous old age and it is recorded that he deftly shod a horse on 680 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY the day following his eightieth birthday. He was one of the pillars of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To L. F. Counts and his wife, Lucretia, four children were born, namely : J. Edward; Charles L., who is a miller at Richmond Dale; Jennie L., who is the wife of Thomas M. Heath; and Daisy, who is the wife of T. G. Hedges. J. E. Counts was reared at Richmond Dale and attended school there and learned the blacksmith trade in his father's shop, afterward working at the same, at intervals, until he was twenty-three years old. For eight years he was in the educational field, being a successful teacher for that period. Since then he has given his attention largely to looking after his large property, on which he carries on farming along modern lines and has met with success in this undertaking. On October 17, 1888, Mr. Counts was united in marriage with Miss Lillie E. Peppers, who is a daughter of H. W. and Eliza (Kelley) Peppers. The father of Mrs. Counts was born in 1826 in Jefferson Township, Ross County, Ohio, and on May 6, 1860, was married to Eliza Kelley, who was born in Liberty Township, Ross County, December 6, 1838. Mrs. Counts was one of three children born to her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Counts have five children: J. W. and K. G., twins, the former of whom is a graduate of the Chillicothe High School and a Detroit institution and is now in the employ of the United States Government, and the latter assists his father; Rondeau L., who is a graduate of the high school; Rebecca B., who is a graduate also of the high school; and Henry L., who is yet a student. Mrs. Counts was born and reared on the farm of 600 acres which she now owns. This was the old Kelley farm and belonged to her maternal grandfather. The Kelley family came to Ross County, Ohio, in 1811 and entered their first land in 1815 and later added more land to their original entry. The entry papers are now in the possession of Mrs. Counts, bearing the signature of James Madison, President of the United States, and since they were issued this land continued in the Kelley name until it became the inheritance of Mrs. Counts. Thus Mr. and Mrs. Counts are among the heavy taxpayers of Ross County. In politics Mr. Counts has always been a democrat, but with the exception of serving as assessor of Jefferson Township, he has never accepted any public office. He belongs to Garfield Lodge, No. 710, Odd Fellows, of which he is past grand. J. R. MOTTER, M. D. The profession of medicine, in our wonderfully developing twentieth century, is not only keeping step with the advance line in science, but under some circumstances is leading the way. Largely made up of men of learning, patience, foresight, scientific exactitude of thought and deduction, it offers healing to the afflicted at its doors but never ceases to seek for the causes yet hidden that cause untimely death to mankind. This attitude, almost general, is what gives the profession its dignity and what attracts to it so many men of the highest type of character. One of these two whom atten- HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 681 tion may be respectfully called is Dr. J. R. Matter, physican and surgeon at Londonderry, Ohio, who for thirty-five years has devoted his time and talents to medical service. J. R. Motter was born in the village which is now his place of residence, March 18, 1853. His parents were Austin and Jane (Williamson) Motter. The family is of French extraction and some of its members were among the early colonists in Virginia. The first of the name to come north of the Ohio River and settle in Ohio was George Motter, the grandfather of Doctor Motter. He brought his family with him, including his son Austin, then about eight years old, and took up his residence in Chillicothe, Ohio. There for many years afterward he was engaged in mercantile pursuits, including dealing in horses. At the time of his death he was considered a man of ample fortune. As the result of a life of probity, good citizenship and general usefulness, he enjoyed the esteem of his neighbors to such an extent that they more than once honored him with election to places of responsibility. Austin Motter, father of Doctor Motter, was born at Richmond, Virginia. After his school days were over he assisted his father in the business, to which he succeeded and continued to carry it on for some years at Chillicothe. After disposing of his interests there he came to Londonderry and again embarked in a mercantile business. Subsequently he entered the employ of the firm of Shaw, Barber & Company, of Cincinnati, with which house he remained connected during the closing decade of his life. He was united in marriage with Jane Williamson and six children were born to them: George W., who died in 1912; J. R. ; Ella S., deceased wife of J. W. Ratcliffe; Hattie M., the deceased wife of William Erskine ; Mary, wife of James Walker; and Beatrice J., now deceased. J. R. Motter attended school at Chillicothe, laying the foundation upon which later his professional education was built. His preparatory medical reading was done with Dr. Thomas Faraby, of Londonderry, being a student there for three years, following which he entered the Medical College of Ohio at Cincinnati, a hoary institution founded in 1819. In 1873 Doctor Motter was graduated from that college, being then but twenty years old. He entered into practice at Allenville, in Vinton County, Ohio, remaining in that field for three years, and returning then to Londonderry, his old home, opened an office that it may be said has never since been closed. Doctor Motter is widely known over the county and not only enjoys professional regard but personal esteem, winning the first through his skill and securing the latter through personal high character. Doctor Motter was married on August 29, 1883, to Miss Ida M. Faust, who is a daughter of Joseph and Abigail Faust. The father of Mrs. Motter was born in Germany and was brought to the United States when six years old. He grew up at Lancaster, Fairfield County, and later came to Ross County. Doctor and Mrs. Motter have two children: Edwin Cameron and Jettie M. The latter resides with her parents. Edwin Cameron Motter was born in Ohio in 1884. After his gradu- 682 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY ation from the university at Athens in 1897, he immediately entered the Ohio University and was graduated from that institution in 1904 with his bachelor of arts degree, following which he read law with the firm of Minshall and Minshall and later with Wade Ellis, and was graduated from the law department of the Ohio State University in 1907. Mr. Motter looked westward for an attractive field for practice and located at Muskogee, Oklahoma, then Indian Territory, and he was appointed first assistant attorney in Dawes Commission. After serving in that office for eighteen months he resigned and later was appointed attorney-general and special attorney for the United States at Muskogee. After serving three years in a very difficult position he resigned and entered into an independent practice of law. Doctor Motter has always taken an active part, as becomes an intelligent and public-spirited citizen, in public affairs, and on numerous occasions has been selected as a delegate to republican conventions, county, state and national. He served as sergeant-at-arms of the convention in 1896, when William McKinley, of beloved memory, was nominated for the presidency. In local affairs he has always shown good judgment, public spirit and enlightened views, declining many offices but consenting to serve on the school board, of which he has been president for fifteen years. J. G. BONE. Few men have lent more practical encouragement to the milling business in Ross County, Ohio, than has J. G. Bone, owner of the Londonderry Mill on Salt Creek and the Joe Dixon Mill. Mr. Bone was formerly a farmer, and still the owner of a good agricultural property, but since 1907 has devoted his interests uninterruptedly to the milling business. He is a native of Vinton County, Ohio, and was born on a farm, February 11, 1864, a son of Samuel and Sarah (Jordan) Bone. The Bone family of Ross County, Ohio, originally came from that sturdy class known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and from the Keystone State the first Ohioan of the name came to Jefferson County. There was born William Bone, the grandfather of J. G. Bone, who moved from that community at an early date to Vinton County and passed the rest of his life there as a farmer. Samuel Bone, father of J. G. Bone, was born in Vinton County, received an ordinary education in the public schools and was reared as a farmer, a vocation which he adopted when entering upon his independent career. For several years he operated the old homestead which his father had owned before him, but subsequently moved to another farm, which he continued to develop and work during the remainder of his life. Both he and his wife died in 1888, having been the parents of seven children, all of whom grew to maturity and are still living: J. G., of this notice ; Mrs. Sarah Johnson, of St. Louis, Missouri ; Nancy, a resident of Chillicothe, Ohio; Viola, who resides at Londonderry ; James, of New London, Missouri ; Pinkney, of Lancaster, Ohio; and A. S., of Londonderry. Samuel Bone was not politically active, being a quiet, rather unassuming man who was well HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 683 satisfied with the activities he could secure from his vocation. However, he took a good citizen's part in the promotion of his home community's interests and was generous in his support of beneficial movements. He was a religious man, but was not connected with any particular church denomination. The district schools of Vinton County furnished J. G. Bone with his early educational training, and after his own education was completed he was engaged for several terms in teaching school, making his home on the farm and working thereon during the summer months. Thus he remained, taking care of his parents and keeping the family together until his parents died. Mr. Bone continued his operations on the old place until 1907, and is still the owner of 120 acres in Jackson Township, Vinton County, now occupied by a renter. In the year mentioned Mr. Bone came to Londonderry and started in the milling business in partnership with Thomas Stevens, these gentlemen purchasing the Salt Creek Mill. It was in a run-down condition, and Messrs. Bone and Stevens built up the business and repaired the mill, but it continued in existence only one year, when Mr. Bone exchanged his interests and assumed complete control of the Salt Creek Mill, which he has since conducted. He is now the owner of this property, as he is also of the Buck Dixon planing and grist mill at Londonderry, which is operated in conjunction. Mr. Bone has built up a substantial and profitable business which has its own established place in the commercial life of the community and which bears an excellent reputation in business circles. He has interest in the Chillicothe Milling Company, which is now building a large mill at that place. Mr. Bone's financial success is augmented by a recognized moral influence. He carries with him into business and social life a splendid ethical perspective, and a capacity for acknowledging the good and weeding out the undesirable in general existence. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Allansville Lodge, No. 855, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and South Bloomingville Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men. Politically, he affiliates with the democrats, and while living in Jackson Township was elected by that party as township clerk for five years and as justice of the peace for twelve years. Mr. Bone's present home is at Gillespieville, in Liberty Township, in the vicinity of which he has numerous warm and sincere friends. CORNELIUS HOOK. The Town of Vigo in Ross County is perhaps as widely known among brick and tile manufacturers over the country as any community in Ohio. This is due to the fact that it is the home of the Ohio Kiln Company, manufacturers and designers of the famous kilns patented by Mr. Cornelius Hook. Mr. Hook has spent most of his lifetime in the manufacturing of clay products and the operating of kilns, and out of the wealth of his experience has invented what is known as the Improved Hook Patent Up and Down Draft Kiln. The claims made for this kiln have been amply substantiated by the experience of brick manufacturers all over the United States and Canada. It is said to be the only system whereby 684 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY heat can be applied to bottom and top at the same time and by which the ware while being burned is subjected to an equal and constant heat in all parts of the kiln and thereby preventing the overburning of some portions and the underburning of others. Mr. Hook is a native of Vinton County, Ohio, and was born near McArthur, August 4, 1867, a son of Abraham and Marie Hook. His parents were substantial farming people in Southern Ohio. His father died in 1915 and his mother in 1881. Of their children, six are now living: Robert; Calvin; Edwin, of Dayton, Ohio; Barney, of Trimble, Ohio; Stella, wife of Daniel Skivers, of Athens, Ohio; and Cornelius. All of the education Cornelius Hook acquired was in the common district schools. When he was fourteen years of age his mother died, and after that he had to depend upon his own resources. He found employment in the brick and tile industry and has had nearly thirty years of practical experience in that line. About 1894 Mr. Hook came to Vigo, and it was during his employment in the Vigo Tile Mill that he worked out his first patent for the burning of brick. He invented a down draft system, which was a great improvement over the old-fashioned methods of operating kilns, such as had been in practice for generations. This offered a saving both in time and fuel, but it did not satisfy all the conditions of the case. The principal difficulty was that the contents of the kiln were not evenly burned. If the bottom tier was properly burned, very often the top layers were overburned. It was to correct these difficulties that Mr. Hook set himself to the task of devising a system which would subject all the contents of a kiln to equal heat at the same time and would obviate the losses caused by overburning or underburning. The outcome of it all was his patent up and down draft kiln, on which he secured his first patent on September 9, 1913. After securing this patent he sold his old patent on the down draft kiln, and the Ohio Kiln Company now gives its entire time to exploiting the advantages of his late patent. The company in the past three years has sold its plans or has built under personal supervision a great many kilns with up and down draft systems in all parts of the Middle West, in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, New York, and also in Canada, and a number of growing letters of testimonial to the efficiency of the new system have been received and are on file in the company's office at Vigo. Mr. Hook's patent insured perfect heat control in the operation of kilns, and not have the old troubles of overburning and underburning been overcome, but there is an additional saving due to the fact that the contents of kilns can by his device be cooled more quickly, and therefore a large plant can be operated with fewer kilns and at the same time without decreasing the output. On December 25, 1875, Mr. Hook married Miss Effie Maxwell, daughter of James and Esther Maxwell. They are the parents of seven children : Hazel E., Clifford E., Edith M., Howard J., Bessie M., Edwin C., and Louis E. All the children are still at home, and the oldest HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 685 daughter is a graduate of the Vigo public schools. The other children, with the exception of the two youngest, are still in school. Politically, Mr. Hook is a democrat, but has taken no active interest in politics beyond casting his vote and doing what is required of every good citizen in his community. He carries insurance in the Illinois Commercial Men's Association. JOSEPH M. HANLEY, M. D. Devoting his time and attention to the practice of his chosen profession, Joseph M. Hanley, M. D., of Chillicothe, has built up an extensive patronage in the city and suburbs, and by reason of his skill and ability has gained prominence in the medical circles of Ross County. He is a native born citizen, the date of his birth being September 24, 1855. William B. Hanley, the doctor's father, was born at Shanagolden, County Limerick, Ireland, in 1818, and was there educated. On leaving school, he served an apprenticeship with a cloth merchant, from him learning the details of the trade. In 1836, a young and ambitious youth yet in his teens, he immigrated to America, and after spending a short time in Canada made his way to Detroit, where he soon found remunerative employment, first in the building of the Erie Canal, as bookkeeper, and later filling the same position with the contractors that were building toll pikes in that locality. Coming from that city to Chillicothe, Ohio, he was in business as a general merchant, on Paint Street, from 1840 until 1852, the year in which the larger portion of the business section of the city was destroyed by fire. He was not burned out, but he discontinued his general store, and soon after opened a merchant tailoring establishment on West Water Street. At that early day all clothing was made to order, and he conducted a prosperous business until his death, November 3, 1870, when but fifty-two years of age. The maiden name of the wife of William B. Hanley was Mary Ann Gallagher, born in Leeland, Enniskillen, Ireland. She survived her husband, dying at the age of seventy-eight years. They were the parents of several children, as follows: Anna, wife of W. B. Thorpe, of Auburn, New York ; William B.; Mary, who married John Boulger, and spent her last years in New York City ; Martin James, in the employ of the Erie Railroad Company, resides in New York City ; Joseph M., the special subject of this brief biographical sketch ; George, who died at the age of twenty-four years; Frank, who died when twenty years old ; and John. William B., the oldest son, served four years in the Union army during the Civil war, first in the cavalry, and later in the infantry, and is now a real estate dealer in Tacoma, Washington. John entered the Union army as drummer when but a mere boy, and was with Sherman in his famous march to the sea, later continuing with his command through the Carolinas to Washington, where he took part in the Grand Review. He now lives in Dayton, Ohio. Having completed the course of study in the public schools of Chillicothe, Joseph M. Hanley began the study of medicine in the office of Doctors Waddle & Cearce. He later attended lectures in Cincinnati, at 686 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY the Ohio Medical College, and in the spring of 1877 was graduated from the Columbus Medical College. The ensuing two years Doctor Hanley was connected with the Hospital for the Insane at Athens, Ohio, being assistant physician the first year, and assistant superintendent of the institution the last year. Returning to Chillicothe in 1879, Doctor Hanley has been in practice here since, being one of the longest established and best known physicians in this part of the state. Doctor Hanley married, June 25, 1878, Mary I. Bier, a native of Chillicothe, being a daughter of Joseph Bier, and a granddaughter of Andre Boehr, as the name was originally spelled, a pioneer of Ross County. Andre Boehr was born, in October, 1800, in Illhausen, Alsace, which then formed a part of France, and was there brought up and educated. Embarking on board a sailing vessel in 1833, he came to the United States, landing in New Orleans after an ocean voyage of forty-four days. From there he came up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Portsmouth, Ohio, thence to Chillicothe. Locating in Union Township, Ross County, he bought a tract of land on Bier Run, and began life in this country as a farmer. A few years later he opened his house, which was situated on what is now the Frankfort Pike, to the public, and was there a resident until his death, in 1870. The place in which he located became known as Biers Run, and the postoffice there established bore that name until discontinued on account of the establishment of the rural delivery service. Andre Boehr married Madeline Peterman, who was born in the same part of Alsace that he was, and who came to this country in the same vessel that he did. She was born in 1808, and died in 1876. Of the ten children born of their union, six grew to years of maturity, as follows: Joseph, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Annie, and Lena. Joseph Bier, Mrs. Hanley's father, was born April 3, 1835, on the home farm in Union Township, Ross County, and as a boy and youth assisted in its management. Entering the employ of John geezer at the age of eighteen years, he served an apprenticeship of three years at the blacksmith's trade, and the following five years operated a smithy of his own at Biers Run. About 1858 he located in Chillicothe, and from that time until 1870 was engaged in the grocery business on South Paint Street. He then opened a shoe store on North Paint Street, and at the end of ten years sold out at an advantage, and having invested his money in land lying on the Scioto River, a mile and a half north of Chillicothe, he was there successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1897. Leaving his son in charge of the estate in that year, he has since lived in Chillicothe, retired from active business cares. He mar-. ried, in 1856, Mary Zind, who was born near Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1858, a daughter of Stephen and Frederline Zind, natives of Germany, and to them four children were born, as follows : Mary Isabell, wife of Doctor Hanley ; Thomas, a resident of Columbus ; Catherine, wife of Neal Barmann, of Savannah, Missouri ; and Edward, engaged in farming in Ross County. Mr. and Mrs. Bier are members of Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church. The union of Doctor and Airs. Hanley has been brightened by the birth of five children, namely : Joseph C., who died HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 687 at the age of five years; Mary, Joseph Carroll, William Lawrence and Editha. Mary married Harry Gunning, and they have three children, Helen, Harry Joseph, and John Carroll. William L. married Anna Rearley. As a young man Doctor Hanley joined a military company organized in Chillicothe soon after the close of the Civil war, the Sill Guards, which was one of the five companies organized under the state laws. among the others having been the Cleveland Grays, of Cleveland, and the Lightly Grays, of Cincinnati. He was made corporal of the company, with which he was associated for five years. The doctor was later made assistant surgeon of the Sixth Regiment, Ohio National Guards, commanded by Col. John Entrekin, and was with his regiment in Cincinnati at the time of the courthouse riots. He has always taken an active interest in public affairs, and for two years served as a member of the Chillicothe Board of Education, but on account of his professional duties was forced to decline a re-election. He served as a member of the local board of health from 1901 until 1904, and has now served in the same office since 1912. The doctor is a member of the Ross County Academy of Medicine, and of the Ohio State Medical Society. Fraternally, Doctor Hanley is a member of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; of Flaget Council, Knights of Columbus ; of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 1071, Ancient Order of Hibernians ; and is a demitted member of Chillicothe Aerie, Order of Eagles. The doctor was one of the organizers, and the first grand knight, of Flaget Council, which he has represented as state delegate from its formation until the present time. He was its delegate to the national convention held in St. Louis in 1908; to the convention that met in Detroit in 1911; and is alternate delegate to the convention in Seattle in 1915. Doctor Hanley and his family are members of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. THOMAS J. ORR, JR. Since its establishment in Ross County prior to the War of 1812, the Orr family has unfailingly sustained the most intelligent and practical interests of community and county, and has been equally prominent in manipulating the implements of the agriculturist and in discharging the duties of citizenship. Its men have demonstrated the worth of industry and integrity and its women have reared their children to be fair, honest and considerate in their dealings with their fellow-men. It was in such an atmosphere of encouragement that Thomas Orr, Jr., was reared by his parents, Zebulon and Mary Priscilla (Purdum) Orr, in 'the home in Springfield Township, Ross County, where he was born August 1, 1855. The great-grandfather of Mr. Orr was James Orr, who came to Ross County among its earliest settlers, and who here died and was buried at Schooley's Station, in Liberty Township, in 1802. His son, Thomas Orr, was born in the East, was a boy when he went with the family to South Carolina, and thence to Virginia and finally came to Ohio. As soon as he reached manhood, Thomas Orr entered land from the United 688 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY States Government in Liberty Township, but did not live there long, soon changing his place of residence to Springfield Township, where he located properties in 1812 and 1820, the patents for these tracts still being in the possession of Thomas Orr, Jr. In all he owned 320 acres, or a half section, and was considered a fairly well-to-do man for his day and locality. He was an ardent supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church, a regular attendant, and died in the faith. Zebulon Orr, father of Thomas Orr, was one of a large family of children, and was born in Springfield Township, April 22, 1830. Feeling that he could better his condition if alone, he left home in young manhood, but returned to his home in Springfield Township and secured a tract of 136 acres. On this property he resided for about eight years, and for seven years following made his home where Mrs. Ellen Allen now resides, but this he also sold to purchase the present home farm of 200 acres, lying on Chillicothe Rural Route No. 2, on Londonderry Pike and in Liberty Township, five and one-half miles east of the City of Chillicothe. Here he has since made his home and carried on his farming operations, although he is now practically retired from the labor of the farm and is enjoying the reward of rest and comfort that is his due for his years of steady and unremitting toil. Mary Purdum was born also in Springfield Township, in 1832. She has been the mother of seven children, as follows: Thomas, Jr.; John N., who is a resident of California; Mary E., who lives with her parents ; Sarah E., who has followed the vocation of an educator throughout her life and is now assistant principal of the Butte (Montana) High School; Laura E., also a teacher, now in charge of a school in Ross County ; Lillian E., who is the widow of John E. Heizer, of Norwood, Ohio; and James H., a resident of Liberty Township. The father of these children is a rather quiet man, caring nothing for public honors, but rather preferring to devote himself to his farm and his family. He is held in the highest esteem in the community, where there are many to testify to his generosity, his kindness and his many sterling qualities of mind and heart. Thomas Orr received his education in the public schools, and has always been a farmer. Like his father, he has found his greatest satisfaction among his fields and in the family circle, but he has been called upon to serve as a member of the school board and as a trustee of Liberty township. In his political affiliations he is a republican. With the other members of the family, he attends the Concord Methodist Episcopal Church, and is serving as a member of the official board. Mr. Orr has shown that he is a good farmer, with a knowledge of every department of his calling; he is a business man who is maintaining the family name for integrity; this is a combination which makes for a fine and helpful citizenship, and one particularly worthy of emulation. O. J. SMITH. Three generations of the Smith family have contributed to the agricultural development of Ross County, the first represented by Michael Smith, the second by Abel Smith and the third by O. J. Smith. All have been men of sterling integrity of character who have helped HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 689 their communities grow as well as to develop along civic, educational, moral and social lines. O. J. Smith, of the third generation, who is living on his farm of thirty-five and one-half acres in Liberty Township, and also the owner of 170 acres in Springfield Township, was born near the village of Londonderry, Ross County, March 29, 1868, a son of Abel and Hannah A. (Jones) Smith. His father was also born in Liberty Township, a son of Michael Smith, who emigrated to Ross County as a single man and took up land from the United States Government near Londonderry. With the thrift that was his inheritance from his German ancestors, he became a well-to-do man farmer, and at the same time was known as a good and honorable citizen. A good constitution, an active, well-balanced mind and an upright character seem to have been the endowment of Abel Smith. His parents gave their son such advantages of education as their isolated and unsettled condition would permit, and as soon as he was old enough he lent his aid in the submission of the woods and the soil. When the Civil war came on he enlisted in a regiment of Ohio volunteer infantry and served bravely for eighteen months, when he became disabled and received his honorable discharge. Not long after his return from the war he was married and at that time settled near Londonderry, but after four years went to Missouri, where a like period was passed. Returning in 1874, Mr. Smith rented a farm here for a number of years, and then purchased the farm in Liberty Township on which he now lives. In politics a republican, he did not desire public office, but preferred to give his entire attention to his own affairs. His religious connection was with the Methodist Episcopal Church and for many years he served as class leader at Concord. Mr: and Mrs. Smith were the parents of five children : Forney, a resident of Londonderry ; 0. J., of this review ; Ammy L., who is the wife of William Miller, of Liberty Township ; Flora B., the wife of Hezekiah Collins, also of that township ; and Bertha, who died at the age of seventeen years. O. J. Smith received a district school education and grew up on the home farm, where he remained until his marriage. This event took place December 19, 1894, on which date he was united with Miss Ida Orr, who was born in Springfield Township, Ross County, daughter of Presley and Martha (Bradbury) Orr. Mr. Orr, a native of Springfield Township, died in May, 1912, while Mrs. Orr still survives and makes her home at Chillicothe. There were three children in the On. family : Edward B., of Springfield Township ; Bertha, the wife of Jacob Caldwell, of Jefferson Township ; and Ida. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Smith settled in Londonderry Village, where Mr. Smith was for two years engaged in the grocery business, after which he removed to Jones Crossing and there established himself in a similar enterprise. This latter he conducted for a period of fifteen or sixteen years, and then, after a short period spent at Chillicothe, he returned to the vocation of his youth, that of farming. In February, 1913, he went back to the home place in Liberty Township, where he has remained ever since. He has a well developed and highly profitable farm, the operation of 690 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY which he carries on in a scientific manner. He has well appointed and commodious buildings, appointments and improvements of the best which eloquently evidences his knowledge and good judgment in that direction. A republican in politics, he has not been tempted from his agricultural labors to seek public preferment, although always ready to assist any good cause. He is a member of the official board of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Concord and Mrs. Smith also belongs to that congregation. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have one son : Robert Orr, a graduate of the Chillicothe High School, a teacher in the public schools for one year in Liberty Township, and now engaged in farming. He married Miss Marguerite Jones, and they have one son,—Robert Orr Smith, Jr. CHARLES HESS. Comparatively a newcomer in Ross County, Charles Hess has none the less identified himself with farming activities of Liberty Township so progressively and successfully that he is well accounted one of the foremost residents of that locality. His farm comprises 242 acres, a part of the old Drummond homestead. It is situated on Rural Route No. 3 near Gillespieville. Mr. Hess was a practical farmer in West Virginia, where his family had lived for generations, but finally sold out his interests in that state and came to join his fortunes with Ross County, where he has lived for the past fifteen years. He was born December 27, 1854, in Upshur County, West Virginia, near the county seat of Buckhannon. His parents were Abraham and Elizabeth (Lewis) Hess. His father was born in Monongahela County close to Morgantown, West Virginia, and grew to manhood near the line dividing the states of West Virginia and Pennsylvania. At the age of twenty-three he went with his father, Peter Hess, to Upshur County, which was then largely a wilderness. Grandfather Peter Hess acquired 2,140 acres of land in that new district, and while busied with its development he died there. It was on a part of that large estate that Abraham Hess spent his years as a farmer. Elizabeth Lewis, his wife, was born and reared near Buckhannon in Upshur County, and her people were early residents there. Abraham Hess and wife had eight children : Mary, widow of Alexander Humphrey and living at Buckhannon, West Virginia; Susan, who died in Missouri, the wife of Leonard Mills; Ellen, who died in Upshur County, West Virginia, the wife of Ezra Woodson; Jeremiah, who died in Upshur County ; John A., now deceased, was clerk of the Circuit Court in Upshur County and had he lived to serve out his last term would have been in the office continuously twenty-four years; Charles; Abraham, who died in infancy; and W. V., who is a farmer near Buckhannon, West Virginia. The father of these children was a man of excellent ability, had a fine and even temperament, was judicious and highly respected in his community, though his quiet, unassuming disposition caused him to avoid any conspicuous place in affairs. Mr. Charles Hess received his early education in the common schools HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 691 near his father's home. He was reared on his father's farm and at the age of twenty-four, on August 17, 1878, he married Jennie Goodwin, a daughter of Elijah and Annie (Cutright) Goodwin. After his marriage Mr. Hess and wife settled on a part of the old homestead, and eventually acquired a good farm of 168 acres. He lived there until he sold out to remove to Ross County. He arrived in Liberty Township November 3, 1902, and has since occupied his fine farm in that locality. The eight children of Mr. and Mrs. Hess are : Iva, who is the wife of George Meeker of Harrison Township, Ross County ; Alva, who lives in Liberty Township and married Eva Smith ; Dela, who owns a farm in Liberty Township and married Ida Vest ; Everett, who lives at home and married Rhoda Colmer ; Orva, at home ; Eva, wife of Tiffin Ault of Chillicothe; Ova and Virgil, both at home. Mr. Hess is an active member of the Friends Church at .Gillespieville and is one of the trustees of the society. He has always been active in church work and became a church member back in West Virginia. Politically he is a democrat. He is now serving as a member of the school board in his home township. S. W. ARGANBRIGHT. A resident of Ross County for the past fifteen years, S. W. Arganbright has found the opportunity which an ambitious man craves in the fine farming community of Liberty Township. He owns and has developed one of the excellent farmsteads of that locality. His place of seventy acres is located a half mile west of Gillespieville on rural route No. 3. Mr. Arganbright is a man of progressive ideas, works his land systematically and profitably, and he and his wife are well thought of members of society in that community. He represents a very old and honored name of Southern Ohio, and was born. in Harrison township of Vinton County February 26, 1875. His parents were Madison and Margaret (Dixon) Arganbright. His father was also born in Harrison Township of Vinton County. The grandfather was George Arganbright, while the great-grandfather was Philip Arganbright. As a young married man Philip Arganbright came to Harrison Township in Vinton County about the year 1800. He was a pioneer there, and land being plentiful and cheap he took up and bought about 1,300 acres. He was busy with its improvement when he died, practically a young man. After his death his land was divided among his eight children, and George, on reaching his majority, took his share and after his marriage settled on his farm of fifty-eight acres and lived there until his death at the age of eighty-six years. George Arganbright and wife had nine children. Of these the eldest was Madison Arganbright, who lived in Vinton County, Ohio, but is now in Iowa. He and his wife had four children, one of whom died in infancy. The other four are Janie L., wife of S. M. Cozad of Columbus, Ohio; Flora, wife of Henry Robertson of Ottumwa, Iowa ; Jacob M. of Keokuk County, Iowa, and S. W. Arganbright. 692 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY When Mr. Arganbright was five days old his mother died and after that he was reared in the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. George Arganbright, in Harrison Township of Vinton County. While living with them he acquired the advantages of the common schools, and stayed at home and took his share of responsibilities in looking after the farm until he was twenty-five years of age. On March 13, 1900, Mr. Arganbright married Hattie M. Ratcliff, a daughter of John W. and Ella S. Ratcliff. Mr. and Mrs. Arganbright are the parents of six children : Thelma V., Edwin H., Raymond R., Mary Margaret, James M. and Ernest J. The two older children are now in high school, and the next two are in the public schools. After his marriage Mr. Arganbright located on his pleasant home in Liberty Township, and has since been recognized as one of the substantial citizens of that locality. He is an active member of Gillespieville Camp No. 6555 of the Modern Woodmen of America, and for the past seven years has served as clerk of the camp. In politics he is a democrat and for six years held the office of township assessor. WALTER J. ERSKINE. The family of which Walter J. Erskine is a member is one of the well known and prominent ones of Liberty Township, and the farm on which he now resides is a property that has been developed into a fertile and productive country estate from its natural woods by those bearing the same name. Also Mr. Erskine was born in the same house which is now his home, and in it he has spent his entire life. Those holding the name of Erskine have established excellent agricultural records, and have been no less prominent in their citizenship, having been the incumbents of a number of high official positions within the gift of their fellow-citizens. Walter J. Erskine was born in the old Erskine home, on rural route No. 2 out of Chillicothe, Londonderry Pike, Liberty Township, Ross County, Ohio, January 5, 1869, and is a son of Samuel B. and Sarah (Bunn) Erskine. His father was born on a farm which is now within the city limits and a part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was given a good education, although the family was in moderate circumstances. As a youth he adopted the profession of school teaching, and it was as an educator that he came to Ross County, Ohio, in young manhood, practically without means, but possessed of an abundance of energy and ambition. For the first two or three years of his residence in Ross County, he taught in the early schools, and during the summer months worked as a farmer and at other honorable employment. 'Thus he was able to accumulate enough capital to purchase 160 acres of wood land in Liberty Township, a tract not yet touched by the hand of man. With his primitive equipment and lack of means, he had a hard struggle to develop a paying property, but this was finally accomplished and he rapidly thereafter advanced to success. It was he who built the present residence and other buildings, although these have been somewhat improved with the passing of the years and several have been enlarged in order to accommodate the growing equipment, stock and HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 693 produce. Mr. Erskine continued to engage in operations on this property during the remainder of his life, and here passed away, as did. also his wife. They left many to mourn their loss, as both had made a distinct impression upon their community and had engaged in many good works. Mr. Erskine was a democrat, and, as a good and capable citizen, of known integrity, was frequently called upon for public service. He was called to represent Ross County in the Ohio Legislature, this being the same year that Larry O'Neil was elected congressman. After capably representing Ross County for four years, he was made a justice of the peace, and for many years dispensed justice among his neighbors in a manner that did much to preserve the community peace and to therefore aid its progress. Although reared in a Presbyterian family, he adopted the faith of the Friends Church, and continued a Quaker until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Erskine were the parents of eleven children, of whom eight are still living, as follows : William R., who is engaged in farming in Liberty Township ; Estacia, of Chillicothe ; Mary, wife of James Williams, of. Liberty Township ; George W., a minister with a charge in Kentucky ; Belle, the wife of William Galbreath ; Hattie, the wife of Michael Barrett, of Crestline, Ohio ; Alice, the wife of S. K. Clark ; and Walter J. Walter J. Erskine received his education in the public schools and grew up on the home farm, on which he remained until about 1899, when he entered upon a period of railroading. For three or four years he was employed by the Erie Railroad as a brakeman, and for about years held a like position with the Baltimore and Ohio, but finally returned to the farm and has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is now the owner of fifty-five acres of good land, on which he carries on diversified farming, a field in which he is making a decided success. He has good buildings and up-to-date equipment, and enjoys the reputation of being an authority upon many agricultural subjects. Mr. Erskine was married in December, 1902, to Miss Alice Jones, daughter of Elwood and Mary Jones, residents of Lick Run, Springfield Township. Four children have been born to this union : Samuel B., who is attending high school ; Mabel, in the graded school ; and Elwood and Helen, who are at home. Mr. Erskine is a stanch democrat. He is not an office seeker, but is active in his support of men and measures which he believes will benefit his community. JAMES O. HIGBY. An interesting fact of local and family history in Ross County is that the postoffice at Higby has been continuously under the management and direction of members of the Higby family through three generations, ever since it was established. The present postmaster is James O. Higby, a grandson of the original postmaster and merchant there. James 0. Higby is a young and progressive citizen of Ross County, and is also active manager of the Higby store there, and is also conducting a farm in Franklin Township. He was born at the old homestead in that township November 12, 1884. His parents were Charles D. and Mary L. (Crow) Higby. Charles Vol. II-14 694 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY D. Higby was born in Richmond Dale of Jefferson Township, Ross County, on October 11, 1843. The grandparents were S. N. and Hannah (Davis) Higby, and this is a family which has been closely identified with the development of Ross County since pioneer days. The late Charles D. Higby was reared in Richmond Dale, had some experience as clerk in a store there, and in early manhood, in 1861, enlisted in Company F of the Fifty-third. Ohio Infantry. He was in his command with all its battles and marches until the close of the war, and his soldierly qualities gained him promotion from the ranks to quarter master sergeant. After the war he returned to Chillicothe, and for several years served as a deputy revenue collector under Marcus Boggs. After his marriage he moved to Higby's Station, and succeeded his father, S. N. Higby, as postmaster. When Charles Higby died, his successor was his son, James Higby. Charles Rigby was postmaster and a general merchant at Higby's Station until his death in 1911. For about twenty-two years he also held the office of township treasurer, and that office his father, S. N. Higby, had also adorned for a number of years. Because of his varied prominence and usefulness, the name Charles D. Higby deserves a grateful memory in the minds of Ross County people. He was an active Mason, being affiliated with Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons, with the Royal Arch and Council, and with the Knights Templar Commandery, No. 8, at Chillicothe. In political matters he gave his support to the republican party. Charles D. Higby and wife had six children : Hattie D., wife of Hiram A. Smith, of Waverly, Ohio; Mamie B., still at home; Hannah D., wife of James E. Eisenhart, of Columbus; Charles Davis, Jr., who married Minnie J. Pendergrass and was drowned in the Scioto River March 10, 1914; the fifth child died in childhood, and the sixth is Mr. James 0. Higby. James O. Higby was reared in a home of substantial comfort and was given the advantages of the district schools and the Richmond Dale High School. Part of his early experience was connected with farming on the home place, and he also became a clerk in his father's store. On the death of his father he assumed the management of the store as well as the postoffice and continued in that line until November 6, 1914, when the building was destroyed by fire, and Joseph Higby formed a partnership and rebuilt the store and added to its stock. While this partnership still exists, Mr. James 0. Higby is the active merchant. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Orient Lodge, No. 321, Free and Accepted Masons, at Waverly, and belongs to the Royal Arch, the Council and the Knights Templar Commandery at Chillicothe. He is affiliated with Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Politically a republican, he was for some eight or ten years township treasurer, an office which his father and grandfather had filled before him. In 1915 he resigned this office on account of a department ruling by the Federal Government that Federal employes should not be permitted to hold local offices of this character. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 695 FRANK BYRON MAULLAR. Numbered among the public-spirited and esteemed citizens of Chillicothe is Frank Byron Maullar, an extensive dealer in real estate, active and prominent in business, political and social circles. A native of Ohio, he was born February 24, 1875, on a farm situated in Perry County, near Portersville, being a descendant in the fourth generation from the immigrant ancestor, Maurice Maullar, the line being continued through his son, William Maullar, and his grandson, George William Maullar. A native of Holland, Maurice Maullar carne to America in early life, locating in Pennsylvania ere the days of railroads or canals. At the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, on the main thoroughfare leading from the East to the West, he opened a public house widely known as the "Stone Tavern." It became a stage station, and had not only good accommodations for man and beast, but had stockyards connected with it, making it a convenient and favorite stopping place for drovers traveling across the country with cattle and swine. There he lived to a good old age, being a very popular "mein host." His wife, whose maiden name was Evon Stenlof, was also born and bred in Holland. William Maullar was born in 1810, in the Stone Tavern, in Western Pennsylvania, and was there brought up and educated. After serving an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, he came to Ohio, and having established a shop at Harrisville, Harrison County, operated it successfully until his death, in 1843, while yet in manhood's prime. He married, after coming to Ohio, Elizabeth Davies, who was born in Belmont County, where her parents, John and Rachel (Collins) Davies, settled on coming from Wales, their native country, to Ohio. Her father was a stone mason, and in 1841 erected, on Captina Creek, a commodious stone house, in which both he and his wife spent their last years. Left a widow with three small children, Mrs. Elizabeth (Davies) Maullar kept her family together, and lived with her children until her death, at the age of seventy-six years. Her children were named John W., Jordan, and George William. Jordan enlisted in the Union army during the Civil war, and died while in the service, at Corinth, Mississippi. George William Maullar, father of Frank Byron, was born in Harrisonville, Harrison County, Ohio, July 4, 1843, and was but an infant when his father died. Having unfortunately lost an eye when a small boy, he was not eligible for the army at the outbreak of the Civil war, but he enlisted as a drummer boy in Company E, Seventy-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and went to the front with his command. At Fort Donelson, while the battle was raging the fiercest, he seized a gun, and from that time on fought in the ranks until late in 1862, when he was honorably discharged from the service on ,account of disability. Returning to Ohio, he .engaged in farming, first in Morgan County, and then on his mother-in-law's estate, in Perry County. Coming from there to Ross County in 1877, he bought a home in Harrison Township, and eight years later removed to Londonderry, where he is now residing. The maiden name of the first wife of George William Maullar was 696 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Sarah Virginia Waterhouse. She was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, a daughter of James and Octavia J. (Clayton) Waterhouse, the former of whom was born in New York State, of English and Scotch ancestry, and the latter in Culpeper County, Virginia. The mother married for her second husband Street King, of Oakfield Township, Perry County, where she spent the closing years of her life. Mrs. Sarah V. (Waterhouse) Maullar died in 1884, leaving three children, Frank Byron, James A., and Bertha, and Mr. Maullar subsequently married for his second wife Rilla Phillips. Attending first the rural schools, Frank Byron Maullar continued his studies in the graded schools of Londonderry, and at the age of nineteen years began his career as a teacher in Vinton County, teaching for a term at Cox Postoffice. As a teacher he earned the money to further advance his education, and after attending the Ohio University four terms, went to Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was for one term a student at the National Normal School. Mr. Maullar was subsequently successfully engaged in his pedagogical work until 1906, when he came to Chillicothe to establish himself in the real estate business, with which he has since been actively identified. Mr. Maullar married, November 18, 1909, Almyra Donelson Woodruff, a daughter of John E. Woodruff, and granddaughter of Joseph Day and Susan Ann (Raynor) Woodruff, natives of New York State, and early settlers of Muskingum County, Ohio. Her paternal great-grandfather, Daniel Woodruff, a lifelong resident of New York State, married Hanna Trichtner. Her paternal grandmother, Susan Ann Raynor, was a daughter of Henry and Lois (Smith) Raynor, the former of whom was a native of England. Mrs. Mauliar's father, John E. Woodruff, was born in the Empire State. He married Almyra Donelson, whose father, Levi Donelson, a native of Maryland, married, in Chillicothe, Elizabeth Roby, who was a Virginian by birth. Mr. and Mrs. Maullar have one child, Myron E. Maullar. Religiously, Mrs. Maullar is a member of the Walnut Street Methodist Episcopal Church. Since casting his first presidential vote for William McKinley, Mr. Maullar has been a faithful adherent of the republican party, for sixteen years having been a member of the republican executive committee. He has served on the state senatorial committee, and has been a delegate to various district and state conventions. Fraternally, Mr. Maullar is a member of Scioto Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; of Chillicothe Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons ; of Chillicothe Council, No. 6, Royal and Select Masters ; and of Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. C. H. LANDRUM is a worthy representative of one of the old established families of Ross County, and resides on his attractive homestead half a mile southwest of Higby, in Franklin Township. Mr. Landrum has given most of his brief career to farming enterprise, but he is now a rural mail carrier on route No. 1 out of Higby. He was born on his father's farm in Franklin Township of Ross HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 697 County, January 19, 1885, a son of W. T. and Mary (Borst) Landrum. W. T. Landrum, reference to whom will be found on other pages, was born in Richmond Dale of Jefferson Township, of German and Irish stock in the paternal line and of German ancestry in the maternal line. Mary Borst, who was born near Concord, Ohio, was also of German family. W. T. Landrum and wife had seven children : William H., of Franklin Township ; Jacob R., now deceased; C. H.; Hannah D., wife of P. W. Workman, of Ironton, Ohio; Matilda, wife of C. E. Blaum of Waverly, Ohio; and Priscilla and Mary, now deceased. C. H. Landrum grew up on his father's farm. He had the usual environments of the country boy, and was quite well educated. He attended the district schools and also took a business course in Chillicothe. He lived at home until December 30, 1908, when he married Miss Jessie Yoakum, daughter of Clay M. and Lottie (Weygandt) Yoakum, of Columbus, Ohio. After his marriage Mr. Landrum located at Higby. Since February, 1907, he has been one of the rural mail carriers in this county. Politically, he is a republican. Mr. and Mrs. Landrum are the parents of four children : Roscoe H., aged six years; May Ardell, aged five; Charles Lewis, three years old ; and Leslie Willard, now two years of age. ROBERT LEE HARNESS. A representative of that broad-minded, well-educated and ever progressive element which is molding the present and future agricultural policy of Ross County is found in the person of Robert Lee Harness, who is now cultivating 348 acres of some of the best land to be found in Liberty Township. He was born in his present home, on the old homestead of D. R. Harness, July 8, 1869, and is a son of D. R. and Rachael (Vause) Harness. Daniel R. Harness was born at Moorefield, Hardy County Virginia (now West Virginia), and there grew to manhood. He was still a young man when he came to Ross County and located in Liberty Township, where his brother, Edwin, had preceded him some years. Edwin had married Mary Vause, and Daniel R. married her younger sister, Rachael, and shortly after their marriage they went to Illinois. There, however, they lived for only two years, after which they returned to Ross County and purchased a part of the old Col. William H. Harness farm of 1,138 acres. There they passed the remainder of their lives, developing a good farm and rearing a family that has been a credit to its training and to its community. They had nine children : Fannie, who is the wife of John H. Cunningham, of Bloomington, Illinois; Virginia Lee, who lives at Chillicothe ; Carrie, who lives with her sister Grace, in Liberty Township ; Grace, who is the wife of James Vause, of Liberty Township ; Robert Lee, of this notice; James, who died in 1899; Rebecca and Anna, who died in infancy ; and Elizabeth Lee, who died at eighteen years of age. Robert Lee Harness was reared on the home farm in Liberty Township, and received his literary education in the public schools, this being 698 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY followed by a course in a business college. With this preparation, he returned to the home farm, a tract of 348 acres, on Chillicothe Rural Route No. 2, where he has since made his home. This property is devoted to the classes of stock and products which flourish best in this community, and each department is conducted according to the best scientific knowledge attainable. It would be difficult to find any advantage of country existence which has not been introduced on this model farm, or any luxury of equipment invented for the lifting of the drudgery of farm work. Mr. Harness was married November 24, 1892, to Miss Sallie Graham Harness, daughter of Col. William H. Harness, who was first an infantry commander and later took command of Company B, Eleventh Virginia Cavalry, Laurel's Brigade, Stonewall Jackson's command. He fought through the four years of the Civil war and established an enviable record for gallantry and soldierly qualities. Colonel Harness, who was a member of an old southern family, never lived in Ross County, but passed his entire life in the Old Dominion State. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harness, namely : Daniel R., who spent two years at the Ohio Military School, and is now at home with his parents; Marguerite Vause, a graduate of Glendale College and now attending the Grant Training School for Nurses; Lillian Lee, a graduate of the Chillicothe public schools ; and Grace H., at home. Mr. Harness is a democrat in his political views, but is not a seeker for public preferment. He is active as a good citizen in movements which make for beneficial results, and has demonstrated his possession of businesslike and honorable methods, and a progressiveness which must tend to the continued well-being of the community. JAMES M. VAUSE. A Ross County farm that represents many of the ideals in the way of cultivation, productiveness, arrangement and equipment is that of James M. Vause in Liberty Township, on mail route No. 2 out of Chillicothe. At that location Mr. Vause has 416 acres, and there he illustrates his diversified enterprise as a farmer and stock raiser. He has always followed the plan of feeding his crops on his own land, and keeps good stock and has a fine set of building improvements. He may properly take pride in his farm, and it is really one of the high-class estates of the entire county. Mr. Vause was born October 8, 1860, on the farm where his brother, Joseph Vause, now lives. His parents were Joseph I. and Jane D. (Foster) Vause. Joseph I. Vause, who was born in Moorefield, Virginia, came in infancy with his parents to Ross County, and the family then occupied a farm in Liberty Township now occupied by Mrs. Grubb. Grandfather James Vause acquired a large tract of land there, and in that locality Joseph I. Vause grew to manhood. He lived there until his marriage, and then sold his interest in the old homestead to Daniel Lunbeck and bought the farm where James M. Vause was born. That farm was originally owned by John I. Van Meter and is now the property of Joseph I. Vause, Jr. The father lived there until his death in HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 699 1893. He and his wife had seven children who grew to maturity: Mary, wife of J. C. Foster of Higby, Ohio; Annie, widow of George C. Foster, of Ross County; William, who died at the age of sixteen years; Sallie, who is unmarried and lives at Roxabell ; James M.; Nellie, wife of John I. Van Meter, of Chillicothe; and Joseph I., of Liberty Township. James M. Vause spent his early boyhood on his father's farm. He received an education in the district schools and also attended the private academy conducted at Chillicothe by Professor Poe. He was thus well equipped when he started out in life on his own account, and for the past thirty-five years or more has been one of the progressive farmers of Ross County. On April 4, 1889, Mr. Vause married Miss Grace Harness, daughter of Daniel R. Harness, and representing a well-known Ross County family elsewhere referred to in this publication. After his marriage, Mr. Vause lived on the Chillicothe-Richmond Dale Pike until 1893, and since then has occupied his fine home on the Lancaster Road. Mr. and Mrs. Vause became the parents of seven children, and the five now living are : Ruth E., who finished the course in the high school and in the Glendale Academy, and is the wife of Thomas E. Porter, of Roxabell ; Clifford is a graduate of the Ohio Military Academy at College Hill, Cincinnati, and is still at home ; Irene and Alice are both students in the Glendale Academy ; James W. is attending the public schools. Fraternally, Mr. Vause is a member of the Chillicothe Lodge, No. 52, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Politically, he is a democrat. He has taken an active interest in local affairs, served four years as township trustee, and has also been a member of the township school board. GEORGE W. MILLER. The business of farming has been the occupation by which George W. Miller has accomplished a substantial suecess, and he is one of the native sons of Ross County and one of the most prominent citizens of Deerfield Township. His birth occurred September 30, 1869, on a farm at High Banks, in Ross County. His grandfather, Frederick Miller, was born near Frankfort-on-the-Main, in Germany, grew up as a farmer and spent his life in that pursuit. his death occurred in Germany in 1854. His widow, whose maiden name was Magdalene Brust, was born in the same locality as her husband, and her parents emigrated to America in 1834, locating in Pike County, Ohio, where they bought a tract of timbered land six miles west of Waverly, and made a farm out of the wilderness before they died. Magdalene Miller, after the death of her husband, set out with her seven children to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel that was forty-three days on the ocean. From New York she proceeded west to Pittsburg, where she arrived on the 4th of July. From that point on their westward emigration they embarked on a boat and went down the Ohio to Portsmouth, and thence by wagon and team to Pike County, where she joined her aged parents and took care of